Sweetkiwi604: Please don't hate me after this one. I'm sorry, I had to. L This was a terrible chapter to write. I've rewritten it a few times over the weekend. I had to leave it alone and go back to it after a couple of days.
Halfway down the road, we stop. There's a broken down truck. Rick, Glenn and Maggie climb out to push it away. I watch as they argue, obviously about Daryl and unsuccessfully fight back the taste of vomit at the back of my throat. I jump out of the car and lean over. My body aches each time I lurch. Maggie starts walking my way as I stand up and I shake my head at her as I climb back into the car. Glenn stomps back to the car, jumping in the driver seat. The anger radiating off of him startles me and I don't ask any questions.
We drive the rest of the way in silence. I can't bring myself to cry. When we get back, Rick and Glenn help me out of the car and into the block, right to Hershel's cell. Hershel drops down next to me on the bed and tends to my face. The muscles are stiff and the throbbing pain is overpowering.
Maggie fills the group in on what happened. A sound draws my attention. Carol stands there, tears in her eyes. I stare unbelieving for a moment before standing up, my body screaming. I place my hand on her cheek and check her over.
"You're alive?" I whisper. My hallucinations are lifelike this time. She laughs.
"You look like that and you ask me if I'm alive?" She gives me a gentle smile and suddenly a pain shoots through my ribs and up my side. I'm doubled over in pain again. Hershel brings me over to sit down on the bed. He continues to look me over. I grab his hand.
"Daddy, she's pregnant." Maggie whispers when she returns. He looks me over and I break down into tears. My body is wracked with sobs and pain. Hershel helps me lay me down and asks Carol to sit with me, before disappearing to speak with Rick. Carol sits down and pulls my head into her lap. She brushes my hair back, cleaning the tears away. Maggie kneels in front of me, holding my hand.
"You'll be ok sweetie. We'll do this together. All of us. A family." She whispers.
"He just left me here." I tell them through tears. "I didn't even bother to tell him. I couldn't have him stay because it was his duty"
"I know. I know. I'm sure he loves you Autumn. We've all seen it. Merle is to him what your ex was to you and Ed was to me." Carol tries to soothe me. I stop crying and look up at her.
"You did what you felt was right." Maggie whispers, she knows I told Merle about the baby.
"I have some sleeping pills the boys found in the infirmary. They're safe for the baby and you'll heal better if you sleep. I also want you to take a couple of ibuprofen." Hershel tells me, handing me the pills and some water. He checks me over after I take them, making sure there's no permanent damage. I'm unable to concentrate on his questions. He gives me basic instructions and tells me he will be up to look me over later. I make the slow, agonizing climb to the perch alone. No one follows me; they stand huddled at the bottom of the stairs as I drift to sleep.
Jimmy's POV
Autumn drifts in and out of sleep over the next couple of days. We take turns staying near her, waiting for her to come to and then forcing her to eat. The third day after the rescue, she finally wakes up.
"Hey baby girl." I whisper to her. The ugly bruises on her face are more vibrant today. I stroke her hair from her face. She sits up, her movements stiff.
"Morning Jimmy. What time is it?" She asks groggily. I chuckle a little.
"It's about 9am." I tell her.
"How long was I out?" She's wiping the sleep from her eyes.
"You've been in and out of it for the last two days." Her eyes open wide.
"The baby? Eli?" Her hands wrap around her middle and I reach out to take one of them.
"Everything's fine so far. Hershel doesn't think your rib was broken. You just need time to heal. Are you hungry?" I ask. She nods, pulling the blankets back.
I help her to her feet and we walk down the stairs. Carol and Maggie meet us at the bottom of the stairs. Neither of them have left her side for more than a few minutes over the last couple of days. We all walk into the common area and sit down. Mason brings her a bowl of applesauce. Autumn smiles at him.
"You remembered." She digs in.
"Of course." He sets a bottle of water down in front of her.
"I craved applesauce and butter noodles during my first trimester." She explains. I remember her pregnancy with Eli. She had it pretty easy even through the delivery.
She finishes her food and the conversation stays as light as possible. We fill her in on the precautions that we've put into place; reassuring her of our safety. I watch her as she listens; her fake smile in place. Her face hides the pain that I know she's feeling. Years of friendship can tell me what's wrong.
Tommy steps in the doorway and motions for me to join him. I excuse myself and follow him with Mason.
"She ok?" he asks, hands shaking.
"No, she's faking it well though." I tell him. "She's heartbroken."
"Yeah, I've never seen her eyes so dead." Mason whispers. Tommy bites the skin on the side of his thumb as he contemplates that.
"We'll just have to keep her occupied. She needs to rest and see we're here for her." Tommy says.
"She can hear you." Autumn's voice makes us jump; guilt apparent on all of our faces. "Glenn wants to talk to everyone. I'm not up for it. I'm gonna lay back down." We nod and she walks away, slowly as if each step causes her pain.
Glenn and the rest of the group are fighting about whether we should run or go after the Woodbury clan. I lean against the block gate, listening to them. We all agree to hold up the prison and fight only if they attack. The group breaks up again and I pull Hershel aside.
"Is she gonna be ok? Is the baby?" I ask, desperation rising.
"I don't know the answer to either of those but if anyone could survive it, she could. I will check on her again this afternoon" Hershel tries to reassure me.
"She's hurting. So is Maggie. Whatever happened; mixed with Dixon leaving cut them both deep. Those two have some serious scars." I shake my head, angry.
"I know. We'll get through this together. We just have to hold them up." He tells me.
I turn and head back into the cell block. As I climb the stairs, Autumn's bed is empty.
Autumn's POV
I step outside into the sun and let it hit my skin. The heat feels amazing. Carol and Axel are reinforcing the bridge above me. I stay low and close to the building before sitting down on the cold ground. The fresh air fills my lungs and my chest hurts with each breath. I allow the thoughts I've been fighting away all morning to run through my head. The angry disappointed look Daryl gave me before he left haunts me.
I couldn't. There was no way I could tell him about the baby. I'm sure Merle had by now and Daryl still hadn't come back. He didn't care. Now I knew that I was someone to pass the time with as he searched for Merle. He never considered me family. I replay every scene, every word he said back over and over in my head. The tears fell freely, escaping in small hiccups and sobs. I just need to be alone for a minute, have my time to grieve.
The door flies open and I thought I wouldn't get that moment. But Glenn walks away from where I'm hiding, toward the cars. Hershel follows close behind. I watch as the two have a tense conversation. Hiding in the shadows as Glenn took off in the truck; I worry about our group again. Hershel doesn't see me before he started helping Carl ensure the gate was locked.
The door opens again and Jimmy is there, searching across the yard. He sweeps his eyes to me and I roll my eyes when I see that he notices me. I stand up and walk over to him. The concern on his face is too much. As I reach him, the concern is replaced with a puzzled and pained expression. He looks down at his chest as a spot spreads across his shirt. He stares at me wordlessly before falling to his knees.
Sudden gunfire fills the air. I run toward Jimmy, catching him before he falls further. I'm oblivious to what's going on around me. There's a high-pitch screaming somewhere in the background. When Maggie reaches the two of us, I realize the terrifying sound is coming from me.
"Come on Autumn, lets get him into the tower, you'll both be safe." She helps me carry Jimmy to the tower and I kneel on the ground, hugging his body to me. I feel the warmth of his blood covering my jeans. He stares up at me, mouth open.
"Jameson don't you dare leave me. Please, just don't." I beg him, rocking him over and over again. The warmth of his blood covers my legs and stomach. He moves his mouth wordlessly.
His eyes close and his breathing catches before stopping. I cradle his head against my stomach, sobbing, begging him not leave me.
My heart races as the sounds continue for some time before quieting down. I open the door carefully, searching for our group. Maggie runs toward me with Beth, an extra weapon in her hand. She sees Jimmy's body lying on the ground and the blood saturated into my clothes. The pained expression on her face is almost too much to bear. She rushes to get me behind some filing cabinets while shooting up at the opposite tower.
A cube van barrels through the gate and stops. A herd of walkers trickles out from the back. Hershel is still out there. The gunfire starts again. This time we are dodging bullets and trying to pick off walkers.
Maggie braces herself next to me and aims at the gunman in the tower again. She takes out the shooter in the gun tower and everything dies down. I watch as she runs for the gate. Rick's screams from outside the fence grab my attention and I bolt to the inside gate just in time to see him struggling with two walkers. We can't lose anyone else. I start to run toward him and just as he's cornered, Daryl and Merle break through the tree line. My heart soars at first until anger takes over. I turn away and join Maggie, keeping the walkers at bay while Hershel is picked up by Glenn in the field. They make it through the yard and we slam the gate closed. The yard is once again littered with walkers.
Maggie and I trudge back to the tower where Jimmy's lifeless body is. I kneel down next to him and place a kiss on his head. I sit down next to him and lean against the wall, too weak to cry. Maggie sits next to me and puts her arm around my shoulder. I don't move, staring at Jimmy's unmoving body. Glenn and Hershel rush in and try to check. I tune everything out. Hershel's asking questions but I just stare at Jimmy's face, feeling all of my energy drain from me.
Rick and Daryl gather in the doorway, Daryl's face full of horror.
"Autumn, come on sweetie. We gotta go inside. Glenna and Rick will take care of him." Maggie whispers in my ear. She stands up next to me. Rick helps her lift me to my feet and lead me past Daryl, into the prison.
I sit on Eli's bed, leaning back against the wall. His head is in my lap. When Mason and I broke the news to him, he barely reacted. Just laid his head down on my lap and stared at the wall. Jameson was in the delivery room when he was born. He was one of the first people to hold our tiny boy. His face filled with pride.
"I'm gonna make sure the baby knows all about Jimmy mom. We both will." He whispers up to me.
I continue staring at the wall, unmoving and silent. Rick leans in through the doorway.
"We're ready." He says softly. Eli stands up and reaches for my hand, helping me to my feet. We follow Rick through the empty block and outside. The sun is shining and I hear the shuffling, groaning walkers in the distance. Rick wraps his arm around my shoulder, leading me to our new cemetery. Someone removed the grave marker for Carol. Axel and Jimmy's graves are covered in fresh dirt.
Mason and Tommy stand next to us as Hershel reads from his Bible. The words don't register. Rick turns to me.
"You wanna say anything?" he asks.
"I know a lot of you have come to love Jameson. He was so easy to love. We had been together practically since birth. My 'platonic soul mate' he used to say." I pause, gaining my strength before looking up at the group. "He didn't care that I dragged him on the road trip from hell. He taught me to love and trust. He taught me to forgive. He held my hand through everything." My eyes meet Daryl's for a moment before I break away. I turn, walking back toward the prison alone. No one follows me.