digging graves// rick grimes x OC//

Bloodletting Part 1

Fear. That was all Rick was feeling. Fear that he would lose Carl, fear that this man was leading them to their deaths, fear of what these people could be capable of. He couldn't worry about this now, he needed to get Carl help. He wanted to believe this was all some bad dream, that his boy wasn't on the verge of death.
Shane on the other hand, he was in a blind rage. Anger practically coursing through his veins. He shouts towards the heavier-set man, "Hey, you move, shithead! Come on! Get us there!"
Rick turns around facing the stranger, "How far? How far?!"
"Another half mile that way," the man points, speaking out of breath, "Hershel. Talk to Hershel. He'll help your boy."
Carl was limp in Rick's arms as he ran towards the direction of a farmhouse. Drawing closer he sees a family on the porch, "Was he bit?" an older man asks.
"Shot. By your man," Rick responds.
"Otis?" a woman asks in disbelief.
"He said find Hershel. Is that you?" Rick questions the older man, who nods. "Help me. Help my boy," Rick pleads.
"Get him inside," Hershel commands. As they walk through the door, he begins to rolls his sleeves up, "Patricia, I need my full kit. Maggie, painkillers, coagulates— grab everything. Clean towels, sheets, alcohol. I'm here." Rick sets Carl down on the bed that Hershel led him to. "Pillowcase," Hershel says to Rick.
"Is he alive?" Rick asks, staring at the unconscious body of his son.
"Pillowcase, quick," Hershel repeats.
"Is he alive?" Rick asks again, while grabbing the pillowcase.
"Fold it. Make a pad," the older man directs, "Put pressure on the wound." Hershel puts a stethoscope on the boy, "I've got a heartbeat. It's faint."
The older woman, Patricia, goes beside Rick, taking over, "I got it, step back."
Hershel removes his stethoscope, "Maggie, I.V."
The brunette, Maggie, looks at Rick, "We need some space."
"Your name?" Hershel asks.
"Rick," he says quietly.
"Rick?" Hershel confirms.
"I'm— I'm Rick."
"Rick, we're gonna do everything we can, okay? You need to give us some room. Now."
Rick slowly backs up, shock quickly sinking in. A million thoughts were running through his head. He was wondering how he could get Winona here, she was a nurse and damn good one at that, how he was going to tell Lori, the possibility Carl was going to pull through. He turned his attention out the window when he heard voices, he saw Shane and the man, Otis. Rick walks out on to the porch, covered in his son's blood.
"He's alive? He's still alive?" Otis starts asking. Rick doesn't answer, he goes to wipe the sweat off his forehead but he doesn't realize he was smearing the blood into his face.
"Hey..." Shane says gingerly, "It's okay." He begins to wipe Rick's face off, "You got blood, man." Shane hands Rick the rag to wipe the rest off his hands. "I'll take it from you. Where is he? Where is he? Is he okay?" Shane whispers.
Rick leads the two inside the farmhouse to the room where Carl is. Hershel sees Rick, "You know his blood type?"
"A-positive, same as mine," Rick answers.
"That's fortunate. Don't wander far. I'm gonna need you," the doctor tells Rick. Hershel turns to Otis, "What happened?"
"I was tracking a buck. Bullet went through it. Went clean through."
"The deer slowed the bullet down, which certainly saved his life. But it did not go through clean. It broke up into pieces. If I can get the bullet fragments out... and I'm counting six."
Otis goes over to Patricia, hugging her, "I never saw him, not until he was on the ground."
Rick turns to Shane, "Lori doesn't know. My wife doesn't know. My wife doesn't know." He starts to cry, Shane consoling him.
——
Daryl's group is continuing back to the highway. Lori hesitates and turns around. Andrea notices, "You still worrying about it?"
"It was a gunshot," Lori responds.
"We all heard it," Daryl speaks up.
Lori faces the group, "Why one? Why just one gunshot?"
"Maybe they took down a walker," Daryl answers.
"Please don't patronize me. You know Rick wouldn't risk a gunshot to put down one walker. Or Shane. They'd do it quietly."
"Shouldn't they have caught up with us by now?" Carol mentions.
"There's nothing we can do about it anyway. Can't run around these woods chasing echoes," Daryl tries to reason.
"So what do we do?" Lori questions the man.
"Same as we've been. Beat the bush for Sophia, work our way back to the highway."
"I'm sure they'll hook up with us back at the R.V.," Andrea says to comfort Lori. Lori takes one last glance and starts to walk again. Andrea goes over to Carol, "I'm sorry for what you're going through. I know how you feel."
"I suppose you do. Thank you. The thought of her out here by herself... It's the not knowing that killing me. I just keep hoping and praying she doesn't wind up like Amy," Carol says, not realizing until she sees Andrea's face, "Oh god. That's the worst thing I ever said."
Andrea shakes her head, as if clearing her thoughts, "We're all hoping and praying with you, for what it's worth."
Daryl walks over, "I'll tell you what it's worth— not a damn thing. It's a waste of time all this hoping and praying. 'Cause we're gonna locate that little girl, she's gonna be just fine. Am I the only one zen around here? Good lord," he turns back around, speaking under his breath, "I wish Wi came with us, this is giving me a goddamn headache." Glenn let's out a soft chuckle from overhearing Daryl and the group presses on.
——
On the highway, Dale was under the hood of a car. He spots T-Dog and Winona walking over to him, "We are gonna have quite a collection of spare parts, I tell ya."
"Shouldn't they be back by now?" T-Dog says.
"I'm starting to worry, Pops," Winona admits.
"It's still light. Let's not worry just yet." Dale looks over at T-Dog, "How are you feeling?" he ignores the older man, "T-Dog? I asked you how you were feeling just now. Please don't blow that question off."
T-Dog glances towards Winona, "It really really hurts. It's throbbing something awful." The older man begins to lift the bandaid to look at the cut.
Dale lowers the bandage, accidentally brushing against the wound. T-Dog yells out in pain, "Don't—Don't touch it!"
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," the man apologizes.
"Look, T's veins are very discolored. He has a hell of an infection. I tried all I could with what was around. Without any antiseptics or antibiotics, it's gotten worse. I'm worried he could die from blood poisoning."
T-Dog starts to laugh, "Wouldn't that be the way? World gone to hell, the dead risen up to eat the living and Theodore Douglas gets done in by a cut on his arm."
He begins laughing again and Dale grabs his shoulders in worry, "Yeah, that would be— that would be stupid. I've been saying since yesterday, we've got to get you some antibiotics, I know Winona's been looking around with no luck."
"Guys, I've been ransacking these cars the whole time. I can't believe that I have not found some ampicillin or something in the whole place. Can you?" Winona says.
"Seems like there would be," T-Dog responds.
"That's what I think, too," Dale replies.
"Well, I know I am not letting you die, T. At least not until I get to call you Theo," Winona says grinning.
"Oh god Wi. Well if I live through this I'll let you call me Theo once and only once, okay?"
"Yessir," she salutes, "Now, we haven't been thorough enough with our search. So let's look some more." T-Dog smiles and Dale nods, they all go their separate ways.
——
As the clock ticks in the farmhouse, Rick speaks up, "Why'd I let him come with us? I should have sent him with Lori, or left him with Winona. She would've kept him safe."
Shane shakes his head, "You know, you start with that, you'll never get that monkey off your back."
"Little girl goes missing, you look for her. Simple. You said call it, head back."
"Doesn't matter what I said."
"Carl got shot because I wouldn't cut bait. It should be me in there."
Shane chuckles, "You've been there, partner. Right? And you pulled through. So will he."
"Is that why I got out of that hospital? Found my family for it to end here like this? This some kind of sick joke?"
"You stop it. Hell, I'll go get Win so she can smack some sense into you. She took care of your ass, don't you remember? Same situation as the people taking care of Carl right now. Just stop."
"Little girl goes missing... you look for her. It's plain and simple."
Suddenly, Maggie opens the door, "Rick..." the men head into the room, "he needs blood."
Rick sees Carl awake and crying in pain. Hershel looks at Shane, "You, hold him down."
"Dad!" Carl cries out.
"I got him," Shane says.
"Almost there," Hershel states prodding at the wound, Carl shrieks, the pain overwhelming.
Rick yells, "Stop! You're killing him!"
"Rick, do you want him to live?" Hershel asks a rhetorical question.
"He needs blood," Patricia speaks up.
"Do it now!" Shane shouts at Rick. He gives his arm to the woman so she can draw blood. Carl goes unconscious, worrying Shane, "Wait. Wait. Hey."
"He just passed out," Hershel reassures. He pulls out a bullet fragment, "One down... five to go."
——
Hershel decides it would be best to take a break after removing the first shrapnel piece. He takes Carl's blood pressure, "Pressure's stable."
Rick, sitting in the chair next to the bed, speaks up, "Lori needs to be here. She doesn't even know what's going on. I've got to go find her. Bring her back."
"You can't do that," Hershel states.
"She's his mother," Rick raises his voice, "She needs to know what's happened. Her son's lying here shot."
"And he's going to need more blood," Hershel says, he turns to Shane, "He can't go more than 50 feet from this bed."
Rick stands up, stumbling a little from giving a lot of blood. Shane steadies him, "Hey. Hey. Come on."
"I'm alright. I'm alright." Rick begins to walk away.
Shane looks at Hershel, "I got him." Rick goes to sit outside of the room and Maggie looks up. Shane catches Otis and her up, "He's stable for now."
Rick looks back, "Lori has to be here Shane, she has to know."
"Okay, I get that. I'm gonna handle it. But you've got to handle your end."
"My— my end?
"Your end is being here for your son. Even if he didn't need your blood to survive, there is now way I'd ever let you walk out that door. Man, I'd break your legs if you tried. You know that, right? If something happened to him and you weren't here... If— if he slipped away while you were gone, you would never forgive yourself for that. And neither would Lori, man."
"You're right."
"When was I ever wrong?" Shane chuckles, "You know when— when you were in that hospital, the one you were never supposed to leave, man, you should have seen Lori," he scooted over to Rick, "She was like... the strength of that woman...you can't imagine it. See— see that's what you've got to have now. I mean, Carl— he needs that from you. So you wire yourself tight, my friend. You hear? You've got the hard part. Just leave the rest to me, okay? Maybe I'll even grab Winona so she can be here to whip your ass in shape," they chuckle, "She cares for Carl a lot, and you. When she took care of you, she'd always manage to do nightly calls to Carl since Lori didn't want him to see you like that. She risked a hell of a lot to stay back and take care of you. I know if she was here right now she would be lecturing you the second the words 'I've got to go' left your mouth."
Rick grins, "Alright."
"Alright," Shane repeats.
Hershel opens the door, causing everyone to stand up. "He's out of danger for the moment," he states, "But I need to remove those remaining fragments."
"How? You saw how he was," Rick questions.
"I know, and that was the shallowest one. I need to go deeper to get the others."
Shane sighs, "Oh man."
"There's more," Hershel continues.
"Tell me," Rick instructs.
"His belly's distended, his pressure is dropping, which means there's internal bleeding. A fragment must have nicked one of the blood vessels. I have to open him up, find the bleeder and stitch it. And he can't move while I'm in there— I mean, at all. If he reacts the same as before, I'll sever an artery and he'll be dead in minutes. To even try this, I have to put him under. But if I do, he won't be able to breathe on his own. Same bad results."
"What'll it take?" Rick asks.
"You need a respirator. What else?" Otis cuts in.
"The tube that goes with it, extra surgical supplies, drapes, sutures."
Rick turns to Hershel, "If you had all that you could save him?"
"If I had all that, I could try."
"Nearest hospital went up in flames a month ago," Otis gasps, "The high school."
"That's what I was thinking. They set up a FEMA shelter there. They would have everything we need."
"Place was overrun last time I saw it. You couldn't get near it. Maybe it's better now."
"I said, leave the rest to me," Shane says, "Is it too late to take that back?"
"I hate you going alone," Rick states.
"Come on. Doc, why don't you do me a list and draw me a map?"
Otis speaks up, "You won't need a map. I'll take you there. Ain't but five miles."
"Otis, no," Patricia argues.
"Honey, we don't have time for guesswork and I'm responsible. I ain't gonna sit here while this fella takes this on alone. I'll be alright."
"Are you sure about this?" Shane questions the man.
"Do you even know what any of the stuff he's talking about looks like?"
"You know, for dating a nurse for a few years, you'd expect me to pick up on it, but come to think of it, no. I don't have a clue."
"I've been a volunteer E.M.T. I do. We can talk about this till next Sunday or we could just go do it real quick."
"I'll take right quick."
"I should thank you," Rick tells the man.
"Wait till that boy of yours is up and around. Then we'll talk. I'll gather some things."
Maggie walks up to Rick, "Where is she, your wife?"
——
In the woods, the group stops, Daryl speaking up, "We'll lose the light before too long. I think we should call it."
"Let's head back," Lori declares.
"We'll pick it up again tomorrow?" Carol asks.
"Yeah, we'll find her tomorrow."
Daryl whistles and signals for the group to keep moving.
——
Loading up the truck, Rick stops Shane, "Just get what you need and get out of there. You stay strong alright?"
"Look, man, if something happens to me, tell Win I'm sorry."
Rick nods and heads over to Otis, handing him his revolver. Otis glances at Hershel and the looks up at Rick, "That's a fine weapon, Rick. I'll bring it back in good shape." Otis and Shane hop into the truck, Shane looking at the hunting rifle Otis is bringing. The man looks over to him, "Only one I got."
Shane slightly shakes his head, "Man, this turned into one strange day."
"Didn't it though?" Otis agrees, beginning to head away from the farmhouse.
Patricia shakes her head, walking back into the house. Hershel turns to Rick, "Let's check on your boy."
——
Dale walks over towards Winona and T-Dog, who were sitting on crates next to the R.V., "Found some more batteries, a bottle of very trendy pink water, an excellent new machete, and I though Glenn might like this guitar. Maybe he plays." Dale sits down next to them, "No drugs. You?"
"Yeah, Ibuprofen and these," T-Dog says mentioning the cigarettes he was smoking.
"No dice, just Tylenol," Winona sighs, opening her backpack, "I found some more comics for Carl when he gets back, a book I think Carol might like, some arrows for Daryl, some cool bracelets, and a..." she drifts off, beginning to laugh causing the men to look at her, "...I found a fake sheriff badge that I plan on giving to Rick." They also start to chuckle. "I'm sorry T, I wish I found better drugs for you," Winona frowns, the silence comes back, as they look out.
T-Dog breaks it, "What are we doing?"
"Pulling supplies together," Dale answers.
"No, I mean... What are we doing?" he repeats, emphasizing the last part. T-Dog continues to explain, "People off in the woods, they's looking for that poor girl and we're here. Why?" Dale and Winona look at him confused. T-Dog presses on, "'Cause they think we're the weakest. What are you, 70?"
"64. "
"Uh-huh. And Wi, they only see you as their nurse, only needing you when someone is hurt."
She frowns, becoming self-conscious, "Is that how you see me?"
He shakes his head, "And I'm the one black guy. Realize how precarious that makes my situation?"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Dale urges.
"I'm talking about two good-old-boy cowboy sheriffs and a redneck whose brother cut off his own hand because I dropped a key. Who in that scenario you think is gonna be first to get lynched?"
"You can't be serious," Dale says in disbelief, "Am I— hey, am I missing something? Those cowboys have done alright by us. And if I'm not mistaken, that redneck went out of his way to save your ass— more than once. And Winona, she's your friend, the group doesn't just see her as a nurse, they see her as an important cog in the machine. They wanted her to stay back here to keep an eye on you and this place because if you hadn't noticed, she is as tough as nails."
"Thanks Pops," Winona smiles, patting his shoulder.
"And don't forget about Andrea. Kills her own sister," T-Dog adds.
"She was already dead," Dale says solemnly.
"Then wants to blow herself up. Yeah, she's all there."
"She's having a tough time. What is wrong with you?" Dale defends.
"The whole world is having a tough time. Damn, man. Open your eyes," he begins to raise his voice, "Look where we are— stuck in this mess here!" Dale and Winona try shushing him. T-Dog grabs his head, "Let's— Let's just go. Let's just take the R.V."
Dale looks at the man incredulously, "You've gone off the deep end."
"I mean it, man. Why are we on the side of this road like live bait? Let's go, You, me, and Winona. Let's go before they get back."
Winona steps towards T-Dog, a hand out-stretched. Laying it on his forehead she frowns, "Oh my god, T. You're burning up." She points to the pill bottle, "Gimme that. Come on." She pours out the ibuprofen, reaching it towards the sick man, "Here, take these. We've got to knock that fever down, now."
Dale grabs the pink water, handing it to the ill man, who begins to take a few sips. He looks towards the woods, "Where the hell are they?"
——
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