It wasn't planned.
Of course it wasn't planned. Judith was the best mistake she'd ever met, and she gave all the credit in the world to Glenn and Maggie, but she just couldn't imagine putting herself through that. Through the pain, the worry, the absolute fear.
Not in this world. Not with Negan looming over their heads. Not after what happened to Andre.
And yet, here she was.
She'd hadn't had her period in a while, but she passed it off because it had always been irregular since she couldn't take care of herself properly in this apocalyptic world.
And then the morning sickness started.
The first time she threw up, she knew. She just knew, with everything inside her. Thankfully she was home alone. She sat in the bathroom and cried for an hour, until there were no tears left to cry.
She'd tried to be careful. She'd taken steps to try and prevent this. Since she became sexually active again, the possibility of this happening had always been in the back of her mind. But it wouldn't happen, she told herself. Not to her.
And yet, here she was.
A hand wraps around hers as she sits on the couch, staring down at her swollen belly, and she realizes she's not quite correct.
Here they were, together. She's not alone in this.
Her eyes lift up to lock with his, as he sits next to her, rubbing gentle circles into the back of her hand with his thumb. He stares at her, his eyes full of emotion. She might be terrified, and she's sure he was, too. But behind that fear, she could tell he felt an uncontrollable excitement. He couldn't help himself. She'd asked him about it once, and he'd given her a wry grin.
"I'm having a child with the woman I love. How could I not be excited?
She almost smiles at him now.
Almost.
"Have you thought about named for her?"
(He's been insistent that they're having a girl. She'd asked him how he knew, and he told her very seriously that fathers just know these kind of things.)
"Have you?" she asks incredulously. She was only four months along.
The corners of his lips turn up.
"I might have."
She sighs. Sometimes, she wants to be annoyed with him, that's he's not scared enough, but she supposed she might need someone to balance out her pessimism.
"And?" she questions, waits.
"Annie."
She feels a pang in her heart, because she immediately thinks of Andre, which she thinks is part of his intention.
She clears her throat before continuing.
"Why?"
"Well," he begins softly, "I thought it would be nice for it to be a tribute. To Andre, obviously. Because he means so much, to both of us now. And then...to the person who brought us here."
Her brow furrows.
"Who?"
"Andrea."
She pauses, thinking of her old friend. It doesn't hurt anymore. The wound has scarred over.
But it's still there.
"If it wasn't for her - if she didn't tell you about our group - we never would have met."
Her grip on his hand tightens.
"Annie," she whispers, testing the way it feels rolling off her tongue. She contemplates.
"Okay," she says finally. "If it's a girl, her name will be Annie."
"You mean when it's a girl, her name will be Annie."
She laughs, just slightly.
"We'll see."
He leans in, kissed her mouth gently before pulling away and laying his head on her shoulder.
"We're going to be okay? You know that, right?"
She lays her head on top of his curls. Just then, Carl comes down the stairs holding Judith, talking and babbling with her.
And this time, she smiles.
"Yeah," she breathes. "We're going to be okay."