Chapter 6:
Rick adjusted a sleeping Carl on his shoulder as he walked up his porch steps. He was glad his son had tired himself out, as he was tired too and hoped to get to bed soon.
He initially wasn't sure how good of an idea it would be to introduce Carl and Michonne to each other, but soon decided to go along with it. He had already agreed to take Michonne home from the hospital and he hadn't been able to spend any proper time with his son all week, so he thought he'd use the drive as an opportunity to do both.
He was glad he made it happen in the end.
He stepped into his home and almost groaned when he saw Lori was still up and in the living room, obviously waiting for their return. He took Carl to his room and changed him into his pyjamas before putting him to bed. The urge to stay upstairs and go to his own room was strong, but he knew he had to speak to his wife.
He trudged back down the stairs after changing into his sweatpants, and found Lori still in the same place.
"Did you take my son to see her?"
Rick almost turned around and walked out the room, as his patience was almost non-existent when it came to Lori. He clenched his jaw as he took a seat in the recliner, opposite her.
"You've been putting him bed early all week, so I took him out for the day", Rick countered.
"You took him to see your mistress", The words left her mouth dripping venom.
"She's not my mistress", He frowned at her, annoyed by the term.
"What is she then?"
"Have you talked to Shane? Your parents? My parents?", He changed the subject, as he had come to hate talking about Michonne with anyone else.
Lori's bottom lip quivered for only a few seconds, "You owe me, Rick. After everything I have done for you, you owe me-"
"You think I owe you the right to keep this quiet? You want me to play along with you, raise Shane's child like my own and we all stay here and be miserable?"
"You know what's at stake here-"
"I knew what was at stake with you when I cheated. My only concern was you and Carl. You should have known the same when you were-"
"So are you going to out me? Run around and tell everyone that this child isn't yours so you can go live your new life with your girlfriend?"
"I'm not outing anyone for anythan'. That's somethan' you and Shane will have to deal with, but otherwise… I'm just going to live my life how I want, with whoever I want in it. The only thing I'm worried about is how this will all affect Carl-"
"Exactly! We have to make this work for him, Rick! He's innocent here and he needs both his parents-"
"He does. I don't deny that at all, and that's why the two of you need to figure out what you're doing, because the longer you leave it, the harder it's going to be-"
"Did you tell him he was going to see your girlfriend?", Lori winced at him as she waited for his answer.
He sighed, losing all interest in the conversation as he stood up, "Good night Lori"
"I don't want my son near her ever again"
He froze, his back towards her, tempted to say something else but he didn't need a new argument. He needed rest.
The next day Rick was in an anxious mood as he prepared to come face to face with Mike. He didn't know what he expected the man to say but he knew he wouldn't like it either way. He wanted him locked up and far away from Michonne and her son. Even though he still had so much to deal with on his own side of things, he saw Mike as another obstacle between he and Michonne, and he'd have to clear the path before the two of them could even start anything.
He purposely left the police department before Shane had a chance to accompany he and Sasha. He didn't want to see him, and he was sure Sasha felt the same way as she didn't suggest they wait for him.
When they stepped into Mike's room, Rick couldn't hold back the scowl that swept across his face. The other man was bruised and battered, his head was covered in a large bandage, while his arm was in a cast. He looked miserable, and only shifted as they approached him.
"I want to see my girlfriend", he demanded, his voice hoarse.
Rick frowned at him, ready to shut down his request, but Sasha was quicker, "We're here to talk to you about what happened on the Sunday night"
Mike wore a pensive expression, "Did you arrest the idiot that did this to us?"
"We have reports that you were driving recklessly after taking Mr Turner from the fair against her will", Rick tried to keep his tone calm, though he knew he was failing.
"She's my girlfriend and she's pregnant with my child, we were going home", Mike insisted sternly, "Ask her. She'll tell you"
"She doesn't want anythan' to do with you", Rick realised that Mike wasn't aware that Michonne had given birth, and he was in no rush to tell him either.
Mike's eyes darkened, "I want to see her"
"Can you please confirm you version events on the day in question", Sasha reinforced, obviously sensing the growing tension in the room.
"I already told you, I was taking my pregnant girlfriend home and some idiot crashed into us. That's it-"
"Have you ever been violent towards her?"
"No. I have not", He bit out, "Why? Has she said anything?"
"She was with a friend that evening that claims you shoved her off when she tried to stop you", Rick tilted his head at him.
"She was trying to stop us from leaving-"
"Or was she trying to stop you from taking her?"
Mike opened his mouth to say something but paused, before his eyes narrowed at him, "It was you"
Rick continued to glare at him.
"You answered her phone?"
"How'd you find her?", Rick stepped closer to the bed.
"You told me she was in Texas", Mike's expression became more aggressive, "I nearly left this piece of shit town to go there-"
"So you admit you were looking for her?"
"Why did you answer her phone? What's going on between you two? You sleeping with my girlfriend?"
"Okay you need to calm down, right now", Sasha spoke strictly as she tried to take control of the situation.
"You better stay away from her", Mike growled at him.
"I was gonna tell you the same thing", Rick attempted to step closer but Sasha was beside him before he could.
"She's my girlfriend!-"
"She's not your anythan anymore!", Rick roared back at him, "From the moment you put your hands on her you lost all right to be with her!"
"Hey! Calm down!", Sasha barked, grabbing his arm.
"You think you can come between us?", Mike tried to sit up but failed.
Rick smirked at him, "She knows what she wants. And it ain't you"
Mike tried to lunge for him, but Sasha grabbed his good hand to stop him. He shook himself away from her, "Get the fuck off me! I'm gonna get him-"
"Like you got her?!", Rick grabbed his flailing arm with one hand and caught him by the throat with the other, leaning in to him as he breathed, "She doesn't want you. She came looking for me and she found me and I'm not letting her go again. That's my family now"
Mike struggled in his grasp, "I'm gonna-"
"You're not gonna do anythan' because if you do, you'll be back in here with more than a concussion and a broken arm"
"Rick!", Sasha hissed, her hand on his shoulder, "I'll take over from here, okay?"
Rick tore his glare from Mike, "Cuff him to the bed. I don't want him touching you again"
"Alright", Sasha nodded.
Rick released him and marched out the room. He ran his fingers through his hair as he tried to calm down, but he wished he could do more to the man, though he was content with just the warning for the moment. He knew Michonne felt like she had to face him again, but he didn't want such a thing to happen, especially after he could have killed the three of them.
He was sat outside the room waiting for Sasha to finish her questioning, when his phone rang in his pocket. He snarled when he saw it was his mother.
"What?"
"I heard what you did", His mother spat down the phone, "Leaving the hospital with her child and my grandson like some big happy family!"
Rick moved the phone from his ear for a moment, trying to calm himself again, "Have you talked to Lori yet?"
"What are you talking about?"
"You should probably talk to her before you say a damn thang to me again".
Rick hung up and resisted the urge to throw his phone. He growled as he stood from his seat, trying to gather his thoughts. He usually kept a level head, and tried his best to be understanding and receptive to others, but it was becoming impossible.
"Rick"
He looked up from the ground to see Shane making his way towards him cautiously. Rick groaned as he looked the other way.
"This how it's gonna be now? You're just gonna avoid me at any chance you get?"
"Yes. Yes I will", Rick nodded, his eyes gazing around the hall.
"Rick, I don't know how else to say it but I'm sorry for what I did. I am, and I hope one day you can forgive me but we have to work together, you're my partner-"
"You won't be for very long. I don't want to work with you anymore", Rick announced coldly.
Shane sighed, shaking his head as he looked down at his boots, "I never meant to hurt you. I didn't-"
"Well y'all messed around more than once so you clearly did-"
"You don't love her! You never loved her!", Shane threw his hands in the air.
"So that means you sleep with her?", Rick stepped closed to him, squinting with disbelief, "I put myself in a poorly thought out situation, because that's what my marriage was, and you even knew that, so I shouldn't be angry because I didn't love her? How about the fact that my best friend slept with my wife. How about that? Hell, if you told me you were head over heels for her, I might sympathise with you a little because sometimes people do unforgivable things when they're in love, but you just did it for the sake of it?"
Shane finally looked up at him, "I was a fool. I know it. I betrayed you, I messed up with Sasha… I just did a lot of thangs wrong and I'm sorry for it"
Rick was shaking his head at him when the door opened and Sasha stepped out. She sent Shane a disgusted look before walking around him.
"Come on Rick", She called back, still looking straight ahead.
Rick straightened up, "You should talk to Lori... figure out what you two are doing about all this. A whole lot is gonna change for Carl and he doesn't deserve to be dragged through it all"
"I understand", Shane huffed, nodding in agreement.
Rick stepped past him, having nothing else to say to the man. It still hurt for him to look at Shane, and while his friend was right about how he felt about Lori, he still couldn't get past his lies. He wondered if Lori had felt the same about what he had done, but quickly dismissed the thought as he realised she was pinning for Shane. The thought of the two of them together wouldn't have bothered him so much if they didn't have Carl. Shane had been almost a second father to his son, present through all of his milestones, and to think that he would be the father to Carl's new sibling made Rick feel strange.
By the time he arrived home that evening he was tired. The day was a draining one and he just wanted to have something to eat then go to sleep.
He wasn't granted that option.
When he stepped into his living room he saw that Lori was sat with her parents. He wanted to bang his head against a brick wall.
"We would like to talk to you Rick", Her mother offered quietly.
"Where's Carl?", Rick asked, looking at Lori.
"He's in my room, watching a movie", She answered, her gaze low.
He turned and headed up the stairs, in no rush to talk to his in-laws. He knew why they were there, and he was willing to delay the conversation a little further.
He greeted his son and sat with him for a while as he filled him in on his day. He genuinely enjoyed hearing his heavily embellished stories, and watching his expressions change as he described the events to him. An anger started to brew within him as his son spoke, purely because Lori would try to keep him away from him. His son had always been his pride and joy and she knew that, she knew he'd do anything he could for him and it would devastate him beyond belief to separate them.
He kissed Carl on the head before heading back downstairs, a new found rage bubbling beneath the surface. He walked in the room and sat in the recliner, his eyes darting between the three of them.
"Now Rick, Lori has told us everythan' and we are appalled at the way the two of you have behaved", His father in law sat forward in his seat as he spoke, "This is not the way that two married people act towards each other"
"We're here to help you sort this out. We believe if you two try hard enough then you can work past all of this mess", her mother added.
"We will work past it. She's still my son's mother, and I'll always appreciate her for what she's done and I'll always respect her. We'll still raise our son together, just not as a couple", Rick shrugged.
Her mother's jaw dropped open, while her father's eyes bulged, "Let's not be too hasty here. She's pregnant and we have to take that into consideration"
"The father will look after that child. I'm sure of it"
"That's not somethan' we are going to allow. He may be the child's father biologically but she is married to you-"
"What do you mean that's now somethan' you're going to allow?", Rick winced at the older man.
"We won't allow it. He's not her husband, and she won't be shamed for her mistake-"
"She shouldn't be shamed for her mistake, that I agree with, but with all thangs considered, she was quite happy to do the shaming when the spotlight wasn't on her", Rick's face pinched in confusion.
Lori's eyes dropped back to the ground as her cheeks flamed.
"Look, we're are willing to do all we can to help the two of you get over this rough patch. As far as I'm concerned, you aren't an angel in this too-"
"Never said I was"
"Exactly, so you both have a lot of forgiving to do-"
"I don't hold a grudge over what she did, I just think it was rich that she acts as if she's done no wrong either. If she wants to be with Shane then I won't stop her-"
"What about the children?", her mother gasped, frowning at Rick.
"Neither child deserves this. We were both selfish for handling thangs the way we did because it ultimately affects them and that was a poor choice. That being said, we both love Carl, and I know Shane will love his child, and so long as we put them as our first priority from here on out, I think we can make this a less devastating transition, specifically for Carl since he's at an age where he's becoming aware of everythan'"
All three of them looked at Rick as if he was hovering from his seat.
"We will have no such thing", His father in law bit out, "You cannot abandon your family this way and expect it to run so smoothly-"
"I am not abandoning my son and I do not expect it to run smoothly. But I will try my best for Carl-"
Her parents looked to at each other with disbelieving expressions, before her mother spoke, "How can you do this to her? How can you just watch her in this awful predicament and not doing anything to help her?"
Rick groaned, "By help her, you mean stay with Lori, pretend that her child's mine, deny the child's real father his right to be a parent and we all live happily ever after?"
They both nodded at him.
Rick felt as if he was in the twilight zone, "That's not gonna happen. We're getting a divorce because neither of us want to be with each other-"
Her mother gasped again, clutching her chest, "A divorce?!"
Rick looked at her with wide eyes, "You thought we'd stay married?"
"You are just determined to ruin my daughter", Her father shook his head at him with a disgusted expression.
Rick could feel that rage brewing inside him ready to make an appearance. He couldn't believe how narrow minded her parents were, it was as if they had tunnel vision. He finally understood why her parents and his own had always gotten along so well; they were exactly the same.
"Your daughter is pregnant with my best friends child, and I'm in the wrong for wanting us to divorce?", He pinched his nose bridge with his thumb and his index finger.
"You wanted a divorce before you found out about the pregnancy", Lori hissed at him.
"Yes I did because our marriage was an mistake. You even said you didn't want to be married to me-"
"Because you didn't love me back!"
"You can't make yourself love someone", He growled as he dragged his hand over his face.
"You didn't even try!"
"I did. Trust me, I did but it just wasn't there and it wasn't there for you either and you know it"
"What are you talking about?"
"You were bred to marry me? You forgot you said that? You wanted to be with someone else? How long did you want to be with Shane for before you finally decided to sleep with him?"
Her mother seemed to clasp on to the couch as if she were stopping herself from fainting.
"You have both made mistakes but you can both move past them", Her father reinforced.
"I was wrong for cheating on Lori but what I did wasn't a mistake. I don't regret it, I just regret when I did it. Even now. Even despite the fact that she had an affair before I was even thinking about… someone else"
"So you're willing to just rip this family apart for someone else?"
"Carl will still be the centre of both of our worlds-"
"This woman you slept with has a child, so how will that work? And she has an abusive boyfriend, am I correct?"
Rick's tongue circled his tooth as he zeroed in on his father in law, "Don't ask me anythan' about her. She's none of your business"
The man ignored him, "So the two of you are going to live here together? In town? You think these people will accept her? Most would probably still remember her if they saw her? And if you don't live here then are you going to move away from here and leave your son behind so you can have a new family?"
Rick stood up slowly, "What did I just say?"
His father in law raised his eyebrows at him.
"I told you not to ask me about her, and I told you she was none of your business, now if you're not going to respect my wishes in my home then the both of you can get the hell out"
"Rick! They are my parents and they are more than welcome here!", Lori jumped up with her fists balled at her sides.
"Not if they piss me off. They can leave right now if they want", Rick didn't take his eyes off the man.
"Can you just stop? Ever since she's come into the picture you've just turned into this- this aggressive and angry-"
"Do you wanna know why I'm angry? Do you wanna know what is it that's just pushed me to the edge?", He squinted at her as he cocked his head to the side, "Because I've been an idiot. I've let everyone walk all over me and I'm so tired of it. We're in our thirties and both of our parents are coming in to my house to force me to do thangs I don't want to do! I don't want to stay married to you and you don't want to stay married to me but you feel like you have to be because of them, because of people like them and because of people like your damn self! I'm so sick of it all!"
Lori watched him with wide eyes, following his every move.
"We're getting a divorce. We're still raising our child together but we're getting a divorce. This house...", Rick threw his hands up as he looked around the room, "Well, it's my parents still so I'm sure they'll let you live in it after I move out. I'll pay for what I need to but otherwise… we're done here"
Everyone was silent for a moment, then her father stood up, "You are making a terrible mistake-"
"Lori, you let them shut Shane out of that child's life and you'll suffer for it and so will that child. You've been a great mother so far so don't turn that all around now", Rick warned with raised eyebrows. His eyes darted to her mother, then up to her father before he turned around and headed out the room, "You can see yourselves out"
Rick and Lori said nothing to each other in the days after the meeting with her parents. He hoped she was thinking twice on her choices. He truly did want her to be happy, whether it was with someone else or just by herself. Though, he knew chances were slim. She considered herself as one of the elite of the town, as she was very much involved in everything, and the situation that they had put themselves in would have been the most scandalous that the women had heard in a while. Rick tried to think of anyone else who may have fell pregnant outside of their marriage and he couldn't. He did take into account however, that if someone else was going through such a situation, they would probably keep it quiet.
He wondered how Lori would handle things as she started to show more. He was sure he caught a glimpse of a roundness to her stomach, but he wasn't completely sure, as he didn't look at her too often. Whenever he was home he spent the time with his son and care about nothing else.
When the weekend was approaching he was excited at the prospect of seeing Michonne, as he hardly spoke to her in the week. He was always worried she would be sleeping or had just gotten Andre to sleep, so he didn't want to bother her, but he took the chance on the Friday afternoon, while he was on his break at work.
"Hey", She greeted cheerfully.
"How are you two?", a large smile spread across his face as he leaned back against the headrest of his squad car.
"We are doing great… He's actually sleeping right now… guess he knew you were going to call", She giggled.
He chuckled, "That doesn't hurt at all"
"How are you doing?"
He sighed, "Pretty… pretty bad actually"
"What's wrong?", the lightness went from her tone.
"...Just had a lot to think about. What I'm doing… how I'm gonna do it… and I miss you on top of all that"
"I miss you too… and sorry about the other stuff…"
"I'll figure it out. I have to… but I'm moving out soon"
"Really?"
"Yeah, seen a couple places I like already"
"That's good I guess"
"You two could come and stay with me when I get everythan' together?"
She laughed quietly, "You know how I feel about that town"
"I feel the same as you… but I don't think I can leave. This is my home and Carl's too"
"...I don't think I know what that feels like"
"You will soon enough", He sighed as he felt so relaxed talking to her, wishing he had done so earlier in the week.
"Yeah… you coming by tomorrow?"
"If you'll have me"
"I will"