A/N Thank you so much for the response to this story. I truly appreciate it. We have three of Beth's favorite men in the hospital, Rick, Aaron and Eric, let's see how they're doing. Oh, and please keep in mind, I am neither a doctor or a nurse, I tried to get my medical info accurate, but if it isn't, try to just roll with it.
It had been five days and he was still in a coma.
Everything had happened so quickly. He'd been shot, and she'd never be able to get that image out of her mind. Instinct seemed to take over and she had immediately fired her own weapon at the gray haired man she now knew was named Joe. Daryl was trying to apply enough pressure to Rick's wound so he didn't bleed out, and Carol, her landlady, had run in the apartment to let them know she'd called an ambulance and told them it was the Sheriff so they'd come quickly.
And Beth saw Merle hug the woman quickly, kiss her hard on the lips, and she heard him say, "Thank you Doll." Beth would have to think about that later.
Merle told the paramedic she was the Sheriff's fiancé and they'd let her ride in the ambulance with him. This was one time she wasn't going to get after Merle for lying.
They all should have stayed to wait a few more minutes for the investigating officer, but instead Merle, Daryl and Carol had gotten in Daryl's truck and followed the ambulance.
Rick was rushed into surgery just before his Deputy, Dan Vazquez, arrived at the hospital. Dan knew about Beth, but this was the first time he'd met the woman. He sat with her in the waiting room, note pad out, and questioned her about what happened.
She recounted the day right through to the present moment. The detail she provided was amazing, she knew exactly how long it had taken to walk from Aaron's hospital room to her car, when she first suspected she was being watched, how long it had taken to drive to the apartment, how long after she got in the apartment and he gained access, every detail of what he wore and said, and every detail as it had happened, including the distance and velocity the bullets had traveled.
The Deputy was more than a little taken aback, he glanced toward the Dixon brothers and they just shrugged.
For their part, Merle and Daryl were watching her with wonder, not because of everything she knew, they were used to that, but how was their Beth remaining so calm, especially in the wake of everything that had happened this day.
Next the deputy questioned the brothers, and then Carol.
He told them all they'd have to come to the station and make official statements, but agreed they should all wait, including himself, until Rick was out of surgery.
There was an entire team of crime scene specialists at the apartment, and Vazquez had now spoken with each of the witnesses, the perpetrator was dead, and so he figured his investigation was running quite smoothly.
In the meantime, Maggie, Glenn and Beth's Mama and Daddy showed up. They'd worried about her, but were now mostly just amazed at how calm she seemed.
She did want to see Aaron again, and they'd gone with her to his room. There had been no real change since earlier in the day, but the nurse assured them his vital signs were strong. She took his hand in hers and she closed her eyes. She tried to convey to him silently, through the touch, how important he was to her. Then she told him aloud that he needed to keep fighting, for himself, for Eric and for her. She told him that she loved him and then she and her family said a prayer for him together.
Next they went to Eric's room and he actually seemed to be doing quite well, except for head pain and his fear and concern over Aaron. Beth tried to reassure him that Aaron would pull through this, and again, the family prayed.
Rick was in surgery nearly eight hours before he was finally taken to recovery.
When the doctor came in the waiting room he was solemn. He told them Rick was in a coma, it seemed that when he'd hit his head on the floor after being shot, he hit just right to cause the condition. The good news was, the neurologist was hopeful it wouldn't last more than a few days.
Then the doctor told them of the physical damage that had been done by the gunshot, what the surgery entailed, and about the blood loss that had required Rick to have a transfusion. There was no immediate prognosis; the doctor only said they were now playing a waiting game.
Beth was so relieved when they'd finally moved him to a room and she was able to see him. She'd wanted to just look at him, to touch him. Even though he wouldn't wake anytime soon, and he was pale, and somehow already looked thinner, she knew in her heart he would be okay. She had his hand in hers and she pressed it to her cheek, and no one else knew, but she she felt his spirit, felt him fighting, and she knew, that as kind and gentle as he was, he had a great strength and she whispered to him, "You keep fighting Rick, I'm going to be right here, every step of the way." And she squeezed his hand, and she would never tell anyone, but she was sure she felt a small vibration between them.
After three days his ex-wife Lori had come with their son Carl. Beth had been nervous about meeting the woman, and Lori did seem almost cold, on edge and kind of defensive, but she'd been polite to Beth and had seemed to accept the fact that Rick and Beth were in a serious relationship. Her husband, a man named Shane, kept back, Beth could almost feel the guilt coming off the man.
On the other hand, Beth clicked with Carl right away. It was like they were old friends who'd been apart a while and had catching up to do. He was fascinated by her knowledge of computers and he asked her a million questions. Their instant bond seemed to bother Lori, but Beth was thrilled. This boy was Rick's son, she wanted to have a closeness with him.
Lori told her she would let Carl come for a weekend with Rick as soon as Rick was home and well enough.
And now after five days, his body was healing well, his vital signs were strong, but he had yet to wake up.
And she continued to wait. Oh her family had insisted on taking her home for at least a little while everyday so she could eat a decent meal, shower and relax, even if just for a bit. But she never stayed away from him long.
Merle and Daryl came every day after work to sit with her a while and wait for their friend to come to.
Eric had been released two days after the incident, and Carol had been such a big help, bringing him back and forth to the hospital and making sure he ate and didn't overdo.
The doctor said if Aaron continued to improve at the rate he was, he should be released in another week. Carol and Merle promised to help in every way they could until the men were fully recovered.
She'd learned that Carol and Merle had met when he did a renovation of her kitchen, one thing led to another, and they'd been seeing each other for a few months. Merle had seen Beth going up to the little apartment when he was leaving Carol's place one afternoon. He'd asked Carol to let him know if anything seemed out of the ordinary, and he'd told Carol how important Beth was to him and his brother.
Beth also learned about the things that had happened to Carol, and she felt bad for ever saying the woman was odd. Carol had a very tough past.
Her ex-husband was doing time in the state pen for nearly killing her, which is what had led to her needing a kitchen renovation. It had taken her two years just to save the money to repair the damage he'd done to her house. Beth suspected Merle had ended up doing it for nothing.
Carol also had a young daughter, just 12 years old when she died after contracting a virus.
Over the hours and days she and the woman had been together in the hospital they'd become quite close, and Beth could see that Merle and Carol were completely smitten with one another.
On day four Aaron began to come to. It was almost a full 24 hour process of awakening. He was tired, weak and sore, but he was aware of who they all were and where he was, although he had no recollection of the incident. Which Beth saw as a gift from God himself.
xxxx
On the sixth day, when no one else was in the room, she held Rick's hand to her cheek, and she could feel that small vibration between them and it seemed to be getting stronger, she said to him, "You need to come back to me Rick, I've been waiting very patiently, and you would be impressed with how strong I seem to be. But all my cords are tangled, my necklaces and bracelets are a disaster, and I haven't seen a ballgame in days, but the worst thing Rick, is you haven't held me and I'm aching for that closeness with you. I need you to fix all of these things for me Rick. And I want you to know, when you do come back to me, when you're well again, I am going to have the most massive breakdown in the history of all womankind, and I'm going to need you to take care of me. And there's something important I need to say to you, I need to tell you that I love you, Rick."
And she saw his eyelids flutter. She immediately pushed the button for the nurse.
He woke up slowly, over a period of two hours, and she was fascinated by the process. When he was fully awake, he still seemed somehow sleepy. The doctor explained to them that although it had seemed he did nothing but sleep for days, his body and brain had both been working hard.
Just three days later the doctor said he could be released if he had someone in the home to care for him 24/7, and of course she said she'd be staying there.
He had a small den at the back of the house. He hadn't gotten it decorated yet, and she took advantage of that. Glenn ran wires and cable and Daryl and Merle helped move in a large work table and two computers for her.
She'd moved in what she needed in terms of clothing and personal items, and she'd gone to the grocery and drug stores and loaded in supplies. There was really nothing she wanted more than to nurse him back to health.
Rick never thought a man could be as excited as he was just at the thought of going home and sleeping in his own bed. And he would have Beth Greene there with him.
She'd been so sweet and so loving with him. Daryl had told him everything that had happened in the apartment that day, and he told him about the long hours and days Beth had stayed by his bedside.
Rick couldn't believe his good fortune to have this incredible woman who didn't ask for any more than to be with him and care for him. It made him want to get strong and well all that much more, so that he could care for her.
Although he moved slowly, he was ambulatory. Merle and Daryl brought them home from the hospital and helped get Rick comfortable.
He had a great recliner/lounge chair in the front room, and at the suggestion of one of his nurses, Beth had gotten a back support pillow for that. But for now, just the move over from the hospital had tired him, and he thought he should lay down for a while.
The brother's stayed and visited for half hour or so, and then shook Rick's hand, gave Beth hugs, and off they went promising they'd be back the next day and telling Beth to call if she needed anything.
Finally, they were alone together. Beth lay down next to him on the bed and they just quietly held each other for a long time. Finally she whispered to him, "I've missed your hugs so much, please don't ever make me wait that long between hugs again."
And he whispered back, "Oh Beth, Sweetheart, even when I was in the coma I would swear I heard you asking me for a hug, and I wanted to be able to hug you so much and I was fighting with everything I had to wake up and give you that hug. And I remember I felt happy because, I felt you'd said something very special to me, and I knew I had to get back to you."
And she lifted her head, looked down at him and said, "Oh Rick, it was real, I told you that I love you."
A/N Woot! Seemed like a good place to stop for now. We'll meet back here soon for an update. Thank you for reading and reviewing xo