Hey everyone, I'm sorry about the HUGE delay since my last post... I graduated college in May, and I just got my first real job! But, I have a suuuuper long move in a couple weeks, so I'll be dedicating most of my time to tying up my loose ends and getting myself ready for my drastic lifestyle change! Please be patient with me, I will not stop writing my stories! Thank you for not giving up on this story! Please, enjoy this admittedly short chapter, and leave me a review and let me know what you think!
When Piper returned to the farm, she untacked Tucker, brushed him and put him back in the stall before running back into the house to check on the Grimes family. She was stopped by Hershel in the entryway.
"Your friends are with the boy now. I'd recommend giving them some privacy." Piper hesitated, but nodded. "Come to the kitchen, we'll get you some food. You look liable to pass out." Piper felt a sudden surge of exhaustion when he pointed this out and trudged behind him to the kitchen.
She sat at a table and quietly thanked the old man when he brought her a sandwich. It was a simple ham and cheese sandwich, but her stomach was grateful for the food. Hershel sat across the table from her, pushing a glass of water to her.
"When is the rest of your group arriving?" He asked. His voice was even, but his eyes were wary. Piper swallowed her bite of food and took a sip of water before responding.
"They should be here by morning. Though there was one man who got hurt. Someone might bring him tonight." When a frustrated look crossed his face, Piper felt the need to ease his concerns.
"They're good people, I promise. We don't want to cause any trouble. We're just looking for a little girl, and would really appreciate it if you could patch us up a little. We're struggling a bit on our own." Piper chuckled emotionlessly. The old man watched her, eventually nodding and rising to his feet.
"We'll fix your man up and do whatever we can for the boy. Until then, when your group gets here they can set up in the yard. When your people are patched up, I expect you'll be on your way." He didn't wait for confirmation, walking out of the kitchen and back to the bedroom where Carl was healing.
Piper looked down thoughtfully. If he didn't let them stay here, then they'd have to go out and face the walkers again. She let out a heavy sigh and shook the thoughts from her head.
It was only about an hour later that Glenn and T-Dog arrived. Piper poked her head out of the kitchen when she heard their voices carrying over from the other room. When she saw them, she headed over, sending T-Dog a worried glance.
"You look like shit." She said bluntly with a small smirk, trying to lighten the mood. He let out an emotionless chuckle.
"You're tellin' me." He groaned as he moved his injured arm. Maggie and Patricia approached then, ushering T-Dog into the living room to clean his arm.
Piper gave the women space to take care of T-Dog. She poked her head in the bedroom to see how Carl was doing.
"You need to decide now if we're going to do this or not." Hershel said tensely. Piper looked at the small boy on the bed and grimaced at how pale he was becoming. His lips were turning blue and he was as white as a sheet. Wait.
Piper whipped her head around. "Wait, you're going to try to operate without the equipment?" Her tone was thick with concern. Lori and Rick both gave her pained looks.
"We may not have a choice, Piper." Rick explained with a noticeable croak in his voice. Piper nodded her head slowly, but sent a worried look at the window.
"They're okay. They'll be back." She mumbled to herself. She turned to Hershel as she tried to bury her fears for Shane. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
"We're going to have to be as quick as possible. His odds aren't going to be good." Piper nodded her head and pushed up her sleeves in preparation.
They had just gotten Carl onto the small gurney when they saw headlights pull into the lawn. Piper felt her breath catch.
Patricia stayed with Carl while the rest of us rushed out the door. Piper skidded to a stop and watched as the driver's side door opened slowly and a indistinguishable figure stepped out of the truck.