Jo

I scrambled to disentangle myself from Daryl and climb to my feet. Both Rick and Tyreese were still frozen in shock. Tyreese's face was already swelling up and Rick was shaking. Daryl went to Rick and I approached Tyreese as he started to climb to his feet. I reached out to help him but he slapped my hand away.

"Don't touch me," he snarled and he climbed to his feet. "I see how things are here. I understand now," his eyes were narrowed at us as he limped towards the door.

He stopped and looked down at a blood smear on the side of the door. He held his hand up to it, it was significantly smaller than his. He looked at me then with open hostility and moved his eyes back to Rick. "Looks like a woman's hand print to me," His eyes moved to Daryl. "Don't tell me you don't think she could do this."

I frowned at Tyreese and glanced back at Rick and Daryl. Rick was shaking his head, "no, Jo wouldn't do something like this."

But Tyreese was already stomping off.

When I looked back to Daryl I was expecting to share a disbelieving look, but instead he was looking thoughtfully from the two bodies and back to me. When he looked up and saw I caught him he's eyes flashed guiltily.

My mouth dropped open in shock. "Are you kidding me?!" I yelled at him.

He jumped forward towards me. "Jo-" he started to say but I was already shaking my head and backing away.

"I can't believe you would think I could do that!" I sounded angry but I was hurt. I couldn't believe Daryl would think of me like that.

"I didn't say-" he was stammering out his answers but I was too pissed off to hear him out. Somewhere in the middle of our fight Rick slipped back into the cell block, leaving Daryl and I standing over the bodies. At least he didn't think I was capable of murder.

"No! That's right, you didn't say anything. You at no point stood up for me in front of Tyreese." I was so mad I was starting to feel shaky and light headed.

Daryl was shaking his head. "That's bullshit and you know it," he snapped, getting right up in my face. He looked over my face and frowned, his anger temporarily put aside. "Are you okay? You don't look good," he said, his voice was still hard but there was an edge of concern. He reached up to touch my face but I jerked back away from him so quickly I stumbled. Hurt flashed in his eyes.

"I'm fine!" I raged, yelling in his face. I didn't care if my actions hurt him, he made it perfectly clear what he thought of me. "You've just never seen me this pissed off before because you've never accused me of murdering anyone before!"

"I never said you murdered them!" Daryl was yelling now, my words had finally pissed him off. 

"No, you didn't, you were too busy trying to figure out how I did it to come to my defense!" My chest was heaving with the effort it took to yell at Daryl, and my head was swimming. I hadn't been this mad since before the outbreak. I coughed as my voice strained from all the screaming.

His eyes widened at my words and he leapt forward, grabbing for my arm. "Jo."

I jerked away from him, anger and hurt roiled through me so quickly and so completely I was amazed when my voice came out so steady. "Don't touch me," I said, stepping back out of his reach. I shook my head. "You actually think I could have done this? You're no different from the rest of them."

Hurt flashed in Daryl's eyes and he was shaking his head, trying to back track. "I didn't-"

"Yeah, you did," I snapped, cutting him off. I didn't want to hear it, didn't want to hear whatever words he came up with to placate me now that he had time to think. "Actions speak louder than words Daryl. I honestly thought you didn't see me like that. I'm an idiot." And I stalked away towards the guard tower.

"Jo," he called after me one last time, but I didn't look, I couldn't look. If I did he would see the tears in my eyes. And now was not the time for tears.

<><><><><>
Daryl

I was so pissed I didn't know what to do with myself. I knew better than to go after her now. I paced tight angry lines around the bodies. I stopped and looked down at them. Jo didn't do it. I knew that, I could see it on her face when we first saw the bodies she hadn't done it. She was putting on a brave face but it horrified her. I don't know why I hesitated when I did. I was just thinking things through and as per goddamn usual had the worst timing possible. Tyreese was right, of course Jo could do it, but she didn't. Just like I could have. Either way we were together the whole night, there was no way she snuck off without me noticing.

I kicked the bench over cussing up a storm. It had taken months for us to get to where we were and my stupidity ruined it. I ruined it. I ran a hand through my hair and scrubbed at my eyes. I knew Jo, and I wasn't sure I would ever get her to trust me again after this. It had always bothered her the way other people reacted to her since Woodbury; not just the people from there, but our group too. Jo didn't want to be feared. It wasn't something she goose.

"Daryl?" Carol's voice interrupted my thoughts. She stepped through the doorway and stopped at the sight of the bodies. She covered her mouth in shock and turned to look at me.

I just shook my head. "We don't know who did it."

Carol slowly lowered her hand and studied the bodies from a good ten feet away. "Any ideas?"

I shook my head. "Rick neither. Tyreese is pretty sure it's Jo."

Carol raised her hand to her throat and shook her head looking sad. "That's really horrible," she said. "Jo would never do something like this. But I imagine it would have really hurt her to be accused like that. She's works so hard to fit in and be better."

I just nodded too pissed at myself and too ashamed to fess up to Carol about our fight.

Carol gave me a sad smile. "Try to cheer her up? Tell her the rest of us don't think that and Tyreese is just grieving."

I nodded, wondering what my excuse for seeming to doubt her could be.

"Council meeting soon, Hershel is just finishing with Rick and we'll be ready."

I nodded again and headed for the door. My crossbow was still up in Jo's tower. I was gonna have to face her sooner or later. Stealing myself I made my way over there. I frowned as I saw Sasha stumbling across the courtyard towards A by herself.

"Sasha!" I hollered across the yard.

She turned towards me and I saw how pale she was. She waved me off and coughed into her arm. Then she continued trudging towards A block. It was spreading like wild fire. We needed to come up with a solution, now.

I jogged the rest of the way to Jo's tower. I had no idea what I was going to say to her. Probably she would just yell at me some more, but I deserved it and I had to try something. There was some serious shit going down and we needed all hands on deck. I pounded on the door before I opened it and headed up.

"Jo?" I called, but there was no answer. I knocked on the hatch too. "Jo?" I called again. Jo would get mad at me but it wasn't like her to ignore me. I ran a hand over my eyes, bracing myself for what was to come.

I pushed open the hatch and stopped. I stood, frozen for two heartbeats than leapt forward into action. Jo was laying on the floor between her pallet and the deck passed out. I ran to her and rolled her over onto her back. Her face was ghostly pale. Without hesitating I reached out and touched her face. She was burning up. I tried shaking her but she never stirred.

"Jo come on," I muttered scooping her up in my arms, "don't do this to me." I kicked the hatch open and hurried down the stairs. I had to get her to Dr. S. She was shivering in my arms as I carried her despite the fact that she was still wearing her jacket.

"Daryl!" Hershel and Glenn were in the courtyard and they called to me when I was halfway to A. I turned to face them, holding Jo tight against my chest. They both froze for a moment as shock and grief crossed their faces.

Hershel limped over. "Daryl," he said looking from Jo to me, pity etched in his face. I looked away. I didn't want to see his pity and grief. It felt too much like losing her.

I took a deep breath, "I have to get her to Dr. S," I said firmly, fighting back the panic that was building in my chest.

Hershel nodded kindly and followed me opening the doors for me. When I reached the outer door I stopped for a minute, hesitating. I didn't want to leave Jo in there. It felt like I was leaving her to die, it felt like she already had died. I tightened my arms and looked down at her. She hadn't moved the whole time. Her breathing was coming in short, shallow gasps.

"Daryl," Hershel said firmly. "We have to get to the council meeting. We have to do something..."

Sasha appeared at the door, she was weak but when she saw me with Jo she opened the door. Balancing Jo with one arm I pulled my bandana up over my mouth and stepped in.

It was chaos. People were crying and screaming and coughing and dying. As I passed a cell a newly turned Walker slammed into the bars trying to get to us. I started shaking as I followed Sasha upstairs to an empty cell, it was clean and looked like it hadn't been used. I carefully lay Jo down. I arranged her so she would be comfortable. I hesitated before I reached for the blanket. I leaned down and unzipped her jacket and skimmed my fingers down her side. Sasha shifted uncomfortably behind me but I ignored her. I finally found the buckles and undid the straps. I pulled it off of her and tossed it at Sasha.

She made a noise but caught the knife Jo wore in a spine sheath before it hit the ground. "Get your mind out of the gutter," I said.

Sasha snorted and started to laugh but it caught in her throat and turned to a hacking cough. I stared at Sasha for a beat before I turned back to Jo. I smoothed her hair out of her face. zipped her jacket back up and covered her with the blanket so she would be warm.

I didn't want to leave her in this hell. I looked back at Sasha who was still standing in the door, holding Jo's knife in hand. "I'll keep her safe," Sasha promised me.

I looked back down at her and then leaned in, pressing my forehead against hers. I wanted to kiss her more than anything. "You are stronger than this," I whispered to her. Then I straightened and left. I closed the cell door behind me.

I slowly lowered the bandana so Sasha could see my face when I spoke to her. "You keep her locked in," I said firmly letting her see how serious I was. She nodded her eyes a little wide. I nodded then, pulled the bandana back up and all but fled.

<><><><><>
Daryl

Hershel looked grimly across the table at me. "It's spread," he confirmed. "Everyone who survived the attack in cell block D. Sasha, Caleb, Jo and now others."

"Jesus," I muttered shaking my head. How could it be spreading so fast? There had to be something we could do to slow it down. I couldn't think of how Jo got it but I didn't.

"So what do we do?" Carol asked. I told her about Jo before we sat down. Carol cared about Jo and I didn't want to blind side her in front of the others.

"First things first, cell block A is isolation. We keep the sick people there like we tried with Karen and David." Hershel said calmly.

"What the hell we gonna do about that?" I was worked up and my words came out harsher than I meant. Up until that moment I hadn't made a connection that Jo might be in danger from more than just being sick. I needed to keep my focus on what I could do to help, and what needed to get done. I just needed to keep moving forward.

"Ask Rick to look into it. Try to make a timeline who's where when. But what are we going to do to stop this?" Carol asked.

"There is no stopping it. You get it, you have to go through it." Hershel said gravely.

"But it just kills you?" Michonne spoke up from the corner. When we first put together the council we asked her to be on it, but she turned us down. Now I was glad she was here. I only wished Rick would be here too.

Hershel turned in his chair so he was facing Michonne. "The illness doesn't. The symptoms do. We need antibiotics."

I scratched my head thinking. "We been through every pharmacy nearby and then some."

Hershel leaned back in his chair. "That veterinary college at west peachtree tech, that's one place people may not have thought to raid for medication. The drugs for animals there are the same we need."

I nodded, knowing exactly where he was talking. "It's fifty miles, too big a risk before. Ain't now, I'll take a group out." I said nodding and jumping to my feet. I needed to do something to fix this. "Best not waste any more time."

"I'm in," Michonne said stepping up.

Hershel turned to her shaking his head. "You haven't been exposed. Daryl has. You get in a car with him..."

She shook her head. "He's already given me fleas."

Hershel and the rest of us laughed because that was what we were supposed to do. "I can lead the way. I know where everything is kept," Hershel said climbing to his feet, foot.

I looked down at his leg and back at Carol, wondering if she would come to my rescue. She didn't. I cleared my throat. "When we're out there, it's always the same. Sooner or later we run."

Hershel paled as he caught my meaning immediately. "I can draw you a map."

I nodded and headed for the door but Hershel called after. "There are other precautions I feel we should take."

"Like what?" Carol asked.

"There's no telling how long it'll be before Daryl and his group return. Wouldn't it make sense for us to separate the most vulnerable? We could use the administration building, separate offices, separate rooms."

"Who is the most vulnerable?"

"The very young." Hershel said gravely and I knew he was thinking about Lil Ass Kicker.

Glenn stared him "What about the old?"

Hershel didn't bother with a response.

Everyone disbursed, Hershel clapped me on the shoulder wishing me good luck on the run.

Carol stayed behind while the others filed out pretending to straighten the chairs. Once the last person was gone she turned to me. "What's going on?"

I shook my head, gripping my crossbow strap. I chewed on my bottom lip. "Felt like I was leavin her in there to die." My voice rasped harsher than usual and I couldn't take my eyes off the floor as I shook my head.

Carol looked at me with a grim frown. "You aren't leaving her and Jo's strong. She isn't going to die from the flu." Carol promised me. "You go out and get the meds for our girl." Then she reached out and gripped my shoulder giving it a squeeze. I don't flinch away from her this time, only nodded. Carol was right.

<><><><><>
Daryl

I popped the hood of the charger we would be taking for the run. I flipped my vest over the hood so it was out of the way and pulled out the dip stick. "Son of a bitch is still about a quart low," I said aloud.

Michonne walked up. "You still keep it in the bottom of tower three?"

I swallowed. Tower three was Jo's tower. "Yeah,"
I said nodding.

"I'll go get one," she offered turning and heading towards Jo's tower.

"Hey," I called after her. Michonne paused and turned back to me her face carefully blank. "I'm glad you're here."

She frowned at my words, looking confused, like she had no clue what I was talking about. "Where else would I be?"

I shrugged, I hadn't meant this conversation to go this way. I had meant to just thank her, especially with Rick being MIA. "Running off."

"You know I'm not running off." She said, stepping towards me.

I nodded placatingly. She had been on the road more than she had been home, claiming to be searching for The Governor.

She sighed. "So it's just going to me and you?" she asked teasing, trying to change the subject.

I nodded, letting her. "Yeah and Bob. Still, feels like we could use another person."

"Who else isn't sick?" She asked, glancing around as though searching for someone.

I sighed. "Don't ask Rick, he wants to stay here with Carl and little ass kicker. Keep them safe. Plus there's plenty of stuff he could do here. Glenn's sick, Maggie's no good to us with him in there..." I didn't mention Carol and it was self on my part. I wanted her here to check up on Jo, and I knew she would do whatever she had to to keep Jo alive.

Michonne shook her head. She seemed just as frustrated with Rick as I was. "Who else we got?"

<><><><><>

Thanks for reading! Please vote/comment. Sorry it took so long to get this one out, I promise I was feeling very guilty over it :) I just couldn't decide if i for sure wanted Jo to get sick or if I wanted her and Daryl fighting side by side on the run to get meds.