-86-

7.8K 343 291
                                    

history repeats

Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.

history repeats

GLENN WAS THE FIRST PERSON TO COME TO RICK'S AID WHEN THEY GOT BACK IN THE GATE. Scarlett was breathing heavily now, eyes squinted in pain. Glenn threw her arm around his shoulder as he helped Rick get her to the infirmary. They passed people in their group along the way, shouting for them to get the others.

"Rick, something ain't right," Scarlett whimpered.

"We're almost there. We've got you," Rick promised, looking at Glenn thankfully.

When they got inside of the infirmary, Scarlett could not feel her stomach. The pain was numbing. Pete was already prepping the bed, gloves on his hands as Rick and Glenn laid her there. Denise, who Scarlett had met once in passing, was there with shaky hands and panicked eyes.

"Okay, Scarlett, we're going to take off your pants and underwear. I need to see what's wrong," Pete murmured.

"No!" Scarlett whimpered. "No, Denise does it. I don't— I can't."

Pete tried to argue, but Rick yelled for Denise to get over there. He made sure Pete's eyes were not there to look when Scarlett's pants and underwear were slipped off. Glenn had left to get Maggie, but before he did, she shouted, "Daryl! Where is he!?"

Glenn promised he would try to find him before kissing her sweaty forehead and leaving.

Denise whimpered out, "There's a lot of blood!"

Pete asked next, "Can you put your hand toward the baby. Feel around what the problem is."

"It's okay," Scarlett told Denise when she looked spooked.

Denise made sure her glove was on right before going down there and coming up quickly. "Feet first. I think she's choking. The umbilical cord—"

"I got to do a C-section," Pete mumbled, placing a blanket over Scarlett's intimate area but pulling her shirt up. "Okay, Denise. Put the IV in. Get the medicine working in her body before I cut."

Rick was crying because before his eyes, Lori appeared next to the bed. Scarlett looked scared as she yelled for them to get the baby out. Lori smiled reassuringly at Rick, placing a hand on Scarlett's stomach. He gulped, grabbing Scarlett's hand.

"Hey, what names did you have picked out?" Rick said, trying to distract her. Scarlett glanced at him, her eyes full of tears.

"Annette, after Beth's Momma. We'd call her Annie. Annette Grimes—" she began to scream again.

"Okay, well Annie needs you. Okay? Annie and Judy, isn't that perfect?"

Carol and Maggie rushed inside the room, Pete yelling at them to leave. Carol looked at him. "I practiced with Hershel—her Uncle—a long time ago. I can—I can help." Pete nodded, telling her to be ready.

Maggie came to Scarlett's other side. She smiled at her. "Hey. Thought we had some time before she came."

"Impatient like her Daddy," Scarlett laughed, feeling Rick squeeze her hand.

"Okay. I can't wait anymore. Listen, you might pass out, but we are going to patch you up quickly. Okay? Just deep breaths," Pete instructed. "Carol, get ready."

Scarlett looked at the ceiling. "I love you, Rick. Always."

Rick was about to reply when she let out a bloodcurdling scream as Pete let the blade go through her stomach. It was sterilized, which already made a great deal of difference from when Maggie had to do it to Lori. Maggie pushed away those memories as Scarlett's screams began to stop.

Scarlett's eyes began to roll back as she heard the faint sound of her heart monitor beating. She heard yelling. She heard nothing at all.

Rick yelled at Pete to hurry as he watched Scarlett pale significantly as she passed out. Carol watched as he managed to do the cut right.

"Okay, be easy. She's got the cord wrapped," Pete instructed Carol as Carol had put on gloves to reach in and grab the baby. Pete unwrapped the cord as delicately as he could, but they all noticed the baby was not breathing. "Pat her back while I cut this!"

Carol turned the bloody baby over, patting her back while trying to hold her head up.

Little coughs were heard as before the baby began to scream and wail. Little Annette was turning back to the pinkish color a baby should be instead of the purple and blue color she was.

"Maggie, wrap her. Clean her," Carol instructed, passing the baby off while Pete got to work on controlling the blood and getting the stitches ready.

"She's gonna need blood," Carol said.

"The only person who is her type is Daryl," Rick stressed. He did not want to leave her, but if Daryl was not here, he would have to.

"She's O-Neg?" Pete asked, angry eyes toward Rick. "Dammit! Why didn't y'all say so before!? We could've been ready!"

Carol helped him begin the stitches, but her heart rate was dropping. Rick felt like history was repeating itself. Lori stood in the corner of the room, looking at the scene sadly.

Rick cried, holding Scarlett's hand tightly as Pete yelled for Denise to add antibiotics into the IV. Her heart rate began to slow as Pete said he was almost done with the stitches.

Rick prepared himself for her to be gone. He had tears... never ending tears. He kissed her hand, pleading her to wake up.

"Rick, she's dying," Carol muttered, "we need to—"

The door slammed open.

Daryl stood there with wild eyes as he stared at the scene in front of him. Blood was everywhere—Scarlett's blood. She was like the sister he never wanted. For a long time, he did hold a massive crush on her, but he learned to push those feelings to brotherly. He did it. They were closer than he and Merle ever were. He watched Scarlett—his Red—about to lose her life.

"No. Not her. Not today," he yelled, taking off his crossbow. He took off his jacket, leaving him in his sleeveless shirt. He extended his arm for Carol. "Do it. Take whatever. Hurry up, girl!"

Violent Silence • Rick Grimes ✓Where stories live. Discover now