Two Weeks Later:

Meredith was working on laundry with Carol in the basement. She was up and down all night with the twins because they have been sick. She was also helping Lori with her breastfeeding, and teaching the kids some sort of lesson from the school books.

Meredith smiled and talked to Carol for a while, when suddenly Rick came busting into the room. "Hershel's been hurt." he said panting hard.

Meredith dropped everything and ran with him as they were taking Hershel to the infirmary. "What happened?" She asked trying to not lose it.

"He was getting some equipment from the garden shed…." Rick said but Hershel cut him off.

"Walker bit my leg." He groaned keeping pressure above his ankle. "I was getting stuff from the shed and their was one in there that we missed."

Meredith grabbed the scissors and cut his pant leg, and ripped his boot and sock off seeing the bite wound.

"We're going to have to amputate.." Rick said seeing it. He looked at Meredith. "He wont live with his leg.."

"But…. Eric died from his amputation." Meredith said putting gloves on.

"He died from the blood loss or the infection…" Rick said looking at Hershel.

"Do it." Hershel groaned and held Meredith's hand. "I'll be okay." He promised.

Maggie and Beth came running in, with Daryl, Glenn and Merle.

"Whats going on?" Maggie said and saw the bite wound. She looked at her dad. "Daddy.." She covered her mouth.

Rick was tying a belt around Hershel's leg below the knee.

"You're not cutting off his leg!" Beth screamed and tried grabbing the belt off. Merle grabbed her.

"Hush. Listen to your Pa." He scolded her, holding her back. Maggie saw all the blood and got held by Glenn.

Hershel groaned and grabbed their hands. "I'll be okay. It needs to be done. Or I'm going home.." He was breathing hard.

Maggie held Beth close as she cried. "Alright.."

Meredith looked at them both. "I'll be here with him." She said softly.

Maggie nodded and kissed her dad, along with Beth. They left to go keep the boys away. Glenn went with them.

"I'll need help - Can you two hold him down?" Meredith asked Daryl and Merle. They nodded and came over. She held the saw. She was shaking slightly, she calmed herself and quickly started a blood transfusion from Daryl to Hershel. She knew he'd be losing a lot of blood. She also started and IV quickly.

Meredith looked at Hershel, and kissed him quickly. "I love you." she said softly. "I'm sorry."

Hershel groaned as he was held down, and kissed her softly. "I love you too." He closed his eyes and screamed out in pain as she started it. She was praying, and talking to him as she continued with it.

Hershel got quiet, he was still breathing. Meredith looked and saw him passed out.

"He's okay just passed out.." Rick said helping her with the amputation.

She closed her eyes and breathed trying to not pass out. They had been studying medical books together. She grabbed the supplies off the table, She got the bleeding stopped and everything, she wrapped it up and put a monitor on him and got him moved to another bed, and cleaned up the mess. She walked behind the curtain took off her blood soaked shirt and left on her tank top, cleaned up herself and sat down next to him in the chair. Daryl was still donating blood. "Dear God. Please let him be okay." she said softly.

Daryl reached over and held her hand. "You did, the right thing by him."

She just stared at Hershel. She had given him morphine before sitting down. She was shaking slightly.

Rick cleaned up, also taking care of the bad leg, and came in to sit with her. He patted her shoulder. "He'll be okay."

Meredith nodded and teared up watching him, still not saying anything. She covered her face and cried more, she was scared. Rick rubbed her back and watched him.

Merle stayed for a bit, then walked out to talk to the girls. "Yer Ma will be out soon.." He said gently. "Yer Pa is alright - Just sleepin'..."

Maggie and Beth along with the boys were sitting on the couch balled up together. "Thank you Merle.." She said softly, she never thought she'd say that to him considering how he talked to her when she was with Glenn.

"Mama okay?" Beth asked softly looking up. She knew her daddy would be okay.

"She's alright. She's slightly shaken up bout the whole ordeal." He said sitting down. He talked to the others about what happened.

A bit later, Meredith was checking his vitals and disconnected Daryl from Hershel. He was improving a lot. She walked out to the girls. "He's still asleep." She said gently, as they got up and hugged them. She had been crying earlier but washed her face before coming out to help

with her red eyes.

"How bad did you have to.." Maggie said biting her lip her voice was breaking.

"It's below the knee - about mid-calf.." Meredith said softly, she closed her eyes and took a few breathes. "He lost a lot of blood from the wound, and then the amputation. He's going to need to rest. It's going to be sometime before he can...attempt to walk.."

Maggie nodded. "Can we.."

Meredith nodded. "Yes, he's asleep still." She said walking them back. Carol and Lori had the twins and were keeping them busy.

Hershel was still asleep, he was covered with a blanket and hooked up to a monitor and IV. Meredith checked it quickly and got them chairs to sit down. She sat down also, and covered her face with her hands laying her head back. She felt so much guilt for doing that to him.

Hershel stayed asleep all night. He woke up the next morning groggy from the pain meds. Meredith was asleep in the chair, they all took shifts sleeping in the chair. She woke up slightly feeling him squeezing her hand.

She sat up and smiled, "Good morning." She said gently.

"Everything… Okay?" He asked rubbing his face. He felt awful.

Meredith nodded. "Kids are sleeping in the beds.." She had the curtain closed, but they slept in the infirmary that night. "Been taking shifts." She said softly, and kissed him and hugged him tightly.

Hershel hugged her and kissed her softly, groaning a bit. She moved his good leg a bit, and felt odd in his bad one. "Can i…" He said sitting up more.

"It finally stopped bleeding last night." She said gently. She watched him move the blanket to examine the bandage.

"That's good." He said softly.

They all stayed with him and kept a close eye on him as he recovered. Daryl found a prosthetic leg for him on a supply run with Maggie and Glenn. After his leg was fully healed, and they started working with him on it. He used crutches for a long time to gain his balance and relearn to walk. He was finally able to resume his activities after a long painful recovery.