Robin Hood (Sequel To Hiraeth- TWD)

Chapter 18

Hershel hobbled out of the cell on his crutches after hours. Beth was in her cell, reading and writing. Daryl sat on the floor of the cell block dining hall, back against the wall with his knees bent up. He had Friar snoozing against his hip in the ground, after nearly an hour of trying to bark and nose his way into Cailey's cell with Hershel. The hunter was the first person that Hershel visited to bring the news. The white-haired veterinarian stood over Daryl, giving him a gentle nod. 

"How bad's it?" The hunter mumbled over the fingernail between his teeth. 

"She's gonna be all right," Hershel gave a soft smile.

Daryl gave an invisible sigh of relief to himself, turning his head to the side. Hershel watched the man with squinted eyes and another little smile. Something was still bothering Daryl, as usual. "She's a strong girl. Made it this far, it's a good sign."

Daryl made a tiny scoff, one Hershel could barely hear. The veterinarian nodded, his forehead creasing. "What's really botherin' you, Daryl?"

A quick, loud exhale came from Daryl's nose. Hershel could barely hear the hunter's mumbled "Nothin'," as he stood.

Hershel thought Daryl was going to go sit with Cailey before she woke up, but the scruffy man started walking out the cell block. "Daryl," the vet called, "You should sit with her. You'll be the one she wants to see when she wakes up."

"She gon' wanna see food when she wakes up," Daryl picked up his crossbow from where he left it on the table. "Goin' hunting."

"It'll be dark in an hour, hour and a half tops," Hershel pointed out.

"Ain't scared o' the dark," the hunter mumbled. He gave a quick whistle to Friar, gesturing his head to follow. Friar whined a little as he stood, stretching and clinging to Daryl's side. The hunter sauntered right out of the cell block, and Hershel no longer protested.

Hershel instructed Maggie to stay with Cailey, and he told her not to leave her alone in the cell. The eldest Greene daughter kept a close eye on Cailey, waiting for any sign she woke up.

Hershel was right about the time, it was dark within an hour. Cailey still hadn't woken up, and Daryl still wasn't back from hunting. Hershel set up shifts with him and his daughters to stay with Cailey throughout the night, in case she woke up or her state became worse. Carol volunteered to take a shift in the middle of the night, as did Rick. Hershel allowed the helpers to do the job with a frown on his face, knowing something was wrong with Daryl, that the hunter usually would have stayed up all night with the girl.

Beth was watching over Cailey for the second time when the sun had started to rise. She was nodding off a little in her chair. A few hours of sleep wasn't much to her, and she was amazed at how other members of her group could go days without sleep. Regardless, the blonde still slowly kept falling asleep in her seat.

"Go," a woman's voice woke Beth up slowly. "I can watch her."

Michonne leaned against the doorway, her relaxed face staring over the exhausted Beth. The blonde slowly stood, giving an obligatory "You sure?"

The older woman nodded, crossing her arms. "I got this. Daryl should be back soon, I'm sure."

Michonne took Beth's place in the hard prison chair. She had a manspread right out between her chair and the bed, arms crossed. Michonne stared at Cailey, who still lied unconscious, with only her grey sports bra and a torso-full of bandages on her chest. "Just hang in there 'til Daryl gets back, girl," she mumbled. "He's real worked up that you're about to leave him."

"Where's Daryl, anyway?"

Michonne stared up at the doorway. Rick started to lean against the wall with his arms crossed. His eyes darted from Michonne, then to Cailey, then back to Michonne. He was dirty and sweaty and clearly exhausted.