Greene

Eight

Rick was telling Noella the story of when Shane stole the principal's car causing her to laugh. Noella smiled as she sat in his lap as he told her the story. "That's actually funny."

"What you said before, Shane's coming back." He said.

Noella smiled as she got up and grabbed the plate of food that Patricia brought in. "Dad said you need to eat." She tells him. "Will you please eat. For me."

"Carl's going to be okay." He tells her.

Rick took the plate out of her hands and started eating. She walked to the other side of the bed and sat down holding Carl's hand as she cried.
~~~
Noella sat beside Rick as her dad checked Carl's blood pressure. "Hey." She heard and looked up.

"Hey."

"We're here, okay."

"Thank you." Noella said as she hugged her best friend. "Thank you for helping me find them."

"Their..."

She nodded as she heard what her dad said about Carl as Glenn and T-dog left the room. She stepped out of the room with Rick following her. Rick stepped outside and kissed Noella's shoulder. "I want him to survive." She tells him. "This world may be gone, but he is perfect in anyway. He may not be mine, but I know he is a fighter."

"He claims you more than Lori. She would want to see him dead because of the world we live in now."

'I don't care what she has to say. Carl is the future. If there is a cure, he will live on for us." Noella said causing him to kiss her. "I'm scared."

Rick kissed her as he didn't want her to be afraid. "Don't give up." He tells her. "We're all scared, but we have hope."

Noella looked at him and smiled as she hugged him. His right. They have hope.
~~~
Noella sat in the room with Rick's arms around her. They heard coughing causing them to run into the room. "Where are we?"

"Hey, little man."

"That's Hershel. Noella's father. It's her home."

"It hurts a lot." He said as he looked at Noella. "You should have seen it."

"Seen what, baby."

"The deer."

Noella smiled as he called her mom as he told her about the deer till he stopped talking. "Carl?" She said as he started seizing.

"Stop. It's a seizure."

Rick held her as they watched helplessly. "He needs more blood."

Noella didn't say a word as she buried her head in his back crying. Rick grabbed her hand and squeezed it. He felt her kiss his head making him smile a bit. They both looked at one another then to Carl. Their main focus.
~~~
"So this is your home." Glenn said.

"Yeah."

"Why are you not inside?"

"Just getting ready to head back in." She said. "I'm not leaving this group."

Glenn smiled as he watched her walk back in. Maggie smiled at her sister as she walked back into the room.

Inside the room, Noella was listening to what Rick was telling her about that moment. Noella had tears as she wished to hear Carl tell her about the deer. "He saw hope." She tells him. "I bet it was beautiful."

"We still have a life."

Noella looked at him smiling. "I know, baby, I know." She said.

Hershel came in and checked on Carl. He told them that if they didn't make a choice, they will lose Carl. "We do it." She tells him as she hugged him. "I can't lose him."

They brought a table in causing Noella to start helping. Rick held Noella making her smile. "Rick, Noella, you might want to step out."

The sound of a truck caught their attention. They ran outside, but Noella stopped as she noticed Otis was gone. Maggie hugged her big sister as they listened to Shane tell them what happened. Maggie and Noella started crying more causing Rick to look at her.
~~~
Noella was heart broken. She discovered Annette was gone and one of her step brothers. Rick held her in his arms just as Hershel walked out to tell them that Carl was stabilized. Noella hugged her dad. "Thank you."

"How do I tell Patricia about Otis?"

"I'll go with your father, you go to Carl." Rick tells her.

Noella nodded as she went to the room. She started crying again as he had a chance. She held Carl's hand. Shane walked in to see Noella crying. He knew she lost too much already. Lucas walked in and sat down on the other side of the bed. "Hey." She looked up. "It's good to have my sister home."

"I haven't seen you since I've been here."

"Hunting." He tells her. "I hate what happened to Otis."

Noella nodded. "I'm going to leave you and your little boy alone. I'll meet the boyfriend tomorrow."

Noella shook her head at him. "Still the same annoying stepbrother." She mumbled as she looked back at Carl. "I can't wait for them to meet you, Carl. You'll love them all."