silver springs, the walking dead

001, bloodletting

LIFE AT THE farm was good for Camille. But looking after a newborn without her husband being there was hard. Parenting was something they were supposed to do together, they were supposed figure things out together. Camille had been a mom before but not with Dawson, they never got to experience raising a baby together.

Because Dawson was gone. He had been for months. He went on a run and never came back.

She held the small infant in her arm, she was only days old. Camille was still healing from giving birth less than a week before.

The woman was stood on the porch beside Maggie.

"How're you doing?" Maggie questioned, her tone laced with concern.

"Josie seems to be fine," Camille replied with a smile and she looked down at her daughter. She had been named after Dawson and Maggie's mother, Josephine.

"I know she is," Maggie said. "I'm talking about you. You pushed a child out of you a few days ago."

Camille chuckled before she shrugged. "I'm doing fine, Mags. I just- he should've been here. He should've got to hold her or at least see her."

The young woman frowned. "I know... he'd be proud of you, you know? For being so strong."

Camille looked out into the distance and her eyes laid upon a man, who seemed to be running towards them. "Maggie,"

"What?" She questioned before she looked over into the grass. Maggie picked up the binoculars to see a man in sheriff's uniform running towards them with a boy in his arms. "Dad!"

They ran in the house and told the others what they had saw. They then all walked out onto the porch.

"Was he bit?" Hershel asked as the man ran over.

"Shot," He replied. "By your man."

"Otis?" Patricia questioned as they walked up to him. "He said find Hershel. Is that you? Help me. Help my boy."

"Get him inside. Get him inside!"

They walked into the house.

"Patricia, I need my full kit." Hershel said. "Maggie, Camille."

"Yeah?"

"Painkillers, coagulates." The older man listed "Grab everything. Clean towels, sheets, alcohol. In here."

Hershel moved the bed covers off and the man in the sheriff's uniform set the young boy down on the bed. "Pillowcase,"

"Is he... is he alive?" The man asked shakily, worry very clear in his tone. "Pillowcase, quick."

He grabbed a pillow. "Is... is he alive?"

The girls got the supplies and brought it to Hershel. "Fold it make a pad."

Eden and Beth then walked over to the side to make sure they were out of the way. "Put pressure on the wound,"

Camille held out a stethoscope for Hershel to take, he took and checked for a heartbeat. "I've got a heartbeat. It's faint." The man let out a breath of relief.

"I got it, step back." Patricia told the man. "Maggie, IV." Hershel said.

"We need some space," Maggie said.

"Your name?" The older man questioned.

"R-Rick." He replied shakily.

"Rick?"

"I- I'm, I'm Rick." He repeated.

"Rick, we're gonna do everything we can, okay? You need to give us some room." Hershel said and the man stood there shakily. "Now."