How is this my life?

Regrets

<Andrea Harrison>

Patricia let them into the house with a frown, looking at the doctor with disappointment. Jimmy stood outside the door with the same mullish expression on his face. The doctor didn't pay them much attention, just went through the motions of checking on the teengager staring at the ceiling.

"She's in shock." Edwin announced before moving the decorative pillows to elevate her feet. "I have a portable heart monitor here with me but it would help her to have you all sit with her."

"What took you so long?" Jimmy demanded, watching the doctor set the ECG monitor. "Lori said she told you Beth was sick."

"I was just informed." Edwin frowned at the teenager before tilting his head in thought. "I will set up a saline drip if there's no change come morning."

"Rick's wife was complaining that the hunter wouldn't go into town and you wouldn't come into the house because they preferred Herschel."

"Olive aint come by the camp." Merle grunted, frowning down at the teenager on the bed. "She supposed to just...stare like that?"

"Yes, it's a common occurrence." The doctor didn't even spare him a glance, just spoke in that emotionless drone that made Andrea cringe.

"Fuckin' creepy." A shiver ran through his body, brushing past Patricia and Andrea.

"What are you doing here?" Andrea asked curiously when they walked into the living room to see Carol pacing over a sleeping Sofia.

"Lori asked me to watch Carl." Carol whispered, looking over the trio nervously. Merle made an exaggerated show of looking around.

"Hmm, someone lettin' you watch-" Andrea elbowed him with a scowl, following after Patricia with barely a glance at the other woman.

"I would recommend fluids." Edwin glanced down at the child before moving on. "I'm glad Merle found her."

"So, anyone wanna explain what the hell's goin' on?" Merle asked after taking a seat at the dining room table. "Everybody took off without sayin' nothin'"

"We think Herschel went into town for a drink. He's been sober for two decades." Patricia glanced over at Maggie with pursed lips. The older woman automatically started filling glasses of sweet tea for them. "Rick and Glenn went to go get him since he's never gone out since this started."

"Lori said she was going to get the doctor to check on Beth." Maggie scowled, twirling and empty glass in her hands. "She didn't even say she was leavin' the farm but my car is gone."

"Shane came up to the camp looking for Lori." Andrea accepted the glass of tea with a smile. It was something she missed from home. "We didn't even know something happened while we were burning bodies."

They fell into awkward silence until Carl tried to creep in through the back door only to find all the adults looking at him with wide eyes. Andrea turned to scowl at Carol who was still hovering over her sleeping child. She began to wonder if her sister was actually right about having those kids monitored 24/7. Her stomach turned with a little guilt at how dismissive she had been since the beginning.

"Where you been, boy?" Merle growled, not moving from his place at the table.

"Looking for Mom." The little boy backed up in the doorway. "Please don't tell my parents."

Andrea turned away from his defiant, yet terrified face. She was terrible with children, her rising annoyance was obviously a sign she was never meant to be a mother. All she had wanted was to really bond with her sister after her breakup. They were adults, she was taking a sabbatical, Amy finished her degree and it couldn't have been better timing. It felt like nothing had gone right since she found out John was married and his name wasn't even John! She was startled from her thoughts but the redneck pounding his fist on the little antique table.