Michonne stopped breathing when she saw Carl's face. There was a hole in his head. A hole. Her heart was beating so fast she thought she might be having a heart attack.

Rick was staring down at Carl, his mouth open in a slack jawed gape. He seemed like he was trying to talk, but his words came out as desperate mumbles and sounds.

Rick tore his eyes from his son's limp body and they locked on to Michonne's. Without words, the two of them communicated on an other-worldy level. Almost intuitively, Rick shoved his forearms underneath his son's limp body and lifted him up, and he and Michonne took off through the streets of Alexandria.

Michonne led the way, racing to the infirmary, and Denise. She knew Denise had never treated an injury this serious, and she doubted Denise had ever done surgery before, but the woman was going to try. She had to try to save him.

Sasha and Merle were trailing behind the pair as cover, their guns still pointed at the rooftops, and Aaron jogged a few feet behind. Michonne burst through the infirmary door, making the door swing open and slam into the wall behind it. The loud crash caused Denise who was sitting on the floor reading a book to leap to her feet, the book tumbling from her hands.

"Denise! Gun- gunshot… he… he's shot. His face. Help him… his face!" Michonne screamed, barely able to piece a coherent sentence together in her panic.

Rick thrust Carl on to the examination table, but carefully cradled the boy's head as he put him down, Carl's blood running off of Rick's arms and staining his shirt and hands.

"Oh my… what… what happened? Who did this?" Denise asked, in shock herself.

"Help him" Rick barely whispered.

Denise stared at Carl's destroyed face and didn't even know where to begin. There was blood, and tissue, and bone, and fragments everywhere. She had only been in medical school for a few months before the stress and her panic attacks had caused her to drop out. She didn't know what to do. She didn't know where to start.

"Do something!" Michonne growled at her, enraged that Denise was just standing there as Carl potentially died in front of them.

"I… oh God… okay… uh… Michonne, turn on all the lights" Denise ordered, partially to stall, and partially to get Michonne out of her face for a few seconds.

While Michonne ran to turn on every light in the room, Denise went to Carl and placed a stethoscope on his chest. If his heart wasn't beating there was no point in doing anything else. She listened and to her surprise heard a soft beating reverberating in her ears.

"He's alive" Denise stated, that confirmation giving her some encouragement that maybe she could keep him that way.

"Don't let him die" Rick commanded seriously, his blue eyes staring into Denise's. It wasn't a request. She felt fear creep into her, but she couldn't be distracted by that right now.

"Rick, get me my gloves and mask, and that big container of distilled water" Denise ordered, ignoring his words to her. Rick hesitated to leave Carl's side, even for a second. "You want him to live? Do it now!" Denise ordered, and she felt empowered when he turned and did as she asked.

Denise studied the horrible injury. It didn't look like there was any hope at all of salvaging Carl's eye, but she had to clean the wound and stop the bleeding. If he was still breathing, maybe it didn't damage his brain, at least not too badly.

Rick came back with what Denise asked for, and she quickly put on her medical gear and got to work flushing the blood and debris out of the wound so she could see what she was working with.

Rick was hovering over Carl so closely that Denise elbowed him multiple times by accident, and Michonne was circling on the outskirts around the medical bed like a lioness, seemingly unable to stay still. Denise wasn't going to get anything done with these two lurking around and making her more nervous than she already was.

"Michonne, go get Rosita and Holly to help me with surgery" Denise ordered, "and take Rick with you."

"No. I'm not leaving him" Rick said, his eyes never once moving from Carl's face.

"You are not helping the situation right now Rick" Denise said, while closely studying Carl's face, trying to find one of the blood vessels that was currently pouring blood.

"I'm not leaving him!" Rick said, his voice getting louder, "he needs me."

Denise turned and stared at Michonne with a look that said 'get him out of here now'. Michonne knew Denise was right. Rick was in shock, and terrified, and worried, and there was no way he would listen to Denise and leave his son's side. But maybe he would listen to her.

"Rick" Michonne said, moving up behind him, "She needs space to do her job. Come with me to get more people who can help Carl, okay? You can't do anything for him right now, but she can."

Rick was trembling and tears freely rolled down his cheeks. He was covered in Carl's blood, and he reached up with his hand to wipe a tear, smudging more blood across his face.

"Come on Rick. Let's go. Let her save him" Michonne whispered in his ear from behind. Rick took a deep breath, his eyes never leaving Carl's face. "C'mon" Michonne urged again, "you're doing everything you can for him right now. Let's go get help."

Reluctantly, Rick stood up fully and backed away from Carl. Denise took the opportunity to continue working, now with more space for her elbows.

Rick backed towards the front door, and with more soft urging from Michonne he finally turned around and walked out, slowly closing the door behind him.

"He… he got… he's… I can't…" Rick said on the infirmary's porch, more tears filling up his eyes. He released a choked sob, his bloodstained hands making their way to his face.

Michonne was hesitant to touch Rick, she knew how powerful the spark between them was the last time they'd touched, and she didn't want that to distract the both of them right now, but he needed comfort, and she wanted to comfort him. She faced him and gently put her arm on his back, and then wrapped her other arm around him, pulling him into a loose hug. His body began to shake as the sobs continued, and he leaned down, resting his head on her shoulder as he cried.

"She'll do everything she can" Michonne said softly, gently rubbing circles on Rick's back. To be honest, his back felt amazing. She could feel the muscles that were bunched just underneath his shirt. She was close enough to him to smell him. She could feel and hear his heart beat as he pressed himself against her, burying his head in her shoulder.

She couldn't help but feel guilty about the butterflies that were fluttering through her with his proximity, so after a few seconds she gently pushed him away. He lifted his head from her and swiped at his eyes again.

"I brought him here, 'cuz I was gonna change everything. I wanted our people to work together, as true partners. I wanted us to have a future where our towns could cooperate. I brought him 'cuz I wanted him to see me making a better way for him. And now… he's dying… I… I'm so stupid" Rick said softly, his words almost incomprehensible because of the shaking in his voice.

"You're not stupid. You wanted something better for Carl, and he's still alive right now. Let's go get Denise the help she needs so that he can stay that way" Michonne said. Rick blinked at her and gave her a small nod and the two of them began to jog over to where Rosita and Holly lived, but the two women had already heard the gunshot and were on their way to the infirmary. Rosita took in Rick's bloodstained shirt and Michonne's shell shocked expression.

"His son was shot" Michonne explained quickly, "Denise needs help with surgery."

"How?" Rosita asked.

"We don't know. Please hurry, Denise needs you" Michonne said.

Rosita looked Rick up and down, glanced at Holly, and the two of them sprinted to the infirmary. Just as they left, Merle, Sasha, and Aaron jogged up to the pair.

"We checked out the house the gunshot came from, didn't find no one. We been going door to door, lookin' for someone who saw something. Not a one of them knows what happened, or they're keepin' their damn mouths shut" Merle said. He glanced over at Michonne suspiciously.

"I'm gonna call in a code red. Bring back-up over here" Merle said, reaching for his radio.

"No" Rick said, his voice coming out in a hoarse whisper. "I know who did this."

He turned to Michonne, his eyes morphing from sadness and grief, to anger and rage.

"Where's Negan?"

***can08writer***

Negan beat a path through the tangled trees, sprinting away from Alexandria. He had easily scaled the fence and disappeared into the woods. He had jogged at least a mile now, and he had to stop, resting his hands on his knees to catch his breath. He wanted to keep moving, to get as much distance between himself and the small town as possible. He knew they'd come looking for him.

Stopping to catch his breath gave his oxygen starved brain time to reflect on what he'd just done, and as soon as his mind started to go there he took off again, panting as he slapped trees and bushes out of his way.

He knew where he was going. He knew she knew where he was going too. She'd come after him, one way or another, he knew that. The question was would she bring Rick? Would she turn him in? Would she shoot him herself? Either way, he was ready for that.

After more sprinting Negan reached his destination, a small storage shed hidden behind a house that was overgrown with weeds and shrubs. He and Michonne had stumbled on this place months ago, and they kept a stockpile of food and a few hidden weapons there, just in case. He unlocked the small shed and ducked inside, closing the door behind him. It was dark inside except for a few rays of light that still shown through the dirty window.

Negan stood alone in the silence. He knew he'd made a mistake. A big one. A stupid one. He'd acted on impulse, something that he'd been known to do, but he'd never done anything this foolish before. He knew he'd ruined everything, and she wouldn't forgive him. Not for this. He sighed and slowly sunk into a rusting metal chair. The only thing he could do now was wait.

***Can08writer***

"Rick, you need to be here."

"I need to find him. I'm gonna find him and shoot him in the face. I'm gonna murder him" Rick said, pacing back in forth on the sidewalk in front of the infirmary's steps. Denise, Rosita, and Holly had begun surgery to see the extent of the damage to Carl's head, and if there was anything they could do to prevent him from dying. Denise had quickly told the two of them that surgery could and probably would take hours, but once she heard that Rick and Carl had the same blood type she demanded that Rick stay just outside on the steps in case they needed a transfusion.

"We'll find him. We'll bring him back here. You need to stay", Michonne insisted.

"I won't. There's nothing I can do for Carl right now but kill the man who shot him."

"If they need your blood, or if… or if something goes wrong with the surgery… you will never forgive yourself if you weren't here for him. If he…"

Rick stopped and glanced at Michonne, his trembling lip revealing how broken he was.

"I… know what it's like for your child to slip away and you're not there. You have to stay for him" Michonne said, her eyes pleading with him.

Rick blinked rapidly and stared into Michonne's eyes more deeply. So she had a child too. He suspected it, but now it was confirmed. And her child had died. It explained why she got along with Carl so well.

"I can't just sit here" Rick said softly.

"That's exactly what you have to do. Carl is the most important thing for you to worry about right now. I'll go with Sasha and Merle, you put your focus on Carl."

Rick closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh, his shoulders slumping as he did so. He pressed his finger to his eye for a few seconds as he collected himself. Deep down he knew he couldn't leave his deathly injured son here by himself in the presence of strangers. He couldn't leave knowing he was the only one who could give Carl blood. And Michonne was right. If Carl died and Rick was gone, he'd never get over it. As much as he hated it, he would have to sit tight and wait.

Rick opened his eyes, rolled his shoulders, and reluctantly turned around and took a seat on the bench on the infirmary's front porch. He then nodded to Michonne.

"Thank you" Rick said.

Michonne nodded back, and then turned to join Sasha and Merle who had climbed into the van at the gates, ready to search for Negan.

***Can08writer***

Michonne knew where Negan probably was. The little storage shack was the only place he'd be if he couldn't go back to the town. She knew he was probably waiting for her there, but she didn't know what mental condition he was in in order for him to have done what he did.

She wanted to check out the shed alone. If he wasn't there fine, but if he was, she wanted to have a chance to talk to him, to find out what the hell he was thinking, without Sasha and Merle there to heighten tensions.

"We should split up" Michonne said, once Merle pulled up to the small community Michonne said Negan might have run to. She wasn't lying, but she didn't tell them exactly where he'd be.

"Why the hell would we do that?" Merle asked, eyeing Michonne.

"Because we can cover more ground apart then if we're together" Michonne said, staring back at Merle.

Sasha glanced at Michonne with her eyes narrowed. "And which part of the community are you going to?" she asked.

"The school. I'll clear that area. Merle, maybe you should check the houses on that street over there, and Sasha there's a few office buildings right here. We can get this done faster if we spread out."

"And what if he's waiting to ambush us once we split up?" Sasha asked.

"What if he's waiting to ambush us while we're all together?" Michonne countered. "Look, if you want to stick together fine, but the second he sees all three of us, if he's here, he's gonna take off."

Sasha looked at Michonne for a few seconds and then nodded and turned to Merle. "C'mon, we split up, if anyone sees him give a yell or fire your gun. Watch your back."

Michonne quickly made a beeline to the storage shed of a house behind the school building. She knew if Negan came here, that was where he'd hide out. Once she reached the shed, she opened the unlocked door with her gun raised. It was dark and silent inside.

Michonne slipped inside and gently closed the door behind her.

There was silence in the shed, but Michonne could sense she wasn't alone. She took a step forward and her shoe creaked on a floorboard.

Suddenly, a figure moved in the far corner and she cocked her gun. The figure moved forward into a sliver of light let in from the dim window and revealed the face of Negan.

"'Chonne" Negan said softly.

"What have you done?" Michonne gasped, aiming her gun at Negan's face, her eyes wide and wild.

He stood before her, aiming his own gun back at her as they stared into each other's eyes. Michonne was glaring at him, rage, and hurt, and fear in her eyes.

"You shot him. Why? Why? He never did anything to you!" she said, her hand shaking from the overwhelming emotions. She was on the verge of tears.

"I didn't mean to" Negan admitted, lowering his weapon. "I wasn't aiming for the kid. You have to believe me."

"So you were trying to kill Rick?" Michonne asked, her weapon still pointed at Negan's head.

"I saw him walking through our town. I saw him and I wasn't thinking, I just… snapped. Yea, I tried to fucking shoot that prick. I'll admit to that. But the boy, I didn't even see him 'til after. I wasn't trying to hurt him. Is he alive? Did he…"

Michonne stepped forward, shoving the gun closer to Negan's face.

"You almost killed him. You might have killed him. You just couldn't wait could you?" she screamed in his face. "Everything is about you. Your wants, your needs. You couldn't think about anyone else could you? Not even me. Rick was about to make a deal with us for all of us to work together, and you shot his son."

"I didn't mean to. You've gotta believe me on that Michonne. I know what I said before, but I wouldn't hurt a kid…"

"You're an idiot" Michonne growled, her eyes narrowing in disgust.

"I ain't gonna deny that" Negan said seriously, "but the question is, what happens now? Where do we go from here? 'Cuz you know if you bring me back there Rick will kill me. And the only one who can bring me back there is you. If you tell me to come back I won't fight you, but if one of Rick's people tries, well let's just say I won't hold back against them."

"Why did it have to come to this?" Michonne asked, a tear quickly tumbling down her cheek, so fast that it was hard for Negan to determine if he really saw it or not.

"Michonne, you're all I have" Negan admitted, slightly shaking his head. "I'm sorry I couldn't be who you needed. But Rick, he's not worthy of you either. You deserve so much more, more than either of us. No matter if he kills me or not, one day you'll see it."

Michonne shook her head and slowly moved her gun downwards towards the floor.

"Look, it doesn't have to be this way" Negan said, staring into Michonne's eyes. "We can just go. The two of us. We survived out there alone, we can handle ourselves. We can start over and…"

"Just shut up Negan" Michonne said, her lips tightening. "I owe you for the life that I have now, but I've paid some of my debt already, and I'm paying the rest in full right now, right here. You can go, I won't bring you back to Alexandria and I won't tell them that I saw you. But if they catch you, or you ever come back, I won't stop what they do to you. And if you try to hurt Rick or Carl again, I swear I'll kill you myself."

"So it's like that huh?" Negan asked, "after everything… you choose him?"

"I'd get going if I were you" Michonne said, "they're searching these woods for you right now."

Negan looked at Michonne with sadness in his eyes. He really couldn't believe that this is how his story with her ended, but he could tell she was serious, and he believed she'd shoot him if he gave her a reason to.

He nodded and accepted his fate. "I'm sorry. About all of this", he said.

Michonne didn't answer, but she moved away from his path to the door. Taking the hint, Negan grabbed a bag he'd filled with supplies, and walked past Michonne to the door. He turned back towards her again.

"I don't think this will be the last time I see you. No matter what, I think our fates are tied together."

"I hope for your sake that's not true Negan. I told you what will happen if you come back" Michonne said coldly.

Negan gave one last emotionless nod before turning and closing the door behind him, the sound of his feet crunching on the leaves slowly fading away.

Taking a moment, Michonne closed her eyes and leaned back against the wall behind her. Before she could help it tears rolled down her face. She grimaced and allowed the emotions to show for just a minute before she took a deep encompassing breath and wiped her face. She couldn't indulge her feelings right now. She had to pretend to inspect the school, meet up with the others, and then get back to Alexandria as soon as possible to check on Rick and Carl.

***Can08writer***

Michonne walked into the infirmary and was surprised to see the front operating table empty and clean. Holly was mopping the floor and the remains of what Michonne assumed was Carl's blood.

"Where's Carl? Did he…" Michonne asked, unable to finish her question. Rick wasn't on the front porch when she, Merle, and Sasha had returned, and the lack of Carl had her on full alert.

"He pulled through the surgery" Holly said, and Michonne let out an audible breath.

"It's touch and go right now. He's breathing on his own, but… he's still in critical condition. He can crash at any time. And we're still unsure of the damage done to his brain. The damage done to his face is severe though."

Michonne wrapped her arms around herself.

"Dr. Denise gave him meds to put him in a coma, to take the stress off his brain and the rest of his body, so we won't know what's really going on until he wakes up."

"And… and when will he wake up?" Michonne asked.

"Dr. Denise said it could be anytime between days or weeks."

Michonne felt her heart flutter in her chest. Weeks? He could be in a coma for weeks?

"Where is he? And Rick?" Michonne asked.

"We moved him to a bed in the back room. Right over there. Rick is in there with him" Holly said.

When Michonne started to make her way towards it, Holly hesitated for a moment and then called to Michonne.

"Michonne?"

"Yea?" Michonne asked, turning back around.

"Rick has been sitting there for three hours straight just staring at Carl. Maybe you can get him to wash off some of the blood on him, or change his shirt, or… even eat something. We took blood from him twice during the surgery, and he won't eat to bring his blood sugar back up. If he goes for much longer like this he might faint. And we already have our hands full monitoring Carl."

"I'll try" Michonne said, and then turned around and made her way to the closed bedroom door. She knocked twice and then opened it.

Carl was laying flat on his back in the bed, a pillow tucked under his head, and the covers pulled up to his chest. Michonne could hardly see his face with all of the bandages that were wrapped around it. He looked like a mummy.

On the few parts of his skin that was visible around his mouth and his left cheek, Michonne could see splatters of blood that hadn't been cleaned off. She could also tell that his face had begun to swell badly from the horrific injury. This poor boy would have permanent scars from this besides his missing eye, if he even survived.

Rick was sitting in a chair directly next to Carl's bed, and he looked exactly as he had when Michonne had left to look for Negan. He had the blood smear across his cheek, and dried blood on his hands and arms. Tear marks streaked his face, and his hair was a ruffled mess. Michonne also noticed that he looked a few shades paler than he had when she'd left him. His hand was tightly clenched around Carl's right hand, and he was gently stroking his son's knuckles as he stared at a wall across the room. He didn't seem to be aware of Michonne's presence.

"Rick?" Michonne called. Rick blinked a few times, and slowly turned his head towards her, but he didn't answer.

"Holly filled me in on what's going on with him" Michonne said, closing the bedroom door behind her, and standing next to his chair.

He didn't answer, but his eyes focused on his son's face.

"He's… he's gonna be sleeping for a while. If you want to I can stay with him while you get something to eat…"

"No" he said sharply, cutting her off.

Michonne paused, but then nodded her head, understanding that he didn't mean to be snippy.

"I'm not… I'm not hungry" he said, trying to explain.

"It's okay Rick. It's fine. I can get you some water, to wash yourself. You have blood on your face" Michonne said, pointing to his cheek.

He shook his head. "I'm fine. I have to… I can't… do that now."

Michonne nodded, not trying to push him. She knew he was almost at the end of his rope. There was silence for a few moments and then Rick, his eyes not leaving his son's face, said "you didn't bring him back."

Michonne fidgeted slightly as she stood next to Rick.

"No" she said. "Sasha and Merle are going to go out looking again tomorrow. It got too dark outside and we had to come back."

Rick continued to stare at Carl.

"Did you want to bring him back?" Rick asked.

Michonne felt a stab of guilt run through her. She had had an opportunity to bring Negan in and she'd let him go, but she was serious about what she'd said. If Merle and Sasha caught him, she wouldn't interfere.

"If they catch him, he'll have to pay for what he did. Whatever that punishment is" Michonne said, in a non-answer.

Rick quietly stroked Carl's knuckles.

"This isn't the first time he's been shot y'know?" Rick asked, lifting Carl's hand and pressing a kiss to it. Michonne's eyes widened at the news. She had no idea Carl had been shot twice.

"He got shot before, in the abdomen. He almost died that time too. It happened in the beginning. A few weeks after… everything. A kind man named Hershel, Maggie's father, saved him. But it was like this. I had to wait, seeing if he'd live or die. My wife Lori was with me, that made it a little better. I don't know how I can deal with this alone."

Michonne quickly grabbed another pull out chair and slid it next to Rick's and then sat down. She wanted to hold his hand and give him some comfort, but instead she let her proximity do the talking.

"You're not alone" she stated.

He slowly turned his head to her and gazed directly into her eyes. Her heart skipped a beat under his gaze. The way he was staring at her made her have difficulty breathing, and she could feel the heat rise in her cheeks. She noticed his eyes suddenly drop to her lips, and then flick up to meet her eyes again, but he turned back to Carl's face, and Michonne was grateful.

"Judith, she was shot before too", Rick stated.

Michonne audibly gasped. Who would shoot a baby?

"We were attacked on the road. The men were gonna… they were gonna do some horrible things to Carl, and Maggie's sister Beth. Beth was holding Judith and they shot her, the bullet went through Judith's leg and into Beth. She didn't survive, but Judith did. But I keep thinkin', what am I doing as a father, that both of my children keep getting hurt? What am I doing wrong? My two children have been shot three times in total, and I've been shot twice. It's only a matter of time until I lose one of them. And I think that time might be now."

"Don't" Michonne said, wanting to grab Rick's hand, but holding the sheets on Carl's bed instead. "Don't think like that. I've been shot too, by Merle. I almost died, but I didn't. And you have to think of the fact that both of your children have been shot but they've survived. You've been shot, but you've survived. Your family are all survivors. I am too. Other people aren't so lucky, but whatever you're doing, your children made it."

Michonne sighed and turned her head away from Rick as a wave of sadness washed through her.

"Not everyone's children make it" she said with a slight tremble in her voice.

Rick turned back to her, and before he could stop himself he reached out and rested his pointer finger on her hand that was resting on Carl's sheets. Immediately she felt the electricity, and Rick did too, but neither of them pulled away. He wasn't even fully holding her hand, but the skin to skin contact was like fireworks.

Rick slowly rubbed Michonne's hand with one pointer finger as he pretended not to notice his body's yearning to touch more of her. He didn't know how much more Michonne wanted to reveal about her child, and since she didn't say anything else, he asked "are you okay?"

She nodded and swiped at her eyes with the hand that Rick wasn't currently stroking.

"I should really be asking you that" she said, "Is there anything you need right now?" Michonne asked.

"I need my son to be okay" Rick said softly, "I need him to live."