Rick's family was finally reunited. Standing nearby and also hugging his own family, Morales felt happy for them as he witnessed the scene.
However, a strange thought crossed his mind.
Morales remembered that if Glenn hadn't misspoken earlier... Rick's other son was supposed to have blond hair.
Taking advantage of the fact that they weren't paying attention, Morales carefully observed Rick and his wife's hair; both were brown and didn't look dyed.
Then that other blond child... He shook his head, thinking about the ambiguous relationship Shane and Lori had been having lately.
"Tsk..."
Whatever, it had nothing to do with him anyway.
Morales didn't intend to get involved in this mess. In the middle of such a touching family reunion, he wisely chose to keep his mouth shut.
"Rick... my brother, you're alive!"
Shane also stepped forward and excitedly patted Rick on the back, but behind that smile hid a trace of unspeakable complexity and panic.
Unlike Morales, Glenn didn't think too much. Watching this touching scene, he seemed moved and stepped forward to offer a heartfelt sentiment:
"This is great. It's a pity Rick's other son isn't here, otherwise it would be perfect."
As soon as he said this, the originally warm atmosphere instantly froze.
Lori was immersed in the immense joy of her husband's return from the dead. She let go of Rick and looked at Glenn with a tear-stained face, as if she hadn't heard him correctly.
"...What? Another son? What does that mean?"
Not only her, but even Carl and Shane nearby looked at Rick in astonishment, their faces full of questions.
Another son?
Since when did Rick have another son? Why didn't they know?
Shane's heart skipped a beat. It had only been a little over a month since the apocalypse began; how could there be a child?
Could it be that before Rick fell into a coma, he was seeing someone behind Lori's back... No, that was impossible! He wasn't that kind of man!
Rick, however, was unusually calm.
He patted his wife's hand comfortingly, gave her a "don't worry" look, and then turned to the complex-looking Shane, slowly saying, "My other son, you know him too."
Shane's expression became even more confused. He frowned, a hint of suspicion gradually entering his eyes as he looked at Lori uncertainly, not sure if Rick was hinting at something.
"It's Louis."
The moment those words were spoken, the expression on Shane's face froze, only to be replaced by immense surprise!
Shane's reaction was extremely intense. He even took a step forward, grabbing Rick's shoulders with both hands, his eyes filled with unbelievable joy and a hint of... relief.
Rick looked at his best friend and nodded heavily. He was about to say more when he keenly felt his wife's gaze beside him.
When he turned around, he met Lori's eyes, which were filled with complex emotions.
"I think..." Lori took a deep breath and wiped the undried tears from her cheeks.
But her expression gradually turned cold and distant. "I need an explanation now, Rick."
...A moment later, in a small grove near the camp.
Rick, Lori, Shane, and Carl, the group with slightly complicated relationships, temporarily separated themselves from the crowd.
When Rick recounted everything from the beginning, how he met Louis in the hospital after waking up, and how Louis had risked coming to the hospital to repay Shane's kindness, a long silence fell over the woods.
"Oh my god..." Lori covered her mouth, her eyes full of shock and lingering fear. "I can't imagine... that such a thing actually happened."
All her previous doubts and displeasure vanished into thin air after hearing this thrilling story.
In its place was a heartfelt gratitude and lingering fear.
She could fully imagine that if it hadn't been for this child named Louis, her husband might have truly died in that city.
"Yes," Rick said, looking at his wife, his eyes also full of emotion. "That child saved my life."
The misunderstanding was finally resolved.
Rick turned around, looked at Shane solemnly, and gave him a powerful hug.
"Brother, thank you."
His voice was a bit raspy. "Thank you for everything you did for me. If you hadn't been thinking of me, Louis wouldn't have gone to the hospital. If it wasn't for you, Lori and Carl..."
"Hey, we're brothers, aren't we?" Shane patted him on the back. Although he was smiling, his eyes were a bit evasive.
Carl had been listening quietly; the events of this afternoon were too impactful for him.
At this moment, he was filled with admiration and curiosity for the blond boy who only existed in his father's words and whom he had never met.
In his eyes, the boy named Louis was practically a hero who had saved his father!
So, when Rick and Lori knelt down and hesitantly discussed with him that, in order to protect Louis, they would temporarily claim Louis was his brother, Carl agreed without hesitation.
"Of course I'm willing!" He nodded vigorously, a hint of anticipation on his face. "I've wanted a brother for a long time!"
He then looked up and asked the most crucial question: "So... where is Louis now?"
This question made the atmosphere, which had just lightened, become heavy once again.
"He's in Atlanta."
The smile on Rick's face slowly disappeared. He looked at his wife, son, and best friend, saying in a low voice, "To save me, he rode a horse alone to lead the walkers away. Now... his whereabouts are unknown."
"First thing tomorrow morning, I must return to Atlanta and find him."
The woods fell into a stiff silence once again.
Lori's face was full of worry and disapproval.
She was unwilling to let Rick, who had just escaped death, immediately return to that hellish city.
Shane felt much the same way.
But since the object of Rick's risk was a child who had just saved him and helped all of them, they couldn't find any words to argue for a moment.
In the end, it was Shane who spoke first.
He hesitated for a moment, looked at Rick, and said seriously, "Rick, you stay. I'll take men to find him tomorrow. This is what I owe that child."
He paused and glanced at Lori and Carl nearby. "Besides, you need to stay and protect your family. They... they need you."
"No, Shane." Rick shook his head, his attitude firm. "I owe that child even more. Besides, my gun bag is still in the city, and I still need to go back to handle the matter with Merle."
"You're the one who should stay to protect the camp; you've always done a great job."
"But, Rick..."
Shane wanted to say more, but a small hand gently tugged on the corner of Rick's shirt.
Rick looked down and met his son's eyes, which were full of worry.
"I don't want you to take risks, Dad," Carl said softly.
Rick looked troubled upon hearing this. He knelt down, about to say something.
But Carl quickly continued, "So... you have to go and come back quickly, and bring my brother back in one piece, okay?"
Hearing these words, Rick couldn't hold back any longer. He smiled, his eyes turning a bit red.
He pulled his son into a tight embrace.
"I will."