A/N #SLASH…. If you think you might be offended by Rick being lost in dirty thoughts of Shane while his helpless son lay shot in a bed… then this chapter is not for you. Because this one just makes Rick look like an irresponsible father.

S2E2 – Bloodletting

It was happening in snippets. Moments of insanity weaved through moments of terror and then darkness. Rick remembered carrying his son from the woods, past a Walker, through the fields. Then it was dark for a while. He was awake, but he had passed his boy, his precious baby boy, off to a stranger to take care of him and it all went dark. When Rick came around again he was panicking. Lori didn't know yet, she had no idea that their son had been shot. When he envisioned it again it all went black. He wasn't passing out, he was just loosing time.

Shane held his focus, helped him keep it all together. That's what Shane did best. He got Rick's head back where it needed to be when the shit got bad. They had always been that way together. Rick would be in charge, but Shane would be in check. Rick heard Shane's voice, low and close. Assuring him that things would be alright. Assuring Rick that he would go find Lori so that he could be here with his son. Shane always took control when Rick couldn't. He started to black out again, he had given one transfusion of blood already. Emotionally confused and down a pint, he was lucky he had the strength to go to Lori when she came to the porch.

He didn't know how he had gotten out there. He didn't understand how he could be so confused but still conscious. She had held her son and he held her. Then he was gone again, when I pulled himself together, he was sitting in the chair giving blood. The needle had gone in hard, he was in pain, but nothing compared to what his son was going though. He scanned the room looking for Shane, he would know what was going on. Then he remember Shane had left to get supplies. Rick had turned his gun over to Otis and they were gone.

When did he get to the dining table? God Lori – just stop with the bitching. It was done, now it just needed to be handled. Like Shane said, Rick had to handle his end. He tried to stop Lori from yelling at the doctor, but there was no stopping Lori, she was a mean mama bear when it came to Carl. Rick drank down the orange juice, where the hell had they gotten orange juice. Not he thought for sure he was losing it, no way did they have orange juice. How long had Shane been gone, handling things, getting the supplies they needed? Rick slumped in the chair next to Lori. His sudden shift in consciousness shut her up. Or maybe he just couldn't hear her any more.

It took a while for him to wake this time. Down two pints, he wasn't going to be able to give much more. He felt his head tipped back and when he opened his eyes he could see the white ceiling of the dining room. He could smell moth balls maybe, and something coppery. That was the blood in his mouth, he had it everywhere. Rick felt a hand on his knee, he tried to look down but when he moved his head the room went spinning. He closed his eyes and let his head fall back again.

Another hand, this time pulling at his shirt, untucking it from his pants. "Lori." He didn't know what the hell she was doing, he needed to get back into the bedroom, check on his son, get the needle back in his arm. Lori wasn't a blood match, only he was. His vision went black, not completely, but it was good. He needed the moment to try and get his head back in order. The hands started at his buckle, what the hell was Lori doing? He tried to talk but his throat was too dry, he was a mess. His button and his zipper open now, she must have had clean clothes for him but what was the point. There was no use helping, he was too weak to even lift his hips, but it didn't seem to matter.

"I'll handle this." He heard Shane's voice in his ear. Felt his breath on his cheek. Rick opened his eyes but it was blurry, he had given too much blood. He felt the warm hand at his cock, pulling him out of his pants. He loved that about Lori, she was always willing to have sex when it was inappropriate. Willing to sneak around at the family gathering for a quickie in the bathroom or behind a patch of bushes when they were camping and Carl was roasting marshmallows with Shane. Shane. Wait, that wasn't Lori's delicate hand on his cock. That was bigger, stronger. It was stroking him hard. He could hear Shane's voice again. "I got this." That tinge of a twang when he spoke, it filled Rick's ears. It comforted him like it always did.

Like that time when he had gotten shot, before the world went to shit. Rick was out, like he was now, no vision, not awake, but he could hear Shane at his bed side, telling him he would take care of things. Rick loved the way Shane handled him. His cock started to rage in this warm hand. He thought he had given too much blood but somehow what was left in him had found his way to his dick. He was being handled, stroked. It felt good. Long, knowing strokes, but they weren't Lori's. She always used short and fast strokes. This was slow and steady, from base to tip. Fingers wrapped tightly and a slight twist at the top before going back down to the base. This was the stroke from someone who know how to jerk off a man.

This was Shane's hand. Strong and firm as it stroked him, just the way Shane liked to stroke himself. Rick remembered that night. And all-nighter driving through town on patrol. Shane telling dirty stories and both of them laughing about them and getting hard. They had finally pulled over by the mill and stroked off side by side. Rick had tried not to look over but he had, seen the long slow strokes that had Shane panting. That memory was burned into Rick as had been for years. This hand on his cock was right now doing that same thing. Rick knew he should stop him, this wasn't the time. Hell where had Lori gone, was she in the bedroom with their son, where he should be?

"I'll handle this." That voice again reassuring Rick that everything was taken care of. It stroked him hard, they were not going to have all day, Rick needed to get back into that bedroom. He let Shane stroke him, it felt so good, so needed. Rick had too much stress in his life since he had woken from his coma. Shane knew how to take that from him, he stroked him till he was on the edge of coming, Rick wanted to see Shane do it, he tried to look down but it was all black, his vision was gone. When his balls tightened he knew he was close, and so did Shane. He felt the warm mouth on him, engulfing his cock in a fluid motion, lips replacing fingers and then he could feel the sucking. He could envision Shane's mouth around him, his cheeks hollowed as he sucked him. It felt better than anything he could remember. He started to cum, straight into Shane's mouth he erupted. Almost too weak to do it but he did. Shane held the warmth on Rick in his mouth for a while then swallowed. Rick had been weak to begin with, he let go of everything and slumped in the chair.

"Rick, Jesus Rick… wake up." He felt a hand smacking his face. He could hear Lori screaming for him. "Rick!" He felt the doctor splash water on him, too much water it was all down the front of him, his shirt and pants.

Rick woke with a startle. "I'm good. I'm fine." He had vision for the first time in a while.

Lori was angry and concerned. "You are not fine. You passed out."

"Shane?" He hadn't passed out, Shane had been with him, Shane had….

She kissed his cheek. "Shane's out with the idiot who shot our son. He'll be back." She looked him over, he was bloody and soaking wet. "Let's get you dry."