"Holy fuck."
"Oh my god." Chuck backs away from the counter as Negan stands still, staring down at the test.
"I'm gonna be a fuckin' dad." He turns around with a huge smile on his face. "You're gonna be a mom," he says to her then lets out a laugh of joy.
Chuck turns away from him and walks into the bedroom. Her footfalls are heavy as she paces the room, worrying at her lips and twirling her hair in nervousness.
"Baby," he comes up behind her, putting his arms around her to halt her movement, "we're having a baby," he whispers in her ear, his smile evident in his words.
Chuck pushes him away and continues to pace, biting her nails as she goes.
"What, baby?" he asks, almost confused.
"Stop," she says bluntly.
"Stop what, baby girl?"
"Just shut up!" she screams, losing control. Her whole body shakes as she turns to him.
"What's wrong?" he asks firmly. "Why aren't you happy?"
"Happy? Why the fuck would I be happy?!"
"Because it's fuckin' awesome, Chuck! We made a kid!" he exclaims as he throws his arms out wide. "And stop fuckin' swearing! I hate hearing that shit come out of your mouth."
"Awesome? Now? In this?" She gestures widely. "Pregnancy can be a death sentence." She points directly at his face. "What you did could kill me."
"Don't you fuckin' say that! Don't you ever fuckin' say that to me, Chuck!"
She shakes her head and looks to the floor. "How could you not pull out in time?! This is your fault, Negan. You did this to me."
"No!" He grabbed her by the shoulders and forces her to sit on the couch. He bends down close to her and gestures between them. "We did this! Together. You didn't fuckin' say no. You didn't ask for a condom. You didn't even fuckin' tell me to pull out, but I did anyway! Even though I didn't fuckin' want to!"
"You didn't want to?! Why would you not want to?" She furrows her brow in confusion as he stands to his full height.
"Chuck-"
"Did you want to get me pregnant?!" she interrupts.
"No!" he answers quickly.
"Did you get me pregnant on purpose?!" Her voice is choked as she tries to yell.
"Of course not! Abso-fuckin'-lutely not!" He steps forward and kneels in front of her. "I would never do something like that, Chuck. Ever."
"Oh my god, Negan!" Her breathing becomes labored as she starts to sob.
"Fuck." He runs his hands down her arms to bring her hands up to his face, giving them both a sweet kiss. "Calm down, baby girl. Please. Don't make yourself sick."
She takes a few deep breaths. "Are you lying to me?" she asks quietly as tears roll down her cheeks.
"I have never lied to you." He wipes her cheeks and she lets him. "I don't know why- cumming inside you- It was just a thought that went through my mind in the moment. It just felt... right." He shakes his head. "I don't fuckin' know. But we didn't talk about it, so I didn't go through with it! Then, I just lost control. You just felt- Everything got intense for me." He starts to speak more softly. "But... that's really never fuckin' happened to me like that before. I really thought I pulled out in time."
Chuck looks down at her lap and doesn't respond.
"Please don't hate me." He tucks some of her hair behind her ear and cradles her cheek. "Say something, please," he begs.
Without looking up, Chuck slowly slides off the couch and wraps her arms around his shoulders, straddling his lap while he sits back on his knees. She nuzzles into his neck as he holds her tightly.
"I'm scared, Negan," she whispers.
"No need to be scared, baby girl." He rubs her back in reassurance. "I won't let anything bad happen to you." He stands, carrying her with him as he walks over to the bed. He lays her down gently and pulls the blanket around her. "I'm gonna get Carson up here. I want him to check you out right fuckin' now."
"Yeah," she sniffles. "That's probably a good idea."
Negan lifts his radio to his mouth. "Carson. Get to the fifth floor. My room."
"Yes, sir."
Negan kicks off his boots and crawls onto the bed beside her. She instantly cuddles into him, allowing him to wrap her up in his arms.
"You're really happy about this?" Chuck asks into his chest.
"Yeah. I am." He runs his hand through her long hair. "You're not happy?"
"It's not that I'm not happy. I'm just... freaked out. This is all a lot to deal with. I haven't even had any time to process everything that happened to me. Or becoming a wife and how that's gonna change my status here. And now I'm gonna be the mother to the leader's child so..."
"I get it." He kisses her head. "A lot of shit just happened to you in a fuckin' short amount of time. But it'll all be peachy fuckin' keen in the end. You'll see."
She holds him tighter and speaks softly. "What if I can't do it? What if I'm a bad mother? What if everyone sees that I'm not good enough for you?"
"Whoa whoa." He pulls her up so that he can look at her. "Don't fuckin' think like that-"
There is a knock at the door. "It's Dr. Carson," the voice from behind the door says.
Negan stands from the bed and opens the door. "We got some shit to discuss."
Carson enters with his bag and looks over to Chuck, who is now sitting up in the bed. "Is everything alright, Charlotte?"
She knows that she has to look awful. Not only is her face still bruised, but it has to be puffy from all the crying. "Um..." She wipes her eyes, stalling for time. She figures that Carson thinks he was called into the room because of the injuries she had sustained from her attack. She isn't sure if she has the strength to burst Carson's bubble and actually say the words "I'm pregnant" to him. Or anyone else for that matter.
Negan, now leaning back on the closed door, doesn't give her the chance. "Me and her have been fucking and I knocked her up," he says completely casually.
"What?" Carson croaks in shock as he looks from Chuck to Negan.
"Yup. I grabbed a pregnancy test from your office earlier and she took it. It's still in the fuckin' bathroom if you want to take a look."
Carson stares at Negan for a moment before going into the bathroom to retrieve the test.
"Did you have to say it like that, Negan?" Chuck whispers with a look of disapproval on her face.
Negan shrugs in response.
Carson domes back in with the test in his gloved hands. "It's positive," he relays, almost shocked.
"No shit, Sherlock," Negan replies. "That's why I fuckin' called you up here. Check her the fuck out. Make sure my girl and my baby are a-o-fuckin'-k."
Carson discards the test and his gloves and moves closer to the bed. "Any cramps or bleeding?" he asks.
She clears her throat. "No."
"When was your last period?"
"Uh..." She tries to think. "It was... uh... six or seven weeks ago. I think."
Carson nods. "The tests are very accurate, so there's no reason to suspect a false positive. Especially with the missed period. I still want to perform an ultrasound, though. Especially with recent events."
"Can it wait until tomorrow?" Chuck asks. She wants to have some time to actually deal with everything that has happened first.
"Yeah," Carson answers, seemingly picking up on what Chuck is thinking. "And you need to start prenatal vitamin, too."
Negan pushes off the door to stand closer to Carson. "We can do all that shit tomorrow morning."
Carson nods. "Kayla should be told, too."
"Yeah," Negan concurs as he scratches his beard. "I'll go get her while you do your fuckin' doctor thing." Negan gives Chuck a glance and walks out.
"Are you okay with all this, Charlotte?" Carson asks as he walks closer to her.
"Yeah," she answers. "I mean, it wasn't planned, but..." She shrugs. "It's happening now, regardless."
Carson nods and starts his exam by getting out his stethoscope and listening to her heart. As soon as he moves the instrument from her chest to her back, Negan and Kayla walks in.
Kayla surveys the scene in front of her. "Oh my god. Is there something wrong?" She turns to look at Negan. "You told us she didn't have any major injuries after the attack?"
"She's fine, darling," Negan answers. "At least I hope she fuckin' is. Doc?"
"Heart and lungs sound good." Carson gets the blood pressure cuff out and puts it on her arm. "BP is good, too," he relays after reading the results. He sets the cuff aside and instructs Chuck to lie back. He lifts her shirt to feel around her abdomen. "Do you have a history of diabetes or high blood pressure in your family?"
Chuck thinks about it. "I don't think so."
Confusion washes over Kayla's face as she looks up to Negan. "Uh, what's going on here? Why-why did you need me?"
Kayla looks to Chuck and Carson, but they won't meet her eyes. Negan, however has no problem.
"I got her pregnant," Negan blurts out as if it weren't big news.
"What?!" Kayla exclaims then turns to Chuck. "You're pregnant?!"
"Um, yeah," Chuck confirms quietly.
"How-" Kayla turns back to Negan, "how did-"
"I think you're familiar with the fuckin' birds and the bees, darling," Negan interrupts.
Carson finishes up the exam and Chuck sits up more comfortably. "You're perfectly healthy, Charlotte. And since both you and Negan have negative blood, we won't have to worry about rh sensitization."
"That's good right?" Negan asks, apparently not knowing what Carson is talking about.
"Yes, Negan," Carson answers. "There's nothing to worry about."
"Were you trying for a baby?" Kayla asks abruptly as she looks between Chuck and Negan, a look of shock still on her face.
"Nope," Negan answers as Chuck shakes her head slightly. "Shit happened on accident."
"Is this a ...happy... accident?" Kayla asks tentatively.
"Fuck yes, this is happy!" Negan calls out with a smile.
"Chuck?" Kayla turns to her to get her reaction.
"It's, um..." Chuck starts. "I'm still kinda processing it." She gives her a sad smile and a shrug.
Kayla goes to Chuck and wraps her up in a tight hug as she sits on the bed beside her. "It'll be fine. It's normal to be nervous."
Negan throws his hands up in frustration. "Jesus Christ, I thought you chicks loved this baby shit. You're both acting like your puppy just fuckin' died."
Chuck snaps her gaze to him. "Yeah, you can be all happy about this because we," she gestures between them, "are going to have different experiences from here on out. Your job in this process is already done. I still have to cook up a human being and then push it out of my body."
Negan lets out a chuckle as he thinks of something. "My job was done when I pushed something in your pussy. Your job's done when you push something out of your pussy."
Kayla glares at him, not appreciating his joke, but Chuck can't stop herself from giggling. "You thought that was funny?" she asks Chuck and her face softens a bit.
Chuck shrugs. "It was kinda funny." She giggles again, reveling in the sudden lightheartedness she feels.
Just then, Chuck's stomach growls loudly. She instantly brings her hands to it, as if that would stifle the noise.
Without even asking, Negan calls down to the kitchen and orders food to be brought up.
"There's no need for extra calories in the first trimester, but you need to make sure you eat enough," Carson speaks out.
"Yeah. I know. I'll eat."
"I'll make fuckin' sure," Negan adds.
"How's the morning sickness?" Kayla enquirers.
"Well... I've been kinda nauseous and I puked a couple of times. But I, uh... didn't know it was morning sickness until today."
Kayla nods. "How far along are you?"
Carson answers for her. "Six to seven weeks."
"Oh. Morning sickness'll probably kick in pretty hard now." Kayla gives Chuck a smile.
"That sounds great," Chuck responds sarcastically.
Carson and Kayla go over more information for Chuck and Negan, detailing the things they are likely to experience in the near future. They all continue to talk as the kitchen delivers Chuck's food and she begins to eat, still soaking up all the information that everyone is telling her.
When Chuck finishes her food, Kayla picks up the empty plate and takes it out to Negan's kitchen, coming back a moment later with an odd look on her face. "Are you telling everyone the news?"
"Shit yes!" Negan, now sitting beside Chuck on the bed, cries out quickly.
"No!" Is Chuck's immediate response.
Negan whips his head to her. "What? Why the fuck not?"
"Because," Chuck answers. "I want to wait until the second trimester. At least. I don't want all the attention."
"Fine. If that's what you want," Negan concedes.
Kayla still looks a bit nervous. "What about the wives? I don't know if I can keep this from them. I'll try if that's what you want, but-"
"They should know," Chuck says quietly with a nod.
"Fuck. I guess I need to have a talk with them."
Chuck lets out a huge yawn. Even though it is still pretty early, she feels incredibly tired. "We should do it now." She doesn't want to delay the inevitable, so she starts to get out of the bed, but Negan stops her.
"You stay here and fuckin' rest, baby girl. You need it. Me and Kayla will go tell them."
"I think," Chuck yawns again, "I should be there, too, right? I mean, I'm the pregnant one."
Kayla chuckles. "You need to sleep. You can barely keep your eyes open!" She goes to Chuck and practically tucks her into bed.
Chuck says her goodbyes and everyone exits, leaving her alone in the room. She lets out a heavy breath and rubs her weary eyes. "Everything's going to be fine," she whispers to herself as she brings her hands to her stomach. "I wish you were here with me, mom. You'd know what to say to make me feel better. Would you be disappointed in me? Would you be happy?" She wipes the new tears that have fallen from her eyes and shifts onto her side, falling asleep soon after.
— Negan's POV —
Shit, I'm kinda fuckin' nervous.
This is really fuckin' real now.
I've already told the doc and Kayla. And now I gotta tell the wives.
I'm gonna be a dad. Holy shit.
I open the lounge door for Kayla and we both walk in. Tonya and Frankie are sitting on one couch talking while Sherry is standing beside the bar. Kayla sits down on the couch opposite Tonya and Frankie as I stay standing by the door.
"Come on down, Sherry. Have a fuckin' seat," I call out to her.
She grabs her drink and sits down beside Kayla. "What's going on, Negan?"
"Well," I scratch the back of my neck. Shit I am fuckin' nervous. "I got some news today that you guys may want to fuckin' know." I clear my throat trying to think of the right way to say it. I mean, shit, I just blurted it out to Carson and Kayla, why is telling the rest of the wives harder?
"Are you gonna spit it out or...?" Tonya asks, getting impatient.
Here goes... "Chuck's pregnant with my kid."
Silence.
They just look around at each other.
"What?!" Frankie finally cries out.
They all look to Kayla who nods her head at them.
Sherry fuckin' shoots up and marches her ass right to me. "Did you do this on purpose?"
"No, I didn't do it on fuckin' purpose! You think I'm that kinda monster to knock a chick up without her say?!" First Chuck and now Sherry! What kind of a fuckin' man do they think I am?!
Sherry pushes at my chest and I don't stop her. "Well, it would get Chuck to agree to be your wife like you wanted. And we all know Negan always gets what he wants!"
I let out a frustrated growl. "Chuck, herself, asked to be my wife fuckin' yesterday! We both found out she was pregnant today!"
Now Tonya stands up. "You didn't make her pregnant today! You could've planned this months ago! And that shit with that douche that took her was just a coincidence!"
"No." I walk away from them and start to fuckin' pace further into the room. "No no no no! I wouldn't fuckin' do that! To anyone! Least of all Chuck! I didn't plan this. I didn't do it on fucking purpose!" I pick up a bottle from the bar and launch it into the wall. Fuckin' glass shatters all over the fuckin' place.
I'm so fucking pissed at them for thinking I could do that. Force myself on her- Make Chuck have my kid when she doesn't want it. I would never...
That's why I'm here. Why I'm fuckin' alive. Because my father did that shit to my mom. She was gonna leave his sorry ass and he knew it, so he made sure she got pregnant. Made sure she had no other choice but to stay with him.
If I hadn't been born, she'd've left him. I'm the reason why she lived with so much pain. I'm the reason why she died fuckin' young because that sick fuck killed her. But she never let me know that shit. I only fuckin' found out all that shit after she died. When I read her goddamn journal. She always loved me and was good to me. I don't fuckin' know why because I ruined her life. She'd be alive if I hadn't been born. If my father hadn't raped her and forced her to have me.
I'm not like my father. I'm not. I wouldn't force Chuck. I'd never hurt her like that. If she doesn't want the baby then... I don't know what we'll do. But I'll make it right.
"I didn't do it on purpose. I didn't mean to. I'm not like that. I'm not like my father. I didn't do it. I wouldn't hurt her. I'd never hurt her. Not her. I didn't do it. We would've talked about it. I would've discussed it with her. I lost control on accident. Not on purpose. I'm not my father. I wouldn't do that like him. I wouldn't do that. I'm not like him. I didn't do it. I wouldn't-"
I feel a soft hand on my back. "Negan?"
I look up all confused. I didn't realize that I have been talking out loud. And that I'm sitting on one of the fuckin' couches with my head in my hands fuckin' shaking all over like a goddamn leaf.
"I think you're having a panic attack," Kayla says from beside me.
"Fuck." I stay in my position. "I wouldn't force her to get pregnant."
Kayla keeps rubbing my back. "I believe you, Negan. Just calm down. Breathe slowly."
Sherry comes and sits down on the other side of me. "We're just confused. You're always so adamant about using condoms that we didn't know how..."
"Me and Chuck didn't use them in the fuckin' beginning. It all just fuckin' happened and I didn't even think about it. I didn't care with her for some reason. And she didn't tell me she wanted me to wrap it up, so I thought she was fuckin' okay with it."
I finally sit up and rest my head on the back of the couch, rubbing my face with my hands. "She's gonna hate me if she doesn't want this kid."
Kayla lays her hand on my shoulder. "She won't hate you. She just needs time to think it over. She just went through a major trauma and now she's going through this major life event. Just... be there for her."
I nod and take a few minutes to calm myself down. "Don't fuckin' tell anyone about me acting like this. Not even Chuck. Not a fuckin' soul. I mean it."
"We won't," Sherry replies. "But you should talk to someone about it. This baby might stir up past feelings you never dealt with."
Fuck.
They heard me mention my father.
I've only ever told two people about him and I haven't told anyone I'm a product of his rape.
"I'm fine." I get up to pace around some more.
"Are you getting rid of us now?" Frankie asks.
"No. Why would I do that?"
"You're having a baby with Chuck," Tonya states like that is obvious. "That changes shit."
I turn to face her. "No it doesn't."
Frankie pipes up. "When we all agreed to this, you said babies were off the table. You'd never get any us pregnant."
"So?"
Frankie looks at me confused. "Don't you want to be with her now? Exclusively? A baby is like 'serious relationship' material. Not like what we've all been doing with you."
"You guys are free to leave if you want-"
"I don't wanna leave. Not yet, anyway," Tonya interrupts. "But I'm not fucking you anymore. It would feel wrong now, I think."
"Me, too," Frankie agrees.
Kayla nods. "Yeah. Me, too."
"You shouldn't add any wives who will, either," Sherry fuckin' suggests. "Chuck deserves better than that."
I'm a little pissed, but she's right. For only the second time in my life, I have no desire to fuck around on my woman. I only stopped stepping out on Lucille when she was fuckin' dying. When it was too late to show her that she was my everything. I'm not doing that again. Not to Chuck. Not when she's got my kid in her belly. She's all mine. And now I'm all hers. No matter what our relationship is.
Not that I'm telling the wives that.
"Well, I'm gonna have my hands fuckin' full as it is, so adding to you wives would probably just be an extra pain in my ass."
"Good," is all Sherry says.
I run my fingers through my hair. "I don't expect you guys to help out with this. It's not your job. This is my-"
"We're all gonna be there for Chuck and the baby," Kayla says over me. "Right?" She turns to the rest of them.
"Of course," Sherry answers. Tonya and Frankie nodded, too.
Well that's good. At least Chuck will have some female support. I know fuck all about all this shit.
"But I'll be doing double duty between Chuck and Amber," Kayla said. "But all Chuck really needs in the first trimester is emotional support. And information."
I nod because I get the hint. She's telling me not to be a douchebag to her.
Kayla continues. "She'll be cranky and nauseous and tired all the time. So be patient with her."
"Duly noted." I turn to go out the door, but I pause, still facing away from them. "Thank you for being good to her."
I walk out and back into my apartment. As soon as I open my bedroom door, I hear Chuck puking her guts out in the bathroom, so I run in there to help her.
— —
"Negan. You don't have to-" Chuck tries to say, but she can't stop retching.
Negan holds her hair and rubs her back gently. "I'm here, baby girl."
Chuck doesn't stop until the entire contents of her stomach are in the toilet bowl. She wipes her mouth with toilet paper and flushes it down. "I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize." He holds out the mouthwash and she accepts it, rinsing her mouth and spitting.
"That was gross, though. You don't have to deal with that." She goes back out to the bedroom, plopping down on the bed with a groan, laying down on her back with her arm over her eyes.
"I'm gonna be with you every fuckin' step of the way, gross or not." He lays down on his side beside her, facing her. "And it's my little guy in there making you upchuck all that food you just ate." He tries to lay his hand on her stomach but she slaps it away.
"Don't touch my stomach, Negan. I'm still super nauseous."
"Alright." He sounds disappointed.
She removes her arm from her head and looks at him. "What did the wives say?"
He chuckles. "They said they'd be there for you."
"Were they angry?"
"No." He tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear. "I'm not gonna fuck them anymore. Or anyone else."
"I don't expect that from you."
"Why not?"
"It's not who you are."
He looks away from her for a moment. "Okay."
Chuck isn't sure, but he looks a little hurt by what she said. "I'm just gonna try to get some sleep," she responds as she looks away and gets under the covers.
"Alright." Negan gets out of the bed after giving her a kiss. "I'll be in the office."
She yawns as she speaks. "Night, Negan."
Some time later, in the middle of the night, Chuck wakes up gently to a warm sensation on her stomach. A hand, but not her own, is under her shirt and gently rubbing her stomach. Chuck stays still, relishing the feeling as a calmness washes over her. She can see out of the corner of her eye that Negan is propped up beside her, staring down at her stomach with a wide smile on his face.
She moves slightly and he instantly removes his hand and lays back.
"Don't stop, Negan," she whispers.
"I didn't mean to wake you up, sweetheart. Go back to sleep."
"It's okay." Chuck takes his hand in hers and leads it back under her shirt and to her stomach.
He shifts closer to her, laying his head on her chest as he begins to rub her stomach. "You good?" he whispers.
"Mmhmm." She wraps an arm around his broad shoulders, her other hand resting on his atop her stomach. "Do... Do you think I can do this? Be a mother?"
"Of course I do. You're gonna be a fuckin' awesome mother."
"Really?"
"Fuck yeah. You're the only-" He pauses and turns his head down to kiss her chest. "I couldn't imagine having a kid with a better woman than you."
She chuckles and moves her hand to cradle his head to her chest. She stays that way for several minutes. Long enough that she thinks Negan fell asleep. "We're having a baby," she whispers with a sense of wonder.
She can feel that his face move into a smile at her words. "Fuck yeah," he whispers half asleep. "We're having a baby."