Louis walked over and handed him an unopened bottle of mineral water. "I think you might need this right now."
Rick accepted it, murmured a hoarse "thank you," then twisted off the cap and took a long gulp.
The cool liquid slid down his parched throat, washing away some of the fog in his mind.
"They're telling the truth," Louis said quietly.
Seeing that Rick had steadied himself, Louis pointed toward the window. "If you still don't believe it, you can take a look. Just don't get too close."
Rick set the bottle aside and, bracing himself against the wall, moved toward the window with unsteady steps.
Through the narrow panes of glass, he saw a sight that burned itself into his memory.
In the hospital parking lot, more than a dozen blackened, rotting corpses lay scattered across the ground, flies circling above them. Farther out, several staggering figures wandered aimlessly. One of them knelt over a carcass, tearing into it with jerky, unnatural movements.
Rick's head rang. His thoughts emptied.
As a police officer, he had seen death before. He knew, with absolute certainty, that what lay outside could not be faked with makeup or tricks.
No matter how much he wanted to deny it, seeing it with his own eyes forced him to accept the absurd and horrifying truth.
Louis stepped up beside him. "While you were unconscious, the military cleared this area. Most people have already evacuated the city."
"Dr. Gayle stayed behind," he added. "She didn't want to abandon patients who couldn't leave on their own."
Rick drew in a slow breath, forcing his racing heart to calm, then turned away from the window to look at the boy again.
The child's eyes were steady, his expression composed. There was a maturity there that did not match his age.
"Thanks for the water, kid," Rick said. His voice was still rough, but it had softened. "What's your name?"
"Louis Green," the boy replied. "You can call me Louis, sir."
"Louis…" Rick nodded slowly. He remembered the doctor mentioning that an uncle's friend had woken up. It must have been referring to him.
"You know me?" Rick asked.
Louis shook his head with a small smile. "No. But I know your friend."
"My friend?" Rick paused.
"Yes." Louis's blue eyes seemed especially bright in the dim corridor. "Officer Shane."
"Shane?"
Rick's eyes widened. The dull haze clouding them shattered in an instant.
He stepped forward instinctively and grabbed Louis by the shoulders, his voice trembling. Realizing himself a moment later, he loosened his grip and lowered his voice.
"How is he?" Rick asked urgently. "Is he okay?"
Louis met his gaze, already prepared.
"I'm not sure," he said, shaking his head. A trace of lingering fear crossed his face. "Officer Shane saved me. We stayed together for a few days, but later we got separated."
He continued carefully, watching Rick's reaction. "During that time, he talked about you a lot. He said his best friend was still lying in this hospital."
"He felt guilty," Louis added. "Things were too chaotic. He couldn't take you with him. He thought he had left you behind."
Rick exhaled slowly and said nothing.
He knew Shane well enough to imagine exactly how that decision must have torn at him.
Louis went on. "After we were separated, I didn't know where else to go. I remembered what Officer Shane said, so I came here to see if you were still alive."
"If I found you," he said softly, "I could tell you what happened. And if I ever see Officer Shane again, I can tell him you're safe."
Hearing this, the pieces finally snapped into place in Rick's mind.
This kid had been saved by his best friend, Shane. To repay that kindness, he had risked his life and returned alone to this danger-filled hospital, all for a possibility that Rick might still be alive.
A powerful surge of emotion rose in Rick's chest. He looked at the boy standing before him, far too composed for his age, and felt a deep, wordless gratitude.
Louis paused deliberately, giving Rick time to absorb it all. Then he delivered the most important piece of information.
"By the way, Officer, you don't need to worry too much about your family. Before we were separated, Officer Shane said he would find your wife and son as soon as possible, protect them, and take them to the safe zone in Atlanta."
"Atlanta…" Rick repeated softly.
The weight that had been crushing his heart finally lifted.
Shane was alive, and he had already gone to find Lori and Carl.
That single piece of news dulled the edge of every other shock he had faced since waking up. The panic and disorientation brought on by the apocalypse finally had somewhere to settle.
Rick felt as though he had found solid ground again.
As for Shane leaving him behind, Rick understood completely. He felt no resentment. On the contrary, the knowledge that Shane had still kept him in mind, and had honored his promise to protect his family under those circumstances, moved him deeply.
That alone was enough. If their positions had been reversed, Rick could not honestly say he would have done any better.
"Thank you, kid," Rick said quietly, his voice steady now. "Truly. Thank you."
Before he could say anything else, Dr. Gayle returned with water and medication.
"All right, Officer Rick," she said firmly, leaving no room for debate. "You've just woken up, and your body is still extremely weak. You need to go back to your bed and rest immediately."
Under her insistence, Rick allowed himself to be guided back to the ward.
Still, he wasn't fully satisfied.
"Doctor, I want to be discharged for a while," he said, trying to push himself upright. "I need to go home and make sure my family really made it out."
"No," Dr. Gayle replied sharply, pressing him back down. "You can barely stand. Going outside in your condition would be suicide."
"But..."
"No more arguments, Officer."
Rick was about to protest again when Louis spoke up from beside the bed.
"I think you should calm down right now."
His voice was quiet, but steady and convincing.
"If your family really has evacuated safely, like Officer Shane said, then rushing home won't help. You'll only find an empty house."
He paused, then continued carefully. "And if something bad did happen, going back in this condition won't save anyone. You'd only be putting yourself in danger and throwing your life away."
"So no matter what," Louis concluded, "the best choice is to rest and recover first. Only if you're alive and strong will you be able to protect anyone."
Rick stared at him, momentarily stunned.
Being lectured so calmly by a child the same age as his son felt absurd. And yet, every word made sense.
After a moment, Rick let out a dry, helpless laugh.
"You're right," he admitted. "Seems I've been lying in bed so long my head isn't even as clear as a kid's."
At last, he stopped resisting and lay back against the pillow.
Seeing that, Louis nodded, exchanged a brief glance with Dr. Gayle, and quietly turned to leave.
"I'll head out now," he said. "Get some good rest."
He gently closed the door behind him.
Rick watched the boy's retreating back, his curiosity growing stronger by the second.
"Dr. Gayle," he asked quietly, "that kid… Louis. What's his story?"
"He seems far too smart, and far too composed, for someone his age."