The Bargaining Chip

After what felt like hours behind the wheel, she saw the prison in the distance. She pulled up to the gate, and saw Abe in the guard tower. She knew she looked different, so she got out of the car and walked to the fence. Daryl, Abe and Ty ran to the gate and Ty ran to his girl, picking her up, noticing that she was covered with bruises and dried blood. She collapsed in his arms, sobbing. He cried as he held her, then he picked up and carried her, bridal style, in, to the prison and yelled for Morgan and Hershel. They met her in the infirmary, and immediately started to work on her wounds. Morgan hooked her up to an IV and started antibiotics. Ty wouldn't leave her side, but had to so the doctors could do their job. Hershel asked where Maggie was, and Michonne told him that she's in a place called Woodbury. That's where they were held.

"Is she okay? Is she alive?" Hershel asked.

"Yes." Michonne asked.

"Where is this place?" Hershel asked.

"I don't know."

Rick vaulted into the room and welcomed home his friend, then asked about Lori. Where is she, is she alive, is she okay...

Abe led Shannon in, who was a captive of the claimers but never saw the Governor. "Hey Michonne." she said, as she tried to offer a comforting smile.

Just as with Shannon months ago, Hershel suggested that Michonne take a hot shower, cleaning all her wounds at once. Shannon and Carol helped, before all three women went back into the infirmary. Shannon had tears in her eyes, and Carol was crying. Michonne saw on the end of the gurney and Hershel treated her back, then she leaned back on the thin mattress and the wounds on her chest, arms and legs were treated. She told Morgan that she thinks she suffered a miscarriage, and Morgan said that he'll check her out. "Where's Merle and Glenn. Are they okay?"

Shannon looked at Hershel, who nodded his head. "Merle's fine. We lost Glenn."

"How?" Michonne asked, her voice quivering.

Ty came back into the room, saying everyone want to see how she is.

"We were about to tell her about Glenn" Shannon said.

"Did they do it? They took him?" She asked.

"He never came back, hon. They shot him right where he stood. They shot Merle in the leg."

Carol brought in a plate of food, saying that Michonne needs to eat.

After she had a few bites, Michonne wanted to go to sleep. Beth and Shannon took turns sitting with her, until Ty crawled into her bed, wrapping his arm around her, just so she won't wake up on her alone. The two thought the newly reunited couple needed their privacy.

In the days since Michonne left, The Governor tried to get all the information they could from Maggie and Lori about where she was. Especially the Governor, who blamed Penny's death on "that black bitch."

Maggie first told him that they were in a development called "Wiltshire Estates." It was twenty miles down the road, in the opposite direction from the prison. Joe and his group left early one morning, and returned later that day saying she fooled them. The Governor was enraged. He shackled Maggie to the same chains Michonne was tied to, and started whipping her back to get information. To everything they asked, her response was "fuck you."

"Wait...you were with that Chinaman that day. He your boyfriend or somethin?" The look on Maggie's face told him the answer. "Go kill him." the Governor said.

"No...wait. Please." Maggie begged.

"Well, we can make it so bad for you that you boyfriend will never want to see you again." The Governor laughed. "Hold her face still, boys" He laughed again, and picked up an icepick, asking Maggie if she's ever heard of a lobotomy. He brought the icepick close to her eye and explained the process. As he was about to insert the pick under her eyelid she yelled out "the prison. The prison. Please don't hurt Glenn."

Joe laughed, along with the Governor.

"You stupid bitch. We killed him months ago, right when we took you."

Michonne woke with a jolt in the middle of the night. "Ty." Michonne said in a panic.

"I'm right here. I haven't moved, and I won't. You're safe now." He reassured her. He was lying behind her, with his arm holding his love tightly against him.

"I left Lori and Maggie there. I should have taken them with me. I left them."

"You had to get out of there. I'm glad you did. We'll figure out something to get them. You just need to rest."

"Please stay with me."

"I'm not going anywhere." Ty squeezed Michonne's hand, and lay with her until she fell asleep.

The morning came quickly, the sun pouring through the cell block. Rick woke up, with Judy lying next to him and her arm around his neck, and gently slid out of her grasp to go to the infirmary. Ty was lying behind Michonne, his arm wrapped around her. Rick gently put his hand on his friend's shoulder and woke him up.

"How's she doing?" Rick whispered.

"Slept most of the night."

"Good. We gotta find this place."

"We can't take her out. Even Shannon said she doesn't know where it is."

"Maybe a housing development? Where's the map?" Rick asked. The desperation in his voice was thick. He needed to get his wife.

Ty sat with Michonne as Rick went looking for the map. They looked for anyplace named "Woodbury" around the area. No luck. They had to find Maggie. Michonne said she felt well enough to go for a walk, and Ty, who was watching his lady closely, picked her up and carried her out to the courtyard. Shannon went outside to sit with her. Rick came out with a bag of food, water and weapons. He wanted to take Michonne with him to look for Lori.