TWD: Saving Merle First - Chapter 59: An Unpleasant Dinner (Patreon)

North of Hershel Farm

Wade dug a fire pit in the ground with a shovel, then stacked a pile of firewood off to one side.

Rick and Shane found the whole thing a little strange, but Wade had told them this was a meeting for the camp's core leadership, so neither of them thought much more about it.

Marcus walked over carrying a case of alcohol. As he set it down, he leaned closer to Wade and quietly said, "Lori... doesn't want to do it."

Wade sighed, but nodded.

"Alright, I understand. Keep a closer eye on her for the time being."

Marcus nodded. "Alright. I'll do my best."

Deep down, though, he wasn't particularly confident. Obstetrics wasn't his specialty. He could handle the basics, but he wasn't exactly an expert in that field.

Daryl emerged from the woods carrying two rabbits. Instead of looking pleased with his catch, however, he wore a sour expression.

"What happened now?"

Daryl tossed the rabbits down and said grimly, "Ran into two walkers. No idea where the hell they came from."

As he spoke, he started cleaning the rabbits. Marcus pulled the hunting knife from his waist and joined in to help.

Rick and Shane soon arrived carrying a few things of their own. After setting everything down, they glanced at the fresh rabbit meat and raised their eyebrows.

"Looks like we're getting something extra tonight."

"Wade, is this what you guys call a special meal?"

Wade looked at the smiles on their faces and felt the corner of his mouth twitch.

For some reason, this was starting to feel like a last meal before an execution...

He rubbed his cheek, suddenly feeling strangely guilty.

What exactly was he doing here?

Personally overseeing the destruction of a friendship?

Fuck.

Rick was perceptive enough to notice that something wasn't right. The suspicions he'd been suppressing slowly began creeping back into his mind.

Had something serious happened that even Wade couldn't handle?

He cautiously spoke up.

"Buddy, if something's wrong, just tell us. Don't try to carry everything by yourself. Trust me, I'll do whatever I can to help."

Shane walked over as well and raised an eyebrow.

"What, some asshole decide to come knocking?"

As far as Shane was concerned, no walker could possibly give Wade serious trouble. If something had him this concerned, an outside enemy seemed far more likely.

Wade looked up and let out a breath.

"Let's eat first. We can talk after we're done, alright?"

At that point, even Daryl, who wasn't usually the quickest to pick up on this kind of thing, sensed an unseen storm approaching.

He quickly finished cleaning one of the rabbits. The pink meat, still streaked with blood, was roughly rinsed with clean water, rubbed with salt, skewered on a wooden stick, and placed over the coals.

His movements were noticeably rougher than usual.

Rick looked at Wade's calm expression, then shifted his gaze to Marcus, who seemed completely unhurried.

He still couldn't figure out what was happening, but whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

Was something wrong with the camp's medical situation?

After exchanging a glance with Shane, neither of them asked any more questions.

They quietly sat down beside Wade, opened a bottle, and handed it to him, clearly prepared to drink with him and offer whatever comfort they could.

After all, among men, there weren't many problems a round of drinks couldn't solve.

And if one round wasn't enough, there could always be another.

Wade looked slightly surprised when he accepted the bottle, then his expression turned helpless.

Once Marcus finished preparing the rabbit and put it over the fire, he joined the increasingly somber dinner.

None of them ate particularly gracefully, but the clink of bottles rarely stopped.

Every time Rick tried to offer a few comforting words, Wade somehow managed to cut him off at exactly the right moment and take another drink instead.

After they'd gone through several rounds, Wade looked at Rick, then Shane, and finally Marcus.

He gave Marcus a slight nod.

Marcus spoke.

"Wade, there's something I need to tell you. Lori might be pregnant. We need to start making preparations."

He didn't speak loudly.

But to Rick and Shane, those words landed like a thunderclap.

Both men froze.

Rick recovered first.

He immediately turned toward Shane and caught the fleeting panic and joy that flashed through the other man's eyes.

In that instant, Rick's heart seemed to seize painfully.

His ears began ringing, and his vision darkened around the edges.

After the initial panic, a trace of joy had instinctively appeared on Shane's face before he forced it back down.

But the instant his eyes met Rick's, he knew.

Rick had seen it.

Rick opened his mouth, but his throat felt completely blocked.

For a long moment, no sound came out.

An eerie silence settled over the group.

Nobody spoke.

Only the sound of heavy breathing remained.

Wade finally broke the silence.

"I understand. You're the doctor here. Handle it however you think is appropriate."

The conversation technically continued after that, but neither Rick nor Shane had much interest left in it.

Wade did most of the talking, while the two of them responded almost mechanically.

Wade didn't care.

The information was out.

Now it was time for the targeted treatment.

Time slowly passed, and the unpleasant dinner finally came to an end.

Wade glanced up at the moon, then used his shovel to cover the fire with dirt.

"Let's call it a night. Head back and get some rest."

With that, Wade left first with Marcus and Daryl, deliberately giving Rick and Shane some space to have the conversation neither of them could comfortably have in front of everyone else.

"Wade... they're going to fight."

"I know. But I'd rather let them get all that anger out now than wait until it blows up into something much worse later."

Daryl finally caught on.

"Wait. That baby... might be Shane's?"

"...You'll know soon enough."

Things played out exactly as Wade had expected.

They had barely walked a few dozen steps before it became clear that Rick and Shane weren't following them.

The two men had started arguing.

Wade didn't go back.

He simply stopped at a distance and watched in silence.

He was waiting.

Waiting for the two of them to vent their anger and say everything that needed to be said.

Only then would it be time for him to step in.