Rick and Michonne spent the next two nights in Carl's room at the infirmary, sleeping on the two uncomfortable chairs they'd dragged in there. Carl hadn't woken up and Rick and Michonne watched in horror as his face swelled up to twice its size.

Michonne had watched Denise closely every time she'd changed Carl's bandages, and she couldn't help the nausea that rose in her stomach from the boy's wounds. His eye socket was empty. Denise had to remove the remnants of his right eyeball, as well as a large section of bone, and the horrific injury was overwhelming to view. Every time Denise came in to clean the site, Rick also turned away. He couldn't bear to see the damage done to his son from the single bullet.

After cleaning out Carl's wound, Denise asked Michonne to step out of the room with her.

"Yea?" Michonne asked impatiently when Denise just fidgeted in front of her.

"I'm just gonna give it to you straight" Denise said quietly, "I ran out of the medication that will keep the boy in a coma, and I'll use up the last of the medication to reduce brain swelling today. I'll run out of pain killers in the next two days so I'm thinking about not giving them to him anymore until he's actually awake. At this point, he can wake up at any time, or never, it's all up to Carl, but we don't have the medication to keep him going indefinitely. He can't eat or drink when he's unconscious, but I'll run out of IV fluids in the next few days. I just don't have the medical equipment to keep him alive for long while he's unconscious."

"What does he need?" Michonne asked.

"He needs a feeding tube and fluids. But he also needs the nutrients that would go in a feeding tube. At this point anything you might find will be long expired. In other words, if he doesn't wake up soon he'll die of dehydration, or he'll starve to death."

Michonne rolled her eyes, placing her hand on her forehead. She then let out a frustrated sigh. "Why aren't you telling all this to Rick?" she asked.

"You know why. The same reason no one has come in there to bother him in two days. He's like a stressed out lion. I was hoping maybe you'd be the best person to tell him."

Michonne blinked rapidly and spun around to face Carl's bedroom door again.

"Thanks Denise" she mumbled quickly, before heading back into the room. Rick had to know all this, but she'd tell him later.

***can08writer***

"It's been two days, you need to eat something" Michonne demanded, standing in front of Rick with her arms crossed.

"I'm not hungry" he said dismissively.

"I know you're not, but you're gonna eat anyway. Carl will need you strong when he wakes up."

"It's okay" Rick said, continuing to stare at Carl's breathing.

"Rick!" Michonne said, startling the man with her tone, "You're eating. Here, Aaron and Eric were nice enough to bring you some spaghetti" she said, shoving the plate on to his lap with a fierceness that made him understand no wasn't an option. He took the plate from her.

"I'll have to thank them. You think they'd try to poison me?" Rick asked in an attempt to make a joke.

"No Rick, they wouldn't. And everyone in town is rooting for Carl. No child should have to go through what he's going through."

Rick nodded. "Tell your people to stop working if they're still trying to make their bullet quota. We have to change a lot of things. I have to change. When… when I'm able, I want to have that meeting with your town, but I want Hilltop to be there too. We all have to work together. I know that now. Carl helped me to figure that out. You did too."

Before he could continue talking, Michonne stood.

"You finish eating. When you're done, come outside and meet me on the porch. There's something I have to talk to you about. It's about Carl" Michonne said.

"What? What about him?" Rick asked, the plate of food being the last thing on his mind.

"Just come meet me when you're done" Michonne said, heading for the bedroom door, "you need to get out of this room anyway. Denise will keep an eye on Carl."

Michonne then promptly turned and left the room, not giving Rick enough time to protest.

After Rick forced himself to finish his plate of spaghetti as she commanded, he joined Michonne who was waiting patiently for him on the infirmary's porch. He settled down next to her as she looked off at the still community. It was the first time he'd left the infirmary since Carl's surgery, and he squinted at the bright sun that was just starting to dip below the horizon. Michonne could feel the nervous energy Rick was radiating, and she knew it was because she said she'd needed to talk about Carl.

"What is it?" Rick asked, cutting to the chase.

Michonne took a small breath and turned towards him. His face had deep wrinkles that seemed to appear overnight. His clothes were still bloodstained from two days ago because he refused to leave Carl's side long enough to take a shower. She was shocked that he'd actually eaten the plate of spaghetti. As much as she didn't want to pile more stress on the already distressed father, she had to let him know what the stakes were.

She quickly relayed to Rick everything that Denise had told her.

Rick blinked a few times and narrowed his eyes.

"So she's saying Carl will starve before he wakes up?" Rick asked harshly, his grief and despair turning into anger.

"No" Michonne said calmly, knowing that Rick's anger wasn't directed at her. "She's saying he has to wake up soon. She still has IV fluids for him for a few more days to keep him hydrated, it's just food that's the problem, we have no way to get him to eat."

Rick blinked back tears, trying to hold on to his anger as long as possible to stop himself from collapsing.

"Why didn't she tell me this herself?" He spat, jumping off the bench and pacing in front of Michonne.

Michonne sighed. "This is why" she said, motioning with her palms facing upwards and pointing them at Rick. "You're pacing around the porch like you're about to punch the next person who speaks to you. Denise is afraid of you."

Rick stopped pacing and turned to Michonne.

"And you're not?" Rick asked.

"Have I ever given you the idea that I'm afraid of you?" Michonne asked, tilting her head to the side.

Rick, although his mouth stayed tight, his eyes softened slightly in amusement at Michonne's words.

"No. I guess you haven't."

He crossed his arms and then leaned them on the railing of the porch. Michonne got up from the bench and stood beside him, the orange sunlight reflecting off of both of their skin. Rick couldn't help but notice how much her skin glowed in the light, but he kept his observations to himself.

"I can't accept that" he said quietly, shaking his head. "I will do whatever it takes to keep Carl alive. If I have to blend up food and pour it down Carl's throat I will. He's not dying. He's not."

***can08writer***

"We have patrols on all the roads, and Merle's been tracking in the woods but we haven't found him" Carol said softly. "We will though Rick, we won't stop looking."

Rick nodded and scratched his beard which had grown out substantially in the three days he'd been keeping vigil by Carl's bedside. Carol noticed the dark rings around his eyes and the musty smell coming off of him.

"Rick, you should take a shower and get some rest…"

"I'm fine" Rick interrupted, "thanks for the update. How's Judith?"

"She's fine Rick, just misses her daddy I'm sure."

"Can… can you bring her here? I want her here with me."

"Are you sure that's safe? After what happened with Carl? I mean if that's what you want sure, but who'll watch after her while you're with Carl?"

"Michonne will" Rick said confidently.

"Michonne?" Carol asked. "I mean, I know the two of you are friends now, but she was buddies with Negan..."

"Michonne will" Rick said again cutting her off, "thank you Carol" and with that he turned and reentered Carl's bedroom.

Michonne was still holding Carl's hand like she had been when Rick stepped out to talk to Carol, except now she was fast asleep. She was sitting in the chair closest to Carl, but leaning her upper body on Carl's bed with her head propped up on her crossed arms and her fingers curled around Carl's. Rick's heart swelled when he saw this woman's devotion to his son. She was doing what he knew Lori would do if she were still alive, as if Carl were her own child. He couldn't imagine how he could cope with this whole situation if he had to do it without her.

Wanting Michonne to get the rest that was evading him, Rick quietly lowered himself into an adjoining chair, but a small squeak from the chair had Michonne's eyes open in a millisecond. She startled, her eyes immediately locking on to Carl's face, checking to make sure he was still okay.

"He's still breathing" Rick said. "I have to hold on to that fact as long as I can."

Michonne slowly lifted her head from her arms and stretched her cricked neck.

"But I also have to prepare myself for the worst. I know it. I have to be ready for the fact that he might never wake up, or we run out of medical supplies before he does. I will fight as hard as I can to keep him alive, but if it comes down to it, if he's lying there starving, I'll have to prepare myself to end him. I won't let him suffer."

"I understand thinking about that" Michonne said, "you have to. But Denise said he may be awake at any time now without the coma medicine. He's alive Rick, he's healing. We just have to trust that he'll wake up when he's ready to. Denise said his blood pressure is improving so that's something. He's hanging in there."

Suddenly Michonne wrinkled her nose at the smell emanating from Rick.

"Rick, it's been three days, for the love of God change out of those dirty clothes and take a shower. There's a bathroom right down the hall. Carl isn't going anywhere."

"I…" Rick started, but seeing Michonne's look he ended his sentence. He stood, grabbed a pile of his clothes that Carol had brought from the factory, and headed to the bathroom.

Surprised that her words had worked on him so easily, Michonne sighed and leaned back into her chair.

Twenty minutes later Rick returned from the bathroom, fresh from the shower, with a tight brown t-shirt and water droplets dripping from his curls. Michonne couldn't help the thoughts that were involuntarily racing through her mind. He looked so sexy when he was wet.

Michonne inadvertently licked her lips at the sight of him, and those butterflies in her stomach (and other places) made their return with a vengeance.

"Any change?" Rick asked, so distracted by checking out Carl that he missed the hungry look in her eye.

"No" she said, "no change."

Rick sighed and plopped into his usual chair.

"How's Judith?" Michonne asked, knowing that Carol had given him an update on everyone back at the factory.

"She's doing okay. I asked Carol to bring her back here tomorrow, to stay with me."

"Okay" Michonne said, nodding her head. "there's a small room at my house with a crib from the former owners. She can sleep there. Unless you want her to sleep on the infirmary couch?" She asked, already planning ahead for Judith's arrival.

Rick looked at Michonne in awe of how much this woman had integrated herself into his family.

"Your house is fine" Rick said with a nod. "Thank you Michonne, thank you so much for everything. I can't even describe to you how thankful I am that we got to know you. You're just… wonderful."

Michonne smiled. "You're welcome. I'll clean that room out for Judith tonight, and tomorrow if there's no change in Carl, you and her are coming over for dinner."

Rick opened his mouth to protest but Michonne raised her hand to stop him.

"You can step away for a few hours Rick. You haven't been eating and you're getting thinner. Tomorrow dinner is at my house and you and Judith are coming."

Rick closed his mouth and submitted to Michonne's demand with a head nod.

***can08writer***

The next afternoon, Rick walked over to Michonne's house with Judith in his arms as Sasha and Carol sat with Carl. That morning, in desperation to get nutrients of any kind into Carl, Rosita, Denise, and Holly had created a watery applesauce mush and carefully forced it down Carl's throat. It was a dangerous process and there was a very real threat of him aspirating the food into his lungs, but they had succeeded. It was a small victory in a long list of victories they had to overcome.

The news that Carl now had some food in his belly was just enough incentive for Rick to be pried out of the hospital room by Michonne's invitation.

He climbed up the steps leading to her porch, raised his hand, and paused. All of a sudden he was feeling nervous. He knew this wasn't a date, it was just dinner, probably as simple as Michonne doing him a solid and getting him out of Carl's room for a few hours, but he still felt the same way he felt on his first few dates with Lori. He looked down at Judith who was contentedly picking her nose. "Here it goes sweetheart" he whispered.

As he internally debated whether he should knock or ring the doorbell, he heard a voice from inside call "Come on in!"

Rick turned the knob and let himself into Michonne's house. He could smell the aroma of something savory wafting through the air. Rick took in the dwelling's open floor plan. From the front door he could easily see the living room, dining room, and kitchen. The place was huge and well maintained. It was much better than the single room that he shared with Carl and Judith at the factory.

This was the type of house he and Lori wanted to have one day. Large, spacious, welcoming. Alexandria was the kind of neighborhood he and Lori would drive through, admiring the lawns and the calming vibe. They wanted Carl to have an idyllic childhood, full of warm family memories. They had always wanted other children, siblings for Carl, but it had never happened. Not until Judith at least. And well, even Judith's short life hadn't been idyllic at all.

Walking into a house that was almost like before, coming home to food cooking on the stove, holding his little girl in his arms, all of these things were making Rick think back to the life he used to have. He was so lost in the nostalgia of it all that he didn't even see Michonne in the kitchen, until she spun around to face him and the movement made him startle.

"Oh sorry, I didn't see you there" Rick said quickly, willing his heart to calm down. "This house, your house, it's very nice."

"Oh thank you" Michonne said, tucking a lock behind her ear. Rick noticed her hair was down and she wasn't wearing her usual headband.

"Your hair looks nice like that" Rick said, complimenting her before he realized what he was saying, "I mean it usually looks nice but it looks even nicer today. I mean I know all that's different is the headband but it makes your face look different without it. More open, y'know?" Rick rambled, realizing he sounded like a fool. If his hands weren't already full with Judith he would've slapped his forehead.

But for all his rambling, he was shocked when Michonne gave a shy smile.

"Thanks Rick" she said again, "and hello Judith" she cooed, gently stroking the girl's shoulder. Judith gave Michonne a smile.

"So dinner is just about ready. You two can sit at the table and I'll get the dishes" Michonne said.

"Do you need any help? I can carry something" Rick offered.

"Nope I got it. Just take a seat. Relax" Michonne ordered, raising an eyebrow before she turned back to the stove.

Rick carried Judith over to the dining room table, placed Judith on one of the chairs, and took a seat. A few moments later, Michonne came over carrying three plates and a casserole dish with wonderful smelling food.

"We didn't have any more meat left in the freezers, we're gonna have a hunting party go out tomorrow, so I made a vegetarian dish if you don't mind."

"Not at all" Rick said, and suddenly his stomach let out a low rumble. It was the first time all week that he actually felt hungry.

Michonne dished out the food and the three of them settled at the table. As Rick took a few bites he realized this was the best vegetable casserole he'd ever had. Actually, it was the only vegetable casserole he'd ever had.

"This tastes great" Rick said.

"Thank you, glad you like it. I'm also glad you're eating something" Michonne said.

A silence permeated between them for a little while. It was obvious someone was missing from this dinner, and as Rick's thoughts went to his son who was knocking on death's door, the mood turned a little dark.

Judith, who was eating with her hands, found a string bean in her casserole and carefully picked it out from the sauce. After studying it intensely she turned and held it out to Michonne.

A smile quickly made its way across Michonne's face.

"For me?" Michonne asked, surprised the girl remembered their little game.

Judith laughed in anticipation and shoved the green bean closer to Michonne's face. Michonne leaned over and pretended to eat Judith's hand. The girl screamed and burst into raucous laughter, and soon the entire table was laughing hysterically.

After dinner, Rick brought a sleepy Judith upstairs to the small child-sized bedroom that Michonne had cleared out for her, and put her to bed. Afterwards he made his way downstairs and joined Michonne who was relaxing with her feet propped up on the couch in the living room.

"Thank you for this. Thank you for… everything" Rick said softly. "This has been a lot. I know it. You didn't have to do any of what you're doing. You've been so kind to my family, to Carl, I can't ever repay you for what you've done."

"It's okay Rick. You're welcome."

Rick turned to Michonne and his cheeks turned red. "I can't believe a month ago I was considering if I should kill you or not."

Michonne snorted a little. "A month ago I was considering the same thing about you. And I know Carl certainly was too. That's just how things are now. And we both had good reason."

"How did you even meet him? Negan?" Rick asked. "How did you end up with someone like him?"

Michonne sighed and rubbed her hands on her jeans as they sat together on the couch.

"He saved my life. After Merle shot me. He found me, dying, and he helped me. He was all I had. I was all he had."

Rick's nose involuntarily scrunched up in a flash of anger. He knew he had no right to ask, Michonne certainly didn't owe him anything. But he wanted to know how deep their relationship had gone.

"I know it's none of my business, but were you two together?" Rick asked.

Michonne sighed and Rick quickly backpedaled.

"I'm sorry, forget it" he said.

Michonne looked straight ahead at the wall across from them.

"We weren't together. He loved me, and I didn't love him. I knew he liked me, but I didn't realize how deep it was until he came to the factory to come get me. I really thought it had been settled when he was brought back here. I'm sorry about what he did to Carl."

At the mention of Carl, all of Rick's anxiety that had built up over the past few days came back.

"I haven't been sleeping" Rick said. "I can't close my eyes without thinking about Carl. Every time I nod off I think Carl is gonna stop breathing. Like if I leave him for a moment I'll come back and he'll be gone. I know it probably won't happen, but I can't stop thinking it."

Michonne nodded as she listened to him speak, and when he was done she reached out and patted his hand that was resting on the couch next to him. Right when Michonne was pulling her hand away, Rick's fingers encircled her own and loosely clasped her hands.

Shocked, Michonne felt a heat travel up from their clasped hands and through her arm to the rest of her body.

Her eyes snapped to Rick's and he was already looking at her with uncertainty.

Michonne gave him a brief smile to reassure him and squeezed his fingers a little more tightly. He quickly returned her smile, and the two of them continued to sit on the couch in silence with their feet propped up on the end table, enjoying the feeling of their entwined fingers and the warm glow of the oil lamp in front of them.

After a few minutes of being lost in her own world, Michonne turned her head to look at Rick. His head was cocked to the side and he was fast asleep, his fingers still curled around her own.

Michonne looked at him for a few moments, enjoying his peaceful expression. She was glad he was finally getting much needed sleep.

As slowly and quietly as she could, she untangled their fingers and stood. She creeped to the guest bedroom and grabbed two blankets off her bed. She draped one over a still sleeping Rick, and she sat back on the couch next to him, burying herself underneath another. She then clicked off the lamp and within a few minutes she too had drifted off to sleep next to him, both sitting upright on the couch in the silent house.

***can08writer***

The next day, Michonne was sitting next to Carl, holding his hand while Rick made a brief trip to the bathroom.

"You missed dinner last night" she said to him softly while stroking his fingers. "It wasn't the same without you. Nothing is the same without you Carl. I just want to tell you that I'm so glad I met you. I'm so glad I've gotten to know you. You helped me open my heart because it's been closed a long time. You're my friend. My best friend. And I miss talking to you, and reading with you. I miss your smile, and the fun we had together. I need you to wake up. If you can, if you can hear me, I need you to wake up now Carl. We need you."

Michonne gazed at Carl's still, expressionless face. She knew it was a long shot. The fact that he hadn't woken up yet after so many days wasn't good. Michonne knew it, but she wouldn't give up on him until she had to.

Seconds later Rick returned to the room.

"Any change?" he asked, already expecting Michonne's answer.

Just as Michonne was about to say no, she felt movement on her hand that was holding Carl's. It was so small and fleeting she thought her own hand had twitched involuntarily, and she looked down at their intertwined fingers. Carl's pointer finger twitched again against Michonne's hand.

"He… he moved!" Michonne said, holding up Carl's hand to show Rick", he just moved!"

Rick dashed to the hand that Michonne was holding to see for himself. Sure enough, Carl's finger was twitching in jerky movements.

"Carl!" Rick called, taking Carl's hand from Michonne and leaning into Carl's face as closely as he could get.

"Carl it's dad. Can you hear me? Are you there?"

Simultaneously Michonne called Denise. "Come quick! He's moving his fingers! I think he's waking up!"

"Carl!" Rick called again. "If you can hear me squeeze my hand, c'mon son, I'm right here" Rick said, willing Carl to give some sign that he understood what they were saying.

Carl's finger twitched again.

Denise entered the room and squeezed her way past an almost hysterical Rick and Michonne.

"He's twitching, I think he can hear us" Rick said, "Carl, come on son, do it again."

Carl's fingers were still, and then suddenly one jumped upwards.

"See?" Rick said pointing.

Denise leaned over Carl and gently pulled his eyelid back. He was staring straight ahead, but when she moved her finger in front of his eye she noticed that he did track it slowly.

"Hey Carl" Denise said, "can you try to move your toes for me? Even if you can only move one."

Michonne pulled the sheets off of Carl's toes so that they could see any movement he gave. They waited for a few seconds with no response.

"Carl?" Rick asked, "Carl you still with us?"

There was no further response. Denise opened Carl's eye again and this time he was no longer tracking her fingers. He was unconscious.

"Sometimes people in a coma twitch, I'm guarded about being too optimistic, but he did follow my finger which is a good sign" Denise said. "I don't know for sure, I'm not a neurologist, but he just might be coming out of the coma slowly. We just need to give him more time. Getting some more food in him is the best thing we can do for him now."

Denise turned around and was surprised to see Rick beaming down at Carl.

"He knew I was here, he listened. He's gonna be okay. He'll be okay. I know it."