like real people do | c.g [#wattys2019]

U N F A I R

MAGGIE COMES BACK inside after a while with Glenn and T-Dog. Guess they took Maggie's advice and tried to find the farm. The others probably stayed to look for Sophia.

They go into the room to see Carl and let Rick and Lori know that they're here and I still stay in the living room. The only people in the room should be family, at least while Hershel can't operate on Carl. It's a tense environment and I feel like I'd be intruding.

Glenn sits down as Maggie and Patricia check T-Dog's wound out, and I explain what happened.

"So, he wanted to shoot the deer and ended up shooting Carl, too?" I nod.

"Yeah, it was an accident. He went with Shane to get the stuff Hershel needs to operate on Carl. He really does seem very sorry." I explain. He nods and goes to say something, when Lori bolts out of the room without a word. They look back at me, and I shrug and stop Glenn as he tries to follow.

"They need space. Let them be." He sits back down and Maggie goes back to working on T-Dog's arm.

I lay down on one of the couches, thinking about going to sleep when I hear coughing coming from the room. I bolt up as Rick and Lori enter the room, me following.

Carl starts hyperventilating, asking where he is, until he sees us. "That's Hershel. We're in his house. You had an accident." Rick explains.

"It hurts a lot." He complains. "You should have seen it. The deer, it was so pretty. I was so close. I-I've never been..." He trails off, before his eyes roll into the back of his head and his body goes limp.

"What's happening?" I ask before he starts convulsing. Lori tries to grab him, but Hershel stops her.

"It's a seizure. If you hold him down, it might hurt him. He has to just go through it." He explains. Carl keeps convulsing for the next minute, tears forming in the corners of my eyes. I shake my head and try to stay calm. Me freaking out is the last thing they need.

Right when he stops, Hershel checks for a pulse. "His brain isn't getting enough blood. His pressure's bottoming and he needs another transfusion."

"Okay, I'm ready." Rick tells him.

"If I take anymore out of you, your body might shut down and go into a coma. Or cardiac arrest." Hershel warns. Rick decides to go through with it, knowing that he could have serious health issues after this. But if there's one thing I know about this man, is that he'll do anything for family.

Carl told me all about them getting separated when this all started. It took Rick a while, but he found Glenn, who ended up taking him to his group where Rick's family was. He went through hell to get to his family and he'll do anything for them.

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"'Merle Dixon'. Is that your friend with the antibiotics?" Patricia asks. They never said anything about a Merle...

"No, Ma'am. Merle's no longer with us. Daryl gave them to us. His brother." Glenn explains.

"Not sure I'd call him a friend." T-Dog comments.

"He is today. This doxycycline might have just saved your life. You know what Merle was taking it for?" She asks.

"Clap... Uh, venereal disease. That's what Daryl said." Glenn says. I shudder. I could have gone my whole life without hearing that.

"I'd say Merle Dixon's clap is the best thing that ever happened to you." She jokes.

"I'm trying not to think about that." T-Dog responds, wincing slightly.

Hershel walks back into the room and I decide to go with him, wanting to know what's going on. But I still only stay at the doorway, not wanting to intrude.

"He's losing blood faster than we can replace it. We can't wait any longer or he's just going to slip away. Now, I need to know right now if you want me to do this, because I think your boy is out of time. You have to make a choice." He tells them.

"A choice. You have to tell me what it is. You have to tell me what it is." Rick tells Lori. She waits a while and decides to do it. They get a big metal table and tell the to put the IV bag on the sheet and use it to transfer him from the bed to the table. They bring a big chandelier over and all the material they have and will need.

"Rick, Lori, Casey, you might wanna step out." They turn around as if they just noticed me, which they probably have, being too engrossed in Carl's situation. I turn around to leave when we hear a car outside. They're back, and right on time.

"Thank god." I whisper. They leave to get the things and I stay with Patricia in the room.

Hershel comes back with a frown on his face and the respirator in his hand. He tells me to get out of the room and I go back to the living room, back to pacing.

✖✖✖✖

"He seems to have stabilized." Rick nearly falls before rushing to hug Hershel, while I, for the first time since we got here, get to actually breathe.

"I don't have words." Lori tells him.

"Neither do I, I wish I did. How do I tell Patricia about Otis?" He says sadly. That's why he was frowning, Otis didn't make it.

"Go to Carl, I'll go with Hershel." Rick says. Lori nods, putting an arm around me and bringing me with her. We hear Patricia's cries as we walk towards the room, but Lori pushes me slightly to keep me from getting sidetracked.

Lori cries as she holds his hand and I sit on a chair next to the bed, trying to be there for her. She's been so kind to me, they all have, and seeing them like this... They don't deserve it. They're good people, stuff like this shouldn't happen to good people, stuff like this shouldn't happen to kids. It's unfair. But it does, because the world stopped being fair a long time ago.

Shane walks up to the door and I think about getting up and giving him a minute, but he's gone before I can say anything. Poor guy must be so traumatized... Maybe he's not as bad as I thought.

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hi there!

god, i wanted to name this misconceptions soooo bad. i didn't tho...

but, yeah casey's very mistaken about shane, but carl's waking up on the next chapter so that's good. they're gonna be spending a lot of time together (#carseyforlife) (btw, i think that's gonna be their ship name... carsey.)

but yeah, thank you for reading, please vote if you enjoyed the chapter and comment to make me really happy.

goodbye,
-angryfeminist