Hey guys, sorry about the short wimpy chapters. I've been busy writing a chapter for this fic and forget that I need to catch you up on what's happening.

Sorry about the wait to yield a wimpy chapter, but another vacation is coming up. I'm driving some furniture across country with my dad and it'll take like ten days! I'll be writing in the car sometimes but I'll really need the episodes in front of me to have anything good written. Sadly I do not know the second season as well as I know the first…I guess that'e because I watched it on one day…Oops! Sorry not sorry! I'll do my best to post when I can.

I also want to give a shout out to all of you who are reading this. You are AWESOME and I LOVE YOU! Thanks for reading.

Lily Sullivan is mine everything else oblongs to who it belongs to.

"We're going to the farm now," Daryl said. Lily was sitting on the hood of a car reading when he came up to her the next morning. "Come on, we're heading out."

She slid off the hood of the car and held out her hand to him and he looked at it with confusion.

"Keys."

"To what?" he asked loudly.

"The truck."

"You expect me to let you drive it? After last night?" he scoffed.

"Well it's either me or Andrea who drives and I can drive well with both feet."

The look he gave her was one of distaste, but he trusted her more than Andrea so he reluctantly handed over the keys.

"Don't think because I let ya get away with it this time don't mean you will all the time."

"Thanks mom," she addressed his back getting a laugh from Andrea and Carol.

"Don't ya ever call me that again!"

"Jesus! What can I call ya?"

"You can call me by my name. Now get in the damn truck!"

She hopped in the truck sitting where she could favor her left foot more. Too bad stick shifts had to use two feet. The drive wasn't too long to the farm house which was nice for her ankle, but it was obvious she wasn't entirely ready to drive because of the twisted expression on her face when she parked. The door was louder than expected when she closed it.

"Don't ever let me let ya drive on a bad ankle again," Daryl smiled taking his keys back.

"It wasn't that bad!"

"No, it wasn't, but you were. There was pain all over your face."

There was going to be an argument, but he silenced her with his fingers to her lips.

Before either of them could speak to the other, Rick, Lori and T-Dog exited the house. They were followed by the owners of the house.

"How is he?" Dale asked Rick about Carl.

"He'll pull through," Lori said smiling, "thanks to Hershel and his people." Carl was ok. Lily smiled to herself.

"And Shane," Rick added. "We'd have lost Carl if not for him." Lily looked up to see Shane and the look which crossed his face was one of pleasure and one of guilt which made a shiver run down her spine. He was also wearing clothes ten sizes too big and he'd shaved his head. It was very unbecoming.

Dale, Carol, and Andrea rushed forward to hug the family and T-Dog.

"How'd it happen?" Dale asked.

"Hunting accident," Rick answered. "That's all. Just a stupid accident."

"Lily," Lori approached. "Carl's been askin' for you."

"Me?"

"Yeah. I'd like you to see him after the service."

"What service?"

"For Otis. He's the one who shot Carl and went with Shane to get the supplies to save him. It'll be over here." Lori lead Lily over to the group of people gathering for Otis's burial.

"Blessed be God, father of our lord Jesus Christ. Praise be to him for the gift of our brother Otis, for his span of years, for his abundance of character; Otis, who gave his life to save a child's, now more than ever our most precious asset..."

The words ran together into a jumbled mess as Lily stood there on her good foot. Looking around the semi circle of people, she read their expressions. There were the five people from the house who she did not know. Sad expressions filled every face of those she did know, all but Daryl and Shane. He appeared to be in deep concentration about something. And Daryl was standing with his arms crossed and his thumbs hooked on his torn sleeves with a look that suggested he was also thinking deeply about something.

Lily nudged Daryl lightly with her elbow and pointed over toward Shane. Daryl seemed to understand what she was gesturing at. Something was not right with Shane.

"Shane, will you speak for Otis?" the elderly man asked who'd been conducting the service.

"I'm not good at it. I'm sorry," Shane said looking down showing off his scalp where a chunk of hair was missing.

"You were the last one with him," a woman sobbed across from him. She was no doubt his wife. "You shared his final moments. Please. I need to hear. I need to know his death had meaning."

Shane had to answer her now. "Ok." He caved. "We were about done. Almost out of ammo. We were down to pistols by then. I was limpin'. It was bad. Ankle all swollen up."

Daryl elbowed her arm. She gave him a distasteful look. Now was not the time for jokes.

" 'We've gotta save the boy.' See, that's what he said. He gave me his backpack. He shoved me ahead. 'Run,' he said. He said, 'I'll take the rear. I'll cover you.' And when I looked back." The silence which followed was more than enough explanation that he had died.

"If not for Otis, I never would have made it out alive. And that goes for Carl too. It was Otis. He saves us both. If any death ever had meaning, it was his."

Liar. She knew it. It was written all over his face. Every time someone came into the ER, especially college aged kids, they always had the same look on their faces when they told her how they got hurt. It never failed. Every single one had that same look and at that moment, Shane had it all over his face.

"To the house. Now," Daryl ushered Lily as soon as the service was over.

The first step was a success, but the second sent her flying. She'd tripped over a root from one of the many trees.

"God damn it!" Daryl hissed throwing her over his shoulder after her caught her. "Can't you do anything without trippin'?"

"Put me down!"

"Nah, I got this. Just to the house, then you on your own. Why did you become a doctor, a small thing like you?"

"So I wouldn't have to go to the doctor. I hate needles and other people fixing me. That's why I learned so no one would have to. I could take care of myself."

His loud footsteps reached the porch and he set her down gently when they stepped inside.

"Where's Carl?" she asked the man who approached them.

"Name's Hershel," the elderly man who had conducted the service with white hair and beard said holding out his hand.

"You the doc?" Daryl asked him.

"Yes, sir. I'm the doctor of this house. Who's hurt?"

"Her." He patted her shoulder before leaving. "Now don't go twistin' it again."

"What's wrong with you girl?"

"Lily," she said sheepishly shaking his outstretched hand. "I tripped and twisted my ankle. It should be fine in a day or two."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I'm a doctor too. I just don't have any supplies to work with."

"Well, come with me and I will show you where we keep the supplies. Come on, this way."

Hershel walked through the house toward the kitchen but then turned to an office right next to it. Before he opened the door, he rested his hand on the handle. "I trust you're a real doctor not someone who claims to be."

"No, sir. I am an honest to God doctor."

"Before I let you in, I have a few questions to ask you."

"Yes, please. As long as you aren't going to stick any needles in me, we should get along just fine."

"What did you do?"

"Worked in ER then just scheduled surgeries."

"How long?"

"Eight years."

"Why did you become a doctor?"

"Because I'm afraid of needles when someone else holds them. So I learned how to help people which in turn helped me. That's why I became a doctor."

"I trust you know how to wrap your ankle?"

"Yes, sir."

"You may enter." He opened the door to reveal shelves of medical supplies but all she needed was an ace bandage for her ankle. It took her five minutes to find it buried in all the stuff on the shelves.

"Ice is in the kitchen." The kind elderly man turned to leave.

"Thank you. Wait!" He turned back to meet her eyes. "There's a boy here. Where is he?"

"What's your relation to him?"

"Concerned friend."

"You're Lily."

"Yes..." she said somewhat uncertainly because she'd already told him her name.

"He's in the first story bedroom. He's been askin' about you."

"Asking about me?"

"Yes, he needs you."

She bandaged her ankle and grabbed a bag of ice before making her way around the first floor looking for the bedroom. There were two bathrooms, a dining room, living room, stairwell to lead upstairs, but the bedroom was the last room she found after limping all around the first floor.

Lightly she knocked before entering. Carl's eyes lit up when he saw her.

"Lily!" She smiled and hugged him. "You came!"

"Of course I came. I had to check up on you."