I groaned as my entire body was aching and my eyelids were heavy, heavy and ignoring my pleas for them to open. My head was pounding as if someone took a sledge hammer to the back of my skull, and my eyes felt as if they were going to pop right out of my head. I rubbed my forehead against the back of my head and all I felt was sweat. Finally after several minutes of trying my hardest to wake my body up, my eyes finally fluttered open. I winced at the bright light that was pouring in through the cell window across the hall, and covered my eyes quickly with both of my hands. 

A sharp pain shot through my right side and that's when I remembered that I had been shot by one of the inmates. My hand traveled down to find my side completely wrapped in white medical gauze, and a hand held lung pump was laying bloodied on the ground by my bed. I felt fine really, just exhausted and very very hungry. My cell was empty, but I knew I was in Hershel's cell by the bible that laid unopened on the table. Several bloodied rags were piled up in a bin on the ground beside the table, along with my old black shirt I was wearing. I noticed someone had changed my shirt, it looked like I was wearing one of Beth's plaid shirts with my blue tank top. 

I slowly reached up and grabbed the top bunk, pulling my body up with it. It took me a while seeing I was a lot weaker right now than normal. Finally I was sitting up, trying my best to keep my vision leveled  while putting my hair back into a pony tale. I could hear small chatter down the hall in the cell block, less than the normal for our group. I stood up slowly and steadied myself on the chair before slowly walking out of the cell. I felt disgusting, like I hadn't washed myself in years, and that's how long it felt I was asleep as well. 

Walking felt almost foreign to my small legs, like a baby learning to walk for the first time. I clutched my side in one hand and steadied myself against the concrete wall just outside the cell. After several steps i felt slightly better and let go of the wall to walk on my own. Peering into the cell I didn't see barely anyone, just Carol rocking little Judith, and Hershel sitting beside her cleaning the wound on his stump. I slowly walked through the open door, and the shuffling of my feet caused the two of them to quickly look over at me. "Emma!" Carol exclaimed loudly and ran over still with Judith in her arms. She gently hugged me with one arm, and i saw Hershel hobbling over on his crutches over her shoulder. 

"We never thought you would wake up" Carol said softly as she pulled away and wiped a tear that was running down her face. Hershel rested the back of his hand against my forehead before handing me a bottle of water. I quickly chugged the bottle of water and instantly felt better. I sat down at one of the tables and smiled at carol as she handed me a small bowl of oatmeal before sitting across from me at the table. "How long was I asleep?" I asked slowly savoring the bland taste of wet oats that slid down my throat. 

"A week" Hershel answered taking the seat to my right. I nodded and slowly finished my food as not to get sick. I felt like I had so much more energy just after a few bites of food and some water, it didn't shock me I was asleep for so long, nothing shocked me these days anymore. "What did I miss?" I asked  hesitantly realizing how few people were here right now. Carol and Hershel exchanged looks before once more Carol had tears running down her face. "What is it?" I asked louder grabbing Carol's hand in mine. 

"We lost T" Hershel said for her, he reached out and rested his hand on her shoulder before taking my hand in his. Carol quickly recovered herself before looking down and rocking Judith in her arms. I could feel my own eyes stinging with tears at learning of the loss of one of our group members and a dear friend. "How?" I whispered closing my eyes and playing with my dirty chipped fingernails. "T-Dog, Daryl and Glenn went to a local hospital to find equipment for your lung, T-Dog got cornered by a heard and never made it out" Hershel told me gently. My eyes snapped open and looked to him finally letting my tears roll down my dirty cheeks.

"It's all my fault!" I cried out standing up as quickly as I could. I winced and grabbed my side, crying even harder knowing that T-Dog lost his life to basically save my own. That this wound on my side was because I was impulsive and shot down an inmate, getting shot myself and had I never done that then T-Dog would have never been killed. "Don't say that Emma, T-Dog knew the risks" Hershel said standing up himself. "We would have lost too many people without you Emma, Dont do that to yourself" Carol told me, suddenly appearing at my side. I saw so much pain behind her soft grey eyes, I knew Carol and T-Dog had something between them, something similar to me and a certain redneck. "Im sorry" I whispered and placed my hand on her shoulder. 

Carol nodded and mouthed a thank you before walking away to put down the sleeping Judith. "Where is everyone?" I asked Hershel who had sat back down at the table, I took the seat beside him. Hershel glanced back at the outside door before looking down sadly at his lap. "Maggie and Glenn were taken by someone. Rick, Daryl and Carl went to bring them back along with a woman named Michonne who found her way here" Hershel said sadly, a tone of resentment thinking about his daughter that had been taken. "Beth is on watch" he added realizing he had forgotten someone. 

I suddenly became increasingly worried about my group members. Glenn and Maggie were obviously in danger, which means that everyone else would be too. I was even more worried for Daryl....I had been hoping he would be sitting beside my bed holding my hand, hoping he would be the first person I saw when I woke up, but instead i woke up all alone. I had dreams of him while I was asleep. I had plenty of them where we were together before the apocalypse, married with two kids. I remember having a dream where we had a son and that he looked just like Daryl. I remember he had chestnut brown hair that spiked in the front, and sky blue eyes just like the both of us. 

I cry thinking about what could have been, thinking of the false hope my dreams gave me when I slept. I realized just how much I needed and wanted him when he wasn't here. Daryl could possibly be dead, shot or being eaten by walkers and I never would get the chance to tell him how I felt. I had always felt strongly for Daryl, and something had always drawn me to him. But after countless dreams of what we could be came into my mind, and after realizing he was the one person I felt I couldn't live without, it was then i realized I loved Daryl. 

Soft tears found their way down my cheeks as i sat down beside Hershel and laid my head against the cool metal of the table. My tears trickled down and landed in a small puddle next to my face as I silently cried for the man I loved. I cried for the death of a dear friend, someone who died saving my life, and cried that two more of my friends were missing. I just cried until my tears ran dry, cried for everything that happened over the past two years and everything I hadn't been able to cry for before. Hershel sat beside me the whole time I wept, and just silently gave me the company i needed. I eventually found my way up to mine and Daryl's area of the prison and laid down on the mattress, holding one of his musty shirts to my chest as i slept.

It had been over twenty-four hours since the group had left, but all of us were having hope that they would return. Every single one of them was strong, and from what Hershel told me it seemed like Michonne could hold her own against walkers and humans alike. I had felt even better the next day, and my wound on my side was healing exceptionally fast given our lack of supplies. I was walking around the prison with Beth and Judtih and tried to keep my stamina up. I washed all of Daryl's clothes and folded them neatly in one of his bags. I even washed our bedding and somehow made it so the sheets smelled like vanilla, a scent he once told me he liked. I was ready for him to come home, to come home to me and me finally be able to tell him how I felt. 

Beth and I were washing Judith in a bucket out in the courtyard, when Carol yelled at us from the guard tower. I looked up and saw the green Hyundai driving down the road towards the prison. I smiled brightly and ran down the pathway to unlock the gate they would drive through. When they were safely inside I quickly shut and locked the gate before any walkers could wander through. The car drove up to the prison and I walked quickly behind them.

Carl had jumped out of the car first and smiled brightly when he saw me standing there, and wrapped his arms around my stomach giving me a tight hug. "I'm so glad your ok Emma" Carl exclaimed, I smiled and flicked his sheriffs hat gently. "Guess I'm at eight lives now kid" I said with a chuckle. Carl walked off to help Glenn out of the car, he looked like he had been hit by a car but he smiled softly when he saw me standing there.

Maggie slammed the door behind her and ran off into the prison, Beth grabbed Judith and headed off behind her. A tall black woman with a sword strapped to her back, i couldn't lie she looked intimidating. Michonne looked me up and down one time before limping off in the direction of the prison, everyone looked like they had been through hell and back. I kept looking through the dark windows to find Daryl, but it was Rick who climbed out of the passenger seat. He must have not seen me standing there, because he followed behind Michonne into the prison. 

I opened every door to the car and even the trunk, I stood at the entrance of the gates trying to see if he was coming back. Tears ran down my face and I felt myself fall to my knees in the dirt in front of the gates. Walkers started to bang on the fence trying to get at me, hoping I would become dinner but I didn't care. I would never get to tell Daryl how i felt, never get to tell him that i loved him and i never even asked anyone what happened to him. But it took me hours of sitting in the dirt to realize Daryl wasn't coming back.