trigger warnings: nothing too much in this chapter, there is mentions of surgery and death and a little bit of language. enjoy!
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Alison paced the living room of the farm house as she waited for anyone to return with news, whether that be Shane and Otis with the necessary supplies to save Carl or her sister with the other members of the new group. Eventually, Ali took a break away from Carl, he was in as much of a stable condition as he could be for the time being so she retired to the kitchen to make herself a little something to eat.
Alison sat and began sipping a glass of water when Lucy finally returned and she was able to breathe a sigh of relief that her sister was back safely.
"Hey" Lucy said "How are you holding up?" She asked.
Ali chuckled "I've been worse. Better now that you're back" She said with a half smile.
"Would you mind helping T-dog here if you're up for it, I can always get Patricia to do it if not?" Lucy asked her, sensing that her sister would likely bite her head off if she even attempted to make a joke.
Alison nodded and turned to T-Dog "Sure, just come through here" Ali instructed T-Dog who followed her into the dining area where she grabbed some stitching supplies and antiseptic spray. Alison carefully removed the makeshift bandage on his arm, arching a brow at the sight of such an infected looking wound.
"Jesus.." Ali spoke "You're lucky you got here when you did" She stated, putting on a clean pair of gloves and beginning to wipe down the wound, cleaning as much of the dried blood as she could before she completed that and turned to T-Dog "This bit is gonna hurt, I'm sorry, I'll try my best to be gentle" Alison cautioned.
"It's okay, just do it" T-Dog replied, clearly looking as though he was preparing himself for the worst.
Ali threaded up a surgical needle and tied it before she began stitching the wound up, she could tell he was in some discomfort but luckily the needle was sharp enough that he didn't feel it too much. Soon enough, she was done so she cleaned the wound once more before applying a clean bandage. "Try not to knock it or anything, it's a pretty deep cut" Alison said as she stood up.
"Thanks" T-Dog replied as he also stood and went to join his people.
Ali washed her hands and went to join Hershel who was in the room with Carl, preparing them for the worst. Rick had given blood twice already, but it wasn't enough. Rick looked on the verge of passing out, even though he offered to give again.
Hershel looked toward Alison who was emerging from the doorway, clearly concerned.
"If he needs more blood, I can give him some?" Alison suggested, not entirely sure if Carl's parents would agree to that but wanting to offer all the same "My blood type is O+, I used to donate blood all the time at college because mine goes with anyone." Ali added.
Lori turned to Rick who simply nodded "That's real kind, sorry I didn't catch your name earlier." Rick said, standing up so Alison could take his place for the transfusion.
"Alison" She said, introducing herself "But there's no need to thank me until your boy is in the clear" Alison said, taking off the flannel shirt that she was wearing over her tank top so that Patricia could insert the needle.
Ali tried her best to stay totally still as her blood was collected. Patricia cleaned her arm up when she was finished and Alison decided to go out and get some air. The sun was beginning to set and the sky was turning a shade of amber, if it wasn't a visual reminder of the time passing by then it would actually be quite beautiful.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Lucy spoke, pulling Alison from the trance she was in. Ali turned to her.
"I'm okay" Alison responded with a sigh "Otis and the other guy should have been back by now..." She stated "If we have to wait any longer, it might be a different story" Ali murmered.
Lucy shook her head "Don't talk like that, they'll be back soon and everything will be just fine" She replied in an optimistic tone.
Ali nodded and sat down for a brief moment before Hershel came out "Alison, if it isn't any trouble, we need to have a conversation with Carl's parents about the next steps." He spoke, to which Ali nodded and stood up, walking inside with Hershel to prepare to potentially operate then and there.
The sound of the truck engine roared and Lucy stood herself up from her sat position on the porch. She moved forward to make sure it was one of their own, which it was, however Lucy's heart sank when she saw it was just Shane. Everyone by this point had rushed outside to see if it was the pair returning, hopefully with the items needed.
"Otis?" Hershal asked, his eyes darting around. Shane shook his head, tears building in his eyes. "We say nothing to Patricia, not till after, we need her" Hershal spoke before rushing back inside alongside a few others.
As soon as the supplies were delivered, Hershel got straight to work with the help of Alison and Patricia. The knowledge that Otis was gone admittedly made Ali sad, even though she had only properly known him for the duration of the outbreak he was a good man so it was horrible that he was gone and she dreaded delivering the news to Patricia, even though it was inevitable that once Carl was stable - someone would have to tell her.
The three of them worked hard at extracting the final fragments and stitching up any open wounds, Hershel, Ali and Patriica all breathing an immense sigh of relief once the last fragment was removed and the last stitch tied.
"You have both done extremely well" Hershel said as he peeled off his gloves and took a few steps away from Carl. "I couldn't have done this without you" He added, turning to Patricia.
"There is something we need to talk about, but it had to wait until the boy was alright." Hershel began, looking at Patricia with a solemn expression which said it all.
"Otis? Is he hurt?" The older woman questioned, looking at Ali and Hershel in turn.
"He..." Ali began, taking her hand "I'm so sorry but he didn't make it back" Alison spoke to Patricia who just broke down.
Hearing the cries of Patricia in the background only fueled Lucy's emotions. She blamed Shane, even though Otis wanted to save the boy, nothing seemed to add up. Thinking about the devil himself he walked into the house, Lucy sat on the stairs listening in on everyones conversations. The pair locked eyes, Lucy death starring him, Shane returning the unfavourable look.
Maggie was distraught, the death of Otis had hit her more than she expected. William was there to comfort her, always taking the role of the shoulder to cry on. William asked Lucy to sort some clothes out for Shane, no one feeling the same as her about Shane as far as she was aware.
She brought him some clothes "Showers upstairs and here's some clothes, they were Otis's so they may be a bit big" She spoke her words sounding bitter and full of anger. Shane took the clothes from her, just giving her a nod, not bothering to say a word.
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midnight rain | daryl dixon
Fanfic"she was sunshine, i was midnight rain . . ." the end of the world was just the beginning for some. a story in which two people who were once worlds apart become closer than they could have ever imagined.
