"Okay, you just gotta keep it up here some." Austin spoke to Eric after they arrived at the place Aaron sent, him, Michonne, Rick, and Glenn still out. Eric's hurt ankle not going unnoticed as Austin took the medical supplies from his bag. He secured a Dora The Explorer bandaid over the wrap to keep it secure.
"You look a little young to have been a doctor before all this." Eric spoke to him.
"Wasn't." Austin shook his head, looking over as Aaron called for Eric. "That's your boy calling."
"In here!" Eric shouted to get his attention, Austin stood and took Judith from Maggie's hold as his dad and the others walked in. Rick held his head in relief, kissing Judith's forehead.
"I'm okay. It's like a volleyball injury. It's a broken ankle." Erica reassured Aaron with his food propped up. "At least, that's what Austin and Maggie said."
"It'll heal up, but he's gotta stay off it as much as he can." Austin bounced Judith slightly. "And ice. But, he says they can do more for him at the infirmary."
"The one I was telling you about." Aaron fell to his knees with Eric as he held his face, guilt in his body language. He kissed him quickly. "When I saw that flare go up, I thought-"
"You were worried." Eric teased him. "This is your fault, you know?"
"Is that so?" Aaron laughed.
"Because I love you." Erica smiled, Austin's heart hurt at the words, the affection, the absolute joy and relief of seeing each other alive.
"Take her." Austin gave Judith to Rick quickly.
"Hey." Rick tried to stop him, but Austin was already feet away, heading for the door.
Carol winced as she walked out back to be met with Austin seemingly stabbing walkers multiple times. "You doing okay?"
"Perfect." he exhaled, slamming the axe into the walkers head.
"You wanna talk about anything?" Carol suggested.
"Nope." he exhaled, watched another stray walker come his way when he gave a little whistle. "You wanna kill walkers too?"
She exhaled as he shoved the walker, seemingly keeping it alive to build up anger inside his head, then slashing the walkers jaw, arms next, then through the skull. Carol nodded. "She-"
"I don't wanna talk about her." Austin looked up, looking up to the sky with a long exhaled as he let his heart rate go down. "This helps."
"Okay." Carol sat down on the side walk. "I'll keep you company."
"What happened to we'll make it?" Austin sassed Abraham the next morning when the RV broke down, shoving his bandana higher on his head as he walked toward him. "Lying ginger."
"A lying ginger?" Abraham gapped at him. "I could insult your height."
"Im only an inch under the average male height, for your information." Austin mocked in return, leaning on the side of the RV. "Need me to do anything?"
"Keep your violent ass hands far away from here." the red hair man gave him a knowing look.
"All we need is another battery." Glenn pulled back.
"Where the hell are we gonna find another battery?" Abraham looked at him in disbelief.
"Right over here." Glenn circled the RV as they followed close behind him.
As Glenn lifted a floor board, Abraham gapped. "How'd you know those were there?"
Glenn grinned. "Come on. Austin, you wanna get that walker?"
The Grimes boy nodded. "Absolutely."
"Son, you just got cleaned by the stream." Rick huffed as Austin yanked his knife from his waist band.
"I can get it." Rosita offered, but she was ignored.
Austin huffed, grabbing the walkers shoulder and shoving his knife into its skull. Blood went across his face and dried shirt, yanking back with a groan. The walker fell, and he walked away effortlessly. Rick watched him, in nothing but worry, because he saw himself in him more then he ever had before.
"It looks safe." Carl spoke to his brother as they approached the gates.
"Think so?" Austin looked up at the place. A rustling from the trash made them all turn quickly with their guns drawn, Daryl shot the possum as the gates opened. Austin looked to the gates, squinting as he stared back at a man, who was gapping at the bloody state.
"We brought dinner." Daryl spoke.
"It's okay." Aaron reassured the man. "Come on in, guys."
"Stay close to me." Austin gave Carl a look as he did so, the gates closing behind them.
"Before we take this any further, I need you all to turn over your weapons." the man stared at the group. "You stay, you hand them over."
"Come and get it." Austin smiled his way, the walker blood standing out against his skin more.
"We don't know if we want to stay." Rick said honestly as he walked forward some, Judith in his arms.
"It's fine, Nicholes." Aaron tried.
"If we were gonna use them, we would have started already." Rick looked at Nicholes honestly.
"You said you had doctors?" Michonne spoke up.
"We'll need to talk to Deanna first." he nodded.
"Who's Deanna?" Abraham called to him.
"She knows everything you'd want to know about this place." Aaron promised them. "Rick, why don't you start?"
The walker snarling caught Ricks attention as he looked back. "Sasha."
She turned, shooting the walker. Austin met her eye, nodding. Glenn looked to Aaron. "Doctors?"
After handing their guns over, Glenn and Michonne drug Austin to the infirmary with Eric. Pete was an odd guy, but he didn't talk too much. His eyes were scanned over with a light, pulse checked. "Looks like you're dehydrated, lacking sleep. When was the last time you'd say you got a full eight hours?"
"Like, a night?" Austin blinked.
"We've been on the road a long time." Michonne said honestly.
Pete felt Austin's head. "Your fevers high. I'm gonna give you some Ibeprohine, and recommend a shower and a lot of sleep."
"That's it?" Glenn looked in worry.
"I can't do much for mental health." Pete said honestly. "We have someone you can talk to-"
"I'm fine." Austin cut him off.
"Austin-" Michonne tried.
"I said i'm fine." he got off the table, standing up straight. He shrugged dramatically. "That satisfy the two of you? Some Ibeprhen?"
"We're just worried about you." Glenn shook his head. "Let's go home."
Austin shook his head. "I need a second."
Michonne frowned as he left, Austin skipping down the steps before he collided with someone. "Watch where the hell you're walking."
"Yeah, take your own advice." the shorter girl mocked.
"Excuse me?" he turned back to her.
"You heard me." she mocked, holding a comic book in hand.
"No, I don't think I did." he argued.
"I said take your own advice." she took a step forward with a judgmental look. "That human blood?"
"So what if it was?" he mocked her.
"So what if it was?" she argued, Austin realized she'd been at least four or five years young then he had, but the look in her eye made it seem as though she was old enough to have seen years of trauma. He gave her a final glare, one she returned, but turned and leaving the other alone.
Rick looked over as Austin opened the door. "How'd it go?"
Austin ignored him, going up the stairs. "Austin."
Rick followed him, Austin heading for the empty room that he'd dumped all his stuff in when they first arrived. "The doctor say anything?"
"Oh my god." Austin turned to face him in anger. "Why can't anyone get off my back about these stupid doctors? I went! What else do you want me to do!"
"You're not well, son." Rick tried to reason with him. "I'm worried about you."
"What? You're allowed to go off the rails when Mom dies but I gotta be perfect?" Austin couldn't help it, the way he yelled, the way he gave a push to his dads chest. "I gotta walk around like my girlfriend didn't get her brains blown out! Is that what you want?"
"No, that n-" Rick started.
"Let's start right now." Austin forced a wide smile. "Let me go take care of Judith, come on. You wanna see me be happy? Want me to go on a walk with Carl? You want me to be perfect, huh? Come on!"
"Hey!" Rick yelled to tried and get him to calm down. "Chill out, right now."
"Why? This is what you want, isn't it?" Austin laughed loudly as he pointed to himself when he yelled. "This is what everyone wants, right? I go to the doctor and i'm all good, i'm so fucking happy!"
"Watch your mouth." Rick threatened him as Austin glared at him. "No one expects that of you-"
"Then get off my back." he glared harshly, walking toward the room again.
"You think she'd want this?" Ricks question made Austin pause, his back to his dad. "You think she'd want you to push everyone away and turn into someone else?"
Austin's hand gripped the doorway, his eyes started to burn as he took little breaths to keep himself calm. Rick watched his back, knowing him too well to know he was about to break. "Beth would want you to accept help when it's offered to you on a silver plater."
"How would you know what Beth wanted?" Austen spoke, his voice was gentle, a broken whisper in the quiet house. "She's dead, she can't tell anyone what she's thinking anymore."
He slammed the door.
•
kylie speaks
i made my lip breed in the
middle of editing this