Hey guys, so sorry this has taken for ever. Sorry for any mistakes and everything.
Did everyone watch season seven? I'm not going to talk about it in case some of you haven't watched it yet. But Oh My God! It was a great episode right?
I'm hoping that you guys are still reading this and I'm really, really, really sorry about how long it's taken me to update. I've sort of sworn myself of of writing this story for a while and thought what a great time to start writing again now that season seven has started.
Please leave a review, it'll be much appreciated and all that.
Thanks to everyone still reading this xx Love you all xx Comet96 xx
Rick didn't speak for a long time after we both spoke about Kelly. I knew he was hurt and upset by Kelly's death, she was also like a sister to him and in this world family was hard to come by and hard to keep.
"Is Carl here?" I asked my husband remembering that I heard his voice when I was asleep earlier. If my boy was here, then my babies would be here as well.
"Yeah," Rick mumbled, pressing his lips to my hand as his thumb brushed over my knuckles. A smile came to my lips at his action. It had been such a long time since he had done that. I could remember the last time and that was way before the apocalypse hit the world. He may have done it after the walkers hit us, but this felt like before the end of the world. "Abraham and the others went back to the church, Michonne and Beth told them we came here. They got here twenty minutes after the incident," he added when I sat up slightly, keen to know about our children and the others.
"Are the twins okay? What about Lily and Becca? Jesus, who told them about Kelly? It should have been me Rick. Where are they? I need to see them; I should be with them." I fired off, trying to get out of the bed, pushing at Rick's hands as he kept me in my place. A sharp, beeping cut through the room, stopping both Rick and I from moving.
My head turned towards the machine I was used to seeing when I worked at the hospital, surprised to see that it was working and beeping very fast as my heart-rate escalated. Something that was so normal in the old world was suddenly out of place in this world.
The door pushed open quickly, allowing a blonde woman to rush into the room, a stethoscope around her neck. It took me a moment to realise who she was, the shock of seeing her making me freeze and glance to Rick quickly. It was clear now as I looked at her that she was slightly skittish as she entered the room, she had obviously thought that I didn't recognise her.
"Holly-Marie?" I whispered afraid that I might be wrong but I was sure I would be able to recognise her even now in this world.
"Heya Fay," she mumbled, her eyes lighting up as I let her know that I remembered her. She went to the NCE Monitor, pressing a few buttons and the loud, fast beeping stopped. "You need to keep yourself calm, it's not good for the baby."
"Holly said she could get an ultrasound machine in here and do a scan on Pickle for us,'" Rick announced as I continued to stare at Holly as if she was a ghost or alien.
"I can even see if we can find out the sex," Holly added, the smile on her face reminding me of many days' way before the end of the world.
"That'll be awesome, right honey? Finding out whether Pickle's a she or a he?" Rick sounded like he was trying hard to get me excited or something. Why was he trying so hard?
"Uh-huh," I was trying to make sense of what was actually happening here. It was almost like I had stepped back into the old world and everything was normal.
"I've already brought the ultrasound machine in," Holly nodded towards the table, where a portable ultrasound scanning machine sat, waiting to be used. "Let me just set it up and we can get this well under way. I can even print off a few photos for you guys before we set off out of here."
"Set off out of here?" I asked looking between Rick and Holly as they shared a look. A look that stated she shouldn't have said that yet.
"Honey,"
"Rick, I may seem fragile right now but I swear to god if you lie to me or keep things from me I'll just be pissed off. And we both know that it's not good for Pickle if I'm angry at Daddy." I added, giving him a small smile as I took his hand in mine.
"Look, we can't stay here. Not after everything with Dawn. We were only staying here for the night and we're going to set out in the morning and get as far away from here as we can." I could see the look of fail in his eyes. He was hoping to find us a place where we could reside and be safe. He was afraid that he was failing me and the rest of our family. "There's a few people from here that want to leave with us. Of course Noah, Holly and Sally are leaving with us but there are a few others as well."
"How many of us will there be then?" I asked wanting to know our group number when we left Grady. Big groups like us were seen as a danger on the road. If there were people out there, then we would be at risk of being attacked. They might think we had supplies due to the amount of us.
"Twenty-seven," Rick admitted after a few minutes of hesitation. I knew that he didn't want to tell me. It would be more stress on the baby.
"That's enough talk about shop, let's get this scan underway. The quicker we get this over with the quicker we can get mummy to her very needy babies." Holly chimed, her hand pushing up my shirt, as she squirted the cool jell on my six-month belly. Pickle jumped at the cool sting and I grabbed at Rick's hand with surprise. "Sorry," she added but I had a feeling that if I looked at her she'd be smirking.
The portable screen flashed white as Holly moved the probe over my stomach until she paused it on the unfocused image of Pickle. Touching a few buttons on the machine, the blurry image became clearer and allowed us to see the moving baby as it kicked out against the probe. It was amazing to catch that on screen.
"Look how amazing he is," Rick mumbled, his hand squeezing mine as he looped our fingers together.
"Or she," I added, not taking my eyes away from the screen. I know I had seen the baby a few days before the prison feel but somehow this was different.
"Right let's find out the sex," Holly paused for a minute then, turning to look at me as she bit her lip. "You want to know right? It doesn't matter of you don't but I don't want to spoil the surprise."
"It's fine Hols, we don't care at this point. We already have three amazing kids so it doesn't matter to us." I told her, knowing Rick felt the same way.
"Okay, then I am happy to say that the two of you are gonna be proud parents of a little …" She stared at the screen, freezing the moving images on our slightly blurry bundle of joy and pressed the button to print out the scan. She repeated it and then once again after the second print came out. "I'm fifty percent sure that you've having a little girl."
It took a few minutes for her words to sink in before the laughter bubbled from my mouth.
"Holy shit Hols," I cried, bringing my hand up to wipe away the tears as I tried to control my giggles and stop the small hiccups that had set in. I couldn't believe she said that.
"I'm sorry, I really can't tell what sex little Grimes is." She chuckled, handing both Rick and I one of the scans each, leaving the third one on the table.
"That's fine, it'll be a good surprise in this shitty world." Rick said his eyes on the scan of our little Pickle. He didn't bother looking up at her as he spoke.
"Carl asked if I could print him off a scan so," Holly handed over the third scan, the image the same as the one I had been looking at seconds ago. "Let me get you cleaned up and then you're free to see the others."
Rick helped me off the bed once Holly left with the ultrasound machine, she said something about putting it back before we left tomorrow. I could tell that the doctors and officers staying here were weary of the group. There group was almost the same size as ours, slightly bigger and I could only guess that they were wonder how we had managed to survive this long without having a setup like this.
Was this group at Grady going to be a problem for us? Where they going to try and stop us from leaving? Noah had told us all about this group and Dawn's control over them all. We didn't need this at the moment. Not after the Governor and then the lot at Terminus.
"This is so weird," I chuckled as Rick lead me out of the room we had been in and into the area that was acting as a waiting room.
Outside the room, waiting for us to leave was our family. Judith and Theo were playing on a blanket that Beth had placed on the floor, the blonde sitting next to them, stacking cups on top of each other as she pulled faces at them. Lily and Becca were sat with them, the two girls rolling a soft ball on the floor, trying to get Theo to do the same.
Sitting around them all on chairs was the others in the group. Abraham and Eugene were reading magazines, Eugene often pointing out things on Ab's magazine, a slightly smile pulling at the gingers lips as he hit Eugene's hand away. I took note of the bruise on Eugene's face, knowing how it had come to be there. Rosita was sat next to Eugene, but was instead paying no attention to them but rather talking animatedly with Tara. The two of them were trying to include Gabriel in the conversation as well but he was focused on watching the twins playing with the girls.
Tyreese was sat on the back wall next to Sasha, the two of them talking quietly. I watched as Tyreese wrapped his arm around his sister, pressing a kiss to her head. He was probably talking about Bob. Sasha had taken it hard and I wasn't surprised. Her new-found relationship with Bob had been great but unfortunately like most things in this world, good things get ripped away.
I could count myself as the rare lucky one that managed to keep her family and have children and live. That didn't last long though with Kelly gone now.
Sitting next to Sasha was Noah, he looked ragged and I knew he blamed himself for Kelly's death just like I was. Carol was next to him, her eyes flicking between the twins and Noah as she muttered something to him. by the small smile Noah gave her it took it she had told him it wasn't his fault. She had no doubt been doing that the whole time while they waited.
Maggie and Glenn were next to Carol, the two of them talking to a young red-head that kind of looked like me when I was younger. Freaky. From the way Maggie was leaning forward in her seat and the way Glenn was looking at the girl with an older brother look I could only guess that this was Sally. Even as the redhead was looking away from me I could see the nasty scar marring her right cheek. I knew Noah said she was attacked by the Claimers but I never thought she'd have such an obvious scar.
I had seen many scars from gunshots over the years, in many different places but none on the face had looked as grotesque as this one. I suppose it had something to do with it being the end of the world and the lack of plastic surgery. It was pale again her slightly tanned skin. The scar was like a star shape, yet was jagged around the edges where the stitches had been placed to hold her cheek together. Whoever had stitched her face up wasn't very good with a needle and thread.
Michonne was sat next to Sally but she had angled her body away from her so she was facing the door Rick and I walked out of. She had a comic in her hand but her eyes were on the door, as if she was guarding it from the others. Her eyes took in my form as we stepped out of the door as she sent me a small smile before nudging Carl with the foot she had resting on the chair between them.
Carl's head snapped up then and he shot out of his seat, dropping his comic on the floor as he rushed to us. Everyone's heads looked up at his movements, obviously on alert after everything that happened. I watched as everyone almost immediately straightened up in their seats.
"Mom!" Carl exclaimed, wrapping his arms around me tightly, his head resting on my shoulder as he tried not to squeeze me but failed. Running my fingers through his hair, I pressed a kiss to the side of his face. No matter how old Carl got, I always knew we'd have this bond due to the world we now lived in.
"Hey, baby," I whispered letting my eyes drop to Judith and Theo as they giggled in excitement as they looked to me. surprisingly Judith didn't start screaming for me. instead she looked to Rick and held out her arms.
"Dada," she cooed, waving her arms about, trying to get his attention. I felt Rick freeze next to me as he took a step towards our daughter. His snapped his head to me, his eyes wide as he gave me a look of shock before turning his head to Judy.
"Did she just?" he questioned looking down at our daughter as she whined for his attention. Theo continued playing with the ball Lily and Becca had been rolling on the floor, the soft red foam being chewed on his teething teeth.
"She's been saying it since you went in the room with mom," Carl told Rick, pulling away from me as he looked down at the bump that housed his newest sibling. "So am I getting a brother or sister?"
"It's a 50% chance of being a girl," I told him watching as his face twisted up in confusion before he got it.
"Haha, mom, very funning." He joked looking around at the others as they laughed at Holly's recycled joke.
"I thought it was funny," I told him, giving him a cheeky smile as my eyes settle don Daryl. "Daryl," I whispered wanting to speak to the man that had found love with Kelly. They were great together and I had taken that away from him.
Daryl looked up at my sot call, his eyes slightly puffed and shining with the tears he had shed. His eyes were red as well, a clear sign that he'd been crying but I knew he hadn't shed a tear since Lily and Becca had been here.
In the girl's eyes Kelly had become their mom in this world since tit had taken their parents and that had made Daryl their dad. He was the only family they had left besides Rick and I. we may not have been their real aunt and uncle but we sure as hell were going to treat them as such. Kelly was my sister after all, not through blood but she was still my sister. That made Lily and Becca my nieces.
"S'fine," he grunted his eyes looking over to Lily and Becca. I knew what he was worried about. Those two girls were his responsibility now. They were his family. They looked to him for everything ranging from love and protection. Sure they'd get it from everyone else in the group but Daryl was their dad.
Even if he said he was fine I knew he wasn't. Raising two kids in the old world as a single parent was hard but in this world with so many threats was a nightmare.
He'd be able to do it though. He wasn't alone in this and he never would be.
"We've got a few people for the group to meet before we settle down for the night," Rick announced to the group, Judith in his arms, her head resting on his shoulder as she smiled smugly. I guess she was turning into a daddy's girl after all.
"I heard ya say some people wanted to leave with us tomorrow," Abraham questioned looking between Noah and Sally as he directed his attention to Rick. It was known to the whole group that Noah and Sally would be joining us but they didn't know about Holly and the others.
Hell I only knew about Holly.
"Yeah, Holly, the doctor that was here a moment ago will be joining us as well." Rick told him but he hesitated at the end letting everyone else known that there were more that wanted to join us. "There are our more that want to join the group as well but I'll not let them join until we've all seen and spoken to them. We make this decision together because we're a family okay. If we can't agree on it, then we won't let them join." Rick was trying to unite us as a group again. Trying to show that no matter what happened to us we'd all be together in the end.
"But we'll let Holly come with us right?" Carl asked obviously remembering her from before this all happened. "She was out friend before all this happened. She's a doctor and mom could really do with her when we leave."
"That's right, Holly will be coming with us. I can guarantee that she's no harm and we really do need a doctor that'll help with you and the baby." Rick replied to Carl's question, obviously proud that our boy was thinking about the future and the threats presented to us.
"That woman, the new leader," Maggie started as she stood up, taking Theo from Beth as she looked to Rick. "She said they've set up a sleeping area for us all in one of the larger rooms."
"They were gonna separate us all but she took one look at Ab and Michonne when they went to argue and told us she'd sort it out," Glenn added sending a smile to the two badasses in the group that had scared the new leader of Grady.
"No one messes with our family," Abraham stated as he clapped Eugene on the shoulder. The anger that was held between them had obviously vanished. Rosita smiled at her two boys; they were her two boys no matter what anyone said.
"Shall we go and meet those who want to join us?" Rick asked, shifting Judy in his arms, holding her tightly with one arm as he wrapped the other around my waist. In silent agreement, everyone stood to follow Rick to the others. Carl went and stood right next to Michonne, making sure Maggie walked in front of them, keeping Theo in his sights as we all left.
After everything we'd been through the last few days, the last couple of weeks it would be hard for us to let these new people join our group. Of course there were people like Holly – who we already knew from before. And then there was Noah – who we'd come to know over the last night and had begun to trust. Sally would grow on us as she was a child, I'm sure Noah said she was only sixteen. That wasn't much older than Carl and wasn't much younger than Noah and Beth. We'd help to protect her as well.
The other four though, we couldn't be sure about them until we meet them and spent the night with them. I knew everyone would be on edge and if one person was unsure of one of them they'd let the group know.
Thanks for reading everyone xx Please leave a review xx
