under the willow tree - glenn rhee

part 8

"doctor i don't mean to slam you with questions first thing-"

"but you will anyway." jenner cut dale off as doctor carter approached.

glenn offered her a warm smile and marcella returned it, although the two held eye contact for a little too long as carol nudged carter with a smirk.

"we didn't come here for the eggs."

jenner led the group to a screen and even marcella had no idea what he was about to show them.

"give me a play back of TS-19." with these instructions from jenner to vi doctor carter understood what he was doing and it shocked her a lot.

"few people ever got to see this." jenner began.

"only the two of us actually." the younger doctor informed.

"is that a brain?" carl spoke up.

"an extraordinary one." jenner told him. "not that it matters in the end." he finished. "take us in for the HIV." vi did as said.

"what are those lights?"

"it's a person's life." jenner vaguely stated.

"they're memories, emotions, experiences. everything that matters, what makes a person individual and well... human." doctor carson informed, trying to explain it as best as she could as she leaned against a desk with coffee in hand.

"you don't make sense,ever?"

"those are synapses, electric pulses in the brain that carry messages. they determine everything a person says, does or thinks from the moment of birth to the moment of death." jenner continues, the group listening intently.

"death? that's what this is, a vigil?" rick questions.

"yes. or rather the playback of the vigil." jenner confirms as the atmosphere in the room becomes sadder and sadder.

it was especially sad for jenner and carter as they had been very close to TS-19; she was jenner's wife and carter's good friend. in fact this vigil was led by doctor carter herself, yet she stayed quiet about it.

"this person died? who?"

"test subject 19, someone who was bitten and infected and volunteered to have us record the process." jenner stated, then going through the whole playback only to show the group that there was no answer or cure.

marcella stayed silent for the rest of the vigil, trying to not think about the process that she had to take her good friend through. but that's all she could think about.