Disclaimer: It never changes, I don't own TWD

A/N: So since I decided to be lazy and all, I figured two updates in a night is a good way to apologize.

"Pressure's stable." Hershel informed everyone. Rick looked up from the clear tube his blood was flowing into.

"Lori should be here. She doesn't even know. I gotta go find her and bring her here."

"You can't do that."

"She's his mother. She needs to know what happened. She needs to know her son is lying here, shot."

"And he's gonna need more blood." Hershel looked at Shane. "He can't go more than 50 feet from this bed."

Rick stood up, but almost fell back into his seat. The older blonde, who Alice assumed was Otis' wife, helped him stand up straight. Shane walked over.

"Hey, hey sit back down."

"I'm alright." Shane followed him out of the room.

Alice let out a sigh, pushing a few stray strands of hair from her face. "He ain't never been good at sitting around and waiting."

"If he wants his son to live, he's gonna have to get over it. There's a problem though."

"Problem?" Alice echoed, her brows furrowing.

"I'm gonna have to dig deeper for some of those shard's and I'm sure it got an artery by the swelling of his belly."

Alice gave an understanding nod. "Cutting him open is the only way?" Hershel nodded. "But how? Is there a hospital near here?"

"Burned down a while back, but there might be another way."

It felt strange to watch Shane drive off with Otis. Since the outbreak, Alice had never truly been away from Shane. He may have kept watch or gone on supply runs, but that was a danger that was predictable for the most part. Glenn was usually there to guide the way since he knew Atlanta the best and knew how to avoid most walkers, but this wasn't the same. Shane would be in unfamiliar territory with just Otis as backup. Otis was a nice man and meant well, but was in no type of shape to be running from walkers. That fact alone was enough to make Alice worry.

The hospital had burned down but the local high school had the medical supplies Hershel needed. Apparently, FEMA had set up there a while back. Shane offered to go so Rick could stay with Carl. Things had been rocky between the two men, but Shane did care about Carl. Not just because he loved Lori, but because he genuinely liked the kid.

Alice had wanted to tag along. She knew it was dangerous, but she wanted to help. Hershel, however, informed her that he needed her to stay on the farm. He needed a familiar face to keep Rick as calm as he could be kept as well as a pair of extra hands to help with Carl.

Maggie had also volunteered her services in the tense situation. She would go find Lori and bring her to the farm. It gave Rick one less thing to worry about. He was still an emotional wreck, but a grateful one. He had to admit he felt useless sitting at the farm while Otis and Shane risked their lives for Carl. It was his son, he should have been the one taking on the dangerous task, but his blood was needed to keep Carl alive.

The other blonde watched the two men drive off in a pickup truck, her hand covering her mouth. Patricia, that was her name. She was older than Alice, but had a kind face. Patricia silently jogged into the house, her glazed eyes giving away that she was about to cry.

Otis and Patricia really loved one another, that much Alice could see. She had noticed the lingering looks they gave one another and how tight they embraced before Otis departed. That was what love looked like. That was the way Alice was not acting towards Shane as he got ready to leave. Though she had let him know she was far from fond of him, she was worried and prayed he'd come back alive.

He had hesitantly and quietly asked for a hug before leaving. She obliged him, knowing there was a chance she wouldn't see him again. As they hugged, she felt the familiar warmth fill her that usually did when they touched. He held her tightly, almost as if protecting her from the world for a moment, and kissed the top of her head. Her arms held him just as tight and her face got lost in his broad shoulder. She had tried to convince herself she held on so tightly because that might have been the last time she ever saw him, but she knew the truth. She stilled loved Shane, regardless of all the built up resentment she felt. It was hard to forget years spent together in just a few months, no matter what he did.

He had given women he didn't love what he gave her, and it hurt that it was so easy for him to do. She had to look at Lori every day and know she had half of Alice. She wished she could forgive Shane one last time, but things would never be the same. That suspicion and hurt would always linger, and it was all because of him. She had often wondered why he hadn't told her he had been so unhappy. Was he afraid to hurt her? If that was why, he ended up doing more damage by cheating instead of talking to her. He left her with more than just feelings of resentment; he left her wondering if she wasn't good enough for him. Had something been wrong with her?

There were so many reasons she wanted to be with Shane again, but the few reasons to end things had outweigh the good.

Rick had watched the hug and almost felt guilty. It felt like he was watching something intimate and not meant for anyone else's eyes. Shane was his best friend and was going to risk his life for his son, but there was a pang of jealousy in his chest. He envied Shane getting to hold Alice that close and openly.

As Otis and Shane drove off, Rick watched the look on Alice's face, forgetting Hershel's presence. Her expression and tense posture gave away the inner battle she was having. Rick wondered what it was about. Did she feel guilty for staying in the safety of the farm while those two men risked everything? He was tempted to ask.

"Let's go check on your boy." Hershel began walking into the house, Alice and Rick in tow.

"I uh… I wanna thank you Alice." Rick's voice was hushed. He didn't want to admit it, but his body felt weak from the blood he had given.

Alice looked up from Carl. She had been wiping his face and upper body with a damp cloth. She had to busy herself and keep her mind off of Shane... And Otis. "I ain't do nothing." She placed the cloth into a basin that had been placed at Carl's bedside.

"You did Alice. You helped with Carl." For a moment, his eyes lingered on her scratched up arms. His deep blue eyes snapped back to her face when he heard her soft laugh. He eyed her in curiosity.

"He got me good, huh?" She shrugged her shoulders and stood up from the bed. She walked over to the window and lightly leaned against the frame. "For a little thing, he sure has a lot of strength. I didn't think he would but boy I was wrong. He is definitely a Grimes."

"He certainly is." Rick cautiously stepped closer to Alice, almost afraid she would flee if he moved too fast. She was talking to him, which was a good sign, but he still felt like he was walking on eggshells with her.

"He's gonna pull through this Rick. He's a lot stronger than he looks."

"I didn't finish thanking you." His tall frame hovered over her short one. "I don't mean just about Carl. I mean what you did for me. I know you're pretty mad at me and I don't blame you, but thanks for being here."

She looked out the window, staring at the lush greenery that surrounded them. It was peaceful and gave off the deceiving feeling that the world was still all right. Alice missed how Ricks eyes darted to her lips then back to her face. His fingers twitched, itching to hold her close against him. He wanted to feel the heat her lips against his again. He could still remember how soft they felt. It was cliché, but it really was like running a rose petal across his lips. It hadn't been a passionate kiss, but Rick wanted to know how one with her would feel like. Would it set his insides on fire in the most pleasurable of ways? Would it go from a heated kiss to an entanglement of limbs and tossed clothes?

His mind was going through turmoil.

His son laid in a bed a few feet away, his wife was acting strange, and Alice was making him feel things he hadn't in a while. Rick wanted Alice bad, but there were far too many things that stood in the way of that. Crossing that line with her at the CDC had answered so many unspoken questions he had, but caused new questions to form.

"What are friends for?" Her heard her say, shaking him from his own thoughts. Friends. That's what they were and all they were allowed to be. He tried to do right by everyone, but he could never seem to do right by himself.

He shot her a weak smile. "Being there when you royally fuck up apparently."

Alice cracked a smile, but remained quiet. It wasn't much, but it was the most he had gotten out of her since they had left the CDC. He would accept what he could get from her.

Lori's heart had been beating wildly against her rib cage the whole ride to the Greene farm. She knew in her gut the moment she had heard that single gunshot, something was wrong. Her worse fear was unfolding before her. Carl was hurt and she wasn't there. Her baby boy was hurt. She had no idea what happened and honestly she didn't care, she just wanted her son to be alright. When she had first seen the dark haired rider, she was apprehensive, but then she said Carl had been shot. That was all she needed to hear to follow the unfamiliar woman. It didn't matter that she had no idea who this woman was, it was irrelevant that she didn't know where she was going. All that mattered was her baby was hurt and she wasn't with him.

Before even reaching the house, she spotted Rick. Blood was on his deputy shit. Was it Rick's blood? Was it Carl's? The moment he reached her, she began to cry, falling into his arms. Things weren't supposed to happen this way. Then again, nothing had been going right for months.

Lori's stomach tightened when she saw her son unconscious in the bed. Carl looked so pale and weak and as a mother, it killed her that there was nothing she could do about it. The one person she loved more than anything in the world was dancing on the line between life and death. It was truly out of her hands. She sobbed as she lowered her body next to his.

"Baby boy?" she called softly, wishing his eyes to open for her. "Baby boy? It's alright. Mommy's here. Mommy's here." She felt Rick's heavy hand on her hips. Without a second thought, she grabbed it and held tightly as she buried her face into Carl's hair. "My baby."

Rick watched his wife with heavy, remorseful eyes. This was all his fault. He couldn't even keep his son safe. He felt like a failure as he watched his wife softly cry into his son's hair. He hated to see her like this, but he hated even more that it wasn't him that was in that bed.

He was supposed to lead the group and he failed keeping a little girl and boy safe. He just couldn't get it right. If only he had just listened when Shane had said to call it a day after searching for Sophia.

"How long has he been a doctor?" Alice asked Patricia, watching her clean up the makeshift blood transfusion machine. Rick had just given blood a second time to Carl and it had weakened him considerably. He was deathly pale and stumbled with every step. Lori had let him lean against her for support as they walked into the parlor. Alice would have been lying if she said she hadn't felt a pang of jealousy watching the two hold each other close, and whisper reassuring things to one another. She scolded herself as soon as the feeling came. Their son had been shot and though things were bumpy between the couple, there was still a love there. Maybe this would be the thing that made them get their act together with one another. Maybe they'd be happy like they used to be, and Alice would forget how she really felt for Rick.

"Many years. But he's not a medical doctor."

Alice's eyebrows shot up. "What do you mean he's not a medical doctor?"

"Uh… Well I don't think you should worry or anything like that. He's really good at what he does." Patricia looked down, purposely hiding her face. She was trying hard to avoid answering the question.

"And what does he do Patricia?" Alice pushed.

"He's an um. Well he's a veterinarian."

She cracked a smile at Patricia's words. "He's a-" Patricia's face was serious, no traces of humor found. "That's not a joke, is it?"

"Not at all." Patricia let out a sigh, sitting down next to Carl and redressing his wounds. Like Alice, she too had to stay busy to keep her mind off Otis. "But Alice, he's great at what he does."

"But he didn't go to medical school. He's never operated on a human before, has he?"

"No, but animals at too different you know." The older woman tried to assure. Alice was only half convinced.

Lori, Rick, and Hershel entered the room. Lori looked extremely worried and a little doubtful. Alice figured she knew about Hershel as well.

"We don't have much time." Hershel informed. For someone who's never worked on humans, he sure sounded confident.

"What do you mean?" Rick held out his bandaged arm. "If you need more blood take it. Do whatever you need to. After that, I'm gonna go find them."

"You're gonna what?" Lori placed a hand on her narrow hip.

"They should have been back already Lori."

"Shane said he'd come back. He's gonna come back. You don't need to be out there."

"You wouldn't even make it across the lawn. You're too weak already."

"But what if-"

"Rick you better stay here!" Lori snapped. "You can be mad, you can pray, you can wonder why God is so cruel, but you will not leave here. Carl needs you here. I'm not doing this alone. Not again."

Rick wanted to argue back that Shane and Otis probably needed him as well, but Lori was right. Carl did need him more and if anything happened while he was gone, he'd hate himself forever. He let out a sigh, but didn't protest.

As he sat silently, letting Patricia draw more blood, he thought back to Lori's words. 'Carl needs you here'. She wanted him there for their son, not because she needed him. Lori had said she wasn't going to do this alone, but that didn't mean she needed him to be there for her. He was needed there for Carl and no other reason. She stuck to his side like glue, helping him whenever he seem to need it. It was the longest she had been by his side in a while. It was nice, but it didn't feel like he thought it would.

Rick had figured having Lori with him like that, by his side, would have made him feel like things were alright. He wanted to take it as a sign that things could be fixed in their broken relationship. That wasn't the case. His mind and heart told him it was only because of Carl she was beside him. They were united as parents, not lovers.

He wanted to hear that she needed him. He knew Carl needed him, but what about Lori? Was there anything she needed from him other than protection and to be Carl's father? Sooner or later the questions that plagued Rick about his wife would need to be answered. He wasn't sure how much longer he could handle not knowing where he really stood with Lori. His gut told him everything he needed to know though. It told him why Lori and Shane were acting weird. It also told him why Alice refused to talk to Lori if it wasn't necessary and why she didn't want to be with Shane. But he needed to hear it from Lori before he was really willing to believe it. He couldn't just yet. There was a chance he was wrong and until he knew otherwise, he wouldn't believe what his gut told him was true.

A/N: Well, there you have it =)

You know, I didn't even notice till... just now that this has 84 followers. I'm so happy! Ugh it warms my little heart like you wouldn't believe! See, doesn't take a lot to make me happy lol as long as 1 person likes this enough to read it I'm content.

You guys are awesome!