𝐁𝐀𝐃 𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐀, rick grimes.

003,

"he got shot couple months ago, went into a coma." lydia answered frantically.

"hey! i'm askin' him. for all i know you could be coverin' up for him."

"i don't even know him!" the girl protested with a scoff. the man ignored her.

"what kind of wound?" he asked rick once again, "you answer me!" he ordered as rick blinked slowly. "or i will kill you."

"rick?" lydia frowned as she stepped forward, but the ex-sheriff's eyes closed as he fell back onto his head. the unkown man frowned, hesitating before lifting rick up. "you come on now." he told lydia once he reached his house.

"you been bit? scratched, anythin?" the young boy asked her as she shook her head quickly, "no." she replied, her eyes on rick.

"what about the child?" the elder man asked as he placed rick down onto the sofa bed to check on his wound. "no," she shook her head.

"you sure?"

"she's been with me every second of the day since this all started. i'd know if she was." lydia said protectively, pulling eden closer to her if that was even possible.

"my name's morgan. this is my son duane...you wait with him til he wakes up." morgan told her, pointing to rick as she nodded and sat down.

"thank you." she replied quietly.

morgan glanced back in at her before leaving with his son.

HOURS PASSED and morgan had cleaned and re bandaged rick's shot wound, duane stood by them all with a baseball bat when rick finally woke up, although he was tied to the bed. morgan didn't tie lydia since he a, had more respect for her already, and b, didn't want to frighten her or the baby.

"hey, they changed the bandage, rick." lydia told him as rick blinked slowly.

"it was pretty rank." morgan added, causing lydia to crack a smile. "what was the wound?" he asked.

"how many times?" lydia scoffed.

"i need to hear it from him." morgan argued.

"gunshot." rick answered hoarsely before lydia could argue.

"what else? anything?" morgan asked, rick almost scoffed.

"gunshot ain't enough?" this made lydia chuckle as she fed eden, rocking her slightly.

"look, i ask, you answer. did you get bit?" he asked almost angrily.

"bit?" rick frowned, looking at lydia in confusion.

"bit, chewed, scratched, anything like that?"

"no. i got shot. just shot." rick told him confidently as morgan nodded slightly, reaching out to touch his forehead.

"feels cool enough. fever would've killed you by now."

"i don't think i have one." rick said.

"be hard to miss." morgan replied, before pulling out a pocket knife, pointing it at both of them. "take a moment, look how sharp it is."