Flower of Blood | TWD

011 | Waiting and Nervous.

The whole world seemed to have ended when Maisie Grimes was told one random afternoon, after a long day at school, that her father had been shot on duty and was rushed straight into emergency surgery.

Time felt as if it had collapsed around her, considering she was constantly waiting for him to wake up and hold her again. She spent every hour she could lying next to him in that hospital bed— refusing to get up for any reason until Lori would have to drag her away and home.

Falling asleep those nights wasn't much easier. Nightmares weren't an uncommon occurrence for Maisie, and they only increased when she didn't have her father there to kiss her goodnight, or comfort her when she would run into him and Lori's room for security and love.

Apparently, as if the universe hadn't already punched each Grimes family member in the face with those events, the world seemed to properly come to an definitive end months later— with Rick Grimes left behind in the hospital.

Even now, with Rick returned to his family and them all together again— safe and secure, it wasn't enough. Maisie was sat waiting again, this time for her brother.

"How about some orange juice?" Beth offered as she helped Maisie sit down at the table, trying to distract her from all the commotion happening in the other room.

Maisie shook her head, not feeling very hungry or thirsty at all. The thought of eating alone made her feel sick. However, Beth poured her some juice anyway and placed it in front of the girl just incase. Some silence passed before Beth spoke. "Oli?."

Maisie's head whipped in the other direction, narrowing her eyes and sending daggers towards the boy who shot her brother. Even if he didn't mean too— he had, and she was angry at him for it. "I'm so sorry." Oliver whispered as he looked down at his boots. "Otis let me try just once— and I never had before, so I thought it would be fine, but I didn't see him behind the deer."

"You still shot him!" Maisie quipped with disgust, she hated hating people— but figured it was okay in this situation, since Oliver had literally shot her brother. Some part of her knew it was really nobody's fault, and just a freak accident, but she still felt scared and wanted to turn that into anger.

When Rick returned inside, this time accompanied by Shane. Maisie stood up and left her juice behind. She followed them into the next room, Shane holding her shoulder in an attempt to provide any comfort.

Her lip quivered as she saw Carl looking drained of life on the bed, his wound still bleeding despite the pressure Hershel was pressing onto it. "Do you know his blood type?" Hershel asked.

"A-positive, same as mine and my daughters." Rick replied quickly as he looked down hopelessly as his son. Maisie hated needles and anything to do with them, but she was more than willing to give her blood to Carl.

"That's fortunate, don't wander far I'm gonna need you, and her if it comes to it." Hershel sighed, "What happened?"

"I was tracking a buck, Oliver asked to try and practise his aim and I let him.. bullet went through it." Otis answered, feeling the fault landing on him more than Oliver. He let the kid use the gun after all, even if neither of them knew what the outcome would be.

Maisie glared at Oliver again, who was hovering shamefully in the doorway. The boy met her eyes, quickly looking down at his boots and leaving the room.

"The deer slowed the bullet down," Hershel informed as he lifted the case he was using to see the injury. "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— I'm counting six."

Otis stumbled his way over to his wife, Patricia, who held a worried expression. "I never saw him, I thought letting Oliver— just this once. Not until he was on the ground." The man muttered.