Lottie Grimes in the Apocalypse

Chapter 14

3rd POV
The sounds of labored breathing and grunting fills the air of the empty field as Shane, an unknown man, and Rick carrying an unconscious Carl run through it.

"Come on! Hey, you move, dickhead! Come on, get us there! How far? How far?" Shane yells at the man "Another half mile, that way! Hershel, talk to Hershel-- He'll help your boy. I'm sorry" the man says breathlessly "Let's go-- Come on!" Shane snaps as they come up to a peaceful looking farmhouse where three women stand outside. Two blondes and a brunette.

"Dad! Was he bit?" The brunette is the first to speak "Shot, by your man" Shane answers as Rick is trembling "Otis?" The elder blonde asked "He said find Hershel" Shane says before looking to the elderly man who walks out "Is that you?" Shane asks as Rick manages to find his voiceHelp me-- Help my boy" he begs Hershel looks at Carl before barking out orders "Get him inside-- Inside! Patricia, I need my full kit. Maggie--" the brunette jumps up and asks "Yeah?"

Rick continues to carry Carl as he's led to a bedroom where he immediately lays him on the bed "Painkillers, coagulates-- Grab everything. Clean towels, sheets, alcohol. In here. Pillowcase" Hershel orders "Is-is he alive?" Rick asks "Pillowcase, quick" Hershel says ignoring him "Is-is he alive?" Rick asks again desperately "Fold it-- Make a pad. Put pressure on the wound. I've got a heartbeat-- It's faint. I got it-- Step back. Maggie, IV. We need some space. Your name?" Hershel speaks so rapidly it's hard for the shocked Rick to keep up.

"R-Rick" he manages "Rick?" Hershel asks looking up "I'm-I'm-I'm Rick" Rick stammers "Rick, we're gonna do everything we can, okay? You need to give us some room. Now. Move!" Hershel says before turning back to work on Carl.

Rick then leaves and walks outside still in a state of shock "He's alive-- He's still alive?" Shane asks desperate for an answer. Rick is eligible as he confirms that Carl is in fact still alive. Shane then pulls out a hanky and starts wiping the blood off of Rick's face "Okay. It's okay. You got blood, man. Okay. I'll take it from you. Where is he-- Is he okay?" Shane speaks before Hershel emerges and asks "You know his blood type?"

Rick snaps out of it enough to answer "A-positive-- s-same as mine" "That's fortunate. Don't wander far-- I'm gonna need you. What happened?" Hershel asks "I was tracking a buck. Bullet went through it. Went clean through" Otis answers guiltily "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 countin' six" Hershel states "I never saw him. Not until he was on the ground" Otis says as his consensus weighs down on him.

"Lori doesn't know? No, she-- My wife doesn't know-- My wife doesn't know" Rick says as realization dawns on him.

{~With the group~}

Still 3rd POV
"You still worrying about it?" Daryl asks as Lottie fumbles with her fingers "It was a gunshot. We all heard it. Why one-- Why just one gunshot?" She asks "Maybe they took down a walker" Daryl says shrugging "Please don't patronize me. You know my dad 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?" Lottie whispers in a hiss as her anxiety creeps up into her mind.

Daryl suddenly grasps her hands in his "There's nothing we can do about it, anyway. Can't run around these woods chasing echoes. So, what do we do? 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 RV" Daryl says. Lottie develops a fixation on Daryl's callous hands.

Her fingers trace around the scars and rough spots as she grounds herself. Daryl let's her, his eyes staring down at her before wrapping his hand around hers. Lottie grasps his and takes a deep breath. "You're right, I'm sorry I snapped" Daryl shrugs and says "Yer on edge. I'd snap too if I was in her shoes. The closest thing you have to a son is off in the woods that's full of walkers and gunshots. Even if he is with his dad."