Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead. I also have no claim on any pop culture references that I may use throughout my writings. I only own my OCs. Enjoy the read.
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~204 ~ 3619
Daryl's Group….
Lori stopped where she was. She couldn't shake the feeling that something had gone wrong. Call it paranoid, or mother's intuition. Something was wrong and Lori knew it.
Andrea turned around, seeing Lori stopped as she looked back from the direction they came from. "You still worrying about it?" Andrea's voice stopped the others.
"It was a gunshot." Lori pointed out.
"We all heard it." Daryl insisted, a little annoyed and just wanting to push on back to the highway.
Lori looked to the others, shaking her head. "Why one? Why just one gunshot?"
Daryl shrugged. "Maybe they took down a walker." He said, lying through his teeth. Daryl knew damn well that all three of them wouldn't waste a bullet for one walker, but he wanted to calm Lori down, so they could get back to camp.
"Please, don't patronize me." Lori begged. "You know Rick wouldn't risk a gunshot to put down one walker. Or Shane. They'll do it quietly." Lori explained.
Daryl shrugged at her insinuation, wishing that she hadn't figured that part out.
"You can't tell me that Isabell wouldn't put up a fight to both Rick and Shane to stop them from using a bullet."
"Shouldn't they have caught up with us by now?" Carol questioned, looking to Daryl.
Daryl stepped towards the middle of the group. "There's nothin' we can do about it anyway." He said. "What are we gon' do? Can't run 'round these woods chasin' echoes."
"So what do we do?" Lori asked.
"Same as we've been." Daryl insisted. "Beat the bush for Sophia, work our way back to the highway."
Andrea studied Daryl for a moment. She wished that Daryl could be even a bit sensitive. "I'm sure they'll hook up with us back at the RV." Andrea insisted, trying to comfort Lori.
Lori hesitated, but took a couple steps towards Daryl anyway.
Andrea stayed paused, as did Carol. Andrea took a careful step towards Carol and placed a hand on her arm. "I'm sorry for what you're going through." Andrea said.
The group stopped at the sound, watching the two with curiosity.
"I know how you feel." Andrea continued.
"I suppose you do." Carol responded. "Thank you." She looked at the others and back to Andrea, tears burning her eyes. "The thought of her out her by herself…. It's the not knowing that's killin' me. I just keep hoping and praying she doesn't wind up like Amy."
Daryl heard the comment and quickly stepped towards the two, making sure that Andrea wouldn't let what she said get to her. Daryl didn't want Andrea going off on Carol.
Andrea was taken aback.
"Oh, God." Carol cursed herself, covering her mouth with her hand, realizing what she'd just said. Carol reached out and grabbed Andrea's hands comfortingly. "That's the worst thing I ever said."
Andrea shook her head to the woman. She knew that Carol didn't mean it, but it left her a little bitter. "We're all hoping and praying with you. For what it's worth."
Daryl walked towards the two women. "I'll tell you what it's worth: not a damn thing." He shook his head. "It's a waste of time…. All this hopin' an' prayin'." Daryl continued, leaning forward. "'Cause we're gonna locate that little girl. She's not gonna wind up like…." Daryl trailed off, realizing that he almost said her name.
"Like who?" Carol asked curiously, eyes filled with tears.
"Like Amy." Daryl insisted. "Like ya said." He pushed it off, not saying what he was really going to say. "Am I the only one zen 'round here?" Daryl walked away from the women. "Good Lord."
Lori looked to Carol and Andrea with a smile. They walked past her, but she couldn't stop her from looking the way they came one more time.
! #$# !
Isabell's Group….
Shane and Rick sat on the couch in front of Isabell. She was standing, leaning against a nearby wall for support. Nobody knew what to say. Nobody knew what could be said. Rick felt responsible. Shane felt responsible. Isabell felt responsible.
"Why'd I let him come with us?" Rick asked Shane.
Because I was there to look after him. Isabell thought, trying not to listen to the ticking that was heard throughout the room.
"I should have sent him with Lori." Rick insisted.
Shane shook his head at his friend. "Nah, you know, you start that, you'll never get that monkey off your back."
Isabell laughed quietly to herself, somehow agreeing with Shane. She had her own monkey and not just the one from Sophia.
"When a little girl goes missing, you look for her." Rick was leaned over with his elbows on his knees. His hands were tied together in front of him. "Simple. You said 'Call it, head back'."
"Doesn't matter what I said." Shane stressed.
"Carl got shot because I wouldn't cut bait." Rick insisted. "It should be me in there."
Shane covered his face with his hand, scratching his eyes. He chuckled. "You've been there, partner." Shane said, making Isabell recall the story of how Rick was in a coma after a gunshot wound. "Rick?" Shane nodded for his friend. "And you pulled through. So will he."
"Is that why I got out of that hospital? Found my family for it to end here, like this?" Rick questioned. "This some kind of sick joke?"
"I ain't findin' nothin' funny here, Rick." Isabell said softly. She got the attention of both men and shook her head. "You made it out to be here for Carl. Your boy is still alive in there, and he's fightin'. You be here." Isabell said to him angrily.
Rick shook it off, turning back to Shane. "A little girl goes missing, you look for her. It's plain and simple."
Isabell scoffed, feeling a large urge to hit something.
The door to the room on their right opened and Maggie came out, calling for Rick. The three of them quickly left their spots in the room and hurried into the room.
"He need's blood." Maggie told him.
Carl was awake inside the room, crying and screaming for his dad.
Isabell quickly went to Carl's left side, kneeling like she had before on the floor. She pushed back his hair again, trying to comfort him. "Carl, but, it's okay." Isabell soothed. "These people are trying to help you."
Hershel looked up to Shane from his spot at Carl's right side. "You," He said. "Hold him down."
Shane didn't hesitate. He was at Isabell's side instantly, kneeling next to her. Shane used one arm as a weight, holding Carl's chest down. His other arm was at his hips.
Carl was screaming as Hershel maneuvered his forceps in the boy's belly, trying to dig out a bullet fragment.
Patricia was holding onto Rick's arm tightly, trying to sanitize it to get him ready for a blood transfusion.
Rick was fighting with Patricia as he was hearing his son scream and cry for help. "Stop!" Rick shouted. "You're killing him!"
"Rick!" Hershel shouted back. "Do you want him to live?"
"He needs blood." Patricia stressed.
Rick paused, staring at his struggling son.
"Do it now!" Shane yelled at his best friend.
Isabell glanced at Shane, seeing how protective he was of Carl. She didn't know how things were before the group realized that Rick was still alive. But as Isabell watched how Shane was, she knew that he must have become a father figure to Carl.
Finally, Rick had allowed Patricia to stick him without a fight.
In that same minute, Carl stopped fighting against Shane's hold. Shane started to stutter. "W — wait."
"Carl?" Isabell questioned, holding the side of Carl's face, trying to wake him up.
"Wait. What happened?" Shane got out.
"He's not dead?" Isabell asked, looking to Hershel. She was shaking her head. Carl was just a kid and her heart was starting to beat quickly at the loss of him and Sophia in the same twenty-four hours. "He's not dead. He can't be."
"He's just passed out." Hershel said gently.
Rick, Shane, and Isabell all let out a sigh in relief. The stress of this little boy's life was almost too much for Isabell to continuously deal with. The ups and downs were nearly driving her crazy.
Hershel pulled the metal instrument out of the boy's wound and held it up in front of him. "One down…. Five to go."
Isabell shook her head and got up off the floor. She couldn't be in the room anymore. Isabell couldn't stand to stare at Carl and watch him fight for his life.
Rick's reactions to Carl's conditions hurt Isabell just as much as looking at the kid did.
Isabell left the room and sat in the chair just outside the door, so she could at least hear for Carl's screams. She decided that if he did wake up again, she would be there to comfort him.
For the time being, though, there wasn't much that Isabell could do. She didn't want to watch as everyone sat around, waiting for the blood transfusion between Rick and his son to take effect.
Maggie and Otis were in the living area with Isabell, both of them worried and waiting as well.
About a half an hour later, the door opened and Rick stumbled out.
Isabell removed herself from the chair and offered it up to Rick. She stood next to the chair, lightly scratching at the tops of his shoulders for support. Isabell thought that since Lori wasn't here, Rick would need the kind of support that Shane couldn't give. The soft support.
Shane followed out of the room shortly after. "He's stable for now." He said to the three who had been waiting.
"Lori has to be here, Shane." Rick stressed. "She has to know."
"Okay, I get that." Shane said. "I'm gonna handle it, but you've got to handle your end."
"My — my end?"
"Like Isabell said, your end is bein' here for your son. Even if he didn't need your blood to survive, there's no way I'd ever let you walk out that door." Shane admitted. "Man, I'd break your legs if you tried. You know that, right?"
Isabell laughed quietly. "That's just what I'd do. Wouldn't even hesitate. Carl needs you, Sheriff."
Rick eyed both people briefly before hanging his head.
"If something happened to him and you weren't here…." Isabell continued. She took a deep breath, swallowing the large lump that was forming in her throat. "I-If he slipped away while you were gone, you would never forgive yourself for that. Take it from someone who knows." Isabell looked down at Rick all teary eyed.
Rick opened his mouth to ask what she meant, but Shane talked over him.
"Neither would Lori, come to think of it. You gotta be here, man."
Rick took a deep breath then nodded. "You're right. Both of you."
"When was I ever wrong?" Shane joked.
"Alright, no need ta get ahead o' yerself." Isabell rolled her eyes, but laughed at Shane anyway.
Shane looked at Isabell then to Rick. He knelt down on the floor in front of his friend. "You know, when…. When you were in that hospital, the one you were never supposed to leave, Man, you shoulda seen Lori. She was like…." Shane trailed off, not being able to find the right words. He scooted closer to his friend. "The strength of that woman…. You can't imagine it. See, that's what you've gotta have now. I mean, Carl — he needs that from you. So you wire yourself tight, my friend. You hear?" Shane asked, leaning his forehead against Rick's, showing a sense of support. "You've got the hard part. Just leave the rest of me and Isabell, okay?" Shane leaned back and clapped his hand on the side of Rick's neck.
Rick nodded. "Alright." He agreed.
"Alright."
The door behind them opened quickly and Shane shot up to his feet. Everyone else in the room rose to their feet and their eyes moved to Hershel.
"He's out of danger for the moment." Hershel explained. "But I need to remove the remaining fragments."
"How?" Rick questioned. "You saw how he was."
"I know, and that was the shallowest one."
Isabell blew out a long gust of air and pushed her hair out of her face. She turned away from the scene for a moment.
"I need to go deeper to get the others." Hershel continued.
"Oh, man." Shane sighed.
"There's more."
"Tell me." Rick insisted.
"His belly's distended, his pressure is dropping, which means there's internal bleeding. A fragment must have nicked one of the blood vessels."
"That don't sound good, Doc." Isabell commented, facing the doctor.
"It's not." Hershel allowed. "I have to open him up, find the bleeder and stitch it. And he can't move while I'm in there. And I mean, at all. If he reacts the same as before, I'll sever an artery, and he'll be dead in minutes."
"So you have to knock him out?" Isabell asked.
Hershel nodded. "I have to put him under. He can't breathe on his own while he is. Same bad results."
"You need a breathin' machine."
"A respirator." Otis corrected. "What else?"
"The tube that goes with it," Hershel listed, "Extra surgical supplies, drapes, sutures."
"If you had all that, you could save him?" Rick questioned.
"If I had all that, I could try."
"Nearest hospital went up in flames a month ago." Otis paused and examined the look that Hershel was giving him. He nodded, gasping. "The high school." Otis realized.
"That's what I was thinking." Hershel insisted. "They set up a FEMA shelter there. They would have everything we need."
"Place was overrun the last time I saw it. You couldn't get near it. Maybe it's better now." Otis hoped.
"Then we go get this stuff." Isabell said, then turned her head towards Shane. "You get this medical crap and I'll get Lori."
Shane nodded at Isabell. "I said, leave the rest to you and me." Shane smiled, looking to Rick. "Is it too late to take that back?"
"I hate you two goin' out alone."
"I'll be fine." Isabell insisted. "Was on my own for a few weeks before you found me. A couple hours is just relaxin' time."
"Come on." Shane begged, knowing that he could handle himself. "Doc, why don' you do me a list and draw me a map?"
"You won't need a map." Otis spoke forth. "I'll take you there. Ain't but five miles."
"Otis, no." Patricia argued.
Otis grabbed Patricia's hand. "Honey, we don't have time for guesswork and I'm responsible."
"Damn right, you are." Isabell mumbled.
Rick glanced up at Isabell with a glare, and she mimicked zipping her lips.
"I ain't gon' sit here while this fella takes this on alone." Otis saw the look in Patricia's eyes, begging him to stay, but he knew that he had to go. "I'll be alright." He insisted.
"Are you sure about this?" Shane asked.
Otis eyed Shane. "Do you even know what any of the stuff he's talkin' about looks like?"
"Come to think, no." Shane admitted.
"I've been a volunteer EMT. I do. Now, we can talk about this 'till next Sunday, or we could just go do it real quick."
"I'll take right quick."
"I should thank you." Rick insisted.
"Wait 'till that boy of yours is up and around." Otis told him. "Then we'll talk." He nodded around to everyone in the room. "I'll gather some things."
Maggie stepped forward. "Where is she, your wife?" She asked.
Isabell answered, looking to the brunette. "You willin' to go get her?" She asked, getting a nod from Maggie. "You'll come with me, then. I'll lead you to her. You can take her back. Leave me there." Isabell looked to Rick, stepping towards him. "You'll be okay?"
"He'll be fine." Hershel promised.
Isabell's eyes moved to the old man. "Would you mind puttin' something in his stomach? He's gonna need it if Carl needs more blood." Isabell asked.
"Of course." Patricia said, rushing off towards the kitchen.
"Thank you." Rick said to Isabell.
Isabell nodded, looking to the man. "Just make sure that you're here. For Carl." Tears brimmed her eyes once more. "I know exactly how you feel."
Rick cocked his head slightly to the side, questioningly.
"You don't know if your child's gonna pull through. You don't know if he'll be alright. But you need ta be here and be strong." Isabell gestured to the girl who was taking her back to the group. "She'll come back with Lori and you'll need to be strong for both of them, because she'll need it, too."
"We should get going." Maggie told Isabell from a few steps behind her.
"Rick." Isabell leaned forward to hug Rick in his chair. "I ain't known ya long, but I know you're one tough sumbitch. So's Carl."
Rick nodded, hugging back. "Thank you."
Isabell pulled away. She was led out to the horse stables by the girl.
Maggie moved quickly preparing the horse for the quick journey. "You know, I never caught your name."
Isabell stood out of her way, watching Maggie as she moved. "Isabell."
"I'm Maggie." Maggie jumped onto the horse. "Nice to meet you. With it were under better circumstances." The girl reached her hand down, so she could help Isabell up.
Isabell tightened her over the shoulder bag that carried her arrows and then secured her bow and machete in its sheath before grabbing Maggie's hand. She used the grip as leverage to get on the horse behind Maggie. "Trust me, I do, too."
Maggie kicked the horse in the side and the animal took off, running off of the property.
"There's a creek in the woods. You know it?" Isabell asked, getting a nod from Maggie. "Find it. Follow it back towards the highway. They should be walking close to it." Isabell ordered.
The two rode the horse for a while. Isabell held tightly to the horse's saddle for stability, not completely comfortable holding onto Maggie. Ten minutes go by before they hear a scream that Isabell thought might be coming from the group.
"You hear that?" Maggie asked Isabell.
"Go after it." Isabell pointed towards the left. "That way!"
Maggie pulled on the horse's reins slightly and the animal turned into that direction, heading towards the scream. The horse came upon a small clearing.
Isabell grabbed her bow, quickly readying it and taking aim at the walker. She let the arrow fly, but missed. Isabell cursed when she didn't get the brain.
Maggie rode by the walker, grabbing a baseball bat. She hit the walker over the head as they passed the monster, knocking it off of Andrea. Maggie slowed the horse and circled back.
"Lori!" Isabell called. "Lori!"
"Iz?" Daryl questioned seeing her blonde head jump from on top of the horse. He took heavy steps towards her.
"I'm here." Lori responded, pushing herself between Daryl and Isabell, standing in front of the younger woman.
Isabell stuttered to find her words. She suddenly wished that she wasn't the one delivering this news. "There was an accident." Isabell said softly. "Carl was shot."
Everyone around them stopped, pausing in their steps and waiting for more words.
"Lori, you gotta go now." Isabell stressed, taking a couple steps and closing the gap between her and Lori. "Carl's alive, but Rick's a mess. You gotta go with Maggie."
Without waiting for anymore explanation or anymore time to pass, Lori pulled off her backpack and handed it to Isabell. She walked over to the horse and Maggie helped her onto it.
Daryl walked forward tried to stop Lori. "Whoa! We don't know this girl!"
Isabell shook her head. "Daryl, it's fine!" She said, pushing him away from Maggie's horse. "You need to let Lori go!"
Daryl fought against Isabell though. "You can't get on that horse!"
"Daryl, shut up!" Isabell screamed and Daryl stopped fighting. "I can get back there. Lori will be fine." Isabell turned back to the horse and looked up at Maggie. "Go!" She shouted.
"Backtrack to Fairburn Road." Maggie explained. "Two miles down is the farm."
"We'll figure it out and meet you there, just go!" Isabell pushed.
Maggie left, kicking the horse again after she was sure that Lori had a firm grip. She rode back into the trees, back towards the farm.
The walker that had attacked Andrea had sat up and was wheezing.
Daryl looked at it and picked up his crossbow, taking aim. "Shut up." He ordered the monster, before shooting a bolt into his brain. He joined Isabell at her side. "Iz, wha' happened?"
Isabell took a deep breath, preparing herself. "There was a buck and a guy huntin' it. His shot went through it, hit Carl." Isabell's eyes watered, finally being able to completely let herself go with Daryl in front of her. "They needed supplies to put him under. Shane was takin' care of it." Isabell shook her head. "It's bad, D. It's so bad." The tears rolled down her face. "I didn't protect him. Just like I didn't protect Sophia."
Daryl quickly dropped his crossbow. He pushed Isabell's hair out of her face and wiped her tears away. "This ain't yer fault, Izzy."
"Just like I didn't protect Harley." Isabell continued anyway. "I feel like I lost her all over again." Isabell sobbed, lowering her head.
"Harley?" Glenn question quietly from behind Daryl.
Daryl ignored Glenn's question and wrapped his arms tightly around Isabell, muffling her cries.
Isabell couldn't be calmed. She knew that she was to blame for everything. "It's all my fault."