It was nightfall by the time we pulled up to the farm. The road back was long and dark and I shied away from the window, afraid of what might jump out of the darkness. T-dog had begun to stir in my lap and his eyes opened. He never knew where he was though, always so delirious.

He reached his hand up to my face, touching my cheek gently. Slowly I grabbed his hand, pulling it back down to his side, giving it a light squeeze. Glenn pulled to a stop, cutting the engine and slowly I hopped out. Glenn rounded the car to my side, helping me with T-Dog by grabbing under his arm and pulling him from the cab.

There were lights on in the house, electricity was something I hadn't seen since the CDC, and I stared at them in awe. T-Dog wobbled on his feet, and I threw his arm over my shoulder, while Glenn grabbed the rifle from the front seat. We looked at each other warily before walking towards the house.

As we approached the front porch Glenn hesitated, looking at the ground. The stairs were bloody and again we looked at each other. T-Dog began to shake his head furiously and I couldn't help but agree. We were in no shape for any surprises.

"So, do we ring the bell?" Glenn asked, despite the blood on the porch. I gaped at him and T-Dog dropped his head. "I mean, it looks like people live here."

"Lived." I corrected him, gesturing to the stairs with a frown. T-Dog sighed, looking between the both of us.

"We're past this kind of stuff aren't we? Having to be considerate?" Glenn shrugged and we continued up the stairs onto the porch. Glenn was reaching for the doorknob when an unexpected voice came from the porch next to us.

"Dis you close the gate up the road when you came in?" it asked. I nearly jumped out of my skin and quickly I turned to look at the young girl who watched us from the rocking chair, amused by our reaction.

"Uh, hi. Yes, we closed it." Glenn started awkwardly. "Did the latch and everything." The girl sat forward in her chair, which creaked under her as she did so, and smiled cheekily at us. "Hello, nice to see you again."

"Again?" I asked, looking over at Glenn. He shrugged at me.

"We met briefly before. When she came to pick up Lori." It clicked in my mind and I nodded, looking her up and down. The girl stood to approach us, but she slowed once she took in T-Dog, her gaze falling to his arm. She swallowed, immediately going in to high alert.

"Its not a bite." I interjected. The girl's gaze flew to me and we locked eyes. I wasn't sure if she believed me so I continued. "He cut himself pretty bad."

"We'll have it looked at. I'll tell them you're here." She said quietly, attempting to walk past us. Glenn stopped her, however, reaching into his pockets.

"We have some painkillers and Anti-Biotics, Beau already gave him some…" Glenn gestured to the man that was draped over my shoulder and I forced a smile. "But if Carl needs any…"

"Come on inside, I'll make you something to eat." She said, opening the door for us. She didn't have to tell me twice, I was starving and happily I followed her inside, Glenn bringing up the rear.

The young girl led us to room down the hall that was filled with people. I was unprepared for the sight before me and as we stepped in I gasped. Carl laid on the bed, pale as pale can be, while Lori and Rick sat at his bedside. And older man stood over the young boy, checking his blood pressure. None of them looked up at us, and Glenn removed his hat awkwardly.

"Hey" He said, announcing our presence. T-Dog moved to stand up, wobbling as he did, leaving his hand on my shoulder for stability. It felt great to not have his weight on me, even if he still held fast to my shoulder.

"Hey." Rick said quietly, looking at each of us in turn before his gaze returned to his son.

"Uhm." Glenn started, looking up at T-Dog and myself. I shrugged, not knowing what to say and T-Dog stood silently.

"We're here... Okay?" I said quietly. T-Dog and Glenn nodded their heads in agreement at the couple who sat beside their injured son.

"Thank you." Lori's voice broke as she spoke and I bowed my head to her.

"Whatever you need." I continued just as quiet. Rick and Lori looked at us, watching us silently from their chairs. Slowly we left the room, and Maggie led us to a sitting area down the hallway. T-Dog took the chair and I made sure he got there safely, before I sat down on the floor.

"My daddy will be out with you shortly. He'll wanna talk with you." Maggie looked at each of us, her eyes finally stopping on Glenn. He nodded in agreement, replacing his hat on his head. There was movement down the hall and Lori briskly walked past us, not even looking over at us. She flung the door open, and it slammed behind her. Rick had followed her and I looked at him curiously. He stopped to spare us a quick glance before following his wife outside, this time shutting the door quietly behind him.

After a few minutes the door down the hall opened again and another woman walked out into the waiting area. She looked at each of us in turn, her eyes finally resting on T-Dog's arm.

"It's not a bite." T-Dog stated, looking up at her defiantly. My breath hitched in my throat and the lady walked away from us, into the kitchen. She returned moments later with a large bait box and placed it gently on the table beside him. She opened it, revealing nothing but medical supplies and kneeled down next to T-Dog. Slowly she reached for his bandage, pulling it off. I watched in disgust as the bandage stuck to the skin and she had to fight to get it off.

"Someone has already sutured it?" The woman asked, looking between us. I raised my hand timidly from where I sat on the floor. I felt my cheeks flush as the woman looked down at me.

"I-I only had a sewing kit. There wasn't much I could do for it." I stammered, unable to find the correct words. The lady looked at me thoughtfully before returning to T-Dogs wounds. She grabbed a pair of stitch snippers from the tool kit, snipping my makeshift stitches in turn. I felt my heart sink and I glanced up at Glenn. He forced a smile, but it didn't help. I'd fucked up T-Dog's wound.

"This is excellent work for the supplies you had. If it had been left completely untreated I'm afraid your boy here wouldn't have made it to see tonight." The lady spoke evenly as she cleaned T-Dogs wound, removing my stitches. I felt my mood immediately lighten at her comment and she smiled at me, obviously aware at how worried I was. "You a doctor?" She continued. T-Dog groaned as she came to a tender spot and I had to look away. His arm was bad and it made me nauseas just looking at it.

"Nurse." I replied quietly.

"Veterinary assistant." She smiled lightly at me. The room went quiet again, save for T-Dogs grunts of pain. "Merle Dixon. That your friend with the anti biotics?"

"No ma'am, Merle is no longer with us." Glenn said solemnly. "Daryl gave us those, his brother."

"Not sure I'd call him a friend." T-Dog said through the pain. I rolled my eyes at him, burying my face in my hands. My heart panged at the thought of Daryl, and he flashed in front of my eyes. I missed him and I wondered if he missed me.

"He is today. This Oxycycline might have just saved your life." The woman looked up at me again and smiled as she began to set new stitches. "You're lucky the nurse knew what to do with them. You can thank her too." T-Dog glanced down at me, shame evident on his face. He remembered the conversation they'd had earlier, that much I could tell. "You know what Merle was taking it for?" The lady asked me again. I blushed, unsure what to say and I looked at the floor.

"The clap." I said quietly, fidgeting with my fingers. The woman who had met us at the door, looked up at me and then to Glenn.

"Venereal Disease." He corrected me, just as awkwardly. "That's what Daryl said." The asian boy was a bright shade of scarlet and he cleared his throat.

"I'd say Merle Dixon's clap was the best thing to ever happen to you." The woman said amused as she continued to sew his cut.

"I'm really trying not to think about that." T-Dog moaned. I felt for the man and I sat forward, placing my hand on his foot. He looked down at me, groaning in pain again. Glenn couldn't take watching any longer and he left the room, I followed him as he went, squeezing T-Dog's foot reassuringly.

The lady had healed T-Dog successfully and now he was resting in another room. I stood at the door, watching him sleep, making sure he was okay, when his healer walked up to me, smiling.

"He should be fine, he's lucky you were there to do what you did. If the blood loss didn't get him, that infection would have surely set in sooner." I smiled weakly at her, shrugging.

"He's only injured because of me." The lady looked into the darkness at T-Dog's sleeping form, then back to me. She put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed gently.

"Then I'd say it was an eye for an eye. Your debt was repaid when you stitched him up and brought him here." I grinned, looking at the floor, finally feeling like we were out of the woods with something. I felt less hopeless than I had before. "The names Patricia." The woman watched me expectantly, removing her hand from my shoulder.

"I'm Beau."

"How long had it been since you've had some food, Beau? Got bacon if you'd like it." My heart fluttered at the thought of bacon and I followed the woman down the hallways towards the kitchen.

The house was quiet, Glenn and I had been left to our own devices. The rest of them were in with Lori and Rick and Carl. I paced the floor while Glenn sat at the table. I was nervous and afraid. From what I gathered Carl didn't look so great and T-Dog was also down. God only knows what was happening back at the RV.

I hope Daryl is okay. I thought to myself, lessening my pacing. Glenn was watching me and as I slowed he sat up straighter.

"What?" he said nervously. "Did you hear something?" Glenn looked down the hallway at the closed door before turning in his chair to glance out the window. I shook my head at him, trading my pacing for biting my nails. The door opened and Patricia ran down the hall into another room, brandishing an operating table.

Glenn and I watched, mouths open, and Patricia looked at us, her eyes full of worry. She didn't stop to explain anything though, and ran back to the room. I trailed after her.

"Get the corner of that bed, lets get the sheets down. Put the IV on the bed. On three we lift. 1….2….3…" The man who owned the farm commanded everyone in the room and they did as they were told, carefully lifting Carl's pale body onto the stretcher. I hesitated before entering the room, walking up behind The Man and Patricia.

"I can help." I said finally. Lori and Rick looked up to me, fear evident in their eyes. I finally got a good look at the boy. His bullet wound was a bad one and his belly was red and puffy. A breath hitched in my throat and I looked up at Patricia, who then looked to the good doctor. He made to argue but I interrupted him. "I'm a nurse and a med student at University of Atlanta, I can help." I reiterated.

Rick and Lori nodded at him, and I was glad they had my back. The man sighed, gesturing to a pair of gloves that he handed to me. I put them on quickly as Patricia brought over a lamp, removing its shade.

"Rick, Lori, you may want to step out." The man told them. I looked at the parents, waiting for their answer. There was a low rumble outside catching all of our attentions and Rick crossed to the window, peaking through the blinds.

"Oh god." The father breathed, rushing from the room. The old man looked at me, then back to the boy on the table.

"You stay here with him." He demanded. I nodded my head, putting my hand gently on Carl's forehead, ruffling his hair. Patricia handed me a cold, wet rag for Carl's forehead, before she too left the room.

The boy lay still on the operating table, his breath becoming more shallow by the minute. I bit my lip, looking down the long hallways where the others had disappeared to. There was a wail down the hall and Patricia fled up the stairs. I watched in curiosity as the farm owner stood, watching her run off, his head hung low. After a few minutes he returned to the room, a respirator in hand.

"You're my assistant now." He said plainly as he began to set up the respirator. "Ever been inside an operating room?" I nodded slowly, still wiping down Carl's face with the rag. The man gave me a weak smile before returning to the operating table. "Good. I need you to start by handing me that scalpel and be ready with the suction. There's going to be a lot of blood."

Surgery went easier than I had hoped, only took an hour or so to stabilize Carl, and now the boy slept quietly in his bed. The old man who had introduced himself as Hershel smiled down at him, before turning his glances to me. He handed me a wet towel to use to clean my hands, which I took gratefully.

"Lets go spread the good news." Hershel spoke quietly, heading towards the door. I nodded, following after him down the hallway to the front door. The rest of the group had perched outside on the front porch, but as soon as they heard the door open they turned to us, watching expectantly. Hershel and I shared a looked before he turned to the parents proudly. "He seems to have stabilized."

"Oh god…" Rick gasped, obviously relieved. I watched the husband and wife as tears stung at my eyes. I had lived for these moments in the hospital, but this one really struck a chord. It wouldn't have been just their loss, I knew that now. Carl would have been a loss to everyone and with Sophia missing I knew that this win was a game changer.

Rick took the few steps up to the porch, enveloping Hershel in a tight hug. The old man stood there, patting his back and smiling. Lori watched her husband and the old man, but then her eyes found mine and she grinned widely, her eyes wet.

"I don't have words." She finally spoke, choking back tears.

"I don't either, wish I did." Hershel smiled at them before turning to me. He clapped my shoulder, a sign of admiration and pulled me forward. "Beau was indispensable in that operating room." I felt my cheeks grow hot and I knew I was blushing. Slowly I crossed my arms in front of my chest, shaking my head. "But If you'll excuse me, I must find a way to console my sister."

Hershel wasted no time. In mere seconds he was back inside the house, making his way up the stairs. I heard his boot clunking on the wood as he went. Rick looked at me, taking my hand in his. He squeezed them tightly, kissing my forehead.

"You go to Carl," he said to Lori. His wife nodded and Rick dropped my hands. "I'll follow Hershel. I want to make sure Patricia is okay." Rick breezed past me, retreating back into the house and up the stairs. The porch was silent and I looked over at Glenn, asking for answers. He merely turned his head, looking at Shane who I had just noticed leaning up against a truck a few feet from the porch.

Shane began to limp over to us as Lori went inside and he stopped before walking up the stairs. I moved to the side, letting him room to pass, but I didn't say anything to him. Shane remained silent, slowly taking the steps. He looked at me coolly, before shrugging me off and going inside.

"What happened?" I asked once I was sure Shane was gone from earshot. The porch was silent, just Glenn, The girl I came to know as Maggie and myself. Maggie sniffed, standing from where she sat in her chair and looked up at me.

"Shane came back from the medical center. My uncle didn't. You do the math." Her tone was cold, not what I had grown to expect from her at all, and she left Glenn and I alone on the porch in silence. Slowly I took seat on the top stair, placing my head in my hands. There was no win tonight, at least not for everybody.