As the great philosopher DJ Khalid said, "Another one!"

Rick had hoped to have this conversation with Lori present or maybe even his own mother- but when Carl woke up and began to panic about why he couldn't see out of his left eye and why his head hurt so bad Rick knew that the responsibility had fallen on him. He stumbled over his words as he carefully tried to explain to Carl the extent of his injuries.

Carl was also mortified when his speech came out slurred and broken as he tried to express his fear and pain to Rick. Carl began to sob so loudly that it started Rick and Doctor Denise who was also trying to help explain everything to Carl. Rick had only interacted with the kind faced woman a handful of times but at the moment he couldn't be happier that she was there with him.

Carl continued to cry so loudly that his eye wound began to weep and blood seeped through the bandage. Doctor Denise called in a nurse to help redress the wound and also called for a sedative and a pain medication to help Carl through his panic attack.

"Carl, we're going to give you something that will help calm you down. It might even make you sleepy." Doctor Denise explained calmly as Sasha Carl's regular nurse entered the room swiftly.

"No! No he's okay I've got him" Rick bellowed as Sasha reached to administer the sedative in his IV. Rick felt tears begin to burn in his eyes again. He had just gotten Carl back and didn't want to let him go- not even for a moment.

"Mr. Grimes, Carl is in pain and is disoriented. He needs this just as much as he needs you. He'll be okay." Sasha insisted quietly as she pushed past Rick and lovingly soothed Carl's hair back. "It's okay honey. One, two, three-." Sasha said as she pushed the medicine in and Carl shook his head as he continued to cry.

"D-dad." Carl whispered as his one eye searched the room wildly for just a glimpse of his father.

"Yeah I'm here." Rick said and he was immediately at Carl's side rubbing the tears from his cheeks.

"L-love. Love y-." He struggled with his words immensely but Rick got it all the same. Carl was awake and that was already more than he could ask for. They would work on the rest later.

He gently wiped at Carl's uninjured side of his face and soon Carl's breathing grew deep as he fell asleep.

Rick was thankful that Carl had found some peace and didn't stop caressing his cheek until he heard Loris tearful voice.

" What happened to him?" She questioned through tears and he shook his head not trusting his voice. "Rick why isn't he awake?" Lori asked again this time a little more irritated.

"He had a panic attack ma'm. We gave him something to help with the anxiety." Doctor Denise explained and for a moment Rick forgot she had been in the room the whole time.

"I didn't even get to see him awake." Lori almost pouted and fought to urge to roll his eyes. How did this suddenly become the Lori show?

"I understand that Mrs. Grimes- but Carl was in quite a bit of pain when he awoke and was very upset. We needed to make sure he didn't hurt himself." Denise said calmly as she began to unwrap Carl's bandage revealing his now swollen and bleeding sowen over eye socket. Rick didn't think he would ever get used to the sight and apparently neither did Lori as she heaved loudly into the trash can.

Doctor Denise and Sasha paused for a moment to regard Lori and Rick shook his head before everyone redirected their attention back to Carl. They worked quickly and quietly and soon the injury was covered again.

"Some weeping is completely normal with this type of injury. You may find in the next couple weeks that if Carl gets too upset, or moves his face around it may disturb the stitches. But all you have to do is change the bandage and apply his ointment and it should be okay." Doctor Denise assured with a smile as she pulled off her gloves.

"Sasha can you order a CT scan for me?" Denise requested as she flipped open Carl's chart and scribbled something in it.

Lori wiped at her mouth and moved to Carl's bed side and began to rake her fingers through his long brown hair.

"It's okay baby, mama's here." She whispered as her tears overcame her and she fell into a fit of sobs. For a moment Rick considered going over to console her. But the history of the past few months- shit the history of the past few years held him back.

"What about his speech?" Rick asked Doctor Denise after a moment and she looked up from his chart. She pushed back her glasses as she considered her next words carefully.

"I am a little concerned about that." She admitted and Rick felt his heart clench. He knew it wasn't a good thing when Carl woke up and could barely form a sentence.

"What do you mean? What's wrong with his speech?" Lori asked frantically and Rick dismissed her as he waited for Doctor Denise to elaborate.

"Carl seems to have some trouble speaking. But this is also something I anticipated. You see, we had no real way of knowing the extent of his injuries. Not until now. so I now know how to move forward. Don't worry yet because I'm not worried."

Denise's words eased Rick's mind but apparently not Lori's.

She began to pace the room and pulled at her hair nervously.

"Will he have to learn how to talk again? How to walk again?" She stammered and Rick wondered if he could get a sedative.

"We don't know yet. Let's just take him waking up as a win." Denise said as she looked down at her pager which was beeping. "If you'll excuse me. But I will be back later to look over Carl's CT scan."

Rick thanked her as she quietly bowed out of the room. Lori stopped her pacing and looked at Rick a frown pulling on her thin lips.

"What?" She sighed miserably and Rick stared at her blankly . "You didn't uh- you didn't tell him about-?" Lori said vaguely as she held a hand over her barely detectable bump.

"Jesus Lori"

" No Rick I only ask because-"

"No Lori I didn't tell my son about you fucking my best friend," Lori visibly cringed but Rick continued on, "I only had enough time to try and explain what the hell happened to him before he passed out. A conversation you should have been here for." Rick spat and Lori began to cry again.

"I got here as soon as I could." Lori offered meekly and Rick let out a humorless laugh.

"See that's the thing you weren't here. You haven't been here. When was the last time you were here?" Lori fell quiet and was embarrassed of the answer. "My mom and my brother still made time to visit him and they live 5 hours away. You had no fucking excuse." Rick said finally at his wits end with it all.

"Rick why are you being so cruel?" She breathed as she held her arms around her waist and wept. She bent over and cried so hard Rick thought she was going to pass out.

"Lori calm down." Rick said flatly as she continued to hyperventilate in the middle of the room.

She ignored his instruction and continued to cry loudly drawing the attention of a few people in the hallway. Rick moved to close the door before turning back to Lori.

"Lori you have got to calm down- this can't be good for the baby." Rick mumbled and the mention of her and Shane's baby almost made him vomit herself.

"Rick what's going to happen to him? What's going to happen to us?" Lori was able to ask through her tears and Rick didn't know how to answer her.

Lori began to sink to the ground and despite himself Rick wasn't going to let her go down by herself.

He caught her in his arms noticing that even a few months pregnant she felt like nothing. He cringed as she sobbed into his lap because for a moment she wasn't the Lori who cheated on him with his best friend. She wasn't the Lori who became impossibly selfish the past few months- especially after their son was shot.

She was Lori McCaslin from home room, the pretty brunette who took mercy on prepubescent Rick and actually liked him too. She was the carefree girl who was content with star gazing in the back of Rick's old truck.

She was his Lori once again.

Rick noticed that Lori's hiccuped breaths were smoother now and when he pulled back to check her head lulled on his lap.

She fucking fell asleep.

Rick thought in disbelief as he shifted her weight so he could stand up with her. He moved her to the small love seat in the room and looked down at her. He took in her slightly more rounded cheeks and was reminded of her pregnancy- of the paternity of said baby- and was reminded this was absolutely not the same Lori.

He sighed and pinched the space between his eyes.

He really wished he could get that sedative

Author's Note: Next chapter is Carl's thought during the coma and directly after waking up so get ready for that!