My eyes fluttered open as a white ceiling appeared in my eyesight. I blinked a few time before trying to sit up. Pain pierced my stomach almost immediately. A groan escaped my lips as I stopped all movement.

"Josephine?" I heard Ryan say.

His face appeared in my vision. Relief flashed in his eyes. Though I was more concerned about the red circles around his eyes than as to why he was so relieved. My eyes slowly inspected my surroundings only to see unknown territory.

"Ryan? What the hell happened?" I mumbled.

My voice was raspy and the entirety of my body hurt. Like it fought a battle that I wasn't conscious for. The last thing I remember is watching a deer with Carl and then darkness. A complete and utter nothingness.

"You got shot, you dumbass, scared me half to death. Rick brought you here where they operated on you."

"Where is here, exactly?"

"A farm that belongs to the family of the man that shot you."

I raised my eyebrows feeling confused by the story Ryan was telling me. Well, I can now add a bullet scar to my long list of scars covering my body. They're mostly centered on my back.

"That sounds like the beginning of a bad joke." I grumbled.

A soft chuckle left his lips before a few tears slipped from his eyes. He quickly wiped them away in hopes that I didn't see them. But I did. Things must've been bad if he was this upset by the whole ordeal.

The doors opened and an old man walked in with Rick and Shane following him. His white hair matched his beard. He was quite tall for someone his age. Or at least it seemed that way to me.

"I thought I heard voices. My name is Hershel." The old man introduced himself.

I narrowed my eyes giving him a once-over. He seems strong enough to use a gun. If he's the one who put me in this state of pain and disorientation, he's never getting rid of my resentment.

"Are you the guy who shot me?" I asked.

Bitterness laced my voice as I tried to sit up for a second time. Ryan helped me this time and even moved the pillows so I'd be more comfortable. Hershel looked down at the floor as a look of sadness overtook his features.

"No, that was Otis. He passed away finding a respirator for you." He replied.

I shifted uncomfortably as my eyes landed on Rick. His eyes were bloodshot and tired. Though a relieved look was firmly planted on his face. I never thought I'd see the day where he was worried about my wellbeing.

"You look like shit, Ranger Rick." I teased.

He cracked a smile despite the severity of the situation. If he expected me to take a gunshot wound seriously, then he obviously didn't know me well enough. But my humor seemed to put him at ease.

"I'm glad you're okay, Josephine." He said.

I smirked at him as Shane stepped forward. He shaved his head since the last time that I saw him. It made him look more tough. Everyone seemed on edge and I feel like I'm missing a big piece of the puzzle here.

"How do you feel?" He asked.

"As fine as I can be." I said.

Hershel touched the patched up wound and I winced at the contact. Pain spread through that one spot to the rest of my stomach. He removed the gauze inspecting the wound before putting it back on.

"It's best if you stay off your feet for a while. We wouldn't want your stitches to rip." He advised.

"Whatever you say, doc." I mumbled.

Hershel smiled with an amused glint in his eyes as he got up from beside me. Something tells me that he was warned about my attitude. That's slightly offensive but understandable.

"If Ryan doesn't mind, I would like to talk to Josephine alone." Rick said.

I raised my eyebrows at his sudden proposition. He and I have never talked one on one. I always took that as a good sign. As in, I haven't broken any unspoken group rules.

Ryan looked at me awaiting my response. I nodded at him and he did the same. Everyone left the room except for the Rick. He sat down on a chair next to the bed and sighed.

"Spill it, Ranger Rick. I haven't got all day." I mumbled.

Technically, I had all the time in the world. But he knows what I meant. A small smile appeared on his lips as he glanced at me before looking away. It must be a serious chat then.

"I wanted to thank you. If it wasn't for you, it could've been my boy there. You saved his life." Rick stated.

"You know, this is the first time someone's thanked me for staring at a deer." I replied.

Rick chuckled as I leaned against the bedpost. It's not like I was going to admit that I actually cared about the kid. The more the group thinks that I hate them, the less time they spend on annoying me.

"You did more than that, and you know it."

His eyes bore into mine and I had to look away because of the intensity. It's like he was speaking with his eyes and I don't think I like what he's saying. I'm not a good person and he should know better than to think so.

"I have selfish reasons, of course. Carl is Abby's friend and I'm rooting for them to end up together."

"They're kids."

"Well not now, obviously. But when the time is right, we're going to be family, Ranger Rick. Every Sunday, we'll eat lunch together and reminisce about the good 'ol days." I joked.

An involuntary laugh escaped him and I found myself grinning softly. For a moment, I had forgotten that I was in a stranger's home and that I had almost died. It's been an eventful few days.

"Perhaps one day."

"Perhaps."

-------

I got on my feet and held on to the wall. The pain in my side worsened. I flinched but didn't give up. I inhaled sharply as I went through the door.

A girl showed up and looked at me in surprise. She had short, brown hair which caught my attention first. She wasn't from our group and didn't seem to like what I was doing.

"You shouldn't be up." She scolded.

I rolled my eyes as she came to me. She helped me balance my weight. I shifted uncomfortably at her proximity. I didn't like being close to my own group, let alone strangers.

"I was getting bored back there." I said.

She snorted as she helped me walk to a couch. I looked around. It wasn't a big house but it was still bigger than my old one. This family lived a better life than most of the members of the group.

"Thank you..." I trailed off.

"Maggie. My name is Maggie." She finished.

I nodded as she reluctantly walked off. A huff escaped my lips as I grabbed a book from the table. It was the Bible. I grimaced and threw it back to its previous spot. Not my kind of book.

"Not a woman of faith, are you?" Hershel asked.

I glanced at him as he entered the living room. Unlike the Maggie girl, he didn't seem surprised to see me out and about. There was something peaceful about him.

For a moment, he reminded me of my father. But I pushed those thoughts away. There was no point in thinking about him. He's been gone for years and it's not like he was coming back.

"Faith never got me anywhere." I mumbled.

He smiled at my bitterness and picked it up. I watched as he flipped through it. A content look settling itself on his face. I never understood the joy that these kinds of things brought to people.

"How can you even read that crap?" I asked.

He shrugged and closed it. In hindsight, maybe insulting his religion isn't the best way to get to know him. He placed the Bible on a shelf seemingly not upset by my opinion.

"In times like these, we all need something to latch on to."

"And you think God has all the answers?"

"Not all of them. But there's comfort in knowing he's always watching over us."

My eyes followed him as he walked out. Crazy old dude. He might have saved my life but that doesn't make him any more sane. Though I guess faith is his way of surviving in this world.

A huff escaped my lips as I realized how bored I was. Screw the whole 'not moving thing'. I got up and instantly flinched at the pain. My hand flew to my stomach as I took deep breaths. My legs carried me slowly towards the front door.

I stepped onto the porch observing the farm. A giant field spread in front of me with small fences. The group's cars were there and I noticed they set up tents. The pain in my side got worse and I stumbled to a chair. I sat down and sighed in relief.

My eyes caught sight of Abby. She was fooling around with Carl. They were running around chasing each other. A soft smile formed on my face as it reminded me of Abby's younger days. She was such a sweet kid even before the apocalypse.

"Please tell me we're not going to be family." I heard a voice say.

I looked up and saw Rick standing at the door watching Carl and Abby in the distance. It was like he was there and yet he wasn't. He had a distant look about him.

"Face it, Ranger Rick. You're gonna have to tolerate me for the rest of your life." I teased.

A chuckle escaped his lips as he sat down next to me. He rubbed his face as he seemed to debate something in his mind. I had a feeling that I wasn't going to like whatever comes out of him.

"Your back..." He trailed off.

I tensed at the mention of it. It wasn't difficult to figure out how he learned about it. He must've asked Ryan what caused it and he told him about our mother. I was her punching bag, no one else suffered her wrath. Unless they tried to stop her.

"It was a long time ago, and she got what she deserved in the end."

Dakota got us all out of the house when our mother nearly killed me. She had grabbed a knife and tried to attack me. Ryan had grown enough to stand up to our mother at that point. He knocked her out and we all left.

She didn't call the police, she didn't run after us and we never saw her again. Only Dakota did. A few years after the incident, she had gotten our mother arrested. I didn't know how and I never asked.

She had destroyed my life and a part of me always wondered why she hated me. Ryan, Dakota and Abby were never the recipients of her rage. I assumed it was because I looked like my father and he was gone. I wasn't.

"I'm sorry that happened to you."

"There's nothing we can do about it now."

Abby and Carl noticed us sitting at the porch. I saw smiles spreading on their faces at the sight of me. They started running my way and Rick got up before glancing at me.

"You should rest while you can. Those two will keep you up if you let them."

He walked away passing by Abby and Carl. He ruffled Carl's hair before heading to Hershel who was waiting for him next to the car. They were probably looking for Sophia. Most of the group were, too.

"Josephine!" Abby exclaimed.

I turned my head to look at her just as she launched herself in my arms. I groaned in pain as she pressed herself against my wound. Carl followed her lead. I had two kids squeezing me so hard that it felt like I couldn't breathe.

"Ow, ow, ow." I grunted.

They immediately let go and looked at me with worried eyes. It was like staring into the eyes of Bambi. All innocent and shit. I almost felt bad for making them feel bad.

"We're sorry, we didn't mean to hurt you." Carl apologized.

I inhaled sharply at the pain and faked a smile. A normal person would listen to the doctor's instructions to stay off your feet. Not me, of course, because why would I ever make a sane decision? Though in my defense, Hershel isn't a real doctor.

"It's fine. Just stings a bit." I dismissed it.

That was an understatement of the year. Getting shot was not as fun as they make it seem in the movies. They get shot, they brush it off and save the world. According to Rick, I did save Carl which makes me feel slightly better.

"Please tell me you aren't going to get shot again."

"I'll try not to let it become a habit, Abby."

She still didn't seem calm about the whole ordeal which I understood. If something had happened to her, I'd be freaking out too. Probably way more than she did in this case.

"I've been unconscious for a while. So which one of you is going to fill me in on recent events?"