ch.19

sick

once we closed the door me, daryl, and tdog pressed our weight against it, hoping we could hold it shut.

"melanie, i need you, now!" rick shouted, causing me to look to daryl, who nodded, "i got it, go."

i pushed off the door, rushing to where hershel laid. i ripped the bottom of his jeans off, revealing a chunk missing from his leg.

"i think if we cut it off, we can stop the infection from spreading through his body but it has to be now." i informed, looking up to rick.

rick looked at me intensely before nodding his head, "hold him down." he instructed, starting to pull his belt off.

"okay, we're actually doing this" i muttered, grabbing the belt from ricks hand, wrapping it tightly around hershels leg.

"are you doing the honors or am i?" i questioned, holding out the hatchet, rick grabbed the hatchet from my hand, giving hershel one last look.

"there's only one way to keep you alive."

my mouth dropped open naturally, watching as rick went ham on the leg. "jesus" i cringed, turning my head to look away.

once i heard the last chop, i turned back around, watching as the blood flowed out. "he's bleeding out"

just as i was about to lift the leg daryl spoke, "duck."

i decided against it as i jumped to my feet, raising the gun that shane passed down to me. men in blue jumpsuits appeared behind a cage, staring at us.

"holyshit" the blonde one muttered, looking down at hershels leg, "melanie, hershel needs you. let daryl handle them."

i looked down at rick, giving him a small nod before pulling my extra shirt over my head, leaving me in a tank top.

i bent down, wrapping it around his leg in hope to slow the bleeding. "maggie, come here. hold his leg as hard as you can."

she nodded, following my instructions as i stood following glenn. "you have medical supplies?" glenn questioned, walking past the people without a worry.

"whoa, where do you think you're going?" one asked as we passed, "don't you see he's dying? mind your damn business." i sneered

me and glenn grabbed a long cart, pushing it to where hershel laid. "come one, we gotta go." rick insisted, placing hershel on the table with glenns help.

t opened the door, letting us out as i guided us back through the tunnels with the help of the arrows glenn spray painted.

"open the door, it's hershel!" rick screamed out as we entered the small cafe, "carl, come on!"

the others rushed to our sides, helping us lift hershel onto the bottom bunk. "is he gonna die?" beth uttered, looking down at her unconscious father.

lori shook her head, pulling beth into her arms, "he's gonna be okay. he's gonna be okay."

rick kneeled by me and carols side as we started to work, "do you think you can stabilize him?"

"we need to keep his leg elevated." i informed, looking around for anything we could use, "get some pillows!" carol yelled

"we can burn the wound to clot the blood. i can start a fire." glenn suggested, causing me to shake my head, "no, the shock might kill him."

carl appeared again, handing me the towels in which i handed to carol as i looked to glenn, "check his pulse, make sure he's still alive"

glenn nodded, moving his fingers to hershels neck, "he's still alive, it feels faint though."

before i could say anything else, yelling erupted from the other room, causing our heads to turn.

"what was that?" beth questioned, panicking as she held on to lori. "prisoners, survivors. it's all right, stay put."

i nodded, glancing between her and rick before continuing to wrap hershels wound. _____________

once the bleeding slowed, i decided to step back, and let beth and maggie see him just in case something were to happen.

i grabbed a clean rag before walking out of the cell, cleaning my hands off as best as i could.

glenn stood outside, watching as i neared where he was. he opened his arms, pulling me into a hug, hoping to comfort me.

i sighed, nuzzling my face into his neck, "i wish we didn't let him go. we could've prevented this from happening."

"it could've happened to anyone." glenn assured, tracing circles on my back with his finger.

"what are we gonna do without him? how am i gonna deliver loris baby alone?" i sniffled, knowing i couldn't do it without hershel by my side. he was my partner, i needed him.

"hey, stop it. all right? stop it. he's still here." glenn assured, pulling me away so he could look at me.

"glenn, he's - he's our groups hope. without him, what would we do?" i asked, not wanting a future without hershel in it.

"we've been through so much already. we can't expect it, just prepare for it." glenn muttered, earning a nod from me.

i pulled away from his grip, backing up a bit. "i'm gonna check his stats, make sure he's progressing ." i informed, shoving my hands in my back pockets.

glenn nodded, leading me back into the cell. i grabbed my notebook off the table, writing down the info as i checked everything.

a door opening caught everyone's attention as we turned to look at glenn, who had a clear view of who it was.

"i thought you were organizing the food." glenn stated, watching as carl made his way to the cell with a duffle bag in hand.

"even better. check it out." he smirked, dropping the bag in front of me and carol.

carol gasped, reaching into the bag to grab out gauze, medicine, anything used for medical practice. "where did you get this?" i questioned, turing carl to face me.

"from the infirmary. wasn't much left but I cleared it out." he replied, glancing between me and lori with a proud smirk.

"you went by yourself?" lori asked, earning a nod, "yeah"

my eyes widened, looking to lori, unsure what to say. "are you crazy?" lori questioned, looking at the brown haired boy, "no big deal. i killed two walkers."

i kneeled down, grabbing carl's hands into mine, "carl, do you see this? hershel. this happened with the whole group."

carl shrugged, "we needed supplies so i got them."

"we appreciate that, but-" lori started only to be cut off by her son, "then get off my back." he sneered, looking at her intensely.

"carl!" me and beth scolded, watching the boys eyes dart to us. "she's your mother. you can't talk to her like that." beth informed

lori started to talk, only to be interrupted as carl released my hands, bolting out of the room.

i stood up, glancing between lori and carol, not sure what to say. instead a placed a hand on loris shoulder, giving it a squeeze in reassurance.

"i need your help with something." carol whispered, looking up to glenn. "now?" he questioned, crossing his arms over his chest.

"yeah, now. melanie, you might wanna come too." carol mumbled, getting ready to stand up.

"i can't leave hershel." glenn insisted, looking between me and carol. "this is important"

"carol, i cannot-" before glenn could finish, i cut in, "we got it, go on. i'll stay."

"rick said for me-"

"we're fine." i said blatantly, giving glenn a death glare, knowing he wasn't gonna back down unless i was stern.

he paused before hesitantly nodding, "alright" ___________

i leaned against the wall, watching as hershels chest rose and fell. there had been an accident while i was taking a breather.

hershel stopped breathing, and surprisingly enough, lori had saved him. rick had returned with daryl and t, no prisoners, thank god.

now we all stood in the small room, waiting for something to change. i watched, seeing a small flicker of hershels eyes, causing me to step closer, standing by maggie.

"daddy? daddy!" maggie and beth smiled, moving closer to be with their father. i backed away, moving to glenn who placed an arm around my waist, pulling me closer. ____________

"glenn! melanie!"

my eyes fluttered open, groaning in annoyance from whoever woke me up. i sat up, already seeing glenn pulling on his pants.

"daryls yelling for us, i'll see what he wants." glenn explained, earning a nod as i slowly stood up, pulling my shirt on.

"hey, what's up, guys?" glenn questioned, looking down at some of our group members while struggling to zip his pants.

"you coming?" daryl asked jokingly, causing me to roll my eyes as i laced my boots up. "what?"

"you comin? come on we could use a hand." daryl stated, watching as the others laughed at his jokes.

"yeah, we'll be right down." glenn assured, raising a finger to them as i leaned against the doorway, watching them laugh.

i shook my head, shifting my eyes to glenn, "they're sickos"

glenn shrugged, pulling my hand with him back into the tower. "i'm gonna help rick and daryl, what are your plans?"

i sighed, "i'll probably go check on hershel, maybe get him up and walking today."

"sounds good, i'll see you later." glenn smiled, leaning into place a kiss on my lips before i descended down the tower ladder.

"i love you" i smiled, pulling away.

"i love you more." _____________

"we gonna try and walk today?" i asked, leaning against the doorway as i eyed hershel.

he grumbled, pulling himself up into a sitting position, "if you insist, sure." he smiled, causing me to nod, holding his crutches up for him.

"just take your time" i stated, watching him try to pull himself up. "daddy don't push yourself" beth lectured, rushing to his side.

"what else am i gonna do?" hershel asked, finally standing up on his feet, grabbing the crutches under his arm.

"i can't stand looking up at the bottom of that bunk anymore" he sneered, almost losing his balance, causing me and bath to grab his shoulders, holding him steady.

"you good?" i questioned, sending him an unsure look. "am i good? i feel great" he assured, tapping the bottom of the crutches.

"do you need a break?" lori questioned from behind us, he shook his head, "let's go for a stroll."

my eyes widened, causing me to huff out a smile, "get it hershel!" i whooped, earning an eye roll as we made our way outside.

"you cleared all those bodies out?" hershel questioned once we made it to the courtyard, "it's starting to look like a place we could really live in."

i nodded, shoving my hands into my back pockets, "it'll be a good place for the baby and carl to grow up."

lori smiled from beside me, patting me on the back. "alright hershel!" i heard a familiar voice shout, turning my attention to where glenn and the others stood.

a smile spread across my face, seeing glenn cheering for him. "ready to race hershel?" carl asked, looking up to him.

"give me another day. i'll take you on" hershel challenged, causing us all to grin as we watched the two.

my eyes glanced around, seeing ourselves, along with the others down near the yard. it felt like everything was finally falling into place.

that was until a growling sound came from behind us, causing me and carl to turn. "walkers! look out!"

i grabbed my gun from the holster, soon letting off rounds. "hershel. beth. go!" i shouted, ushering for the two to run while i pushed carl behind me.

"get out of there now! lori!" rick yelled, causing me to only panick more as i thought about the baby.

"that gate is open." tdog revealed, making me act on instinct as i followed him.

i shot the walkers around him, trying to cover him as best i could, only to see a walker sneak up on him, biting him right in the shoulder.

"no! t!" i shouted, freezing in place. "melanie! melanie, come on!" maggie shouted, pulling my arm away from the scene.

i whimpered, letting her drag me into a cage that also held lori and carl. we all rushed up the steps, walking to where the cell block is.

my eyes widened, seeing more walkers in front of me. "other way!" i shouted, leading lori along with me while maggie covered the back.

"lori?" i questioned, watching as she held the wall, looking as if she was in pain. "are you bit?" carl asked, causing her to shake her head no, shutting down the idea.

"i think the baby's coming." lori huffed out, sending worry through my body.

walkers appeared down every way we turned, forcing us to lock ourselves in a room until lori felt good enough to leave.

________________________________2/27/2021