TW
Alice sat at the dinner table, doing her homework as her mother was in the kitchen cooking dinner. Her father sat on the brown sofa chair in the living room, feet up and a cold beer in his hand as he watched the tv, mindlessly.
The young girl continued to write on her math times table sheet, she was having a hard time and set the pencil down, digging her nails into her palms, leaving marks in frustration. "Alice, Honey. Are you almost done?" Her mother sighed and set her oven mitts down, walking over to her daughter. Alice looked up and shook her head with a small frown. "I don't get it..." she mumbled quietly.
Her mother sighed and pushed a chair out, sitting down next to her as she took a look at her homework. "Oh, times tables...I'm sorry, baby. I don't know those ones." She frowned, brushing her hand through Alice's hair, making Alice sigh.
"It's okay...next time Lori picks me up, I can ask her for help." Alice spoke, pressing her lips together. "Don't do that." Her father suddenly said, making the two look over at him. "Why not, Derrick?" Alice's mother, Ruby, asked. "Because I said so. You want our neighbors thinking we gotta a dumb for shit daughter?! Bad enough she saw you applying for welfare." He spat, angrily. "Asking Alice about them bruises. What do ya say when they ask?!"
"Th-that I fell..." Alice answered quietly, looking down at her homework once again. "Damm right." He scoffed, taking another sip of his beer. "Alice, bring your daddy another cigarette."
She looked up at her mom as Ruby just stared at her husband in disappointment. "NOW!" he snapped, making them flinch. Alice got up quickly and grabbed a cigarette from the kitchen counter, rushing to her father and handing it to him.
He took it and suddenly back-handed her on the cheek, making her yelp and fall to the ground. "Next time I ask ya to do something, do it!" He gritted and placed the cigarette in his mouth. She nodded and stayed on the ground, as Ruby went back to the kitchen.
Derrick continued to smoke his cigarette and drink his beer, Alice sitting right by his legs in silence. "Alice." He gruffly said, making her stand up immediately. She turned around and lifted her shirt up, exposing her back. He took his cigarette and pressed the tip of it against her back, burning it and putting it out as she flinched and dug her nails into her palms, biting down on her lip.
He finished putting it out, throwing it to the side, the new cigarette burn on her back, adding to the collection of them along with scars.
She put her shirt back down and returned to the kitchen table as Ruby passed her, placing a plate of food on the fold table next to arm chair. Derrick picked up the food with a fork and took a bite, immediately spitting it out and glaring at his wife. "Is this shit burned?!" Derrick yelled, making Ruby flinch as Alice backed into a corner, shaking in fear.
Ruby was like a deer caught in the headlights as she looked at her husband in confusion. "What-no. I made sure-" she tried to say before he slapped her, making her stumble back.
Alice watched with wide eyes as this all went down, slowly sliding onto the ground, knees up to her chest. He slapped his wife again, throwing a punch at her and grabbing her neck, throwing her against the wall.
"I ASKED IF THE FUCKIN' FOOD WAS BURNT! AND YA LIED!" He yelled, hitting her repeatedly as Alice fisted her hair with both hands, watching with teary eyes.
Ruby coughed up blood, getting it in Derrick's face, pissing him off more and began to throw harder punches. He finally threw her to the ground and looked over at Alice, anger in his eyes. He began to take long strides toward her and she quickly got up, running under his legs and up the stairs. "HEY!" He yelled and began to chase her, trying to yank her back. "Daddy, no!" She screamed, looking back for a second and running faster, making it to her room and slamming the door shut, locking it as she scrambled to get under her bed.
"OPEN THIS DAMN DOOR! I'M GONNA BEAT YOUR LITTLE ASS TO THE GROUND, LITTLE GIRL!" He screamed and pounded to the door loudly. She curled up under her bed and put her hands to her ears, closing her eyes and rocking herself as she took deep breaths, tears streaming down her cheeks.
She tried to tune out the yelling from outside the door, counting to ten multiple times as she continued to rock herself in comfort, her breaths becoming more erratic.
Suddenly she heard the door burst open as she squeezed her eyes shut tightly, whimpering, praying to God that she'd open her eyes and she'd be in a house, a clean one where she had smart and nice parents, they'd eat dinner together and they'd take trips together.
"Alice, honey!" She heard and opened her eyes, seeing boots walk toward the bed. Suddenly, Rick crouched down lifting the blanket that was covering under the bed and saw Alice, her eyes widened as he reached a hand under the bed.
"Hey, you can come on out. Come on." Rick encouraged, softly, Alice hesitantly crawling forward and out of the bed. Rick picked her up, Alice immediately clinging onto him and burying her face into his shoulder. Rick picked up his police radio and brought to his lips, holding Alice with his other arm. "273. I have the girl" He spoke and began to carry her out of the room, downstairs and out of the house, holding the back of her head as he walked, not wanting her to see her mothers dead body on the ground or the police pushing her father into a police car.
There were 4 police cars and an ambulance in front of her house, Rick placed her in the back seat of her car and put a blanket over her as she layed down on the seat.
He sighed and got into the car, beginning to drive as he headed towards his home, Alice sleeping peacefully in the back.
When they got to his house, he got alice from the back seat and carried her up the cemente steps and opened the door, Lori on the couch and Carl asleep upstairs. "What happened?!" Lori immediately said as she saw Alice in his arms. Rick didn't say anything, he just laided her down on the couch and turned to Lori. "I think Alice is gonna stay with us for awhile." He spoke softly, Lori sitting down next to her, Alice's head now in her lap as she brushed her fingers through her hair.
Alice and Rick ran as fast as they could, Carl in Rick's arms as he panted heavily. "Come on! Hurry up, Uncle Rick!" She shouted, way ahead of him. He grunted and picked carl up more in his arms, adjusting his grip on his son. "Hey! You move, Shithead! Come on, get us there!" Shane yelled at the man who had shot Carl. "How far?! HOW FAR?!" Rick yelled, turning around for a brief moment.
"Another half mile-that way! Hershel! Talk to Hershel! He'll help your boy!" He huffed, taking deep breathe. Rick continued to run as Alice ushered him to go faster in a irratied tone. "Don't stop running!" Alice yelled and tugged on his pants, continuing to run.
Not to far, The greene sisters were on the porch, Nancy looking out into the distance with binoculars. "Maggie..get daddy!" Nancy quickly said to her sister, she nodded and turned around to the door. "DAD!"
The greene family quickly came out, Hershel, the older man in front. Alice was behind Rick, pushing him to go faster. "I said don't stop running!"
"Was he bit?!" Hershel shouted and stared at them. "Shot! By your man!" Rick snapped, letting out deep breaths as he slowed down a bit. "Otis?!" A woman asked. "He said find Hershel. Is that you?! Help me-help my boy!" Rick panicked as Alice was by his side, panting heavily. "Get him inside. Get him inside!" Hershel ushered, rolling his sleeves up as they all followed him inside. "Patricia, I need my full kit. Maggie!" Hershel demanded. "Yeah?!" She answered. "Pain killers, coagulates, grab everything!"
"Got it." Maggie nodded and headed to the medicine cabinet. "Nancy!" He added, making her look at him. "Yes?"
"Clean towels, sheets, alcohol!"
"Got it, Daddy." She nodded and headed toward the closet as Hershel flipped the sheet to the side so Rick could lay Carl down. "Pillow case." Hershel sighed as Rick finally put him down, Alice quickly rushed to the other side, squeezing Carl's hand and she wiped tears out of her eyes with the back of her palms. "Is he...is he alive?" Rick mumbled.
"Pillowcase, quick!" Hershel snapped in a demanding tone. "Is he alive?" Rick pressed, grabbing a pillow and taking the case off of it. "Fold it. Make a pad."
The girls all layed the things he requested at the edge of the bed, quickly organizing it all. "Put pressure on the wound." Hershel spoke as Rick pressed down on it, Alice shook in fear, gripping Carl's hand as she panicked a bit, if she lost him, she wouldn't know what to do. The last thing she said to him was that she was mad at him and she hated herself for it. She swore she'd never get mad at him again.
Hershel put on his stethoscope, placing the circle part of it over his heart, listening quietly. "I've got a heartbeat. It's faint."
"I've got it. Step back." Patricia said, pulling Rick back. "Maggie, IV."
"Sir, we need some space." Nancy said, a hand on his shoulder. "Your name?" Hershel asked. "Rick-" he spoke in a nervous tone. "Rick?" Hershel confirmed with a nod. "I'm...I'm Rick." He stammered out with a small nod.
"Rick, we're gonna do everything we can, okay? You need to give us some room. Now." Hershel sighed, looking over at Alice as she squeezed Carl's hand, praying silently.
Nancy held the bag up as Maggie moved to connect it to his son.
"Here, hold this for me, okay?" Hershel said and motioned for Alice to press down on Carl's wound. She nodded and did as told, holding down on it and squeezing Carl's hand tightly, Maggie and Nancy moving to set up the bag to the lamp. "You know his blood type?" Hershel asked as Rick came back in with Shane. "A-postive. Same as mine..." Rick replied, shaking his head.
"That's fortunate. Don't wander far. I'm gonna need you." Hershel sighed and turned to Otis. "What happened?" Otis looked at him with defeat and sighed. "I was...tracking a buck. Bullet went through it. Went clean through..." Hershel nodded as Alice continued to press down on his wound with the pillowcase. "The deer slowed the bullet down, which certainly saved his life. But it did not go through clean. It broke up into pieces, if I can get the bullet fragments out...and I'm counting six."
"I didn't-I didn't see the boy till the girl screamed and he was on the floor-I didn't-" otis choked as his wife pulled him in for a hug.
Rick's eyes widened as Alice continued to squeeze onto Carl's hand, sitting next to him on the bed as she closed her eyes, praying. "My wife doesn't know-my wife doesn't know-" Rick panicked.
Later
The door whipped open and Nancy came out with a sigh. "Rick. He needs blood." She spoke as he followed her in the room where his son was, now awake and crying as he squeezed Alice's hand for the life of him. "Dad-" he coughed out with a sob as Alice squeezed his hand as well. "You, hold him down." He said to Alice and Shane came to help. Alice scowled at him being so close but decided to put it aside for Carl's sake.
Hershel began to take his tool and slide it in Carl's bullet wound, pulling a fragment out as Carl screamed for Alice and his dad, Alice holding him down with Shane's help as tears streamed down her face. "Almost there..." Hershel sighed and began to dig it out, making Carl scream and sob in pain. "STOP! You're killing him!" Rick yelled. "Rick! Do you want him to live?!" Hershel snapped.
"He needs blood!" Nancy quickly said, making Rick grit his teeth. "DO IT NOW!" Shane shouted. "Please, Uncle Rick!" Alice added with desperation in her voice. Carl cried and squeezed Alice's hand tighter as she brushed some of his hair back from his teary face. Suddenly, he stopped crying and passed out, making Alice stop moving.
"Wh-what happened?!" She panicked, tearing up even more. "He just passed out, don't you worry." Hershel sighed and finally pulled it out. "One down...five to go."
Hershel brought his stuff out and began to listen to Carl's heartbeat, Alice laying next to him and gripping his hand tightly as he did the same. She was asleep now just like he was, tiny blood stains on her dress.
"Pressures stable." Hershel spoke, setting his things down. "Lori needs to be here. She doesn't even know what's going on. I got...I've gotta go find her. Bring her back." Rick mumbled, looking at the sleeping kids on the bed. "You can't do that." He replied to him, shaking his head. "She's his mother!" Rick insisted. "She needs to know what happened, her son's lying here shot."
"And he's going to need more blood. He can't go more than 50 feet from this bed." The older man shortly said, looking over at Shane. Shane motioned Rick to come with him, leading him out of the room where Otis, Nancy, and, Maggie sat.
Rick sat down and rested his head in his hands, taking a deep breath. Shane closed the door and looked at the women. "He's stable for now."
Lori has to be here, Shane.
She has to know."
"Okay, I get that. I'm gonna handle it.
But you've gotta handle your end." Shane sighed. "My... My end?"
Shane nodded and looked at Rick.
"Your end is being here for your son.
Even if he didn't need your blood to survive, there is no way I'd ever let
you walk out that door.
Man, I'd break your legs if you tried.
I mean, you know that, right? If something happened to him and you weren't here. If he slipped away
while you were gone, you would never forgive yourself for
that, and neither would Lori, nor Alice, man."
Rick pressed his lips together and clenched his fist but nodded in understanding "You're right."
"When was I ever wrong? You know, when... When you were in that hospital, the one you were never
supposed to leave, man. You should've seen Lori. She was like...the strength of that woman...You can't imagine it.
See, that's what you gotta have now.
I mean, Carl, he needs that from you.
So you wire yourself tight, my friend.
You hear? You've got the hard part.
You just leave the rest to me, okay?"
"All right?" Shane finished with a nod, looking at him. "All right."
The door suddenly opened and Hershel walked, wiping his hands with a rag, looking over at Rick.
"He's out of danger for the moment, but I need to remove those remaining fragments."
"How?" Rick questioned. "You saw how he was."
"I know, and that was the shallowest one. I need to go deeper to get the others."
"Oh, man." Shane groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "There's more..." the old man said. "Tell me."
"His belly's distended, his pressure's dropping, which means there's internal bleeding. A fragment must have nicked one of the blood vessels.
I have to open him up, find the bleeder and stitch it. And he can't move while I'm in there. I mean, at all.
If he reacts the same as before,
I'll sever an artery and he'll be dead in minutes. To even try this, I have to put him under. But if I do, he won't be
able to breathe on his own.
Same bad results." He explained to Rick, his stomach dropping.
"What'll it take?" He said, looking desperately at the older man. "You need a respirator. What else?" Otis immediately perked up, ready step up for the situation. "The tube that goes with it, extra surgical supplies, drapes, sutures." Hershel explained to him.
"If you had all that, you could save him?!" Rick immediately said, hands on his hips.
"If I had all that, I could try."
"Nearest hospital went up
in flames a month ago...The high school!" Otis says. Hershel gives a nod, setting the rag in his pocket, looking over at the man. "That's what I was thinking. They set up a FEMA shelter there. They would have everything we need."
Otis shook his head, sighing. "Place was overrun last time I saw it. You couldn't get near it...Maybe it's better now."
Shane shook his head and ran his hand through his hair, chuckling a bit in suprise. "I said, leave the rest to me.
Is it too late to take that back?" He questioned.
"I hate you going alone." Rick muttered. "Come on. Doc, why don't you do me a list, draw me a map." Shane encouraged, motioning his hand.
"You won't need a map. I'll take you there. Ain't but five miles." Otis sighed , nodding at him.
"Otis, no." Patricia quickly interrupted.
"Honey, we don't have time for
guesswork and I'm responsible.
I ain't gonna sit here while this fella takes this on alone. I'll be all right." He nods, Nancy frowning at the idea.
"Are you sure about this?" Shane asks.
"Do you even know what any of the
stuff he's talking about looks like?" Otis smiled. "Come to think, no." Shane shakes his head at the man.
"I've been a volunteer EMT. I do. Now, we can talk about this till next Sunday, or we could just go do it real quick."
"I'll take right quick."
"I should thank you." Rick said to him.
Otis shook his head and gave a small smile. "Wait till that boy of yours is
up and around, then we'll talk. I'll gather some things."
"Where is she? Your wife?" Maggie asked him, taking a step forward.
Later, Nancy saddled up two horses, pulling them by their saddle. She hugged her uncle Otis goodbye and prayed for his safe return as she's known the man since she was a little girl and loved him very much.
"That sherriff was cute." Nancy grins, stepping up on her horse, fixing her jean skirt, happy she wore small shorts under it, her boots hooking on the feet rest. "He's married!" Maggid scoffs with a smile in disbelief. "We're going to find his wife.."
"So? I can look, just not touch." She shrugged with a giggle as she whipped on the saddle, the horse beginning to run as Maggie followed. The girls each took a weapon, Maggie, a crow bar, and, Nancy, an axe.
As they rode their horses to go find Rick's wife, they saw a blonde woman on the ground screaming and trying to kick away a walker. Nancy grabbed her axe and swung it down, nailing the walker right in the head and off the blonde woman. "Lori? Lori Grimes?" Maggie asked the blonde woman.
A group of people ran up and looked at the two girls. "I'm Lori." She suddenly said, making the girls look over. "Rick sent us. You've got to come now." Maggie quickly said. "What?!" She asked. "There's been an accident. Carl's been shot. He's still alive but you've gotta come now! Rick needs you! Just come!" Maggie shouted, making her nod and run to the horse, getting on behind her. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. We dunno' these girl's! Ya can't get on tha' horse!" Daryl quickly said.
Nancy looked at him, still on her horse and bit back a smile, he had muscular toned arms, a sexy country accent and was carrying a cross bow. He was quite literally just her type.
Maggie nods at her sister and turned her horse around. "Hyah!" She grunted and the horse rode away. "Rick says you had others in the highway. That big traffic snarl, right?" Nancy hummed as her horse moved in front of Daryl. "What's it to ya?" He gruffly said, glaring at her. "Yes, we do." Glenn nods with a sigh.
"Backtrack to Fairburn Road. Two miles down is our farm. You'll see the mail box, names Greene. Bring you're whole group, you especially." She smiled at Daryl, as he gave her a look of confusion. "I'm Nancy."
With that, she whipped on the saddle and rode away back to the farm.
After they got back, Nancy pulled the horses back into the stable, putting them in their spaces.
Lori ran into the room with Rick and he jaw slacked open as she leaned against her husband, tearing up as she saw Carl on the bed and Alice sleeping next to him with red puffy eyes. She quickly moved onto the bed, getting behind Alice and laying down, cupping his face. "My boy-my baby boy-baby boy...Mama's here. Mama's here. You're gonna be okay. You're gonna be okay. We're gonna make you okay." She choked out and held Rick's hand, brushing Alice's hair out of her face as she held them both.
Later, in the kitchen Nancy was making lemonade for Lori and Rick, hopefully for their kids too. "Forget what I said about the sherriff. Did you see the redneck?" She smiled with warm cheeks as Maggie brought over the sugar. "My god-Nance. Seriously?" Maggie chuckled, opening the bag. "You have to listen. That was about the finest man I have ever seen in my entire life. His arms-his accent-jesus!" Nancy swooned. "I hope he comes by soon."
"I'm gonna have to keep you on a leash, daddy would kill ya' if ya' even thought about it." Maggie scolded and playfully slapped the back of her head. "I'm gonna get him to my bed. I promise ya'." Nancy giggled at her. "You don't get it, I want him."
She put the pitcher in the fridge to keep it cold.
"Pressure's dropping again. We can't wait much longer." Hershel sighs
"Take some more. Whatever he needs. Then I'm gonna go." Rick immediately said to the older man
"Go? Go where?" Lori asked and placed her hands on her hips.
"He said five miles. They should be long back by now. Something's gone wrong." Rick replied and got up, getting ready to leave.
"Are you insane? You're not going after them!" Lori snapped, Alice stirring in her sleep. "Rick, listen to your wife." Hershel says as he puts down his tools.
"If they got into trouble-" he tried to say. "You're in no condition to do anything about it. You've given too much blood. You're barely on your feet. You wouldn't make it across the yard." Hershel reasoned, Alice's eyes fluttering open.
"If something happened, I have to go-"
"No, your place is here. If Shane said he'll be back, he'll be back. He's like you that way." His wife says, staring at her husband in frustration.
"I can't just sit here!" Rick shouted.
"That's exactly what you do! If you need to pray or cry or tell God he's cruel, you go right ahead, but
you're not leaving, Rick. Carl needs you here. Alice too. And I can't
do this by myself. Not this one.
I can't. I can't." Lori snapped, whispering at the end as she shook her head.
"Uncle Rick? Is Lori here?" Alice mumbled, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. "Oh, baby!" Lori gasped and rushed to the bed, sitting down and hugging her close. Alice tensed up and clutched onto the back of her shirt, still holding onto Carl's hand.
"Rick told me that you didn't leave Carl's side once. Good job. Good girl." Lori whispered, kissing the crown of her head. "I-the last thing I said was that-that I was still mad! I yelled at him-I'm horrible-" she cried into her shoulder, squeezing Carl's hand tightly. "What if-he doesn't wake up?! I'll never get say I forgive him."
Lori held onto her tightly and shook her head, running her fingers through her hair. "It's all gonna be okay. It'll be fine." Lori whispered.