I'm back baby!

So just a quick note before I jump right back into all this writing stuff,

I took a look back at my two older Walking Dead stories (and holy hell I can't believe that they're like two years old) with the intent of picking them up, but I quickly realized that I have no idea where 13 year old me was trying to go with either story.

("That Damn Deer Girl" especially)

So I'm going to be working on rewriting the two stories! Starting with this one because I have more of a fleshed out idea for it.

Anyways,

Enjoy~~~

Carol waited anxiously in her hospital bed. Her short hair was a tousled heap on top of her head and her make up was smudged and ruined by the sweat that ran down her pale face.

"What do you think is taking them so long?" She asked her husband nervously.

"Whatever it is better be something damn serious," Ed grunted from his seat across the room while reaching into his coat to pull a pack of cigarettes from the pocket, "Should've been home hours ago."

With one practiced movement, Ed tapped the package against his open palm, grabbed one of the cancer sticks, and placed it between his chapped lips.

"Uh, I don't think that they want people smoking in the building," Carol said in a soft voice.

"I don't give a shit what some pansy ass in baby blue scrubs wants," Ed responded, clicking his lighter.

Carol decided that it would be best to drop the subject. She turned away from him and stared out the small door window into the busy hallway, watching nurses roll stretchers up and down the hall, people walking in brisk paces with worried voices as they made their way to visit loved ones, and doctors with their noses buried deep into their clipboards. Her mind raced as she watched the commotion of the hospital.

After a long, and not to mention painful, labor the doctors had whisked her newborn baby away muttering something about "complications". It had all happened so fast she hadn't even had the chance to ask about her child's gender.

That was almost an hour ago

Carol hadn't heard anything from anyone in that whole time. She didn't know whether or not she should take the lack of updates from the doctors and nurses as a good or bad sign.

"Mr. and Mrs. Peletier?"

Carol was dragged out of her thoughts by the nurse standing in the doorway.

She blinked.

When did he get there?

Her eyes fell on the squirming bundle of pink in his arms and the tiny face that poked out. As worried as she had been in that moment Carol couldn't help but smile when she saw her beautiful little girl. Her jubilation was short-lived as she looked back up, locking eyes with the nurse.

Nothing appeared to be wrong with her baby, nothing that Carol could see at least, so what were the "complications"?

"My baby," Carol's voice shook as she spoke, "Is she okay?"

The nurse shifted his weight uncomfortably.

"Medically speaking yes, she's completely fine," He spoke slowly as if he was trying to choose his next words very carefully.

"But, what?"

The nurse looked between the two parents, opening and closing his mouth a few times. Eventually, he took a breath and shook his head, deciding that words couldn't appropriately convey what he had to tell them. He shifted the babies weight to free up his right hand, and gingerly unwrapped the blanket that she was swaddled in. The new parents watched as he turned her around so they could see her tiny backside.

Carol gasped audibly as she laid eyes on her exposed child, and judging from the loud coughing from the other side of the room; Ed did too.

The nurse shot him a look and gestured to the clear no smoking sign on the wall behind him. Ed flicked his cigarette to the tile floor with a huff and ground it out with the toe of his boot, muttering something about hippie doctors.

A pair of small, wet, grey wings hung limply against her back, reaching down to her tiny bottom.

"T- that's it?" Carol asked in disbelief, "She's a mutant? That's what was wrong?"

"We just wanted to make sure that everything else was normal," He said, wrapping the child back up, "Sorry to scare you, folks."

"Well, this is just fucking fantastic!" Ed yelled, throwing his hands up into the air, "Our child is a god damn freak!"

He looked over at Carol.

"This is from your side of the family you know,"

The nurse handed the newborn over to her mother's awaiting arms.

"It doesn't matter what she is," Carol breathed, rocking her softly, "All that matters is that she's healthy."

"Speak for yourself," Ed huffed, turning to the doctor, "Can't you cut those eyesores off?"

The nurse looked somewhat startled that he would even suggest such a thing.

"Well, the laws aren't very clear about this kind of stuff," He started slowly, " But since the uh, wings, don't seem to pose a threat the babies health or the safety of those around her; that decision can't be made for her."

"I'm sorry." He quickly added upon seeing Ed's glare.

The nurse turned back to Carol.

"Have you two decided on a name for her?" He asked, trying to change the subject.

"Sophia." Carol breathed, staring into her child's deep hazel eyes.

Sophia looked back up at the caring face of her mother. She cooed and gave a small toothless smile. Carol would be lying if she said that she hadn't been a little worried about having a child that shared Ed's wicked DNA, but she saw nothing but light and kindness in the infant's eyes. She knew that Sophia wouldn't grow up to be anything like him.

After the couple signed all the necessary paperwork they headed home to start the newest chapter of their life together. Carol both loved and feared the idea of finally having a child to call her own. While on one hand she had given herself someone new to love and call family; she had also given Ed someone new to batter and mistreat. She could only pray that by some miracle that Ed would have a change of heart and treat Sophia the way a father should.

Though as Carol had learned many times over her life, most prayers go unanswered.

Whoo! Done with the prologue!

Not that it was very hard given the fact that it's a rewrite.

I hope that you guys enjoyed and will join me next time as we get into the apocalypse itself.

(Comments and criticism are greatly appreciated! I love hearing what you guys have to say and I want to do all I can to improve my stories for you 3)