What if it's us~ Carl Grimes Gay

Chapter 9

Max Dixon's POV

As soon as Carl's body hit the ground I was at his side. There was already a stain of blood forming on the left side of Carl's shirt. I quickly took off my flannel and held it up against his chest to try and stop the bleeding just as Rick and Shane ran forward too.

Shane goes over to the bushes and pulls out an overweighted man. "Why the hell did you shoot him!?" Shane yells pointing his gun at the man. "I didn't see him, I swear!" The man yells. "I have a camp. It's that way,"The man says pointing to our left, "take the boy there. There's a farm. Ask for Hershal, he'll know what to do."The man explains.

I quickly bend down and pick Carl up before taking off in that direction with Rick right behind me. I had tears running down my face as I held Carl close to my chest. "Please don't die. Please, please, please don't die."I cried out as I kept on running.

I soon came to a big open field. I could see a big white farm house in the distance. That must be Hershals farm. I run even quicker praying that Carl didn't die. I get up to the house with Rick still on my tail when an old man and 3 girls came outside.

"Was he bit?"The old man asks. "Shot. By your man."Rick says as we slow down to a speed walk. "Otis?"One of the girls ask. "He said find Hershal. Is that you?"I ask as the old man comes towards us. The man nods and leads us inside.

"Patricia, I need my full kit. Maggie, painkillers, coagulates-- grab everything. Clean towels, sheets  alcohol. In here."Hershal says leading us into a room with a bed. I layed Carl down on the bed carefully so I didn't hurt him. "Pillowcase."Hershal orders as I quickly grab a pillowcase.

"Is he alive? Is he alive?"Rick asks as he gets closer. "Fold it. Make a pad. Put pressure on the wound."Hershal orders me before checking for a heartbeat. "I've got a heartbeat. It's faint."Hershal says as one of the girls takes over for me. "Maggie, I.V." Hershal says as I step back with my bloody fannel in my hand.

"Your name?"Hershal asks Rick.
"Rick. I'm, I'm Rick."Rick answers. "Rick? Rick, we're gonna do everything we can, okay? You need to give is some room. Now."Hershal says. Rick steps back next to me when we hear Shane yelling outside.

Rick heads outside with me slowly following him. We got outside and I sat down on a chair. I was still in a daze. I just couldn't believe what just happened. One minute we were looking at a beautiful deer and the next Carl was on the ground with a bullet hole on his chest.

I was just glad he was alive. But what if he dies? What if they can't save him? I don't know what I would do if Carl died. He was my everything. Sure I still had my dad and my uncle might still be out there, but Carl was the light in my life. He made me smile. He was funny, smart, playful, loveable, careing and the best boyfriend I could ask for. I would basically shut down if he died.

Please, god, don't let Carl die. He's too young and innocent to die. He's the most innocent one of us all. What about the others? They don't even know. I promised Lori I would keep him safe and I failed her. It should have been me. Not Carl. I should be the one laying in that bed right now. I would do anything to switch places with him.

Suddenly I hear Carl's pained scream. I jump up and run inside to see Shane holding down Carl as Hershal was using some tool to dig into Carl's chest. Rick was standing off to the side getting some blood taken by a blonde girl. I run forward as I yelled at them. "You're killing him!! Stop it!!"I scream as a guy grabs me and holds me back.

"This is the only way to make sure he lives!"Hershal yells at me. Then Carl's body goes limp. "Wait, wait."Shane says as he sees this. "He just passed out."Hershal says before pulling out a piece of the bullet. "One down, 5 to go."Hershal says dropping the piece in a bowl. The man holding me let's go and steps back as I stand there stareing at Carl.

He than bandages Carl's wound and sticks an I.V. into Carl's arm and started pumping Ricks blood into him as Rick get a his arm bandaged. Hershal than checks Carl's pressure. "Pressures stable."Hershal says. "Lori needs to be here. She doesn't even know what's going on. I've got to go find her. Bring her back."Rick says.

"You can't do that."Hershal says. "She's his mother. She needs to know what's happened. Her son's lying here shot."Rick says getting upset. "And he's going to need more blood. He can't go more than 50 feet from this bed." Hershal says turning towards us. Shane nods in agreement.

Then Rick stands up and Him and Shane walk out of the room to talk. I sit there quietly as I watch Carl's sleeping form. "What's your name, dear?"The blonde woman asks me.
"M-Max."I stutter out as I look up at her. "My name's Patricia."She says as she shakes my hand.

"Don't worry your brothers gonna be okay."She assures me. "He's not m-my brother."I whisper. "Oh, I'm sorry. I just assumed."She explains.
"Its alright. You didn't know."I say as I go back to looking at Carl. Then Hershal stood up and went out of the room. I got up and followed him to hear the news.

"He's out of danger for the moment. But I need to remove those remaining fragments."Hershal explains. "How? You saw how he was."Rick asks. "I know, and that was the shallowest one. I need to go deeper to get the others."Hershal continues."Oh man." Shane sighs.

"There's more. His bellys distended, his pressures 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 ain't be able to breathe on his own. Same bad results."Hershal explains.

"What'll it take?"Rick asks. "You need a respirator. What else?"Otis asks stepping forward. "The tube that goes with it, extra surgical supplies, drapes, sutures."Hershal lists off. "If you had all that you could save him?"I ask. "If I had all that, I could try." Hershal says.

"Nearest hospital went up in flames a month ago.... The high school."Otis realizes. "That's what I was thinking. They set up a FEMA shelter there. They would have everything we need."Hershal says. "Place is overrun last time I saw it. You couldn't get near it. Maybe it's better now."Otis guesses.

"I said, leave the rest to me. Is it too late to take that back?"Shane asks. "I hate you going alone."Rick says. "Come on. Doc, why don't you do me a list and draw me a map?"Shane asks. "You won't need a map. I'll take you there. Ain't but 5 miles."Otis sighs.

"Otis, no."Patricia states coming out of the back room. "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."Otis promises. "Are you sure about this?"Shane asks.

"Do you even know what any of the stuff he's talking about looks like?" Otis questions. "Come to think, no."Shane admits. "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."Otis says.

"I take real quick."Shane agrees. "I should thank you."Rick tells Otis. "Wait till that boy of yours is up and around. Then we'll talk. I'll gather some things."Otis says before walking out of the room. Thank god. This better work. I can't lose Carl. I won't.

I quietly slip back into the room Carl's in and sit down on the chair next to the bed. I carefully grabbed his hand and gave it a small squeeze. "Don't worry, kid. You're gonna be okay. Shanes gonna go get you the stuff you need and you will be up and walking in no time."I say knowing he can't here me. It was mostly just to reassure me.

Don't die, kid.