New Sheriff in Town
Summary: How will everyone handle the aftermath of Beth's confrontation with Dawn?
A/N: I have a lot of cool scenes planned for this story and I really hope you like it!
…..
Chapter 3 – Do or Die
It didn't happen in slow motion. It happened so fast that Rick was left standing there in shock, his brain moving in slow motion to process what had happened.
Beth moved to confront the police officer, but she wasn't fast enough. The cop drew her pistol and the shot rang out in the narrow hallway.
This is what always happens, again and again. Rick saw it all flash in front of his eyes, frame after frame, in a matter of seconds.
A young Carl taking slow steps towards a deer in the green forest and then BAM! the deer falls and Carl falls, dark blood staining his shirt…Standing in front of Shane in a misty field, telling him that they can both go back, knowing it was a lie, stepping forward with his knife…At the prison yard, turning around to see Maggie in tears, a newborn baby in her bloody hands, Carl walking slowly behind her with his head down, one hand on his holstered gun…Looking through the chain-link fence at the Governor, standing next to a kneeling Hershel, sneering as he held Michonne's sword in his hand…
This is my fate, a detached voice whispered in Rick's ear, to watch each person I love cut down in front of me.
In his peripheral vision, Rick saw Daryl step forward, his arm raised.
BAM! Daryl's bullet found its mark and the cop's head snapped back and she fell to the floor.
Daryl staggered forward, gun still raised. The people at the other end of the hall didn't move. Carol was standing now. She put a hand on Daryl's back and he lowered his gun. He fell to his knees beside Beth.
Daryl looked up at Rick, terror evident in his eyes. We've been here before, Rick remembered kneeling, bound and gagged, lined up waiting for the butchers at Terminus to make their way down the line and Daryl looking at him as if to say, 'What do we do now, brother?'
We're not done fighting yet. Rick felt that familiar deadly resolve harden around him once more and he knew what to do.
"Keep pressure on it!" Rick ordered and Daryl moved to press his hands flat over the red wound in Beth's stomach.
Noah crouched to help get Beth lying flat on the ground. Rick stepped around them, pointing towards the cluster of people a few yards down the hallway.
…..
"HOLD YOUR FIRE!" Officer Shepherd ordered, "It's over. It was just about her. Stand down."
To her relief, the other officers beside her holstered their weapons. There was no need for more people to die uselessly. Dawn is gone. It's over.
"Which one of you is the doctor?" Rick shouted, walking towards her.
Shepherd blinked. Is the girl alive? It happened so quick, the girl lunging at Dawn, Dawn's weapon firing and the girl falling to the ground, then Rick's man shot Dawn. In a matter of seconds, everything changed.
"The doctor?!" Rick shouted again, and Shepherd kicked herself into action. It's not over yet.
She turned and grabbed Dr. Edwards' arm, yanking him forwards. The man's eyes were wide with shock.
"Go," she nudged him towards Rick, but Dr. Edwards hesitated, looking at Rick fearfully.
Shepherd felt a shiver race down her spine. Looking at Rick's steely determination, she recognized this as one of those moments where what she did next decided if she lived or died.
"Steven!" she said forcefully, and the doctor finally focused on her.
"SAVE THE GIRL!" she shouted with every last bit of power she had, "NOW!"
Edwards nodded dumbly and followed Rick the short distance down the hall, breaking into a run.
"Tell me what happened," Edwards said as he reached Beth. Of course, he had witnessed what happened, but he was falling back onto his training. That was a good sign.
"Gunshot wound to the chest, close range," Rick replied efficiently. Yep, he definitely used to be a cop.
"She's losing blood fast," she heard Edwards call out.
Shepherd ordered two of the officers to get a room ready and bring a stretcher.
"Does this mean you're in charge now?" one of them actually had the nerve to ask.
Officer Licari, who had been taken hostage alongside Shepherd, glared and said, "First we save the girl. If she dies, we're going to have a lot more to worry about than who is class president. Go!"
Licari gave Shepherd a look that said, 'I have your back. Let's get this done.'
Shepherd nodded back, "I'll get the keys to the medicine cabinet."
…..
It didn't take Dr. Edwards long to get everyone in order.
At one point or another he had trained all of the wards in basic first aid. Beth had been the first one in a while to show real potential to learn more, but the others at least knew how to take orders. He had Noah and another ward, Percy, helping him, standing ready to hand him a tool or a bandage.
He gave Beth a strong sedative and hooked her up to the heart monitor. Officer Shepherd and the others were busy rerouting power from the rest of the hospital so that he could use any of the equipment he needed in this room.
Once the bleeding slowed, Dr. Edwards finally managed to convince the man in the leather jacket to step back and let him handle it. The man stood with his back to the door to give Edwards space to work, but didn't leave the room. He looked shell-shocked, his hands red with Beth's blood.
Carol, the grey-haired woman who had been a patient herself only an hour ago, insisted that she had first aid experience and would help as well. Nobody else spoke up to stop her, so Dr. Edwards agreed, giving her the task of monitoring Beth's vitals.
He didn't have access to an X-ray or an MRI, but there was a mobile sonogram machine. It was far from ideal, but the grainy image helped assess the damage.
"Here's the good news," Edwards spoke to the room, squinting at the machine, "Like I thought, it looks like the bullet went straight through. No fragments."
"And the bad news?" Carol asked him.
Edwards met her eyes, "It's unclear how extensive, but there is serious tissue damage around her stomach. Internal bleeding. I need to operate to stop the bleeding."
"Okay," Carol said, glancing at the back of the room then at Edwards again, "Do it."
Edwards gave Noah and Percy more orders, getting everything prepped for the procedure. It would be risky, but he knew what to do.
The door opened and the leader of Beth and Carol's group came inside, but he didn't say anything. He stood beside his friend, watching anxiously with his arms crossed over his chest.
Edwards looked at Beth's pale face. I certainly underestimated you. He held out his hand and Noah placed a sanitized scalpel on his palm.
"Hey," Carol said, looking at him from across the raised bed, "If you mess this up-"
"Let me guess," Edwards interrupted her, "If I mess this up and Beth dies, you will slit my throat, right?"
For a second Carol looked taken aback, as that was exactly what she was about to say.
"Yeah," she finished simply.
"If that happens, I'm afraid you'll have to get in line," he said tersely, nodding his head towards the two men at the back of the room who had each already made similar statements.
"Just do your job," Carol said evenly.
And with that bit of encouragement, Dr. Edwards got to work. No pressure, huh.
…
TBC!
Preview: Now that Dr. Edwards is properly motivated, will he be able to save Beth? (I'll give you a hint, the answer is: Yes, but it won't be easy!)