A/N Here is the last chapter of this story. Thank you all for reading and reviewing. I really appreciate all of your feedback. Though this story is coming to an end, and I'll be leaving it for awhile, eventually there will be a third and final installment in this series. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I'm going to get back to Day by Day soon and have an expansion planned for one of my one shots. Hope to see you there. Until then...
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"Michonne!"
"Carl!"
"She's been passed out since we pulled out of the court house," Carl snickered, tossing another M&M at her from his spot riding shotgun. "Michonne!"
"Leave her be and quit throwing candy in my car." Rick said, shaking his head. "She's gonna kick your butt when she wakes up." He glanced again at his wife's form, slumped against the window with one hand stretched across the seat and resting on the edge of Judith's car seat. He saw her shift slightly as the last little candy coated chocolate hit her knee.
"I shoulda rode with Daryl," Carl groaned, saving the rest of his snack for himself.
"You'll get plenty of time with her when we get to the mountain," he said, knowing the boy was missing his time with Michonne, since Judith was occupying more of it. "She needs the rest."
"She went to bed at like eight o'clock last night. And I thought Judy was doing better sleeping this week."
"Doesn't matter. It's still exhausting. You'll see someday."
"Fine." Carl reached over to adjust the radio station again to Rick's irritation. "So, it's all official now, huh?" Carl mused. "Swearing in ceremony was cool. Michonne will have another newspaper print to frame."
Rick laughed as he steered the car off of the highway and into the the tourist town, watching the peak of their destination rise from the horizon in front of them. "She is making quite the collection."
"Well, I hope I can make it on the mantel beside you someday," Carl said, popping another candy in his mouth. "I'm proud of you, Dad. Judy will be too, one day."
Rick glanced over at his son, a little unsure who the mature young man was who was sitting beside him. "Thank you, son," he said, reaching over to squeeze his shoulder. "That means a lot."
...
When they reached the mountain road that led them to the familiar twin houses, joined by wooden pergola, Rick took a spot behind Maggie and Glenn, with Daryl and Rosita pulling in right behind him. He killed the engine and hopped out of the S.U.V, opening Judith's door first. He removed the baby seat from its base, checking that she was still tucked under the heavy fleece blanket, before handing it to Carl. Karen and Sasha came rushing out of the larger building at the same time, making a beeline for the baby, and Carl stopped to show off his new baby sister to the gathering crowd.
"Michonne," Rick whispered, leaning across the back seat to get his wife's attention with a stroke of her arm. "We're here." She started awake at the contact, trying to figure out when the car had stopped moving. "You alright?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow at her. She was better at it than him, but still, deep sleeping wasn't usually a habit of hers.
"I'm good. Just...didn't realize I'd been asleep this long.
"Since we left," he laughed, walking around the back to retrieve their luggage, which seemed to have doubled in size since the last time they came, despite trading an adult passenger for an infant. His arms loaded, Rick finished his loop of the car and came to her door, waiting as she slid down to the ground. Michonne reached for a bag, but he shook his head and gestured for her to lead the way.
"Michonne!" Karin squealed as she left Judith's side to embrace the two of them. "She's absolutely perfect."
Michonne's sleepy eyes began to brighten at the mention of her daughter. She hugged Karin and Sasha, then came to stand next to Carl, looking down at the two siblings with pride. "She is. We're over the moon."
"I bet," Karin said. She hugged Rick as best she could around the bags he was carrying, then beckoned them all to follow as she made her way back inside.
"It looks exactly the same," Michonne said, tossing a nostalgic smile at her husband who stood behind her. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, or a side effect of having your heart overflowing with joy, but she was getting teary eyed at the mental image she had of the two of them here three years ago with no idea that they would become each other's world.
Rick nodded in silent agreement with the look on her face and dropped a few bags so he could rest an arm around her shoulders.
"So," Karin started, getting back to business, "We've got everyone in the same rooms this year with the exception of you four." She gestured to Daryl, Rosita, Michonne and Rick. "Though I suppose you have the same two rooms, just different roommates.
"What about Tara?" Rosita asked.
"Yeah, and is Mike coming this year?" Daryl gave Rick a secret, playful nudge as he inquired.
"Mike is on his honeymoon, actually," Tyrese answered, coming down the stairs just in time to join the conversation. Daryl nodded, impressed, and Ty offered everyone his greetings while his wife continued.
"Maggie volunteered to let Tara bunk with her and Glenn," she explained.
"We're the old couple now," Maggie laughed. "Well, I suppose Abe and Francine are, but I'm not subjecting her to Abe in his skivvies, and no one should have to share with Shane and Andrea since they've already headed to their room."
"I'm sure she appreciates it," Michonne said with her nose scrunched at the thought of Tara's potential fate.
"I'll take the stuff over, then," Rick offered, preparing to hoist the bags back over his shoulder, but Michonne grabbed them first.
"I'll come with you." She moved to take Judy's car seat from Carl, but Sasha stopped her.
"We'll keep an eye on her, mommy," she said with a smile. "Take your time; settle in."
"Alright," she agreed, looking around the room at the group of honorary aunts and uncles that were already vying for the baby's attention. "There's a bottle in the bag here...oh and diapers. Just come get us if she cries..."
"Don't come get us," Rick said, grabbing Michonne's hand and pulling her down the two steps to the exit. "Carl, you're on diaper duty for a few minutes."
'We got it!" Maggie called as they disappeared outside.
A vision popped into Michonne's head as they crossed the courtyard between the two buildings; the two of them standing shoulder to shoulder, staring at the mountainous terrain and drinking the courage that would lead them to the happiest chance either of them ever took, and she squeezed Rick's hand. He opened the door to the bunkhouse, still pulling her along as she smiled at the brown leather couch that was there the last time, the first night she'd slept beside him.
"My place or yours?" he asked when they got to the top of the stairs. He gestured right then left to the rooms that they had each occupied previously.
"Mine," she said. "I stuck you on the same end as Shane and Andrea on purpose last time."
"Oh really?" he laughed, pushing into her with his chest to propel her in the right direction.
"Yup. You had no idea."
"You played me like a fiddle that whole weekend," he said, opening the door to the bedroom and letting her in.
"Me?"
"Yes you. Walking around in those little shorts in the morning, running your fingers through my hair."
"And how about you?" she asked, tossing the bags she was holding onto the Futon, which was still in the form of a couch. "Sharing your drink until I was tipsy, then telling me all your deepest secrets. Besides, you're the one who kissed me."
"Best thing I ever did," he smiled, pulling her to him with a hand on her waist. He leaned in and kissed her slowly, sweetly, the way he would have that night if he had been able to contain himself.
"It was," she agreed when he finally released her.
"Where do you wanna put the folding crib?" he asked, setting his hands on his hips and surveying the small room.
"Foot of the bed," she said. She gestured to the spot while she took a seat on the double sized bottom bunk. "It's gonna be cozy."
"It is." He made quick work of setting up the crib and attaching the newborn sleeper, then tossed a few of the bags onto the lofted bed above them. Michonne had stretched herself across the mattress, her hands behind her head. There wasn't room for the two of them to be circling each other, putting things away, so she just took the opportunity to watch him work. When he had dressed the crib in a fitted sheet and tossed a few pacifiers into it, he sat down beside her, stretching out his legs. "All settled," he said with a mischievous smile.
"That was quick."
"Still have some time to spare before the crowd gets tired of baby duty."
"If we're going by that, I'd say we have all night." She sat up to meet him, toying with the curls on his head, the way he had just reminisced over. "But we should get back…"
"We will…" He kissed her again, wrapping an arm around her waist and laying her back onto the bed. "In a little while." He slid his hand down to her backside, lifting her hips so he could use his other to push her dress up her thighs.
"Rick…"
"Come on," he smiled, placing another kiss on her neck. "We're used to quick these days. We'll be back before they miss us."
"You're trouble, Sheriff," she flirted, leaning down to lower the zipper on her knee high boots.
"We ain't got that much time," he said, gently pushing her hand away. "Leave 'em." He hooked a finger into her panties, pulling them as far down as he could, before gesturing for her to take over and starting in on his own belt.
She shimmied out of her underwear, giggling at the fact that they were engaging in the exact same wanton behaviour they often chided Shane and Andrea for: midday trysts at inappropriate times. But they had an excuse; alone time was at a premium these days and being back in this place deserved a celebratory session.
When she had disrobed only as much as necessary, she looked back up at him with smiling eyes. He was already quite prepared, intent on not wasting any time, and she laid back down, waiting to receive him.
"Turn over," he said, all levity draining from his face.
"We're on the bottom bunk," she said. "You're going to hit your head."
"Michonne…"
She smiled at the exasperated look on his face, turning over onto her hands and knees, her sweater knit dress bunched around her hips and the toes of her smooth, black boots digging into the mattress. Rick grabbed ahold of the slats beneath the mattress of the upper bunk with one hand, his other previously occupied making sure this was quick, and pulled himself into the cocoon-like trundle. He leaned over her, his hand guiding them together, before settling on the thick curve of her hip.
"Shit," he said, promptly smacking the back of his skull on the wooden frame above them when he threw his head back in pleasure at the sensation of her.
She began to laugh, but he quickly quieted her with a deeper thrust that pushed her front into the pile of pillows she had been facing. "Shit," she repeated, with a decidedly different tone. She bit down on her lower lip to keep from crying out, a habit she had taken up over the preceding weeks.
"You think everyone's ok?" he asked, through a shallow breath, curving his body around hers to whisper into her ear.
"Mmmhmm."
"Good." He sat back up, connecting again with the low ceiling and grumbling to himself. He tapped her lightly on the hip and she slipped away from him, flopping onto her back. He followed her, dropping to his forearms and finding his way back inside her. She wrapped a leg around his waist, the leather of her boot cold against his flushed skin.
From his new vantage point he could see just how drained she looked, her lower eyelids heavy and her skin pale in comparison to its usual deep bronze hue. "You feelin' alright?" he asked, his strokes slowing with his attention starting to shift.
"I'm good," she breathed out. "Keep going."
He quickly decided if she wasn't, then the best way to take care of her was to follow her orders, so he pressed his palm to the side of her face and continued to pump his hips into hers. Their decision to make things fast, as well as their relative company, had her speeding to the precipice and she didn't hold back when she felt herself fall over, calling his name just a little louder than she should while clutching at his shirt.
"You're gonna get us in trouble." He chuckled at the speed at which she found her peak, before the pleasured look on her face pulled him over with her.
"God…" she sighed, when he stopped moving above her. Her arms slipped from around his neck and fell like dead weight beside her.
He held his weight off of her with one arm, while he rested his forehead on her chest, his breaths still coming fast. "Quick wasn't a problem," he joked.
"Now we have to go back," she said, with the back of her hand to her mouth, stifling a yawn.
"You can stay here if you still need some rest. I can handle 'em both for a bit."
"I shouldn't," she said, looking like she really wanted to take him up on it. "I slept the whole way here."
"Well, rest for a few while I go use the bathroom." He kissed her forehead and pulled himself up, carefully dodging the wooden booby trap above his head.
"Ok," she yawned again. "I'm next." She laid an arm over her eyes while he pulled his pants back up and slipped out of the door.
His eyes were on his fly, rebuttoning for the walk to the bathroom, when he heard Andrea's wicked laughter echoing in the hall.
"New parents sneaking away for a bit?" she asked with a devilish grin.
"Just gettin' settled," he replied, failing at containing his smirk at being called out.
"I guess I'll wait to say hi to Michonne," she said, turning to make her way down the stairs. "Don't be too long, kids."
When Rick had freshened up and made his way back to their room, he opened the door slowly, as not to startle her, and was unsurprised to see her passed out yet again, in the same position he had left her in. He smiled at her quiet snores and the slow rise and fall of her chest, before reaching for the hem of her wrinkled dress and pulling it back down over her thighs. He grabbed a folded blanket from the top bunk and lay it over her bottom half, then adjusted the blinds to filter out the afternoon sun. With another kiss to her cheek, he grabbed a few items for Judith from her overnight bag and headed back to the group.
…
An hour later, Rick sat at the kitchen island, chatting with Daryl, Shane and Glenn, Judith back in his arms. Abe and Tyrese were working on dinner in the large, chef style kitchen while the women lounged happily across all of the living room furniture, catching up with each other over a bottle of wine. All except one of them. Rick checked his watch for the time, and was just about to go and check on Michonne, when he heard the door open and she appeared at the landing. She looked refreshed, her hair pulled up in a high ponytail, and she'd swapped the dress he'd sullied for a pair of tight black pants and heels. She'd slipped on a cropped sweater to guard against the chilly evening and sparkly teardrops hung from her ears.
He took a moment to admire the view as she greeted her girlfriends, a couple of whom had arrived after he left her to her nap, then stood to get his own greeting in. Carl beat him to it, though, rushing her as soon as she'd made it to the living room. She smiled at Rick and Judith from across the room while Carl pulled her over to the small table by the window where he and the other boys were showing off their comic book collections.
Rick smiled back, using the hand he had tucked under Judith's bottom to give her a thumbs up at their current kid assignments. He reclaimed his stool, and his place in the conversation, keeping an appreciative eye on her as she moved about the room. Michonne was usually the sentimental one, but he couldn't help reflecting on the way he'd found himself drawn to her in a new way for the first time in this very room. He remembered it like it was yesterday, the way she had seemed to glow all of a sudden and he had been pulled from his seat and across the room just to be closer to her. He wasn't kidding when he'd said he owed Mike a debt of gratitude for helping him come to that realization. He told Michonne once that he was never jealous of the man's obvious affection toward her that weekend, and it was true, jealous wasn't the right word. It was more that he had become so dependant on her light that the thought of sharing it had scared him enough to use it to see things more clearly. Now he could be close to her anytime he wanted, and standing there holding their child, watching her practically re-enact the entire event, was enough to make him want to rush the night to end and go back to being wrapped around each other in the bunk again. They were celebrating though, and he settled for holding his baby girl and watching her from afar, while he enjoyed the company of his closest friends.
"Rick!" Daryl said, throwing an elbow into his side to beckon him back to the conversation.
"Sorry," he replied. "What?"
"I asked if you were gonna loosen up the dress code now that you're in charge," Daryl repeated, chuckling at the dreamy look on his friend and new boss's face.
Rick eyed Daryl's increasingly shaggy mane and the sparse scruff that was sprouting on his unshaven chin. "Don't count on it," he answered.
…
After dinner the group had split up into smaller factions, settling into more intimate conversations as they allowed the meal to digest. The wet snow and drizzle that had been coming down since the car ride kept them all indoors, and the group of kids, made up of Carl, and Abraham's sons, as well Tyreese's daughter Lizzy, had claimed the game room as their own for at least the early part of the evening. Judith had gone to bed two hours ago and Rick took a seat next to Michonne leaning against the couch in front of the fireplace.
"Think she'll make it to midnight?" Michonne asked, leaning against his shoulder and handing him the little screen that showed Judith, swaddled and fast asleep in the center of the crib.
"I don't know," he said skeptically, glancing at his watch. It was ten o'clock and she was still asleep. A four hour stretch was pushing it for the little one. "But I've got her tonight, Michonne. I want you to take a break and have a good time tonight. She wakes up, I'm on it."
Michonne pat her hand on his thigh with a sleepy smile. "I'm gonna take you up on that," she chuckled. "But I'm really hoping for a midnight kiss, Sheriff, so fingers crossed your daughter gives us a miracle tonight."
"Fingers crossed...but you'll get your kiss either way." He leaned in to press his lips to hers, running his thumb over the high bone of her cheek.
"Alright you two," Maggie said, nudging Rick with her foot as she walked by to turn up the stereo. "Card game's starting at the table. Get over there and tell Abe to deal you in."
"Yes ma'am," Rick replied as he stood and offered Michonne his hand. They made their way into the kitchen where it seemed the real party was getting started, with Glenn and Tara pouring drinks and Abe directing everyone to their spots. Rick pulled out a chair for Michonne, then went to the kitchen island to get a refill from Glenn. Just as he set his glass on the counter, he heard the tell tale whines coming from the little monitor he held in his other hand. Sure enough, Judith was ready for her own beverage. He sighed, setting his glass in the sink instead, and reaching into the fridge for a bottle of formula.
"That's my cue," he said, breaking the news to Michonne by handing her the monitor. He kissed her one more time, knowing it was probably for the night. Once he got settled in the dark bunk room, rocking Judy back to sleep, he would be down for the count himself.
Michonne stood to hug him goodbye, disappointed to see him go, despite having fully expected that one of them would be ringing in the new year with Judy this year. "You're sure you don't want me to go?"
"Have fun," he whispered into her ear with a squeeze of her shoulder. "You've earned a night off."
"We'll take good care of her," Andrea smirked, eavesdropping on their conversation. She pulled her friend by the arm, ushering her back to the table and he rolled his eyes, heading for the door.
…
The next morning Michonne woke next to a still sleeping Rick, his bare back and shoulders rising and falling with peaceful breaths. She sat up as best she could on the bottom bunk, stretching her arms behind her back, then rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Judith was blissfully snoozing in her crib, and the room was silent except for their alternating snores. She swung a leg over his waist and felt around for the floor with her toes, stretching as best she could to sneak out of the bed without waking him. Judy had refused to do any magic the night before, and Rick had kept his promise to handle all wakeups, so now she was intent on letting him sleep in. She finally made it over the hump of his sleeping form and tiptoed out of the room, leaving the door cracked slightly so she could hear her daughter stir.
Her bladder was ready to burst after a full night's sleep and she picked up her pace as she made her way down the hall to the bathroom.
Rick woke as soon as Michonne's warmth left the bed and he watched her with one eye squinted open, as she crept out of the room. He could hear the bathroom door shut, and just as he had been awakened by the lack of Michonne's presence, Judy also began to fuss. He shushed her quietly, so she wouldn't bring Michonne rushing back, and lifted her from the crib, bouncing her in his arms until she began to smile.
"Hey Judy," he smiled. "Good to see you again. You and me had a lot of time together last night, didn't we?" He placed her against his chest and kissed the top of her head, thankful that he had nothing on the agenda this New Year's Day that would require any semblance of clear thinking, besides maybe a repeat football game. He hovered in the threshold waiting for Michonne to come back, but she seemed to be taking her time. She was probably brushing her teeth, he decided, passing a few more minutes of waiting by having a one sided conversation with the infant in his arms. After awhile, he began to worry and padded down the hall himself to check on her.
He knocked on the bathroom door, lightly. "Chonne," he called. "You alright?"
He heard the water start to run and he opened the door slowly, revealing her hunched over the sink, splashing water on her eyes.
"You really took me up on that offer," he smiled sympathetically, entering the little room and shifting Judy so he could place a hand on Michonne's back. "Have a little too much fun after I went to bed?"
"I didn't," she said, drying her eyes with a hand towel and looking back at him despondently. "I passed out on the couch before midnight and they sent me to bed after the countdown. I barely finished a whole glass of champagne."
"You think you're comin' down with something?" he asked, instinctively covering Judith's head with his hand.
Before she could answer, she was on her knees again, retching violently into the toilet. "Hold on," he said, backing out of the bathroom and searching the hallway for any other signs of life. He could hear Shane's voice from the bottom of the stairs and he walked to the landing, calling down to his friend.
Shane and Andrea both came to the bottom of the stairs, looking up at him, slightly startled by the urgency in his voice.
"Can you take Judy for a minute?" he asked, trotting halfway down the staircase to hand her off.
"Of course!" Andrea took the baby from him, with Shane right behind her.
"Everything okay?" he asked, eyeing his friend.
"Yeah. I'll be right back," Rick called over his shoulder as he hurried back to his wife. "Hey," he said as he came back into the bathroom and knelt beside her.
"I don't know what's wrong with me," she said, wiping at her watery eyes. "I felt fine when I woke up, then I started smelling coffee brewing downstairs and all of a sudden I was heaving up my dinner."
Rick looked at her wide eyed, his mouth parted as if he was searching for words that wouldn't come.
"What?" she asked, not understanding the look that had taken over his face.
"Michonne…"
"What, Rick?" she said, before spinning back toward the toilet and dry heaving hard enough to send tears streaming down her cheeks. "Maybe it was something I ate," she said when she had caught her breath again, but the sentence trailed off into nothing as he continued to stare at her. "You don't think…"
"Could you be?" he asked, and her eyes darted to the ceiling as she did a quick math equation in her head.
"I guess I was technically due today," she said, "but everything has been screwed up since I stopped the shots and pills and all of that."
Rick's mouth curled up in a grin that he couldn't contain as she tried to make sense of all of the information at her disposal.
"Don't get excited, Rick," she warned. "It's highly un…" A wave of nausea hit her again and she covered her mouth with the back of her hand. It seemed to be a false alarm, though, and he gathered her into his arms, kissing her forehead, which had started to bead with sweat. "This is insane," she muttered, shaking her head at the idea. It couldn't be.
"You have any tests stashed away?" he asked. "In the car or your luggage?"
She shook again, then rested her head on his shoulder.
"I can go into town," he said. He rubbed at her back as she took a small reprieve in his arms.
"I'm scared to find out," she said with a nervous laugh.
"You're gonna find out one way or another," he said, his smile persisting. "Might as well not drive yourself crazy."
She had to agree with his logic, so she released the hold she had on him and nodded.
"I'm gonna get Judy settled with a bottle and one of the girls. You get back in bed and I'll be back in a while."
"Ok," she agreed, turning to rinse her mouth out one more time as he went to put some clothes on.
After getting properly dressed, he ferried Judith over to the main building so he could get Carl to assist in watching her. Sasha greeted him in the kitchen and offered him some toast from the pile she was stacking on a plate.
"Sasha, I have to run an errand," he said, handing the baby to Carl who looked like he had just stumbled out of bed. "Do you mind helping Carl with Judy?"
"Of course," she smiled. "Michonne still sleeping?"
"She isn't feeling well, actually." He grabbed his coat and car keys from the hook where he had left them the day before, and kissed Judy on the top of the head.
"She didn't look so hot last night," Sasha said, her concern heightening when she saw Rick's nervous expression. "She slept through the whole party."
"Yeah, she's resting now too. I won't be long." He turned to head down the stairs and when he got to the door, he felt Sasha right on his heels.
"Rick," she said, pressing a hand to his elbow to stop him just outside of the building. Rick turned to her in confusion; he thought he had conveyed the urgency of the situation. "I didn't want to ask her last night, but I couldn't help but wonder...with her symptoms…"
Rick eyed their friend, unsure if Michonne would appreciate him speaking freely about the situation, no matter what the test said. "She thinks it might be something she ate," he lied, erring on the side of caution.
"Ok," Sasha said, her hands in the air in acceptance. "But...I might be able to save you a trip." She waved him over to her little, red sports car, opening the trunk. "I have my med kit from work in here. Always have it on me." She began rummaging through the little nylon bag, as Rick stood behind her, cautiously optimistic that they were on the same page and she really could save him some time. Sasha handed him a blister pack of anti-nausea pills, a fever reducer and a thermometer with a disposable cap.
Rick took the items, with a nod of thanks and disappointment in his eyes, as he tried to figure out how he was till going to get in his car and leave without raising suspicion. Sasha, however, offered a mischievous grin and dug into the bag one more time. She reached in and then turned to face him with two little sticks, wrapped in pink plastic, displayed like a bouquet of roses in her hand. He chuckled at the game they were playing, and swiped the tests out of her hand, taking off for the bunk house. "You got Judy?" he asked, halfway across the driveway.
"I'm on it. You go."
When he was back on the second floor, he found Michonne exactly where he had left her, on the bathroom floor instead of tucked in bed as he'd hoped.
"Are the kids ok?" she asked, her head resting on her arm that was propped on her knee.
"Everyone's fine."
"That was quick," she said as he knelt down beside her and handed her one of the pregnancy tests.
"Sasha," he explained. "I didn't tell her, she just...knew."
Michonne took the stick from him, unwrapping it carefully, then gave him a look which he clearly understood as his cue to step outside while she followed the instructions.
A few minutes later, she opened the door to let him back in and they both slid back down to the floor, leaning against the shower stall to wait.
"We're both hoping for the same thing, right?" he asked, after a few moments of nervous silence.
Michonne took his hand and pulled it into her lap, stroking her thumb across his palm. "Have we ever not been?" she asked, staring up at him.
A tiny beep began to sound from Rick's wrist watch, and they both looked at each other with excitement and the unease that had become a like a Pavlovian response from the many times they'd been in this position.
"Will you look at it?" she said, a plaintive smile spreading across quivering lips. Judith had made all her dreams come true and now she felt almost guilty for hoping for any more blessings in her life. She remembered Rebeccah's tale of raising two babies so close in age, however, and she thought maybe her dues would be paid either way.
Rick stretched across the little bathroom, pulling the test down from where she'd set it on the counter and he leaned in to kiss her cheek one time, before holding it up to his face. She dropped her head to his shoulder, afraid to look, afraid to hope, and he pulled his eyes away from her slowly to squint at the tiny display. "Michonne..." he said.
She refused to pick her head up, though she could swear she could hear the answer in his voice. It was too much though, she couldn't look.
"Michonne," he said again, wrapping his arm around her and burying his face in her hair. "Baby, look at it."
"Just tell me," she said, her voice muffled against his shirt.
He laughed quietly, then swallowed hard to clear his voice before it cracked on him. "It's a good thing we painted the nursery green," he said, and he felt her pull in a gasp. "Cause I think this one is gonna be a boy."
Michonne clutched at Rick's shirt and began to cry softly into his chest, her shoulders shaking with happy sobs as his vibrated with quiet laughter.
"You ok?" he asked, peeling her away so he could look at her tear streaked face. "You're happy?"
"I'm so happy," she said, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. Rick pushed her hair out of her face and she suddenly lunged for the toilet again, stretching her body to just barely make it. After a few minutes of gagging, she sat back up and laughed. "I feel like shit," she said. "But I'm happy."
Rick stood and gathered a washcloth from a basket beside the shower, wetting it with cool water from the faucet. "Me too," he said, as he wiped it along her brow. "This place is good luck. We should come here every year."
She laughed at his observation, sinking back down to her bottom. "Rick," she said, "now that we know I don't have the flu, do you think you can go get Judy and Carl? I want us all to be together right now."
Rick grinned at her, crumpled in the corner and sick as a dog, yet still the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. "I'll get them," he said. "They're gonna wanna hear this news from their mom."
To be continued...