Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead, nor the storylines. And of course, I don't make any money out of this (although I really wish I did). I will be following very closely the storylines from the first 4 seasons (with some modifications, of course).
I do, however, own Becca, Ben and Mike.
Chapter thirty-six
Becca was in the middle of cleaning a cell when she heard Rick screaming to open the door. Fearing the worst, she ran out of the cell as everyone was running in with Hershel, who was lying on a metal table, his right calf missing.
She got to the cell they had brought him in just as they had transferred him to the bed.
"Oh, I need bandages!" Becca exclaimed.
"That's everything we had!" Glenn said.
"Well get more! Anything!" Carol panicked.
"Carl, go get the towels next to my backpack" Lori told her son.
"Is he gonna die?" Beth asked Lori.
"No, no, no… he's gonna be ok" Lori said as she hugged the younger girl. "He's gonna be fine…"
"Can you stabilize him?" Rick asked Carol and Becca, knowing that one used to be a nurse, and the other had been taken under Hershel's wings.
"We need to keep his leg elevated…" Becca started.
"Get some pillows!" Carol cried out..
"He's already bled through the sheets" Maggie noticed.
"We can burn the wound to clot the blood…" Glenn started. "I can start a fire"
"God, no please…" Beth pleaded.
"No" Carol said. "The shock could kill him."
"It's not gonna stop the arteries from bleeding" Becca added. "We need to keep it dressed, it'll heal on it's own". Suddenly remembering the first aid kit she had seen in the isolation cell, she turned to Carol.
"Keep the leg elevated and pressure on the stump, ok?" Becca then turned to Rick, letting him know that she would be right back.
Becca was surprised to find the door unlocked. She was also relieved, but confused to see Daryl standing near a table, pointing his crossbow at the other door, which was still open.
"Ya shouldn't be here" Daryl said, looking at her for only a split second.
"I'm only here to get the first aid kit for Hershel, that's all" Becca told him before walking in the isolation cell.
As she turned around to head back to Hershel, Becca saw 5 prisoners walk in.
"Far enough…" Daryl's voice rang through
"Cell block C?" Becca saw the greasy, long-haired prison say. "Cell 4, that's mine gringo… let me in."
"Today's ya lucky day fellas… ya've been pardoned by the State of Georgia… ya free to go…" Daryl said.
"What you got goin' on in there?" the same prisoner asked.
"Ain't none of your concern" Daryl replied.
"How about you tell me beautiful?" Becca heard the prisoner ask her.
Knowing they had seen her, she got out of the isolation cell and made her way back to the cell block
"You heard him… ain't your business" Becca repeated Daryl's words.
"Come on…" Becca snapped her head to look at the prisoner, who honestly creeped her out.
"You ain't my type, so don't even go there" Becca said, leaving once more, this time making it to the cell block and Rick locking the door behind her.
"Who was that?" Sophia asked Becca when she got back to the group.
Becca was now tying the triangle bandage on the bottom of the top bunk. "There are prisoners… survivors… but it's alright, Daryl, T-Dog and Rick are taking care of it…" Becca said before taking Hershel's leg from Carol and putting it in the loop.
"There ain't nothing for ya here, so why don't ya'll go back to your sandbox!" Daryl's voice rang throughout the prison. Becca, Lori and Carol shared a look.
TWDTWDTWDTWD
About 15 minutes later, Carol, Becca and Lori were still tending to Hershel, who had been unconscious since the beginning.
"It has to stop eventually, right?" Carol asked Becca.
"It slowed down quite a bit already" Becca answered as she gave the towel she was holding to Lori, who had been washing them.
"If we can get him through…" Carol started before being interrupted by Becca.
"When we get him through this…"
"We'll need crutches" Carol continued.
"Right now we need antibiotic, and painkillers. Some sterile gauze… there's got to be an infirmary here" Becca said.
"If there is, we'll find it" Lori reassured the younger woman.
"You gotta be worried sick about delivering the baby" Carol said to Lori. The latter looked at Becca before answering.
"Look at me… I look worried?" she asked.
"You look disgusting" Carol replied, smiling. Lori and Becca laughed.
"So do you" Lori said.
TWDTWDTWDTWD
Becca climbed up the stairs to Beth's cell, wanting to know how the younger one was doing. She had heard the conversation between Glenn and Maggie, and knew that if the older Greene thought Hershel wouldn't survive this ordeal, Beth was probably thinking the same. With the bleeding now under control, this had been the perfect time to do so.
"What are you doing?" Becca asked Beth, who was sitting on the floor, apparently ripping some pants.
"He's gonna have a hard time walking around with one side of his pants dragging on the ground. You know, he could trip or something" Beth answered, all her attention on the project in front of her.
"That's a good idea" Becca said. "Do you have all of his pants in here with you?"
"All the ones I could find…" Beth answered. Becca nodded to herself.
"How are you feeling?" she then asked after a few seconds of silence.
"I know he'll make it…"
"And if he doesn't?" Becca asked. Beth turned around to look at her friend.
"Why are you all so eager to give up on him?"
"I'm not" Becca truthfully answered. "I'm just wondering if you're aware that this could go any way, even if I try my hardest to keep him alive"
Beth nodded before stating that she knew. She then turned back to her project, and Becca, knowing she wouldn't get another word from the blonde, made her way back to Hershel's cell.
Just as she got to the cell, Becca saw T-Dog and Rick bring in some of the food.
"What you got?" Carl asked.
"Canned beef, canned corn, canned cans…" T-Dog listed off. "There's a lot more from where this came from"
"Any change?" Rick asked as he got in front of the cell. Lori popped out of the cell.
"Becca got the bleeding under control and there's no fever"
"However," Becca added "His breath is laboured and his pulse isn't so good. He also hasn't opened his eyes."
Rick nodded, looking at both women in front of him. He then turned around, saying to his estranged wife to take his cuffs and to put them on Hershel, as he didn't want to take a chance. After a few minutes, when realizing that neither Lori or Becca were comfortable doing so, Glenn took them.
"Lori, go take a rest… I can watch over Hershel" Becca told the older woman. Lori said she would go take a walk, but insisted she would be back soon.
Becca then sat on the stool next to Hershel, alone in the cell as Carol had wanted to talk to Glenn privately.
Only a few minutes went by before the Greene sister walked in the cell.
"What's that for?" Maggie asked, seeing the cuffs.
"Just for caution" Becca answered. "As soon as he wakes up, we'll take them off" she reassured the sisters. Maggie sighed as both sisters nodded.
A few minutes later, Lori and Glenn joined the trio as they heard a door close. Glenn, being closer to the cell door, looked to see what was happening.
"I though you were organizing the food?" Glenn asked Carl, who was carrying a bag.
"No, I was" Sophia said, popping out of a cell towards the end of the cell block and following her close friend.
"Even better" Carl stated as he dropped the bag on the ground. "Check it out"
Becca couldn't help but gasp when she saw all the first aid supplies.
"Where did you get this?" Lori questioned her son.
"Found the infirmary…" Carl said. "Wasn't much left, but I cleared it out"
Becca's "Thanks" was lost in the argument between mother and son.
"You went by yourself?" Lori asked.
"Ya…" Carl answered, not seeing the problem.
"Are you crazy?!"
"No big deal… I killed 2 walkers."
"Alright, do you see this?" Lori said, pointing at Hershel's missing leg. "This was with the whole group!"
"We needed supplies! So I got them!" Carl retaliated.
"I appreciate it, but…" Lori started before getting cut off.
"Then get off my back!" Carl exclaimed.
"Carl!" Beth spoke up. "She's your mother! You can't talk to her like that…"
Carl looked at everyone in the room, and then stormed off.
TWDTWDTWDTWD
The cell was now quiet, everyone looking at Hershel, waiting patiently for a movement. The bandage was now a clean one and Carl had made his way back to the cell, avoiding all eye contact. Glenn had left with Rick to an unknown place in the prison.
Suddenly, Hershel stopped breathing, and everyone looked at each other, not sure of what should be done next.
"Somebody!" Beth exclaimed. "Do something!".
Becca and Lori looked at each other before getting closer to the body, Becca doing the chest compressions and Lori giving the breaths.
At the 3rd set of breaths, Hershel suddenly grabbed Lori by her hair. Becca tried to get Lori away, but it was only when Maggie helped out that they were able to get Lori to safety. All huddled in different corners of the cell, adrenaline rushing through the veins from what had just happened; Maggie and Lori, Beth and Becca, Carl, who had his gun trained on Hershel and Sophia.
Hershel settled back in bed and snored again.
"At least he's moving his eyes, now" Beth said, looking at Becca. "That's a good thing, right?"
"Yes, usually it's a good thing" Becca answered, her eyes never leaving the man's body in front of her.
The sounds of footsteps in the hallway a few minutes later brought them out of the trance.
"Hershel stopped breathing" Carl told his father once he had showed up at the cell door. "Mom and Becca saved him"
"It's true" Sophia added.
Becca looked at Rick, who was making his way towards the older man, before looking at Daryl, who could see the women were a little shaken up.
"Still no fever" Becca stated as all their attention turned to the vet. His lips slightly moved and Maggie sat down next to him. Becca and Lori looked at each other, the memory of what had happened only a few minutes earlier still very fresh in their minds.
A minute went by with no change, and most looked down, disappointed that Hershel hadn't woken up. Becca, however, kept on looking for a few more moments, being rewarded as she saw his eyes open slightly.
"Welcome back, Hershel" Becca said, making everyone looking closer at the man and noticing her was in fact awake.
"Daddy?" Maggie asked.
"Daddy!" Beth exclaimed, getting closer to her father.
Becca saw Lori leave the room, and Becca followed her, only stopping to exchange a look with Daryl.
"How you feeling?" Becca asked the pregnant woman in front of her.
"Tired, relieved… ok…" Lori answered. "You?"
"Same" Becca said.
A few seconds of silence went by before Lori spoke up once more.
"Fine… I just wish Rick would talk to me. Acknowledge that I am still alive."
Becca thought her next sentence carefully. "He just needs time, Lori. He will come around."
Becca then gave Lori a hug before leaving her alone on the catwalk, noticing Rick making his way towards them.
Becca noticed Carl sitting on one of the tables and taking the opportunity, Becca sat next to him.
"I know you meant well, but your mom worries for you" Becca told the younger boy after a minute.
"She doesn't have to" Carl answered. "I'm a grown-up now"
Becca sighed and put a hand on his shoulder. "Trust me, you can be 15 or 50, you mom will still worry about you. Take it as a blessing that she does." Becca said before getting up. She ruffled his hair and walked back to her cell, leaving the young boy to his own thoughts.
Let me know what you think!
Tasha