When morning came, Lee was the first to wake. He noticed that the fire had died down a lot, and Clementine was shivering slightly in her sleep. "Better get that fire going again," he mumbled mostly to himself, and began stacking new wood on the ash from the previous fire. His eyes drifted over to Christa, who was still sound asleep with her hand resting atop her protruding belly, and then to Omid, who had fallen asleep beside her. He was probably exhausted after keeping watch all night.
"Lee?" It was Clem's voice. "Lee, are you awake?" she questioned.
"Right here, sweet pea," he answered as he continued to fix the fire.
Clementine walked over and sat beside her guardian, waiting patiently for the fire to begin burning again. It didn't take long for Lee to finally get it going once more, and he smiled to himself.
"There, that should do it," he said to himself. Then, he turned to the little girl. "You sleep okay, Clem?"
"I guess," Clementine shrugged. She missed sleeping on a bed, or at the very least something more comfortable, but it was something.
Lee nodded and looked over at Christa's protruding stomach. She would be due to have her baby very soon, and it would need supplies, something that was running low. When Omid and Christa woke up, they would have to keep moving. They always did; staying put only meant trouble.
Clementine rubbed her small hands together and placed them out in front of the fire, warming them up. It wasn't nearly as cold as it was last night, which was good.
Christa woke shortly after Clementine, sitting up and wincing slightly. The sight of Omid beside her made her laugh. "How long has he been out?" she inquired, looking at his open mouth and hearing him snore loudly.
Lee chuckled. "Not sure. Clem and I just woke up."
"Does he always snore like that?" Clem asked.
Christa nodded. "And sometimes he's even louder."
Clementine giggled, imagining Christa having to deal with that every night before all this. But surely she was used to it at this point.
"I think it's best we head out soon, before anything shows up," Lee pointed out. He looked over at Omid. "We don't want his snoring to attract any attention, either," he joked, but surely it wasn't that loud.
"Yeah, you're right," Christa agreed, slowly seating herself on a fallen tree. It was only a few minutes later when the snoring stopped, and Omid sat upright, taking a seat next to his girlfriend.
"Morning!" he announced, arching his back and stretching. It didn't take much to fully wake him up, as he was more of a morning person than anyone there. "We ready to head out?"
"I think so," Lee said, nodding.
So with that, they all stood up (Omid helping Christa), and got what little supplies they had left before heading out. Christa grimaced a couple of times, but she tried to shrug it off as nothing.
Omid, of course, noticed almost immediately, always worried for her. "Now, are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine," Christa barked, causing him to wince slightly. She sighed. "I'm sorry. The baby's just been kicking more than usual lately."
"Kicking?" Omid questioned.
"Yeah," Christa nodded.
"Babe, are you sure it's nothing else? It's nearing the end...maybe we should-"
"It's not time yet!" Christa nearly yelled. "It can't be..."
"Babies are born early all the time," Clementine mused, jumping into the conversation.
"It just...I would know? Wouldn't I?" Christa asked, looking at Lee as if the man would somehow have an answer for her.
He shrugged. "I don't know, Christa."
"Just relax," Omid coaxed. "I guess we just won't know until it happens."
"And it won't be happening anytime soon," Christa insisted.
Omid looked at her a little skeptically, like he didn't believe her, but spoke no more of it. He looked up ahead and saw what looked like a store plaza coming into view. "You think we can look for supplies in there?" he asked.
"Maybe," Lee replied. "We'd have to make sure it's clear, first."
"Sounds good," Omid agreed.
From the distance, the stores looked empty. It was the inside that could likely be different. Lee decided to check out the first one, and got his gun ready.
"Clem, stay here with Christa and Omid, okay?" he asked.
Clementine looked a little disappointed, but nodded. "Okay, Lee."
He readied himself to go into the first store. He didn't have much ammo, so if there were walkers in there, he'd have to aim carefully. Quietly, he opened the door to the first store, and made his way inside. It looked clear at a glance, but it was dark, so he had to check every crevice and corner to make sure it was completely clear for Clementine and the others.
"It looks good in here," he called out to the others. Hopefully, they'd be able to find some much needed supplies in here.
Luckily, there weren't any noises once they entered, which was a good sign. It was a rather small clothing store, so maybe they could find something warm for the baby once it arrived.
"Goddamn, it's dark in here," Lee muttered to himself. Good thing the sun shone through the windows.
There wasn't much in that store, save for a couple extra clothes and a white blanket to wrap the baby in. Perhaps they would get a little luckier in the other stores - and not have to deal with many walkers, if any at all.
It wasn't until they reached the fourth store when Christa cried out, clutching her stomach. She had to grab the nearby pole to keep herself steady.
"Christa!" Omid cried, rushing over to her.
"Something's wrong..." she trailed off, grabbing Omid's hand.
"Christa, it's happening," Omid tried to tell her.
She shook her head. "No...not now, not here."
Omid looked over at Lee. "We need to find a safe place so she can deliver the baby." Out of all the stores they checked so far, the third one had the most light. "Let's go back there," Omid pointed to the third store. "It has enough light, and we can move furniture in front of the door." It was a good plan, and Lee agreed.
"Okay, that sounds good," Lee replied. He had never seen Omid so serious before, so he knew that he meant business, and that he really cared about Christa.
"Can you walk, babe?" Omid asked, holding her hand, and supporting her weight by wrapping his arm around her lower back.
"I think so," she nodded, taking little and gentle steps.
"Come on Clem, stay close," Lee ordered, leading the way for the small group.
Clementine nodded and walked a little ways behind Lee. She opened the door and allowed everyone inside before going in herself. Lee and Omid found a mattress for Christa, and helped her lay down.
They moved a couch and a table in front of the double doors as quickly as possible, hoping to keep whatever wanted to come in, out. Christa was trying to hold back screams as Omid knelt down and held her hand tightly. This baby was coming, and quickly.
Christa's pants were removed, and Lee got in front of her, ready to deliver the baby.
"Come on, Christa, you can do it!" Omid encouraged, squeezing her hand. "Just breathe, okay? Breathe!"
"I am breathing!" Christa yelled at him.
"Push!" Lee cried out, and she did so, letting out a few yells in the process. Clementine, who was keeping watch, made sure that nothing came to the door, or got inside. She glanced back every few seconds, wanting to be sure that everything would turn out okay.
"I can see the head, Christa!" Lee exclaimed a few minutes later. "It's coming out, just keep pushing!"
"It's gonna be alright, babe, just a little more now!" Omid continued. Christa squeezed his hand tighter now, and let out another scream.
Soon, another piercing cry filled the air, and it didn't come from Christa. Lee was holding the newborn baby now, still attached to the umbilical cord. He smiled at Omid and Christa and showed them their baby. "Congratulations, it's a girl."
"It's little Christa!" Omid yelled excitedly, and Christa let out a weak laugh.
"I told you we're not calling her that," she chided.
"You got that blanket, Clem?" Lee asked, and Clem nodded, running to her backpack and pulling out the small white blanket that they had found only moments ago. "Thanks," he said to her, and after cutting the umbilical cord, he wrapped the small baby up in the blanket, and handed the bundle to Christa.
"Whatcha gonna call her?" Clementine asked, looking at the new mother.
Christa and Omid looked at one another. "You still like the name Genevieve?" Christa inquired.
Omid nodded, and gave a wide smile. "Hey, I suggested it, didn't I?" he shrugged.
"Yeah, I guess you did," Christa answered. She looked down at the sleeping baby, Genevieve, and smiled. "Hey, hon, we're your mommy and daddy."
"And we're real glad you're here," Omid added. When Christa finally handed him Genevieve, Lee had never seen a happier looking man. Genevieve looked like a mix of both of her parents, with skin darker than Omid's but lighter than Christa's, and matching dark hair.
"She's cute," Clementine mused, smiling down at Genevieve.
Lee nodded in agreement, and then turned to Clem. "Come on, Clem, let's leave them alone for now. We can hold Genevieve later."
"Okay," Clementine replied, and got up.
They were lucky enough to have supplies for the baby, and for everyone to be alive...for now, at least. But it wouldn't be long before their luck would change.