Beth's group stood out like a sore thumb against the bright and cheery backdrop of Woodbury. She felt almost self-conscious of their appearance as she took in her own shredded jeans and filthy shirt. He hair hung in ropey clumps down her back and her skin was covered in a layer of grime that she hadn't noticed until this moment. She saw every other member of her group shifting their own gazes between themselves and their surroundings.

Philip moved around the edge of their group as the gate closed loudly behind them, sealing them into the community. He stopped as he reached the front of them and turned towards them, firmly placing himself between them and the townspeople milling around behind him.

"Let's get you all cleaned up," he stated cheerfully. He gestured to a building to his right, "There are some showers in a locker room through there. When you're done, we'll get you all checked out with the doctor we have here and then we can get some decent food in you." Beth noticed that he never dropped his smile.

Rick nodded, "Thank you." He grasped Lori's hand and slowly walked towards the building that Philip had motioned to. The group shuffled behind them, still shooting furtive glances around. Herschel brought up the rear of the group and stopped when he was even with Philip.

"I appreciate you helping us," he said softly and reached his hand out to Philip.

Philip took his hand and shook it enthusiastically. "My pleasure, all my pleasure sir."

Beth gasped as the hot water hit her body. She could hear the other women of the group responding in kind, god only knew how long it had been since any of them had felt clean. She reveled in the fact that she could use real shampoo and conditioner on her hair and smiled when she could see the dirt swirling around the white tile and down the drain.

Each of the women finished their showers and took turns brushing out their hair with the hairbrush that had been left for them. It hurt, lord did it hurt, but it was worth it to feel just a little more human again. Medical gowns had been left for them, and while it struck Beth as odd, she guess it made sense since Philip had told them they'd be examined by a doctor.

Maggie took her hand as they were ushered down a hallway to what looked like a makeshift emergency room. A clean young woman in scrubs instructed them to each take a bed, and drew a privacy screen around each of them. Beth tried to relax, but after so many months of being with her group for every second of every day, even separation by the thin piece of fabric was jarring. She instructed herself to take deep breaths to calm herself as she heard nurses or doctors enter to see the other women in the room with her.

A middle-aged woman pulled her screen aside and greeted her with a big smile. "Hi there, I'm June, one of the doctors here at Woodbury. I'm going to do your physical exam, just to make sure you're alright."

Beth nodded and forced a small smile on her face in response. "I'm Beth," she stated quietly.

The doctor nodded and brought up a clipboard and pen. "Full name, dear," she prompted.

"Oh, Elizabeth Hope Greene."

"When's your birthday hun?"

"I'm seventeen. My birthday is December 10th."

"Well dear I think that makes you eighteen now. We can't be sure, but we think its probably February or March."

"Oh..." Beth couldn't believe she'd missed her birthday, her parents had always made such a big deal about it. Surviving is more important, she chastised herself.

The doctor continued to scribble down information that Beth gave her. No medications, no allergies, had her wisdom teeth out early, etc. etc. Beth's head shot up with the doctor's next question though.

"Last period?"

Beth scrunched up her nose at the personal question. Her face stayed scrunched up when she realized she couldn't remember. "Its been a while. I used to be regular enough, but not in a while."

"That's not uncommon dear, especially with how thin you are right now. Stress will do that. Have you ever had sex?"

"Why is that important?"

"Just wanting to rule out pregnancy as a reason for the missed periods." Beth noticed that the doctor never seemed to stop writing on the damn clipboard.

Beth sighed as she quietly answered the doctor's question, "No m'am."

"Ok then dear, scoot down, I have to do an internal exam." She put down the clipboard and drew on a pair of latex gloves.

"I just told you I hadn't, why do you need to do that?" Beth could feel the blush creep across her face.

"Well dear, I just want to make sure nothing was damaged down there while y'all were running around in the wild. You do want to know if you can have children right?"

Beth shrugged and moved down the table towards the doctor. As she leaned back she thought about the doctor's question, did she want children? Before she had, but now? Now they were all so worried. She hadn't seen Lori smile in months, and although Rick was still upset about Shane, she knew that part of his worry was about Lori's safety when it was time for Lori to have the baby.

The exam ended and June brought in a set of clothes that were a little too big for Beth, but they were clean. Once Beth slipped them on she emerged from her makeshift hospital room and the women followed another smiling woman down a hallway to a small kitchen with two long cafeteria tables with benches. Someone had made them soup and sandwiches while they had been absent. The men had already returned from their exams and had started eating, unable to wait with the temptation of food sitting in front of them.

Beth couldn't believe how different everyone looked after a shower and clean clothes. Even Daryl cleaned up nice, she found herself laughing to herself at that realization. She settled in next to her dad and Carl, slowly working through the food that had been placed in front of her.

"Go slow Bethy," her father cautioned. "Don't wanna get sick because you rushed it."

Philip came in as they all were beginning a second serving of their food. "We haven't been able to set up quarters for you just yet, so if you don't mind crashing in here tonight, we'll get some cots and sleeping bags set up for you. Its not ideal, and I hate to give you a bad impression of us, we just haven't had a group as large as yours come through in a while. It should all be settled by tomorrow night though."

Rick nodded and thanked the man, looking for any double meaning in his words but finding none.

"Lori, what'd the doctor say about the baby?" Herschel called down the length of the table.

Lori actually smiled slightly and ran her hand across her abdomen. "Said it should be fine. Felt it kickin, felt it movin, gave me some prenatal vitamins."

Rick squeezed her shoulder and met her eyes. "Good. We need you to be healthy here."

She nodded in response and dropped her gaze back to her food.

The afternoon faded into night and the group was moved once again to a gymnasium that had been set up like a dormitory. Everyone took a cot, but no one seemed able to settle down. Beth noticed that she wasn't the only one sitting up in her cot and looking around the space. She saw Daryl walking the perimeter of the room, checking the doors and windows. He looked almost incomplete without his bow. She realized suddenly that she didn't have her knife. All of them were without their weapons. They must have been taken with their dirty clothes while they were all showering, she tried to quickly assure herself.

The lights in all the buildings in Woodbury turned off when the clock on the wall struck 10pm. Beth sighed and lay down in her cot, willing herself to shake off her nerves and go to sleep. We have to make this work, she thought to herself. For everyone.