AUTHOR'S NOTES: Thank you for reading and thank you to the brinxb, kathymoonstone, Guest, Celeste Belle and SoutheastChicagoMom for your comments.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Walking Dead or its characters

Apologies in advance for any spelling and grammatical errors. Thoughts in Italics

You, Me, We are Family

Chapter 10

Rick runs through the entrance doors, bypasses the waiting area and stops at front desk catching his breath.

"A pregnant woman in her early twenties was brought in by the paramedics, her name's Beth Greene-"

He was met by the clerk holding up her hand to wait whilst she answered the ringing phone. He stood there, mouth agape in disbelief watching the woman ignoring him - not once looking up at him. Unable to wait a second longer, Rick looks around for somebody who could help him and spots a nurse and rushes over.

"Nurse, my g-"

"Officer, please if you can go back to front desk, the desk clerks will be able to help you!" She says not giving him a chance to speak as she gives a tight smile before she rushes off.

Rick looks around thinking who were these people?! Where were the normal helpful members of staff he knew?

Anguished and distraught, Rick pulls at his hair looking around the emergency room and no longer caring about hospital protocol, takes off into the examining area where non patients were prohibited to be. He rushes over to the beds and curtained cubicles, pulls them open and apologises as he goes when patients lay there waiting for their doctor.

"Rick!"

Rick spins around, sees Shane hurrying towards him and they meet by the stairwell.

"Where's Beth, how is she, what happened?" Rick questions frantically, grabbing hold of Shane's arms tightly, desperately wanting to hear Beth was ok.

When he checked his phone after he came out of his meeting at the bank with Andrea, he saw the number of missed calls and vague voice messages from Shane and Linda from the station to call them ASAP. He tried to call Shane, there was no answer and then he called despatch on his radio which had him flipping on the siren and speeding through every red light to get to the hospital.

"They've taken Beth up to the maternity unit, she's being examined to check that she and the baby are ok." Shane informs Rick, not wanting to be the one to tell him what had transpired for Beth to be rushed into hospital and then he remembers how distraught, disorientated and upset Beth was "Man, she's been asking for you non-stop!"

Without a second thought, Rick sprints up the steps and rushes towards the maternity unit with Shane following close behind. Beth was thirty weeks along, she still had six weeks to go until her delivery date and a dozen scenarios plague Rick's mind at once. He needed to get to Beth and see she was alright with his own eyes. Nothing and nobody but Beth matter at that moment.

Rick buzzes frantically on the bell and when a nurse recognises him, she quickly buzzes them through and immediately directs him the way. Rick sees Maggie and Glenn sitting on the plastic chairs up ahead. Glenn had his arms around Maggie whilst she had her face buried deep into his chest. Rick takes off towards them, heart beating faster than it ever has, it felt like it was going to either blow or jump right out of his chest.

"Maggie!" Rick calls out "What's happened?!" He asks skidding to a stop and crouching down looking up at her face.

Maggie's eyes were red and moist as she mumbles through her tears, sniffing and apologising over and over.

Seeing the look of complete horror on Rick's face as his face goes pale, watching Maggie as he stood up, Glenn jumps up and puts both hands on Rick's arms and clutches them strongly seeing Rick just staring at Maggie. He remembers Rick wasn't used to being the person on the receiving end of distressing news, he was usually the one giving it and it was a flip situation that they both felt uncomfortable. He snaps Rick out of his trance, they'd stood there looking lost for words long enough.

"The doctors are with Beth, examining her and the baby, they're in the best hands!" He informs Rick "and they'll be out once they're done, take a seat Rick!" Glenn maneuverers Rick into his seat "I know you're gonna hate this, but we all have to sit tight and wait, so let's think positive that Beth and the baby are both fine, and they will be! This is all just for precaution!" He tells them all, looking around at their worried faces.

Shane nods and stands there not knowing what to do but knew he couldn't leave Rick like this even if he was still on duty. He makes an executive decision and sends Leon back to the station to report to Chief of the situation. He takes a seat beside Rick and waits with him. He couldn't do anything to ease his friend's pain but he could be that shoulder to lean on if Rick needed one.

"Beth's gonna be just fine!" Shane says adamantly "She's a tough chick and she's gonna make a tough little mamma!"

Rick turns his face, trying his hardest not to let his emotions get the better of him and nods "She is, you have no idea, she's gonna be fine! they're both gonna be fine!" He repeats to himself and lets out a long shaky breath.

They sit and wait anxiously in the long corridor. Doctors and nursing coming and going. Happy fathers leaving the ward and returning and from a long distance away, the cries of a baby can be heard. They all look up and stare in the direction of the wail and settle back down into their seats. Minutes pass which felt like hours.

Maggie finally reaches over and clutches Rick's hand which was gripping hold of the arm rest.

"I'm so sorry Rick, this was all my fault! Beth didn't feel up to comin' but I persuaded her and then she wanted to look for a wedding anniversary gift for mamma and daddy, and then she had a running in with Lori and this happened!" Maggie sobs into her hands again "I'm her big sister and I'm supposed to protect her and I didn't!"

Rick confused, looks to Glenn seated beside Maggie who was rubbing her back up and down for comfort. He watches Glenn and Glenn's face said it all.

Glenn watches alarmingly as Rick's face suddenly turns red with anger. His lips had narrowed together into a thin line, his fists were clutched into tight balls and his eyes were ablaze when he came to learn of Lori's hostile behaviour towards Beth and his unborn child. He can only imagine what Beth had gone through, how she had suffered, how terrified she must have felt and he wasn't there to protect her. His temper was soaring, he's never been as mad as he is now and wanted nothing more than to go to his former home and strangle Lori to death and bury her six feet under into the dirt.

An image of Carl's sad little face pops into his head and he struggles just for a moment. So many times he's forgiven, let things slide or turned a blind eye to Lori for her attitude, her cruelness and that was only because of Carl. But today had been the final straw. The image of Carl's face wouldn't spare Lori this time. Lori was going to get a severe reality check and he was going to lay down the law like he should have done from the start.

"Rick, any wrong move, she'll twist it and use it against you!" Shane reaches out placing a hand on Rick's shoulder to calm down, stopping him from doing something that he would later regret. Tempers flare in the heat of the moment and Rick had reached his boiling point, he didn't look like he would hold back.

Rick nods in agreement, resigned to sit in complete silence until the doctor emerged. Shane was right. Him racing over would have been what Lori had wanted, it had been the same cycle since the divorce, especially anything to do with Beth and the baby. Lori was bitter and resentful that he had moved on and was starting a family with someone who wasn't her. He had solemnly sworn to himself, he would never make those same mistake again that left Beth feeling isolated and alone. He couldn't lose it, Beth needed him right now and he wasn't going to let her down. Lori could wait for later he had decided.

"Deputy Grimes,"

Rick's head shoots up upon hearing his name. He slips out of his seat and walks at a fast pace towards the young doctor making her way over.

"Rosita!" Rick stops just in front of her "Beth…the baby?" He asks desperately, searching the Obstetrician's face for answers, they'd been waiting too long without any news.

"Right now, Beth is fine and so is the baby," Rosita begins, moving aside to give way to the warden pushing a bed down the narrow corridor.

Rick's tense body relaxes as he sighs with relief. The heavy pressure he felt pressing down on his shoulders had momentarily lifted until he frowns tensing back up again "Right now?" He repeats quietly holding Rosita's eyes, not liking the 'Right now' at the start of the sentence.

Rosita braces herself like she always does, sometimes she was the bearer of good news, bad news and we have to wait and watch news and the situation was the latter.

"Beth suffered a significant blow and collapsed shortly after," Rosita answers gently not wanting to overwhelm Rick but wanting to be honest "She was winded on the impact of hitting her stomach and she'd been cramping when she was brought in, thankfully it's stopped, there's been no spotting of blood which is a good sign. I've examined her, everything seems to be okay but her blood pressure is higher than I would like it to be." She clarifies.

Shane was now stood beside Rick who was just staring at Rosita like she had grown two heads as he digests it all in. Maggie and Glenn were hovering close by holding one another looking from Rick's tense back to Rosita's serious but kind face.

"Glenn!" Maggie whimpers gripping hold of Glenn's shirt, he holds her tighter.

"It's okay Maggie, Beth'll be okay!" He tells Maggie wanting to believe Beth would be.

"We're monitoring Beth and the baby's heart rate, he or she's a little on the small side, Beth had been cramping so I'm going to keep her in overnight for observation as some injuries can take time to show themselves but this is just a precaution, no injuries could appear but I just like to be extra vigilant." She assures.

Seeing a motionless Rick, knowing the news wasn't what he had wanted to hear, looking to be blaming himself and knowing Lori was the reason Beth had been rushed into hospital - Rosita reaches over and places her hand on his arm, trying to give him as much comfort as a doctor can give to a patient's family without promising something she couldn't promise but would do her best to ensure her every patient is being well looked after.

"Look, we're not slammed with patients, we actually have free beds so Beth's got a private room and I'll organise a bed for you in the same room for tonight." She notifies Rick who looks up with a mixture of being speechless and gratitude.

"You can do that?" He asks knowing it wasn't hospital policy to allow family to stay with a patient overnight.

"Beth's come to be a good friend of mine, she's such a kind and generous person and I know she'd want you here, she's been asking for you and take my offer," She squeezes Rick's arm "You can go and see her once you wipe that glum-looking face off your face, you need to keep her spirits up and I know you will!"

Rick whispers a thank you before Rosita excuses herself to check on her next patients.

"See, Beth's gonna be jus' fine!" Shane says positively turning to watch Rick rub away at his eyes and face "And she's gettin' the VIP service, Rosita and her team will take good care of Beth!" He reassures Rick pulling him into a hug and patting his back "She's in the best hands!"

"I know!" Rick agrees composing himself "Shane, can you do me a favour?" He asks.

"Anything man, jus' name it!"

"Can you tell Chief I'm not going to make it in tomorrow or the day after, there's no way I'm leaving Beth's side, you heard Rosita, Beth and the baby aren't out of woods just yet and there's no way I'm leaving Beth like this!"

"Rick, you don't need to worry! Chief'll understand. If anything, he'll tell you to be with Beth until she's back on her feet, you don't need to worry!" Shane reassures Rick again.

Taking a deep and heavy sigh, Rick pats Shane's back confirming he was fine, lets go and makes his way to Beth's room down the corridor. Maggie follows pursuit until Shane grabs Maggie's arm and pulls her back.

"Shane!" Maggie snaps trying to wiggle herself free "Get off of me!" She demands.

"They need to be left alone, everyone needs to just leave them alone!" Shane orders sternly knowing Maggie blames Rick for ruining Beth's life "You can pop your head in a bit later and then Glenn will take you home!"

Before Maggie could protest and argue that she would be the one staying with Beth overnight, Glenn agreeing with Shane, manoeuvres Maggie to where a comfortable cushioned seat and hot chocolate was waiting for her.

Rick stops at the doorway and stares into the room.

Beth looked small and fragile asleep on the bed with wires hooking her up to machines monitoring her health. He walks over and stops at the foot of the bed running his eyes over her face which was swollen and puffy from what he knows is from crying. He steps forward, wipes her loose hair out of her face and tuck the errant strands behind her ear. Taking a seat on the bed, Rick takes her hand into his and leans down embracing Beth and kissing her face, a slow kiss to her lips and nestling there listening to her heart beating.

"I'm here and I'll be here when you wake up!" Rick whispers sliding his hand down and resting it there on Beth's swollen stomach.

"Same goes for you!" Rick murmurs waiting in anticipation to feel the baby move and when he feels a slight movement and then another, he smiles as water escapes his scrunches up eyes "Yea, it's me, it's daddy!"

"Rick?" Beth mumbles trying to move and when she opens her eyes to see Rick's face inches away from her, she bursts into tears as she throws her arm around his neck.

"It's ok, let it out - I'm here now!" Rick says rocking Beth with a knot in his chest and throat knowing he needed to keep it together, be the strong one even though he wanted to join Beth letting it out.

Rick slips onto the bed allowing himself to lay down and hold Beth close to him whilst she sobs into his chest. He comforts her, letting her know he wasn't going anywhere and he would there when she woke up when her eyes slip back closed into a deep sleep.

"We're gonna be fine!" Rick whispers to Beth.

A/N: I've been trying to get a chapter up but it's been really difficult with life being hectic right now but I finally got a chance. I really appreciate those reading and you guys leaving me reviews. Thank you.