The Doc

Chapter 12

Sitting up, Alice noticed she felt a little better. Her head wasn't pounding much anymore and her dizziness was gone even though the lights were still on. Swinging her heavy legs off the sofa, she jumped at the sound of her front door creaking open but relaxed when she recognised the familiar blonde hair.

"Hey doc," Maria greeted, tiptoeing through the door as she set a bag down on the kitchen table. She began digging in the back and placing the contents out on the table as Alice approached. "Joel called me. He said you weren't feeling well and couldn't keep anything down apart from these." Maria held up 4 packs of saltine crackers and smiled. "So I raided the rations cupboard."

"You didn't have to do that, Maria," Alice sighed. "Tommy isn't going to be happy."

"Fuck Tommy, of course I did." Maria chuckled. "We gotta look after our main doc! Plus, I might loose the plot if I have to leave Danny in charge in there for more than a day."

Alice sighed, sitting down in a kitchen chair. Maria was right. Everything she'd tried to consume the past few days had eventually made a reappearance. She ran a hand through her dull, brown hair and sighed again as Maria began filling the cupboards.

"Well, thank you," Alice yawned, even though she tried to stifle it. She was still tired but happy that Maria was here for company. Joel and Tommy left for a patrol this morning and Alice wasn't looking forward to being alone with her own thoughts. "How was the lookout today?" Alice enquired, rubbing her eyes as she watched Maria unpack and shelve the packs of crackers and bottles of ginger ale.

"It was actually really quiet," Maria shrugged, pouring a ginger ale into a glass. "Probably won't last though but let's enjoy it while it does." Maria's radio crackled before she swiftly killed the power and handed Alice the cup. "How are you feeling?"

For a second, Alice contemplated lying but she knew that Maria could read her like a book. She hadn't looked in the mirror all day but she could probably guess that she looked about as good as she felt. Terrible.

Alice took a sip before answering, letting the soda find her voice for her.

"Well, you already know what I think," Maria shrugged, smirking slightly. "Joel's been back almost a month and I'm sure you two have having fun..."

"Maria, don't start." Alice warned, staring her head-on.

"I'm just saying, all the signs are there!" Maria quipped, throwing her arms in the air, her earlier smile vanishing.

"No, they aren't," Alice argued, growing frustrated.

"Let's see..." Maria started, counting on her fingers. "For starters, there's the constant nausea and dizziness..."

"Maria."

"the severe migraines and extreme fatigue..."

"Maria, stop."

"and the sore-"

"Maria! STOP!" Alice barked at her. As soon as she did, she regretted it.

Maria sat back, crossed her arms and sighed. She knew Alice didn't want to think about this, let alone talk about it but as her best friend, Maria knew she needed to be the one to say it. However, as she looked across the table and saw Alice's resolve crumbling, she started to rethink her direct approach.

Deep down, Alice knew Maria was right. All the symptoms were in line with a diagnosis she wasn't ready to receive. Any sort of protection was in short supply and she had been irresponsible with tracking her cycle, she knew that. Alice knew deep down what was coming but she didn't know if she could handle the news. 

More importantly, she didn't know if Joel could handle the news. He still got emotional and beat himself up when they spoke about Sarah and he was fiercely protective over Ellie every day. She didn't know if he'd be able to handle looking after a baby, never mind in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. Regardless of her thoughts though, Maria was just trying to help and didn't deserve to be yelled at.

They stared at each other for a while, silently wishing they could redo the conversation.

"I'm sorry." They admitted simultaneously. Their instant laughter broke the silence and Maria reached for Alice's hand.

"Alice, I know that you're scared!" Maria said, squeezing her hand softly. "But just remember that you're a badass zombie apocalypse doctor with a former smuggler patrolman for a boyfriend. You can handle more than most. You're not alone. You have Joel and Tommy and Ellie...and me."

Alice turned her gaze towards Maria, who was smiling at her in a way that could bring cooler back to Alice's pale balmy skin. She squeezed Maria's hand in quiet response and fought back the sudden wave of tears in her eyes.

"You hungry?" Maria said, pulling her hand away and getting to her feet. "How about saltine crackers? I hear they're pretty good."

Alice wasn't the least bit in the mood but for Maria, she would try.

"Sure."