Carolina in my mind
Chapter 9
"Oh fuck," Merle muttered, taking a step backwards even though there was already plenty of space between himself and Lori. Carolina rolled her eyes. Merle could mow down an entire herd of walkers and kill men in cold blood. But the very prospect of seeing a woman in labor was enough to make him queasy and ready to run for his life. How stereotypically manly of him. She didn't know why she was even surprised.
Carolina headed over, kneeling down and placing her hand gently on gently on Lori's shoulder. Despite the calm and caring way Carolina approached her, Lori jerked away from her hand. The sudden violent movement tossed her off balance and Lori fell back, scuffing her palm against the pavement and landing hard on her hip. Carolina backed up, torn between wanting to help and not wanting to upset Lori more in her fragile condition. She breathed a sigh of relief when Hershel shuffled up next to her.
With Carolina's help, Hershel was able to lower himself down onto the pavement next to Lori. He didn't look worried as he placed his hand on her stomach, feeling for the strength of the contractions. Lori's pants were wet, indicating her water had already broken during the walker altercation. But when she shifted her body so Hershel could check the position of the baby, Carolina saw that there was fresh blood seeping through the crotch of her pants. She'd never had a baby herself. But she knew enough to know that lots of heavy blood this early into labor was not a good sign. There was a good chance Lori ripped or ruptured her placenta during the attack. Without medical intervention beyond what was available at the prison, Lori was going to die. Her baby might already be struggling for survival inside her.
"We need to get her to a doctor," Carolina said, directing her announcement towards Merle. He balked, looking unsure of what to do. "NOW!," Carolina added. She knew bringing outsiders back to Woodbury without the proper protocol was against the rules. But clearly, this was an emergency. "She's bleeding. If we don't get her to the infirmary right now, her and the baby are going to die."
"Fuck," Merle cursed, scrubbing his face with his hands. "Uh. FUCK! Okay. We'll take her," he agreed. "Daryl can ride along. Everyone else can wait here until we figure out what the fuck to do."
Carolina leaned down and reached for Lori, urging the woman to come with her. She briefly explained that they had a real doctor and all the medical supplies to help her back at their camp. Lori still didn't seem sure about accepting help from a stranger. But she was also out of options. From the frightened desperate look in her eyes, Carolina guessed she might have had to deliver Carl by C-section and knew that her odds of surviving a vagina birth with no medical intervention were slim. This was her only chance. Lori nodded her head and allowed Carolina to step forward into her personal space.
"She's not going anywhere by herself," Rick hollered, rising to his feet and backing Carolina away from his wife. Carolina took a few nervous steps back, uncomfortable with the aggressive way Rick moved into her personal space. For a second he looked like he intended to put his hands on her. And no one said anything about taking Lori anywhere by herself. Merle said Daryl could go with her.
"You even think about laying a finger on her and yer dead," Merle warned, inserting himself between them with his hand already resting on his gun..
"Lori's not going anywhere without me," Rick repeated.
Merle shrugged. The bitch could sit there and die for all he cared. And he didn't see why Rick was throwing such a fit about it in the first place. It really wasn't any of his business.
"What the fuck do you care?," Merle asked. "It's not yer fuckin' kid. Where the hell is Shane? I'll take him with me." Shane was a pig too. But at least that fucker had some sense in his head.
Carolina barked out a laugh, quickly covering it by turning it into a loud cough. Merle was pretty much the champion of savage insults. And this time, he hadn't even done it on purpose. Merle's only interaction with Rick was when the man cuffed him to the roof. He had no idea that Rick was Lori's not so long lost husband or Carl's dad. Last he knew, Lori was Shane's girlfriend. And intentional or not, he'd just laid all their dirty laundry out in front of everyone. Hershel began choking on his own spit. Glenn started laughing and Maggie jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow. And everyone else was pretty much just staring with their mouths open. Carol was the one that stepped forward and tried to explain the situation.
"Rick is Lori's husband," she said.
One look at Rick's face sent Merle off into a tirade of inappropriate laughter. It was obvious that realizing the man he despised had been cuckolded by his friend pretty much made Merle's entire day worthwhile. Carolina cursed under her breath as Lori let out another howl of pain.
"She needs a doctor now," she urged.
"You're not taking her anywhere," Rick argued. Merle laughed again. This time in his face.
"She can lay there and die for all I care," Merle hollered. "This ain't a fuckin' negotiation."
Carolina cursed under her breath, casting a pointed glance at Daryl, who she hoped might be willing to suggest some sort of compromise. Or at least try. But of course he was just standing there. Not saying a word. His body was tense, like a rubber back ready to snap. And he was glancing back and forth between his brother and his friend, unsure anymore of where his loyalty lied.
"I'll go," Hershel said. He was still sitting on the pavement near Lori, struggling to get back onto his feet. Seeing something he could do without choosing a side in the argument, Daryl stepped forward and lifted the old man up onto his one good leg. Before Merle could object, Hershel stated his case. "I've been acting as her primary physician for her entire pregnancy. There's information your doctor may need from me." Hershel quickly turned to Rick, warning him with a glance that he better not make any further objections. "Lori will be perfectly safe in my care," he added.
"Okay then," Daryl huffed. Before anything else could be said, he lifted Lori up into his arms and headed for the truck, sliding her into the backseat far enough to leave room for Hershel to climb in after her. Carolina hopped into the front seat, ending up between Merle and Daryl as she glanced nervously over her shoulder at the sound of Lori's gasps of pain.
The drive back to Woodbury was just over twenty minutes. Probably less with the way Merle was lead footing the gas pedal. But it felt like much longer with the sound of Lori's labored breathing filling the interior of the truck. Merle started honking the moment he saw the gates. And thankfully, the guards were quick to swing them open and allow him to pull the truck through. He kept going, driving over a section of manicured grass and pulling up right in front of the medical center. Carolina poured herself out of the truck, screaming for Dr. Stevens. She was impressed by how quickly the people of Woodbury reacted to the sudden emergency. The governor deserved some credit for keeping the place well organized and prepared. Even if he was a psycho. Lori was rushed into the medical center. And since Carolina went in with her, she didn't see the governor's reaction to Woodbury's unexpected visitors. Daryl received one of the man's warm and seemingly sincere greetings. After which, the man turned and raised a brow at Merle.
"I see you've had a busy day," he observed, cringing at the audible screams drifting out from inside the medical center. "Maybe we should talk later…" Merle nodded, quick to agree with the man. They had a few things to discuss about his old friends at the prison. A conversation he didn't want to have in front of Daryl.
"Later is good for me."
