Disclaimer: I own nothing.

––

The air was tight in her lungs as time slowed way down. She couldn't think, couldn't blinked or look away. She couldn't really breathe. The cool feel of the scissors in her hand weight her down, stopping her movements entirely, and her eyes never left the dirty and slightly scratched up face of Carol Peletier as she lay unconscious on a gurney. Her body was still, her chest was caked in dirt, but she appeared to be breathing.

She went from completely focused on Dr. Edwards to stunned at the sight of Carol to scared for Carol's health as she wasn't moving then utterly pissed off that they had abducted her then hopeful that her family might be nearby. If Carol was here, so was the rest of their group. They had to be. But...if their group was with Carol, how did she managed to get taken by these assholes? Carol wouldn't let them take her. She just wouldn't, and their group wouldn't have let her get taken either. Unless they had gotten there too late. They would be coming for her, just like with Maggie and Glenn when Merle took them. They were coming here to get Carol back. Maggie was coming here.

"Beth?" Steven studied her. "What is it?"

"I'll help her," she blurted.

"Very eager for somebody who just tried to escape," Dawn noted.

Beth gripped the scissors tightly. "If I'm stuck here, I might as well be useful."

"Get some water then," Dawn barked. "Make sure it's warm."

"Fine." Beth hid the scissors as she turned and got warm water to clean Carol off with. She set the scissors down on the table once the bowl was full then she carried the bowl of water back to Carol's room. Dr. Edwards tended to her wounds and vitals with Dawn hovering close by, watching Beth's every move, studying her body language.

"That'll be all, Beth," Dawn said when Beth started to wet a washcloth.

"I can do it."

"That'll be all, Beth." Her tone was tight, left no room for arguing.

For Carol's sake, Beth listened. She clenched her jaw and set the washcloth down, taking one last look at Carol before she exited the room. She returned to her room and began to pace the length of the bed, her head reeling.

They weren't going to let her near Carol if they suspect she knew her. They might do something to Carol just because they could. Or maybe not, because they needed people to replace Noah and Gorman and Joan and the other officer that was killed. She couldn't wait around here and hope for news on Carol's condition. Carol was strong, Beth knew that, but she didn't know what happened to Carol. Where did they find Carol? How did they manage to take her? Was it similar to how they took Beth? Was she surrounded by walkers? No, no, Carol could handle walkers. She knew how to fight, and she was a great shoot. Carol could take care of herself, just like Beth could, so they would've had to have hurt Carol somehow. Caught her off guard or something.

Beth frowned, shaking her head. How did the group let Carol out of their sight? It made no sense. They always had each others backs, that's how they did things that winter on the road, so what happened? They wouldn't have let her go off by herself, not even for water or to simply relieve herself. There was no way in hell they would have let Carol come into the city without somebody going with her. Unless...Was Carol all alone after the prison fell? Was she unable to reach anybody?

She stopped pacing, a cold shudder running through her. That must have been horrible. To be out there all alone, tensing every a twig snapped, knowing there was nobody there to have your back. To try and work through the loss at the prison all alone. It was just you against every walker and every human until you found somebody who you could trust. Thank God Beth had gotten out with Daryl, and even though it was rough, they made it. She even managed to help him see hope again, and they were friends. They were just getting to know each other. It was a start. It was great even. She wasn't alone. She had a strong man who could track and who teaching her how to track and hunt. He was teaching her how to survive should anything happen to them, say they were separated or he—God forbid—died somehow, and she wouldn't forget that. She would use what Daryl taught her to get herself and Carol the hell out of this place.

She had gotten Noah out of here, and she was so happy that he made it, but now she understood why she hadn't gotten out with him. God made her get captured again, because He knew Carol was coming here. They needed each other to get out of this hell. They would get out of there, there was no questioning that. She just had to make sure Carol was all right. No matter what her condition was, good or bad, she had to make sure Carol got her strength back. She wouldn't let Dr. Edwards kill her. If he tried, Beth would strike first. She wasn't going to watch another one of her family members die right before her eyes, especially not in this hospital. She refused.

She took a deep breath and looked out the window. Tonight, she would go see how Carol was doing. She knew Steven wouldn't tell her anything anymore. She didn't need him to tell her. She'd shown her true colors, and they would all be watching. She was going to give them on hell of a show. She and Carol both. They weren't weak. They weren't submissive. They wouldn't be broken. Not for them, not for anybody ever.

She turned to look at the door. Dawn might try and lock her in after her escape attempt, so she needed to rig the door to simply appear locked, but would still be able to be opened. How could she do that? It was a pull/push design, so how was she going to do this?

She opened the door and looked over the lock quickly as to not draw attention to herself. She shut the door silently and crossed her arms. Damn, what she wouldn't give for Google right now. If she had a wish, she would use it to reunite the group and end this nightmare once and for all.

She turned back to the door. Maybe if she slid something in between the lock... She looked around the room, but she knew there was nothing that would work. Dawn would check in on her, probably ask her if she knew the woman they'd just brought in, so she couldn't sneak out beforehand. She couldn't just wait in here all night. She had to know how Carol was doing like right now, and what happened to her. She had to make sure Carol got the medical attention she needed too, so she couldn't bum rush Dawn and find Carol. It just wouldn't work. Dawn was solid, agile, and Beth wasn't entirely sure she could take her. She would try, but Dawn had a gun and a baton and police hand-to-hand training. Shane and Rick may have taught her how to shoot, but nobody taught her how to fight hand-to-hand. She and Maggie fought, but it was never physical, just a lot of yelling.

Well, she wasn't going to give up. The bigger they were, the harder they fell. Besides, where there was a will, there was a way. There was always a way.

––

That night, Beth never heard Dawn come lock her door. She didn't hear any movement whatsoever, and she studied the door with the dim light the moon provided. She knew Dawn was testing her. She knew Dawn was lurking around out there to see what she would do at the hint of freedom. Beth would never have a chance to run; Dawn would beat her down before she even got close to the exit. This was about Carol. Dawn probably wanted to see if Beth did know her. She wanted to see just how far Beth would go to see Carol.

Guess she was going to see quite a lot tonight. Beth pushed the blanket back and slipped out of bed. Softly, noiselessly, she pulled the door open and scanned the hall; it was empty. She stepped out, closing the door behind her ever so gently, and she hurried down the hall, careful that her shoes didn't make noise.

Her heart was pounding in her chest, making her sick to her stomach, but she was focused and knew what she had to do. She had the scissors tucked into the waistband of her pants, and she could easily reach them. She was prepared for whatever they were going to throw at her. She was ready to fight tooth and nail. Carol was her family, and she didn't give up on family. In any case, Daryl would never forgive her if she didn't check in on Carol.

She imagined the look on his face when he saw them again—and they would see him and Maggie and the others again—and she smiled to herself. She'd prove herself wrong. She wasn't some dead girl. She was Beth, and she was going to make it. She was more than capable. They would all be there, standing together, in the end. Maybe one day Maggie and Glenn would have that baby, and maybe they would all die of natural causes, meet Death smiling. She hoped so, and that was enough.

"Another one?" a female voice sounded. It was Shepard.

Beth stopped and pressed her back flush against the wall, listening, her hands curling around the scissors.

"She's not too badly wounded," a male voice said. It was one of the other cops, Beth didn't know who he was. "She's in better shape than the last one we brought in."

"That doesn't mean much."

Beth peered over the corner to see one of them, Shepard, was leaning in the doorway to a room, and the other one, the one Beth didn't know, was tying his shoe. Since there weren't many lights on at night, she was almost entirely enveloped in darkness, so they might only be able to see her skin or her hair, but if she was quick enough, soundless enough, they wouldn't notice. She had to be careful. She didn't get a second chance with this.

She tiptoed to the other wall, stilling her breathing as their conversation halted for a moment then began again, very causal. Exhaling slowly, she made her way to the room where Carol was. The room to Steven's office was close, so she made her move. She opened the door and left the door ajar behind her. She looked at the gurney and tensed.

It was empty.

What? "Oh, no, no, no," she breathlessly murmured. Where was she? Oh, God, where was she? She looked around, having only the moon's light from the crack she'd left with the door, and she saw a pile of clothing. She scooped them up, finding Carol's shirts and her pants. Her weapons had been taken by them, Beth assumed, not even finding Carol's belt. She felt something in the pocket of her pants and dug it out. She looked over the bumpy object, running her fingertip over it. "Huh."

It was a jasper. How odd for Carol to have a jasper.

Abruptly, the lights flicked on, and Beth shot up, turning around to face the person who followed her as her eyes adjusted to the sudden light. She gripped the jasper tightly in her hand as her eyes fell on Dawn Lerner, who was gripping her baton lightly in her hand, her eyes guarded.