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BUT WHERE ONE FAMILY IS GRATEFUL to the universe for bringing back their son from the brink of death, another fall to mourn the loss of their beloved.
The previous night consisted of Rick and Lori taking turns watching Carl peacefully sleep after his exhaustive surgery, as well as Josephine coming in every three hours to check on him. His temperature had spiked a bit around five in the morning to which she brought a cold, damp towel to place on his forehead, knowing there would be some side effects post operation, especially one done with little security. However, with the fighter Carl was, his fever had gone down around seven a.m., right when the sunshine lit the room up, and he woke up for the first time. Josephine gave them a moment before doing a normal check-up.
The rest of Rick'a group had arrived: Dale and Carol, Andrea, and Daryl in their R.V., Hyundai, and motorcycle, respectively. They all came worried for the sake of Carl and the Grimes parents. It was Dale who thanked Josephine and Hershel for their generosity and hospitality, which she kindly accepted and Hershel expected. So it was only respectful that they would attend Otis's ceremony. They didn't have a body to bury, so they huddled around a high pile of rocks that was a surrogate tombstone.
Hershel read a few verses from his bible and then began to speak from the heart, "Blessed be God, Father of our Lord. Praise be to Him for the gift of our brother, Otis, for his span of years, for his abundance of character; Otis, who gave his life to save a child's. Now, more than ever, our most precious asset. We thank you, God, for the peace he enjoys in your embrace. He died as he lived: in grace." Then he looked across him. "Shane, will you speak for Otis"
"I'm not good at it." He stuttered as he averted his eyes way from the older man and the new widow "Sorry."
"You were the last one with him." Patricia said through her tears. "You shared his final moments. Please. I need to hear. I need to know his death has meaning."
Josephine wrapped her arms tighter around Patricia and brought her closer as a way to let her know she was allowed to lean on her if she needed. Patricia squeezed her fingers in gratitude. Then, Shane, in the clothes of the man he murdered, began to tell the story that no one could prove to be untrue.
"If any death had meaning," He finished off as he limped over with a rock in his hand to the grave. "It was his."
After the ceremony, she caught up with her father, Rick, and a few others huddled around Carol's car; Josephine made her way across the front yard in their direction with two pills in her hand. Arriving, she heard part of their conversation.
"We'll grid this whole area," Rick said pointing to the map laid flat on the car's hood. "Start searching in teams."
"That's not an option for you." She said as six pair of eyes turned to her. "At least not today. You gave three units of blood yesterday, I'm surprised you haven't passed out from the walk out here. You're not fit to go hiking in the woods. And you—" She turned to Shane. "Your ankle is only going to slow you down, or worse case scenario leave you in bed rest for a month, no good to anybody." She then offered the pill to them at the same time. "It's a 500 grams of acetaminophen—A Tylenol. It'll relieve your pain and keep you from feeling fatigue."
