A/N: Here's the next chapter! I hope you guys enjoy it, and I hope you're ready for what's to come!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything other than Thea Ellis and her storyline. All rights to The Walking Dead remain with Robert Kirkman and Co.
Six days after the eventful trip to Richmond, Thea walked into the clinic to get her bandages changed and was met with Denise's worried face. She scanned the room and noticed the cabinets open, the shelves looking picked clean.
"How low are we?" Thea asked slowly, putting things together pretty quickly.
The bespectacled doctor sighed heavily, shutting the drawer she had been rifling through. "We've got maybe a few days, but with your shoulder and Mr. Robinson's back it could be less."
Thea nodded and trailed her eyes around the room once more. "Probably need to go on a run soon."
"Who's going on a run?" Rosita asked as she entered the clinic, a familiar archer following her.
He sent Thea a small glare, shaking his head. "Not you." He said in a voice that told her there was no room for arguing.
"I wasn't planning on it." Thea told him with a roll of her eyes.
Rosita, who glanced between the two of them with a smirk on her face, finally turned her attention to Denise. "Why do we need to go on a run?"
As the blonde began to explain the situation with the meds, Thea moved to check out how much gauze was available. She needed to change her bandages but didn't want to use it all up if they were going to run out. She'd have to start rationing better until they found more supplies.
"After I got out of DC, I just drove." Denise was explaining as Thea turned back to the group. "I remember seeing it right when I realized I had no idea where I was going."
There was a map on the table in front of them, how it had come to be there unknown. Thea stepped closer and noticed a red circle Denise had drawn.
"Edison's Apothecary and Boutique. It's just this little gift shop in a strip mall, but if it's really an apothecary, they had drugs."
Daryl's face was furrowed in thought, the way Thea had seen many times; it was directed her way more times than she could count so it was an expression she had become quite familiar with.
"How do you know they still got 'em?" He asked, eyes flickering over the map as he appeared to be memorizing the location of the apothecary, possibly studying the different routes to get there.
Denise shook her head with a shrug, her eyes glancing back at Rosita. "It isn't that far. I just wanna check. And you and Rosita aren't out scavenging or pulling shifts."
After a moment of hesitation, Daryl shrugged and nodded. "We'll go."
That wasn't good enough for the blonde. "I wanted to check. I just wanted to help." She nodded, clearly wanting to go with them on the run.
Thea wasn't sure how many times Denise had been beyond the walls, or how long she'd been on the road before making it to Alexandria, but she hadn't seen the blonde woman leave since the prison group had arrived. Perhaps she was getting antsy?
"How much time you spend out there?" Daryl was asking, voicing Thea's thoughts.
"None."
Daryl grunted. "Forget it."
There was a stubborn look on Denise's face. "I can ID the meds. I know how to use a machete now. I've seen roamers up close. I'm ready."
While Thea agreed that it would be a good idea for someone who knew what to look for to be out there, she also knew that they were going through doctors pretty fast and they should probably try to keep the only two they had safe. Then again, she had argued enough times about being allowed outside the walls despite her importance to the group, so who was she to deny Denise that right?
"You good with this?" Daryl asked Rosita.
That earned an eye roll from the Latina. "No."
Denise sighed. "I'll go alone if I have to."
"You'll die alone." Daryl argued, causing Thea to frown at the dark turn it took.
Rosita was nodding in agreement, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth.
Denise stood her ground. "I'm asking you to make sure I don't."
The other two in the room stared at each other, exchanging a silent conversation that had Thea wondering just what they were thinking. Finally, Rosita placed a hand on her chest and raised an eyebrow. "I'm not babysitting her by myself." She told him.
Knowing Daryl had no choice but to go with them, Denise and Rosita gave him identical smug looks and Thea couldn't help but snicker, which earned another glare from the archer.
"Looks like you guys are going on a run." She commented, smirking at him.
Although she wanted to try and ration it, Thea had reluctantly allowed Denise to change the bandage on her shoulder before the trio left for their run to the apothecary in an old pickup truck that made far too many concerning sounds for her liking. She tried to ignore the nagging feeling of worry in her gut and focused on taking an inventory of just what was left in the clinic.
She could feel her shoulder aching considerably, but the possibility that the run would be a bust was too high and she didn't want to take any medicine that might be needed later. And if the run went badly in another way, they might need them for an emergency situation; she could fight through the pain for a bit, wait it out for it to get unbearable.
Focusing her mind seemed to help just a bit and she forced herself to keep busy with the task at hand, scribbling down how many pills were left in a bottle of Tylenol before returning it to the shelf. The emptiness of the shelves was just another reminder of the way things were now. Eventually, every apothecary or pharmacy or gas station would be picked clean and there would be nothing left. One day, they'd have to return to the way things were before the invention of modern medicine and that was something that Thea had been thinking about for a long time. She had considered keeping an eye out for books about medieval medicine or medical techniques from third world countries simply to have a bit more education on the way she'd have to eventually do things.
She made a small note on the corner of the notebook page to bring the idea up to Rick and the others.
Once she'd managed to inventory everything in the clinic twice, wanting the number to be correct, she sighed heavily and sank down onto one of the barstools at the kitchen island. She ran a hand over her face tiredly, a pained whimper leaving her lips as her shoulder reminded her that she'd been without pain relievers for a few hours too long now. Her hand was shaking as she tucked her hair behind her ear and she knew it was time to finally grab some Tylenol.
Just as she stood, the clinic door burst open causing her to startle. Rosita entered first and she could see the woman was supporting a pair of legs as she stumbled into the room.
"What-?" Thea started to ask before stopping abruptly as she saw who was being carried.
Daryl and Abraham were supporting Eugene's upper body, coming in behind Rosita in a rush. The mullet-haired man was unconscious and deep crimson was blooming across the stomach of his shirt: blood.
"What happened?" Thea demanded to know, her adrenaline spiking and the pain in her shoulder temporarily forgotten.
Rosita had a snarl on her face as the trio dropped Eugene heavily on the closest bed. "Fucking Saviors." She said, her voice dripping with anger.
Thea rushed to stand beside the bed, pulling Eugene's shirt up to figure out just what she was working with. There was a bullet hole in the left side of his abdomen, blood still seeping from the wound. With one arm in a sling, she would need an extra pair of hands to aid her.
"Shit. I'm gonna need help, where's Denise?" She asked the others without glancing their way, turning to grab a pair of gloves. When she was met with only silence, she turned to face the others and froze; their faces said it all and she felt her heart sink. "Shit." She cursed again, eyes lowering to the gloves in her hand before landing on Eugene once again. She didn't have time to grieve.
"Okay," She muttered, placing the gloves on the bed and reaching up to ease the strap of her sling over her head. Her shoulder stung and protested, but she did nothing more than wince as she tossed the sling aside and started to pull on her gloves. Her eyes were starting to water and she wasn't sure if it had more to do with the new weight on her shoulder or Denise's death, but she had to put it all out of her mind for the moment.
Grabbing a pair of scissors, she cut Eugene's shirt open straight up the middle and let it hang loosely at his sides, his stomach showing that his breathing was shallow.
"Help me turn him?" She asked Abraham, who nodded silently and helped get Eugene on his side for a moment. "No exit wound…I'm gonna have to dig the bullet out." She observed as Abraham rested Eugene back onto his back.
Rosita appeared beside her with a tray of instruments she must have seen Thea and Denise gather a hundred times before; they were getting way too familiar with this type of situation. "I'll help you as much as I can, okay?" the woman told her, though the look on her face told her she would rather be out exacting whatever revenge she could.
Thea nodded, murmuring a soft thank you. The door slamming shut disrupted her thoughts and she realized that Abraham had left. She found it odd that he would leave given how close he was to the man on the bed but didn't have much time dwell on it at the moment.
Daryl, who hadn't said a single word since they'd busted into the clinic, remained silent as he moved to sit by the window. Thea knew that he liked Denise more than he ever let on and the blonde's death was probably hitting him pretty hard; Thea made a mental note to check on him when she was finished and turned back to her patient.
An hour or so later, Rosita was sitting beside a resting Eugene with her hand clasped tightly around his. Daryl was still staring out the window and Thea couldn't help but study him as she finished cleaning up the mess they'd made while operating. He looked like he was deep in thought, like more than just losing someone was on his mind. She wondered what exactly went down outside the walls, how things had escalated to the point they had. And what about the Saviors who had attacked them? What had become of them?
The door opened and Abraham returned, looking around the clinic before his eyes landed on his friend. "Rick's coming," He told them. "How is he?"
Rosita spoke up before Thea could. "Bullet just grazed him, but it's good that we got him back when we did. Antibiotics we picked up could save him from an infection. Could save his life. That's what Denise did."
Denise's hunch about the apothecary had been a good one and they'd managed to replenish their supplies for another few weeks. In the end, Denise really helped them out.
Eugene was suddenly awake, coughing as he tried to swallow on a dry throat. Thea began to fill a glass with water as Rosita leaned in close to the man.
"You here?" She asked.
Eugene's voice was faint, his throat cracking. "Present."
Rosita nodded and turned, walking away without a word. She left the clinic quickly, an angry but relieved look on her face.
"Good." Abraham spoke as she stepped closer to the other man.
Thea moved across the room and handed him the glass of water before returning to her previous spot, not wanting to interrupt what looked like a much-needed conversation.
"I was not trying to kill you. I was looking for a moment." Eugene began to explain, which only confused Thea more as she still had no clue what had gone down.
"You found it." Abe said, leaning down over Eugene.
The dark-haired man stared for a moment. "Do you apologize for questioning my skills?"
There was a small smirk on the redhead's face. "I apologize for questioning your skills." He nodded. "You know how to bite a dick, Eugene. I mean that with the utmost respect. Welcome to stage two."
Thea tried her best not to laugh, because what in the world did he mean by that? She wanted to ask, but they were having such a good moment together that she kept her mouth shut.
"Don't need to welcome me. I've been here a while."
That seemed to be enough for Daryl as he stood from the perch he'd been in for an hour now and quickly left. Thea frowned as she stared at the closed door, wishing she had taken the chance to check on him. For now, though, she desperately needed to get some Tylenol in her system and put her sling back on.
Slowly making her way across the clinic, she lifted a shaking hand to pull a bottle of pills from the shelf it rested on. It took an embarrassingly long time to open the child-proof bottle one-handed, her left arm cradled against her chest, but she was finally able to get down a couple capsules with a glass of water. The hard part would be putting her sling back on.
"Need some help?" Abraham asked as she picked the sling up from the table she'd tossed it on.
She had almost forgotten he was there, but she nodded. "That would be much appreciated." She said through gritted teeth.
The man stepped forward, taking the sling from her and gingerly helping her slip her arm back into it before securing the strap over her head. "Better?" He asked, once it was in position.
Thea felt relief as the pressure was taken off her shoulder. She thankfully hadn't busted any stitches, but having her arm hanging at her side had caused a lot of pain. "Yeah, a lot better. Thank you."
A moment of silenced passed between them before she found the courage to finally ask what had been on her mind since they'd returned with a bleeding Eugene.
"What happened out there?"
Abraham gave her a long look before sighing. "The Saviors fucked us hard, that's what happened."
The vague explanation seemed to be all he was going to give her as he turned and moved to sit with Eugene once more. Thea wanted to be frustrated with him but given the fact that he was upset she was going to let it go. She'd just have to ask Rosita or Daryl for a proper explanation.
Daryl had left Alexandria again, taking Carol with him. Thea tried not to feel upset with the fact that he hadn't spoken a word to her since they'd returned from the run. She knew that he was deeply affected by Denise's death and that he wasn't the type of person to start spilling his guts when things went terribly wrong, but she couldn't help that she wanted him to talk to her. She wanted to be the one to help him through this like he had helped her through some of the things she'd endured. Instead, he'd taken off with Carol, and she wasn't quite sure what he was going to do; she worried he was going after the Saviors.
Sitting on the steps of the clinic, she watched the gates impatiently as if just wishing they were back behind the safety of the walls was going to magically make them appear. She tried her hardest not to feel left out, knowing it was a ridiculous emotion to be feeling at a time like this; wanting to be there for Daryl and not getting the chance to felt wrong. He had been there for her countless times, even in the most minute way, and she desperately wanted to return the favor. Despite any protesting he might have done, Daryl had liked Denise and vice versa. They'd had an odd friendship, and Thea knew that he couldn't be taking her death very well.
The ache in her shoulder had now reduced to a dull annoyance as the medicine began to kick in and she relaxed only slightly, knowing that the tension headache rolling up the back of her neck wasn't going to ease until Daryl, and yes Carol, were back behind the walls safely.
"You alright?" A voice asked, snapping her attention away from the gates.
Rick was coming down the sidewalk with one hand resting comfortably on his holstered revolver. He was squinting through the sun at her as he approached, his blue eyes shining brightly.
Thea was getting tired of being asked that question.
Instead of answering, she asked a question of her own. "Where did Daryl go?"
"He and Carol went to get Denise's body. Bring her back, give her a proper burial." He responded, eyes glancing towards the gates for just a moment before meeting hers again. He stopped on the sidewalk at the bottom of the porch steps, staring her down.
She knew he was expecting an answer to his question and she sighed softly. "I'm tired. Tired of getting close to people only to lose them. Tired of the Saviors causing trouble. Tired of being stuck in this sling." Thea trailed off, knowing if she wanted to she could continue to list things until she was blue in the face.
She doubted Rick wanted to listen to her whine that long.
"Yeah," He was agreeing with a slow nod of his head. "Me too."
They were silent for a moment before Rick nodded towards the clinic. "How's Eugene?"
Standing, Thea adjusted the strap on her sling into a more comfortable position and moved to stand on the sidewalk beside him. "He'll live. It was just a graze, but he lost a lot of blood. He'll have to rest for a day or two. You can go in if you want…I think I'm going to take a walk."
Without waiting for his reply, she turned and began heading down the street, back to the gate. Maybe if she wasn't staring at it and waiting, Daryl would get back quicker.
Somehow, she had ended up going home and taking a nap. The day had worn on long enough and she'd been in pain for a good portion of it, so a nap seemed like the perfect way to recharge. When she woke up, the sun was beginning to set; the first thing that crossed her mind was whether or not Daryl had made it back yet. Slipping her shoes back on, she headed down the hallway to his room and knocked gently against the wood. When there was no response, she twisted the knob and peeked inside: the bed was empty.
"Shit." She whispered to herself, picturing him and Carol lying dead in the dirt somewhere beyond the walls. Beyond where they could find them.
Thea's heart pounded at the idea and she knew she had to go and convince Rick to send out a team to look for the pair. She silently moved down the stairs, checking the living room for the archer before she went to the kitchen.
"Hey," Maggie greeted her from where she stood beside Glenn at the counter. There was something cooking on the stove, and Thea had the sneaking suspicion it was yet another soup.
Thea offered her a small, tired smile. "Hey. Did Daryl make it back yet?" She asked, not bothering to hide the fact that she was worried.
Maggie gave her a knowing look as Glenn appeared to hide a chuckle in a cough. "Yeah, they got back an hour or so ago. Brought back Denise's body, buried her with the others."
Thea felt a twinge of guilt that the thought of retrieving the other doctor's body had been less of a worry than Daryl's safety.
"You hungry?" Glenn asked as he pulled a few bowls down from the cabinet.
Thea shook her head as she went for the door. "I'll be back."
As her feet hit the top stair of the porch, she got a whiff of smoke and froze, turning to find Daryl sitting on the porch railing with a nearly finished cigarette hanging loosely from his lips. His eyes were cast downward, head bowed, but she could see the sorrow on his face.
Retreating back to the porch, she didn't quite know what she should do. She wasn't sure how to comfort him when she knew he was taking Denise's death extremely hard. He hadn't wanted to take her out on the run to the apothecary but he'd let her and Rosita convince him it would be okay, and she was sure that it meant he was putting the majority of the blame on himself.
"Hey," she spoke softly, taking a few tentative steps in his direction. She tried not to feel disappointed when he didn't look up at her or respond. Unsure of what else to say, she rested her hip against the railing opposite the one he sat on and watched him silently as she tried to come up with something helpful. But what would be helpful in this situation? Should she leave him alone? Should she try and talk to him? Or maybe just being there and not saying a word was enough?
Something in her made her ask the question before she could stop herself. "What happened out there?"
The cigarette had burned down to the filter and when he didn't move to put it out, Thea reached out and took it from his lips before tossing it into the street. Daryl still hadn't moved.
"It was Dwight." He said suddenly, startling her out of her thoughts.
She faced him, brow furrowed as she tried to understand what he meant. Was her referring to the Dwight that had taken them hostage in the burnt forest before leaving them stranded, swiping Daryl's bike and crossbow in the process?
"Should have taken him out when I had the chance." He continued.
Thea let out a shaky breath, mind flashing back to Dwight's gun pointed in their faces and the ropes around her wrist. "He killed Denise?" she asked, as if he hadn't already said that.
He nodded. "He said he was aiming for me, but the kickback on the crossbow screwed it up."
She felt her heart falter slightly at the thought that if Dwight had gotten a bit more practice with the weapon, he'd have killed Daryl. She felt guilt flow through her when she realized that she was experiencing a tiny bit of relief that he was still here, even if it meant losing Denise. Having emotions really fucked things up.
"He's with the Saviors? He went back to them?" Again, she found herself asking questions that she already knew the answer to.
He didn't answer, knowing she already knew what he'd say. Instead, he sighed. "Should have killed him and he wouldn't have gotten the chance to shoot Denise. It's my fault."
"Daryl, no—"
He cut her off. "If she hadn't been out there, she'd still be alive. I never should have let her come with us."
Thea didn't know what to say to him. He was blaming himself, and she could sense that no amount of arguing would change his mind. Daryl had always carried the weight of their losses on his shoulders; she had seen it with Beth, she'd seen it with Zach, even Tyrese despite the fact that he hadn't been present for the events that had taken the man's life. Now, she could see him diving deeper into that hole with Denise and it broke her heart. She wanted to comfort him but knew trying to change his mind was pointless.
What could she do?
Pushing herself off the railing, she slowly stepped forward. Daryl's face turned up slightly to see what she was doing, though he still looked like a kicked puppy. Reaching up with her good hand, she brushed the hair out of his face, her fingers ghosting over the skin of his forehead gently.
"I'm sorry." She whispered softly to him, feeling like the words fell a little short.
His blue eyes were staring back at her as if he expected her to have an answer for everything but she didn't. She wished she did.
Instead, she did the only thing she could think to do; although she wasn't sure if it would comfort him. She brushed his hair back and cupped his jaw, leaning forward slowly to place her lips against his lightly. He didn't pull away or flinch when she'd leaned in, which was a good sign that he didn't completely hate the idea of her kissing him. After the awkwardness that had ensued the last time she'd kissed him, she was grateful he didn't seem to want her to never touch him again.
She had intended for it to be a quick peck on the lips, but she found herself lingering with her mouth pressed against his when she felt one of his hands land gingerly on her waist. It was the only way he responded to her, he didn't press his lips back against hers or do anything else, but it was a lot better than running. She'd take it.
After a moment, she pulled back and stared at him with her brow furrowed. "I'm sorry," she repeated. "I know you don't believe it, but it's not your fault. It's the Saviors, it's Dwight." She shook her head. "You can't blame yourself, Daryl. You didn't kill him before because you didn't have a real reason to. You couldn't have known that he'd come back, or what he would do."
She hated seeing him in such a slump and wished there was something more she could do than offer him a pep talk and a kiss. Perhaps she needed to work a bit on her bedside manner.
"Just…try not to beat yourself up too much. Please." She was sure it was pointless to ask that of him, considering that Daryl was known for giving himself a hell of a beating over anything he could.
He didn't respond, not even a nod of acknowledgment, but she hadn't expected him to agree. She dropped her hand from his jaw, stepping back and trying not to feel disappointed at the loss of his hand on her waist. "Get some sleep. Doctor's orders." She instructed with a small smile, lingering for only a moment before she turned and made her way back inside for dinner.
The next morning, Thea was pulled from her sleep by the sound of heavy footfalls on the stairs. She frowned, stumbling out of her bed and pulling the door open to figure out what was going on. Maggie was following Glenn down to the first floor in a hurry, both sharing equal looks of worry on their faces.
"Hey, what's going on?" Thea asked, bare feet much quieter on the stairs than their shoes.
Maggie and Glenn exchanged a glance before the woman shrugged as if to say it was okay for Thea to know the reason they were so frazzled this early in the morning.
It was Glenn who answered her. "Daryl took off. We think he's going after the Saviors alone."
"Shit." Thea hissed. Perhaps her little pep talk had given him a different idea than what she had intended.
"Glenn, Rosita, and Michonne are going after him. Hopefully they'll get him back before he does anything stupid."
Thea nodded slowly. She wished that she could go with them to find him, but there was no way they would agree to that given the fact that she had one working arm and they'd just lost one of their doctors. She was probably never going to leave Alexandria again.
Glenn placed a quick kiss on Maggie's cheek and sent Thea a nod before heading towards the door. "We'll find him." He reassured her, clearly seeing the fear on her face.
She wanted to believe him, but that nagging feeling in her gut was telling her that there was something bad on the horizon. What it was, however, was up for debate.
After checking in on Eugene, she went to Cat's house hoping that her sister would be able to help keep her mind off the worry she felt for Daryl's safety, as well as those who had gone after him. She was sitting at the kitchen island with Hank, listening to him explain how the scribbles he'd drawn on a blank sheet of paper were different people from Alexandria. She didn't see anyone in the squiggly lines, but she wouldn't tell him that.
Cat stood behind her, pulling her hair back into a braid. It still felt so weird braiding her hair, but Cat had always enjoyed playing with her older sister's hair; when she was pregnant she had talked about all the potential things she could do if she had a daughter whose hair she could play with.
"So, do you think Daryl will actually be able to find the Saviors before Glenn and the others find him?" Cat asked suddenly.
So much for forgetting about her worry.
Thea sighed heavily. "I don't know." She said simply, hoping that the vague answer would give the blonde woman the hint that she didn't want to talk about it.
She didn't have such luck. "I just don't understand how—"
Before she could finish her sentence, the front door burst open causing the three in the kitchen to jump in surprise. Enid rushed into the room, a panic spread across her face.
"Thea! We need you!" she yelled, panting as if she'd run the whole way there. If the perspiration on her brow was any indication, she had.
The doctor jumped out of her seat, moving towards the girl in confusion. "Enid, what is it?" she wondered.
The teenager took a few deep breaths before answering, sending Thea's heart into her throat. "It's Maggie. I think she's having a miscarriage."
A/N: So, this chapter was a bit on the shorter side and was also sort of a filler. With good reason! Based on the way this one ended, I'm sure you all know where the next chapter is going and it's gonna be a long one! I hope you're ready to have your hearts shattered.
I would love to hear any theories you guys have on how things with Negan will go! How do you think having Thea there will change things, if at all? Do you guys think Negan will recognize her or has he forgotten about the random doctor he met at the airport once? How would you guys like to see them interact in the next chapter and in the future? I'd really love to read what you guys are thinking, so please send anything my way whether in a review or through DM if you'd like.