The Walking Dead Story: Leave Me Paralyzed, Love
Disclaimer: I don't plan on keeping directly to the storyline or script from the television series. I don't own TWD or any of its characters. I only own my OFC, Ellen. Thanks for reading.
Chapter 1: Begin Again
"DAD!" Maggie's call could be heard throughout the small plantation home. Ellen heard her all the way from the upstairs bedroom. She didn't think much of it until she registered that Maggie's cries were becoming more urgent.
Ellen swept from the room, scrambling down the stairs to meet the rest of the family. Maggie's father, Hershel, opened the screen door to check out the scene in his yard. Maggie followed her father out to assess the situation. The door shut behind them with a 'clack'.
Ellen was left at the foot of the stairs in the hallway with Patricia, Beth, and Jimmy. Patricia anxiously shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Knowing Patricia's husband was out hunting, Ellen understood her discomfort.
Hershel called from the porch, "Patricia! Ellen!"
The two women responded immediately, Ellen leading the way out to the front of the house. The first thing they saw was a disheveled man carrying a bleeding boy in his arms. Ellen's expression became serious and she went into full autopilot. She asked the man, "Was he bitten?"
The man shook his head, "No, he was shot- by one of your men."
Ellen could only nod and retract her eyes from the man, redirecting them towards the injured boy. Hershel had given Patricia instructions to bring the boy to an upstairs bedroom where they could operate and hopefully remove the bullet. Ellen followed Patricia back into the house to gather the appropriate supplies for the procedure as the man, who Ellen assumed was the father, brought the injured boy into the upstairs bedroom.
Ellen entered the room with surgical supplies, including IV bags and other medications Maggie had been gathering for her. Ellen stepped toward the bed where Hershel and the man were looking over the boy. Ellen instructed the man, "I'm sorry, but you're going to have to step back. We need room to work now."
The man nodded, stepping back hesitantly. He couldn't take his eyes off the boy.
Hershel asked him, "Your name?"
The man was dazed for a moment, but responded. "Rick. I-I'm Rick."
Ellen stepped in, guiding the man back to the corner of the room away from the bed. "Rick, are you the boy's father?"
Rick nodded, continuing to watch Hershel's swift movements as he directed Patricia to begin the IV infusion. Ellen placed her hand on Rick's shoulder. "Rick, look at me."
After registering the command, he obeyed and looked Ellen in the eye with a pleading expression. She continued, "We are going to do everything we can for your boy. But right now you need to stand back, alright?"
Rick nodded again, bringing his gaze back to his boy and the people working around him. Ellen backed away from him and joined the rest of the family in assisting Hershel with the boy's care.
The boy, who Ellen discovered was named Carl, ended up needing a blood transfusion. Rick happened to be the same blood type as his son, so Ellen set up the transfusion. She monitored both the boy and his father as one donated blood to the other.
Her care was interrupted by the sound of another man hollering outside. Otis, Patricia's husband, had returned to the house with this stranger. Rick claimed the man was his friend, and Otis explained that he had accidentally shot Carl while tracking a deer in the forest. The new man, who was named Shane, effectively calmed Rick when he explained how he needed his wife there with him and Carl. Ellen stayed in the room with Carl, monitoring his progress.
Ellen began to notice during her assessments that Carl's abdomen was becoming distended. She immediately called for Hershel, and he sighed, "We're going to have to operate. I'll tell Rick."
Ellen stayed with Carl when Hershel left the room to explain the situation to Rick. They would need intubation equipment in order to make sure Carl kept breathing during the operation. He wouldn't be able to breath on his own with the sedation.
Patricia was the next person to enter the room to check on Carl some time later. She explained that Shane had volunteered to go to the high school to gather the intubation equipment needed for the operation. The high school had a FEMA shelter that would likely have medical supplies.
Patricia nearly began sobbing when she began explaining that her husband, Otis, had volunteered to go with Shane to the high school. Otis knew what the equipment looked like because he was a volunteer EMT. Patricia was already worried sick about them entering the abandoned campus. Ellen tried calming her, saying that Otis had to come back. He would come back for Carl's sake. They needed that equipment.
Maggie had been sent out to find Rick's wife Lori. Ellen knew Maggie had returned when a strange woman entered the room only to stare at Carl and burst into tears. Rick immediately moved towards the woman, Lori, so that he could embrace her.
Ellen made to stand up from her chair and leave the couple in the room with their son, but Lori stopped her. "No, please. Stay. Carl needs you. We all do."
Ellen gave a small smile and nodded in affirmation, turning her body towards the other end of the room to give them as much privacy in their grief as possible.
When Lori had calmed down, she turned her attention to Ellen, "Are you a doctor too?"
Ellen smiled and shook her head, "No, I'm a nurse. I was a new grad when this all happened." Ellen inclined her hand to the space in front of her, indicating the world in general.
Rick asked, "Your father must be proud that you went into the medical field, what with him being a doctor."
Ellen was confused for a moment, wrapping her head around exactly who they were referring to. She smiled in realization, "Oh, Hershel isn't my father. I went to college with Maggie and I came straight here when the hospital was overrun. I didn't have family in the area close by. And, um- you should talk to Hershel. I'm sure he can explain the procedure more clearly to you."
Rick and Lori excused themselves to seek out Hershel. Ellen was grateful she wouldn't have to be the one to explain to these protective parents that their son was being treated by a veterinarian.
TWDTWDTWDTWD
Ellen was monitoring Carl's vital signs when an unfamiliar car pulled up to the front of the house. She could hear Maggie greeting the newcomers from outside. Rick and Lori were in the room with her, Lori on the edge of the bed with her boy and Rick in a chair nearby. He had been proclaiming all afternoon that he was ready and willing to do a third blood transfusion. Ellen knew this would put him in critical condition and she didn't want a second patient to deal with.
After a few minutes, two new faces stood in the doorway. Rick greeted them as Glenn and T-Dog. Glenn had removed his hat and was visibly floored by the scene in front of him. The most they could do for Rick and Lori was be there for them. And that is exactly what they told the couple they would do.
Glenn and T-Dog exited the room before Maggie, who motioned to Ellen that she needed her. Ellen sat up from her place in the corner chair and met Maggie in the hall. Maggie spoke first, "Hey, can you leave Patricia in there with the boy for a while? One of the newcomers has an infected wound on his arm."
Ellen agreed, "Sure, I'll be down in a minute. I just have to check in with Patricia." Ellen returned to Carl's room in search of Patricia, who she spoke to in hushed tones. She explained the situation with the infected wound to Patricia and asked her to stay with the boy and his parents. Patricia agreed.
Ellen met the others downstairs after she had gathered all of the supplies needed for stitching and cleaning a wound.
Hershel passed Ellen in the hall but stopped before rounding the corner. "Ellen, we may need to operate before Otis returns with the respirator. I'll talk to the boy's parents about their decision."
Ellen nodded. "I understand. I'll be downstairs if you need me."
Ellen entered the kitchen to find Maggie with T-Dog and Glenn. Maggie was boiling water on the stove, presumably for tea. Ellen's eyes immediately went to looking the two new men up and down. She saw T-Dog's makeshift dressing and registered it as the infected wound. She motioned for T-Dog to sit in a chair at the kitchen table and he obeyed.
Ellen worked quickly on the wound, removing the infected areas and cleansing its surface. She then stitched up the laceration, with T-Dog flinching in his seat. She then redressed the wound and wrapped it appropriately. T-Dog thanked her and took the antibiotics Ellen instructed.
They were good men, T-Dog and Glenn. She talked to them while she worked and they kindly inquired after Carl's care. After she explained the situation to them the room got very quiet. The world was already so uncertain without the added stress of a boy's life on the line.
Patricia entered the kitchen area quickly, reporting to Ellen that Carl had just been awake and speaking. He then went into a seizure and passed out.
"I'll go up now. Do you mind if I clean this up later?" Ellen motioned towards the supplies on the kitchen table.
Patricia shook her head, "Don't worry, I'll do it. Just get up there."
Ellen made it to the upstairs bedroom just as Hershel finished assessing Carl. He explained to Lori and Rick that Carl would slip away if they did not act soon. They would need to make a decision about the surgery.
Rick looked to his wife for a decision, and she agreed to the operation.
Hershel instructed Ellen immediately, "Get the sterile field ready. We need to make this fast."
Ellen rushed out of the room to gather the supplies. She yelled for Patricia and Maggie as she entered the supply room. They met her in the room as she gathered the operating equipment and Maggie grabbed a table for the operation.
Once in Carl's room again, the family formed a lift team to transfer Carl from the bed to the table. Patricia brought over an extra light, removing the lampshade. Ellen prepared warm washcloths for the operation with a bowl of water.
Hershel instructed the couple, "Rick, Lori- you may want to step out."
Rick turned his attention to the window before leaving the room with his wife. He made his way toward it, pushing back the curtain with a sigh of relief. Otis's truck had pulled up to the driveway.
Rick and Lori dashed out of the room. Hershel instructed Patricia to stay with Carl as he left the room right behind the two parents. Maggie followed after her father. Whereas Ellen stayed with Patricia, preferring to monitor Carl herself.
Maggie and Hershel returned with the respirator equipment and they began the procedure. Ellen continually monitored Carl's respiratory status while he was sedated, while Maggie put herself in charge of containing the blood during the operation. Patricia helped Hershel throughout the operation by handing him the tools he needed to make the procedure run smoothly.
After the operation had been successfully completed and each piece of the bullet had been removed without causing too much damage to the affected artery, Ellen administered more pain medication. Carl was transferred back onto the bed from his place on the makeshift operating table. Ellen called Lori and Rick into the room once Carl was resting in the bed. She stayed with them while they watched their son sleep. Ellen knew her presence would be a comfort to them, knowing she was there to watch out for Carl's wellbeing during these precious moments.
Carl had been stabilized and this made the whole house feel more at peace. Ellen stepped out of the room at one point, following Rick out of the room to gather glasses of water for herself and Lori. This left Lori in the room by herself for a few minutes with Carl.
Ellen made her way back up the stairs with two glasses of fresh water only to find the man who had gone with Otis, Shane, making his way down the hall from Carl's room. Maggie had informed Ellen while in the kitchen that Otis had not made it back safely. He was killed by a pack of those flesh-eating creatures.
Shane made eye contact with Ellen for a moment and inclined his head towards her in acknowledgment. Then the moment was over and Shane sidestepped past her to make his way down the stairs. Ellen felt a strange sensation of fear spread its way up and down her spine as he left her. Shane's very presence made her question the safety of the farm.
TWDTWDTWDTWD
The next morning, Ellen was in the room with Lori and Carl. She explained to Lori that Carl was in a stable condition and he should wake up soon. Lori nodded, "I understand. But I would still feel a lot better if you stayed here with us. I don't know how to tell if Carl takes a turn for the worst. You'll be able to tell more quickly than I will."
Ellen agreed to spend more time with Lori and Carl until he woke up on his own. This made Lori feel much more secure about her son's fate.
Ellen sat in the corner of the room reading a novel from Patricia's collection of classics. Her reading was interrupted by the sound of a loudly sputtering motor. Ellen got up to push the curtains away, revealing the scene bellow her. Rick and the rest of his group were helping Beth, Jimmy, and Maggie gather stones into wheelbarrows for Otis's funeral. They had stopped their work to look out farther up the road. Ellen followed their gaze to see a convoy of people approaching the house. The party included a motorcycle, hatchback SUV, and RV.
Ellen looked to Lori, who gave her approval, "If they're here you should go down and meet them. The rest of our group will be eager to know about Carl's improving condition."
Ellen replied, "Yell for me if you notice anything from Carl."
With that said, Ellen left the room to make her way down to the front of the house. Hershel passed her, going in to check on Carl again. Rick was close behind Hershel and he stopped to speak with Ellen. "My people just arrived. Tell them Carl is stable for us."
Ellen smiled, "Of course." Rick continued down the hall to Carl.
Ellen slowly made her way down the stairs to the main level. She was almost scared, and strangely hesitant to meet the rest of Rick's group. She hadn't met anyone new in a regular, nonlife-threatening situation since before the world changed. She had been with Hershel's family so long, with no outsiders. That was until Rick brought Carl to the care of the house.
Ellen brought her fingers to the wooden frame of the screen door. She took a deep breath, inhaling a delicious gulp of air, bringing courage to her shy nature. She stood a second in the doorway before pushing the screen open and walking out onto the porch. Ellen stopped on the top steps of the porch, watching the convoy of new arrivals as they stopped their vehicles near the house.
Ellen watched as they parked and unloaded out of the RV. Her attention was diverted to a man on a wild-looking motorcycle, which had been the source of the blaring motor. He was about ten yards away from the house, closest of all the vehicles. He stopped the beastly motor and kicked out the stand to prop up his bike. He hopped off the motorcycle and looked up to meet Ellen's eyes. Ellen made no movement to greet him or say anything of importance. Her hands grew clammy under his gaze, but she held it. That was, until Glenn walked up to the house from gathering stones with the others to greet him. "Daryl! How was the ride down?"
Ellen's heart jumped as Glenn's voice forced her back to the situation around her. She broke eye contact with the stranger and averted her gaze to Glenn.
The man with the motorcycle, Daryl, swung his arms a bit at his sides and bent over to look in his pack at the end of the bike. This motion removed his gaze from Ellen entirely and she was no longer at the mercy of his curious eyes.
"We're all safe, ain't we?" Daryl huffed back.
Rick and Lori came out onto the porch with T-Dog close behind. He must have gone to retrieve them.
An elderly man, who had exited the RV, was the first to address Rick and Lori. "How is he?"
Lori answered him, "He's going to pull through. Thanks to Hershel and his people."
"And Shane," Rick spoke up, "We'd have lost Carl if not for him."
Ellen led her gaze to Shane, who looked uncomfortable- both in Otis's oversized clothes and under the stare of the rest of his group. Ellen's hands swept over the support beam at the front of the porch. It gave her a sense of comfort to know that something strong and sturdy separated her from these unpredictable strangers.
The elderly man from the RV nodded at Rick's acknowledgement of Shane's contribution, and spread his arms out to embrace Rick. Rick returned the hug, and many others in the group followed suit. Hugs were exchanged between many members of the now reunited group. The man with the steel gaze, Daryl, stayed back while the others shared their relief.
The elderly man asked Rick how the accident had happened and Rick explained it had been a hunting accident.
Hershel stepped in to invite the group to join in Otis's funeral later in the afternoon. The group agreed, and Hershel turned to indicate the members of his household. "This is my family: Patricia, Otis's wife, my daughters Maggie and Beth, my nephew Jimmy, and Maggie's friend Ellen. If you need anything ask one of us and we'll lead you in the right direction."
Ellen didn't make a move of acknowledgement when her name was called. She kept her gaze trained on the view in front of her, which centered on Daryl's motorcycle. It was easier for her to ignore the fact that each stranger swept their eyes over her than to wave a hand in greeting. Eye contact had always been a complicated feat for her.
TWDTWDTWDTWDTWD
Later that day, Ellen found herself standing under the shade of large oak tree. The group had gathered there to form a circle around a large pile of rocks, serving as Otis's burial mound in the absence of a body. Each member of the family was allowed to bring forward an extra rock to add to the pile for Otis. Ellen was not sure if she should be one to place a rock for Otis. She was not technically part of the Greene family. But Hershel washed away Ellen's doubt when he called for her, "Ellen, it's your turn. For Otis."
Ellen nodded and walked forward, picking up a jagged, pearl gray rock from the extra pile. She made her way toward the burial mound slowly, placing her rock next to Beth's. Her hand hovered over the rock a few extra moments before she pulled away, knowing that this action was symbolic of more than just her hopes for Otis. She returned to her position in the circle of people, taking her place with her new family.
Hershel opened his Bible and read a few verses for Otis, and for the comfort of those he had left behind. He then asked Shane if he would speak for Otis. Shane seemed to have been knocked out of some very deep thoughts. He declined, but Patricia insisted knowing that Shane was the last one to have been with Otis. She wanted to know Otis's death had meaning.
Shane hesitated, but then began to describe the incident in detail. He told how Otis had insisted Shane go ahead, sacrificing himself in the process. Shane credited Otis for saving both himself and Otis. He hobbled forward on his injured leg to the wheelbarrow containing the extra stones and carefully placed one down for Otis. No one stopped him.
TWDTWDTWDTWD
After the funeral, Ellen went back to the house with Lori. Together they walked back up to check on Carl. Lori sat near Carl in a wooden chair, watching his chest rise and fall. Ellen made a thorough assessment of the boy before looking up at Lori, "He's fine. Just needs more rest. I'll check him out again in an hour or so."
Ellen sat back in her chair at the corner of the room, watching Lori take Carl's hand in her own. She stroked it tenderly. Lori then turned her attention back to Ellen, "You're welcome to take a break from this. I'll let someone know if Carl wakes up. I trust that you'll be back."
Ellen nodded, "Just call for someone if you need anything."
With that, Ellen left Lori to dote over her sleeping boy. Ellen left the house, heading out into the field where the new comers had set up a small camp. She stopped herself, wondering what exactly she was doing out here like this. Her attention was caught by a movement of people in the far end of the camp. Ellen recognized Maggie and Hershel with a group of others. Ellen figured Maggie would be a good buffer for her transition into a new group of people. Maggie had always recognized and aided Ellen in dealing with her lack of confidence. When it came to other people, Maggie was the social butterfly that broke the ice for both herself and Ellen. Ellen knew she could rely on her for this.
As Ellen approached, she noticed the small party was circled around the front end of a station wagon. They were hovered over something on the hood of the car, pointing out aspects of it. As she got closer, she realized it was a map of the area. Rick mentioned something about searching in teams around the area for a missing girl. Maggie heard Ellen's soft footfalls and turned to beckon her into the group. Ellen stood beside her and smiled in greeting.
Hershel insisted that both Rick and Shane were in no condition to go scouring the countryside.
Daryl answered, "Guess it's just me. I'm gonna head back to the creek, work my way from there."
Shane noted, "Well I can still be useful, head up the interstate- see if Sophia came back there."
Rick agreed, "Alright, tomorrow then. We'll start doing this right."
Shane interjected, "We can't have our people out there with just knives. They need the gun training we promised."
Rick nodded in agreement, but Hershel laid down the law, "I'd prefer you not carrying guns on my property. We've managed so far without turning this into an armed camp."
Shane answered for the group, "With all do respect, you get a crowd of those things wandering in here…" He broke off with a slight laugh.
Rick acknowledged Hershel's requirement, "This is your property, and we're guests here. And we will respect that." He pulled out his gun from it's side holster and placed it on the hood of the station wagon. Shane begrudgingly did the same.
Rick stated that first they would have to set up camp and go out to find Sophia. Shane asked what they should do if they find Sophia and she's been bitten.
"You do what has to be done," was Rick's response.
Maggie asked, "And her mother? What do you tell her?"
"The truth," was the answer from a blonde woman at Ellen's right.
Rick instructed that the weapons needed to be gathered and secured. Shane suggested that they take rifles off the farm for practice, and that a lookout be placed with a gun at all times.
Rick explained to Hershel, "Our people would feel safer- less inclined to carry a gun."
Hershel nodded in agreement and Rick thanked him for it.
Daryl and Shane turned to leave the pow wow by the car. Maggie asked Rick, "That stuff you brought, bandages and antibiotics, got any more of that?"
The blonde answered her, "Just what you've seen."
Maggie turned to Hershel, "We're short already, I should make a run into town." She explained how she had been to the pharmacy in town on her own before.
Rick motioned toward Glenn who was setting up a tent behind them, "See our man there, in the baseball hat? That's Glenn, our "go to town expert". I'd ask him along just to be cautious."
Hershel motioned for Maggie to do so with an incline of his head.
Ellen spoke up, "What about me? I'd like to help."
Rick met her gaze, "Don't you need to be with Carl?"
Ellen shook her head, "He's stable. And both Patricia and Hershel will be here if anything goes wrong. It won't take three people to monitor his recovery."
Rick accepted this, "What would you like to do, Ellen?"
"You have a missing girl. I can help look for her," Ellen answered.
Rick looked her up and down, "How much experience you got?"
"With searching for missing persons? None."
Rick smiled, "No. I meant with fighting for your life- surviving."
Ellen shrugged her shoulders; "I'd imagine my survival has been a bit less brutal than yours since the world ended."
Rick let out a small chuckle, "This isn't going to be easy, Ellen. You're asking to put yourself out there." He motioned toward the wilderness beyond the farm's borders. "It isn't safe."
Ellen shook her head, "But I'm willing to learn."
Rick let out an honest laugh, "Alright, well you can come along when we teach the others to shoot. You'll pick up some skills from that."
"Gun training won't bring that little girl back," Ellen countered.
"We'll find her none the less."
"Please, Rick! I-I need to do this, to do something! Give me an opportunity to learn how to take care of myself outside of the comfort of that farmhouse," Ellen pleaded.
Rick eyed her, "Why do you want this so bad?"
Ellen sighed, "If I can take care of myself then I can take care of others. I want to be prepared for that."
Hershel protested, "You know plenty for this world, Ellen. You're a skilled nurse."
"No, Hershel! That isn't enough. Nurse or not, I don't know how to defend myself from those creatures." Ellen looked toward Rick, "Please. All I'm asking for is a chance to better myself."
Rick hesitated for a moment before agreeing, "Alright. We'll see how willing Daryl is to bring you out with him."
"Daryl?" Ellen asked in disbelief.
Rick nodded, "You wanted an opportunity to survive for real. Daryl can give you that."