A Second Opinion

What if Carver had another doctor?

It was the morning after they'd been captured by Carver and they'd all been woken up by Troy and a couple other people. The gate opening admitted Carver and another man, who made a beeline for Sarah.

"Bill, I'll be taking Sarah," Said the man, looking at Carver, "I'm going to need someone to help hold people down while I stitch 'em up."

Carver gave the man a dismissive wave, before issuing orders to the rest of the group.

Half-an-hour later, the man, Doctor Abrahms, ran Sarah through medical techniques and procedures. Abrahms, looked down at the dead pig he had Sarah stitching up.

"You're doing a good job." Complimented Abrahms, making Sarah look up, "I understand you saw your grandmother… kill your mother when all this started. It was the same with me, except it was my wife and my eldest. Have you spoken to anyone about it?"

Sarah shook her head, getting a low growl Abrahms, "Sarah, while your father may discourage it, you need to talk to someone about it, work through it. Part of your anxiety problem is that you're bottling it up, and Carlos constantly shielding you isn't helping."

Sarah was silent, instead picking at the stitches.

"Sarah, kids around your age don't usually rely on their parents to hold their hand," Abrahms continued gently, "I know you think your father is protecting you, but he's not going to be around forever. A good example of that is Clementine."

Sarah stopped picking at the stitches and looked up as Abrahms continued, "From how she acts around the rest of your group, her parents were clearly killed, and she's seen people die in front of her. Now, we'll have to wait until her leg's better, but I'll hazard a guess that she's pretty handy with a gun."

"I…" Sarah paused, "I know that she can stitch herself up."

Abrahms frowned, "Why was she stitching herself up?"

"Luke and Pete found her in the forest, she'd been bitten by a dog." Answered Sarah, making Abrahms's frown deepen, "They… they thought it was a Lurker bite and locked her in the shed."

Abrahms frowned, before looking over at Shel, "Shel, can you take her to Reggie, please?"

Shel looked surprised, but nodded, taking both girls up to the roof, while Abrahms went to talk to Carlos.

ASO

They just finished eating when the yard's gate opened and admitted Carlos and Abrahms.

"Carlos, what's going on?" Asked Nick, as Abrahms stalked over to the beds and roughly woke the other workers.

"Carver wants the girls…" Carlos sighed, "to go on a supply run."

"He wants the girls to be trained to deal with Walkers." Corrected Abrahms, glaring around the group, "So, who's idea was it to stick a child in a shed in the middle of winter?"

"What?" Demanded Kenny, getting a snort from Abrahms.

"Oh, didn't you know?" Asked the doctor, "Clementine was bitten by a dog, tore her arm up pretty badly. From what I was told, she had to stitch herself up."

"Clementine was probably exaggerating." Nick tried to dismiss, getting a glower from Abrahms.

"Clementine didn't say anything." Growled Abrahms, glaring at Nick.

Carlos opened his mouth, only for Abrahms to cut him off, "Don't. You're already on my shit list, don't test my patience."

Carlos closed his mouth, making Abrahms look at the two unnamed workers, "Jane, you'll be going with them, since, according to Bill, you're familiar with Walkers. Mike, since the girls will be learning how to protect themselves, you'll be acting as the messenger-slash-supply runner for the next few days."

Abrahms turned and started leaving when Rebecca called out to him, "Dan! Where's Alvin?"

Abrahms stopped, before sighing and walking back over to her, "I know people are saying you're paranoid because you're pregnant. But, Bill's not leaving Alvin in good shape. I'm doing what I can to ease his suffering, but there's only so much I can do while Bill's watching him. So, I suggest you hope for the best, but prepare for the worst."

Rebecca swallowed, before nodding. Abrahms returned the nod and walked out of the yard.

ASO

Abrahms was watching Carlos as Sarah learned how to dress a wound when Troy burst in carrying Clementine.

"She's bit on her leg." That was all Troy had to say before Abrahms took Clementine and rolled her left trouser leg up.

"Right, Sarah," Abrahms looked at Sarah, "Tell me what you see."

"Um, s-she has a Lurker bite in the middle of her shin, a-and t-the bone's visible." Stuttered Sarah, getting a nod from Abrahms.

"Okay, first course of action?"

"Tourniquet her leg."

"Where?"

"Just above the knee."

Abrahms nodded, using a knife to cut Clementine's trouser leg open, and applying the tourniquet, "Okay, what next?"

"Um…c-cut the leg off just below the knee." Guessed Sarah, getting another nod from Abrahms.

"How do we stop the bleeding?"

Sarah froze, her eyes darting around, "Um, um, er, w-we burn it?"

"The correct term is cauterise," Said Abrahms, "but yes, that's the correct course."

Sarah nodded, as Abrahms stuck a needle into Clementine's leg. After making sure that Clementine had little to no feeling, he grabbed a fire axe and a bottle of whiskey. Uncapping it, he handed it to Clementine, "Drink this, it might taste disgusting, but it'll help."

Clementine shakily nodded, before taking a swig a coughing it out. Abrahms chose that moment to swing the axe down.

ASO

Clementine looked down at the thick padding of gauze on her leg, it was blood strained, but Abrahms and Carlos made sure it was doing alright. A guy called Stan made her a new leg, but Abrahms had told her not to walk on it for a few weeks. Mike had relayed that to Luke, who was helping them plan an escape from the outside. Clementine had taken a risk and told Bonnie about Luke, she'd managed to smuggle Luke some food, and find him somewhere safer to hunker down.

Luke didn't like waiting, but agreed to stay until Clementine's leg had healed enough for her to learn to walk on it.

ASO

Clementine winced as her leg hurt, but she'd made good progress with walking on it. Her limp was almost unnoticeable, and she could go at a light jog. She had watched Jane kick a walker's leg out and drive a screwdriver into the monster's brain. Deciding to follow the old woman's example, Clementine kicked the prosthetic leg out and stabbed it in the head with a hunting knife when it came down. Glancing to the side, Clementine saw Sarah whaling on a walker with a baseball bat, while another girl tried to shove a machete through a Walker's chin and into its brain.

Clementine noticed another Walker stumbling up to her, with her repeating the technique Jane was using and dispatched the Walker. From the roof, Abrahms watched with Carver.

"It's almost like she never lost her leg." Mused Carver, making Abrahms frowned.

"I'll give Stan credit where it's due." Abrahms glanced at Bill, "What do you plan on doing with Reggie?"

"What do you mean?" Asked Carver, frowning as Clementine kicked a Lurker with her prosthetic leg.

"He's done everything you asked, reported on their movements, told us that Nick's in favour breaking out again, made sure that none of them are poking around the pen, hell, he even suggested that I ask Sarah about the group." Said Abrahms, crossing his arms, "Of course, I would've asked anyway, especially since Sarah's skills would be better put to use as a medic, but sooner or later, Reggie's going to realise that he isn't getting back in the bulk of the community."

"Are you gonna tell him that?"

"No." Abrahms frowned down at the girls, "Hold on, what's that?"

"What's what?" Asked Carver, as Abrahms took a pair of binoculars from his belt.

"There're three people in the treeline," Abrahms handed Carver the binoculars, "A child and two adults."

Carver frowned, before grabbing his radio, "Troy, Tavia, there are three people just inside the treeline, get them."

ASO

Clementine absently rubbed her stump, thinking over the past few weeks, Troy and Tavia had Bonnie take her, Sarah, the other girl and Jane back inside, while they went to the treeline. They returned empty handed. Then Reggie vanished, at first, they didn't notice it, until Bonnie brought their attention to it. Clemetine asked Abrahms about it, as well as Shel, the woman who'd been helping her learn to walk again. Both refused to say anything.

Then Carver presented Reggie to them, black and blue. Saying he'd been stealing from them, keeping medicine for himself. He even said that Reggie got Clementine bit. Then they hanged him. His legs kicked as he suffocated, before he died. Carver then had Clementine put a reanimated Reggie down. Abrahms had let out a low whistle, complimenting Clementine's shooting.

Then Abrahms came into the pen and told them that Alvin had died. Alvin had wanted to see Rebecca before he died, but Carver wanted to see the man suffer, keeping his reanimated body in his office as a trophy.

Clementine's stump had healed enough for her lose some of the bandages. She'd heard from Kenny that Luke had flagged them down and proposed an escape plan, they'd gotten pretty far in planning it when Carver found Luke and Carver got Kenny's name out of him. He'd beaten Kenny hard enough to destroy his left eye and was going to kill him, only for Rebecca to go into labour. Doctor Abrahms had delivered the baby, with Rebecca naming him Alvin, and had assigned Clementine to watch over him.

"Why her?" Asked Nick, getting Abrahms's attention.

"Babies require a lot of attention," Said Abrahms, before gesturing to Clementine with his head, "She's way ahead of Sarah and Becca when it comes to Walkers and, presently, her leg limits what she can do. She's the most logical choice."

"Where's Rebecca?" Carver made his presence known, getting a sigh from Abrahms.

"She's in there," he gestured into the 'delivery room' behind him, "She's asleep, I think."

Carver nodded and walked into the room. Abrahms watched him go, before leaning over to Carlos, "Get the others, tell them it's time."

"What about Rebecca?"

"She's dead." Abrahms glanced around, "I think she couldn't go on without Alvin."

Carlos frowned but nodded. He grabbed Nick's shoulder, and they ran to the yard, while Abrahms went to pack up his tools and supplies. Kenny joined them a minute later, when Carver stumbled out of the room, a deep bite on his neck.

"She's turned!"

"Pity." Growled Kenny, bringing a crowbar down on Carver's head, as Rebecca's Walker stumbled out of the room. The Walker growled as it reached out for Clementine, making the girl put her down.

Abrahms returned with the bags packed, he glanced at the dead Walker and Carver's destroyed skull, "Alright, let's go."

ASO

The group stopped at an old Civil War site, with Clementine and Sarah watching over AJ, as Luke, Pete and Kenny looked back at Howe's.

"That herd's just circling around." Pete handed Luke the binoculars, "Herd's don't do that."

"Maybe they do." Suggested Kenny, but he didn't sound like he believed himself.

"Since when?" Asked Luke, as Jane joined them.

"When what?" Asked Jane, as Luke handed her the binoculars.

"That herd, they're circling Howe's." Explained Luke, as Pete rolled his eyes and Kenny scowled, "They don't do that."

"They do if they're being guided by Whisperer's." Said Jane, lowering the binoculars, "If there are Whisperer's there, then we need to move."

ASO

Clementine quietly watched as Vince's group and Mike left them, while their group continued down the path. They'd walked for a few days, before they reached an ice-covered lake. They'd chosen to walk around the edge of it, since Carlos didn't think the ice would hold them and respond well to Clementine's leg. Abrahms and Carlos kept an eye on Luke, Kenny and Clementine, they eventually split up with the rest of the group when they reached to town.

The group managed to find an RV that worked and were now in a somewhat warm environment and, after finding out about the capacity limit, Vince and his group had gone back into the town with the promise of finding them when they got to Wellington.

As the RV trundled away, Clementine let out a soft sigh, feeling the pain in her stump lessen. Feeling Sarah's head resting on top of hers, Clementine went to sleep.