All of Us (The Walking Dead)

Chapter 28

The rest of the day flew by fast. I went out and picked more elderberries so that I could make more juice for the people recovering.

When I walked over to Rick and handed him a cup filled with the concoction, he took it and smiled at me.

"Did you know that we went through a similar illness that spread through the group when we were living in the jail?" Rick asked me.

"No, I had no clue," I said.

He nodded his head. "We had a big group in such a small space, when it broke out we didn't know what to do. People would die and then turn and..." he trailed off, lost in thought. I waited patiently for him to continue. "We lost a lot of people. Almost lost Glenn to it," he said.

"One thing that helped a lot was Hershel. Maggie's dad insisted on treating everyone even though he knew he could have gotten it and died. He even made this juice out of wild elderberries... just like you," he nodded to the cup in his hand.

"You remind me of him a bit. I think he would have liked you a lot," Rick said. I smiled at him, overcome with emotion. Everyone spoke so highly of Maggie's dad. I was honored that Rick had said I reminded him of Hershel. I really wish I could have met him, I think I would have liked him a lot too.

It was sad thinking of the way he had passed. Michonne had told me on the ride to the Hilltop about their past and how Hershel had been killed by someone called the Governor who had beheaded him in front of everyone, including Maggie and her sister Beth, who also passed later on. I was amazed at the things this group had gone through together; No wonder they were so close.

I left Rick so he could get more rest. Michonne wanted to see him, but I insisted she wait, because I didn't want her to catch anything and then pass it on to Judith. 

Soon enough, it was evening. My stomach growled, and I almost ignored it and kept working until I remembered that I had told Daryl I would make sure to eat properly. I laughed at myself and then took a break to get some food.

That night, Siddiq took the first rest and then switched off with me in the middle of the night. Everyone seemed to be on the mend and getting better. We were even able to take the second respirator out of the older man that had been using it. I had worried he wouldn't make it, but it looked like he would pull through.

A couple more days passed, and things slowly went back to normal. The people who had been isolated in their houses recovering were able to join the rest of the community in everyday things. The people who had been worse off were now able to leave the town hall and go back to their houses to isolate and recover.

Siddiq and I cleaned out the town hall. We brought the chairs back in and took all the medical supplies out, and now it looked as if nothing had happened in it. Although I didn't think anyone would be able to come into the town hall now without thinking of what we had gone through.

It was nice not having to be on duty 24/7 now. Siddiq and I were able to go back to the infirmary and make house calls every now and then to check up on people.

During the days, my mind was occupied, but at night, it drifted to Daryl. It had been three days since he'd been gone. I was sure he would be back soon since he said he would be only gone for a few days. I knew I could be worrying about him, but I tried to stay clear of that, telling myself that Daryl was tough. He would be back.

The sun was just starting to set when I left the infirmary to go get some supper. I was almost to my house when I heard a commotion to my left. I turned to see a group of people gathering at the front gates. More were running over and I heard shouting.

I started to run towards the front gates which were open. When I got closer, I was able to make out what the jumbled voices were saying.

"Get the doctor!" someone yelled.