S6E03:
The moment they got back to Altura 10K walked Bailey to the infirmary while she rolled her eyes the whole way there. She knew he was adamant that she see Red but did he really have to treat her like a child?
"I said I'd go, you don't have to walk me there." She complained.
"I just want to be sure." He replied.
"You know there's a fine line between 'sweet and caring' and just 'overprotective and annoying'." She pointed out but 10K didn't leave her side. He walked her all the way to Red's lab and explained the situation, clearly thinking Bailey might lie and say she was just visiting to get out of the checkup. Thankfully, not long after they got there Red got a call on her radio from George who was looking for 10K, something about a debriefing about the trip and planning for the incoming winter. Tommy gave her a kiss on her head before he left and Red had her sit on a table while she started checking her over. After giving her a usual physical she started asking more specific questions.
"Other than getting sick have you had any other symptoms?"
Bailey shook her head, "No. I mean I'm a bit tired but it's not like it's a big mystery why. It's hard getting a full eight hours sleep when you keep waking up nauseous."
"Any fever? Chills? Headaches? Stomach cramps or abdominal pain?"
"No, none of that. It's just the getting sick then I'm back to normal." She said leaning back on her hands.
"Is it more noticeable after you eat or before? Or after you haven't had water in a few hours?"
"No it's not like a stomach bug or food poisoning and I don't feel dehydrated so that can't be it." She replied getting frustrated as she could see Red checking off things it wasn't in her head.
"Has there been any blood?" she asked flipping through charts and medical books she had lying around.
"No just regular. . .you know." She said not wanting to get too descriptive and disgusting. Then Red looked up at her like she'd just thought of something but there was also caution in her look like she was afraid Bailey might bite her head off if she mentioned it.
"Bailey?" she asked as Bailey sat up and stopped leaning on her hands, now picking at the string on the knee of her pants that was starting to fray.
"Hmmm?"
"When was the last time you had your period?" she asked hesitantly and Bailey's head snapped up to look at her.
Third Person POV
"Alright we've got the new citizens signed in and through quarantine." Warren said walking into George's office where she and CZ already were, "They're settling in now and getting job placement forms, all in all we're looking good."
"Excellent." Citizen Z said nodding his head, "And I put the word out to the other outposts to see who still has a good amount of housing space. Sooner or later Altura is going to run out and we're going to have to find a place for the people who are flocking here."
"Our main priority is making sure Altura and the other outposts are still here after the winter." George said looking at a map of Newmerica that was spread out on her desk. "After Estes and Pandora's scheming we lost a lot of time to prepare for the weather, time we could have used importing and exporting needed supplies."
"Well how are we looking now?" Warren asked.
"Well we have no firewood, it had been arranged that the Tree Dwellers outpost would supply lumber but after the bombings they stopped going outside the walls, much less to run deliveries. But we're surrounded by our own forest so we can compensate that, it's the supplies we'd get from the Inlanders, Islanders, Old Frontera, High Plains and Heartland that I'm worried about."
"What exports were they in charge of?" Warren asked.
"The Inlanders supply textiles and the Islanders spend most of the summer months fishing." Citizen Z explained, "Old Frontera and High Plains are responsible for agriculture and livestock which we could have used to stock up on before the cold comes. Heartland is pretty much back on track but everyone would feel better the more bizkits we have when the snow makes travelling impossible."
"We're expecting a flour delivery today which will help but without the other outposts supplies we're going to be surviving on bread and water once the rest of our storage gets used up." George sighed. Then there was a knock on the door and George called, "Come in."
The door opened and 10K walked in, "You wanted to see me?" he asked before taking in the worry on their faces, "Something wrong?"
"You could say that." CZ muttered looking away and stuffing his hands in his pockets.
"Altura's going to have a struggle through the winter if we don't get supplies moving and fast." Warren said turning to him before looking at George. "What do we need to do to get what we need right now?"
"Well, 10K if you could get some of the guard together, see if there's anyone who's not on watch right now who could go into the woods and collect firewood that would be a start." She suggested and he nodded his head before leaving to round up the other workers.
"So every outpost provides something to the others?" Warren asked getting closer to the desk and looking at the map.
George nodded, "That was the start of Newmerica, no outpost would be able to survive on their own without the others, Estes attacks might have made people give up on that dream temporarily but it also helped them realize that trying to get through the apocalypse on their own wasn't a long term solution."
"So what does Altura provide?" she asked, "What's our export?"
"Not an export." Citizen Z corrected, "Altura supplies government, it's the capital of Newmerica, the beating heart of the new world. That's why it's so important that the right person is in charge." He said glancing at George who looked a bit bashful as she looked down at the map avoiding their eyes.
"Okay." She said clearing her throat, "So we'll have a means of keeping people warm but how do we cover about a months' worth of supply runs before the snow starts?"
Bailey POV
After she left the infirmary with a positive pregnancy test in her pocket she really didn't know what to do. She'd made Red give her more then one just to be sure but left the other two in the lab since just one made her feel like there was a rock in her pocket. Sure she and 10K had talked about having a family one day but that was years ago and now they'd just gotten back together and it seemed like it was too soon for this to happen. Stupid, she scolded herself thinking back to the two times she and 10K had hooked up after he'd gotten to Altura. Had they really been so overwhelmed at seeing each other again that they'd both forgotten about protection? She shook her head and leaned back against the wall hoping her mind would come up with some solution of what to do. Red had offered her some words of comfort and tried to give what help she could but it didn't erase the worry in Bailey's mind.
How could she do this to 10K? she thought, knowing he was in Altura somewhere going about his day helping out where he could. She had no idea what his reaction was going to be, she didn't think he'd be angry but that didn't mean she wasn't angry and disappointed in herself for not planning better. There was also that part of her that didn't want to tell him, the part that just wasn't ready, honestly she was still wrapping her mind around it herself. She brought her hand to her stomach and rubbed her skin, there was no bump, not yet, and it was hard for her to believe there was a baby growing in her right now. Maybe she didn't have to tell Tommy, not yet anyway, maybe she could just wait a few more days, a week or two and they could continue with their calm little life and enjoy it a bit longer before she told him and turned his world upside down. She took a deep sigh and slid down the wall resting her arms on her knees trying to think everything over but it was hard since her own mind was still spinning so much. Then she got an idea, she got up and walked down the hall before knocking on the door she was looking for.
"Come in." she heard on the other side and walked in.
"Hey Bailey." Doc greeted her with a smile, "What brings ya here?"
She gave him a small smile, "I could really use some advice from a trained professional."
Murphy POV
"Alright Wesson talk to me, how we doing?" he asked walking out of his private room and into the main halls of Limbo.
"Business is booming sir, everyone's trying to get in some last minute fun before they have to go back home and bunker down for the winter."
"Fantastic." he said pleased fixing the lapels of his jacket, "And the bizkits?"
"We've made as much as we can for now, Ma is waiting for our next special-ingredient flour delivery." He said just as they heard the beep, beep, beep of a truck in reverse.
"Speak of the. . . me." Murphy chuckled fixing his hair and heading to the stairs and going to the first floor. Just as he got there the double doors opened and the farm boy-toy of Addy's walked in.
"Alright, let's get this flour in here and get going!" Finn called to the Talkers from Heartland who had come to help him deliver. "We've got a lot of other places to be today!"
"Finn, always good to see you." Murphy greeted him.
"You mean good to see your bizkit flour." Finn replied calling his bull as well as Addy did.
"Tomato, tomato." He shrugged not bothering to pronounce the two words differently. "How many more outposts are you stopping at today?"
"We're planning to hit at least five on the east side of Newmerica but time's not exactly on our side." He said with a small sigh. "How's the bizkit manufacturing?"
"Going smoothly so long as we have flour. You still have a fair supply of lithium right?" he asked with a touch of nervousness in his voice. He'd seen what happened to Talker's who went hungry, and having several outposts all shut in by the coming snow and feral Talkers would be a bloodbath that even he didn't want – it was bad for business.
"We've got plenty." Finn reassured him, "It's just distribution that's worrying me."
"Damn Estes." Murphy grumbled as the last of the flour sacks were moved into the room from the back of the truck.
"This should be enough to get through the winter, if Ma bakes fast." Finn said.
"And speaking of. . ." Murphy trailed off as some blends of his brought up a few boxes full of bizkits. "Your bizkits." He presented proudly.
"Thank you." Finn said taking one crate and letting his Talker buddies take the others to the truck.
"And uhh." Murphy started, making Finn halt on his way out, "Say hi to Addy for me."
"Will do." Finn smiled before leaving and Murphy got an odd warmth in his chest. It happened when he was around Addy or mentioned her; he knew it was because she had been so close to Lucy some part of him felt like out of all the group he should at least treat her kindly, in respect for Lucy's memory. Then he clapped his hands and turned to his blends.
"Well let's get this flour downstairs to Ma, I'm sure she's eager to keep baking." He said with his usual smile.
Bailey POV
"Wow." Doc said when she had finished telling him.
"I've got no idea what to do Doc." She said hopelessly as she sat on his couch knowing she looked as miserable as she felt.
"Well it's kinda clear Bay, you gotta tell the Kid."
"I know. I will. Just. . . not now." She shrugged.
"Nuh-uh darling you got to tell him now." Doc said, his voice soft and understanding, "The longer you wait the more this is going to feel like a rock crushing you. And the Kid will be heartbroken if he finds out you knew for weeks and didn't say anything."
"I don't know Doc, this is the last thing he's going to expect. What if I give him a heart attack?"
Doc chuckled, "I think the Kid's a little stronger than that."
Then there was a sound like metal on metal on the door as someone knocked. Doc asked who it was and the door opened to reveal their favorite red head who had been knocking with her Z Whacker apparently.
"Your favorite flour deliverer." Addy answered with a smile entering the room. For a moment Bailey was able to smile back pushing away the worry that had been filling her to the brim for the past few hours. Doc smiled too and gave her a hug before sitting back down and Addy looked between him and Bailey and could instantly tell something was going on.
"What's up?" she asked and Bailey could tell she was expecting some news like Estes had escaped or another new breed of zombie had attacked. Bailey found herself wishing that was the case, at least that she knew how to deal with.
"Addy maybe you can help us here." Doc said giving Bailey a look, "You two have been best friends since Pre-Z."
Bailey sighed and turned to Addy knowing Doc had a point, "You just can't tell anyone, especially 10K."
Addy gasped, "Oh my God. Are you -?"
Bailey nodded slowly and Addy took a moment to process the information, then she looked confused. "So. . . wait, why are we not telling 10K?" she asked before her eyes went wide and she gasped again, "Is he not the father?"
"Addy!" Bailey snapped at her, "Of course he is."
"Then, why are we not telling him?"
"That's what I was just talking to Bailey about." Doc said as Bailey looked at her lap.
"Bay you can't just not tell him." She said and Bailey didn't say anything or look at anyone. "Bailey this isn't something you can just keep a secret, he's going to notice - especially in nine months when you have the baby."
But Addy's words had the opposite effect, instead of calming her Bailey became more nervous. She hadn't been thinking that far ahead, about the labor, about the pain. She wasn't ready for all of that. At least Pre-Z pregnant women had an epidural to look forward to. Doc and Addy seemed to see her start to fall apart at the seams and Addy joined her on the couch wrapping her arm around her shoulders.
"Breathe okay? Just breathe. Getting worked up and panicking never helped anyone solve anything." She said rubbing her arm.
"I'd offer you some Z-weed but given the circumstances. . ." Doc trailed off and Bailey gave a nervous chuckle. When she got herself calmed down and her breathing was back to normal Addy tried again, now rubbing her back.
"You know you have to tell 10K, no matter how nervous you are about his reaction he has to know." She said as Bailey rested her head on her friend's shoulder.
"I don't know if I can." She replied and Addy moved to grab her by the shoulders and look her in the eye, her makeup on her one eye only making her stern look more intense and Bailey knew she was about to get a very 'tough love' lecture.
"You have to. You, not me, not Doc, you. I won't lie, will 10K be shocked? Yes, who wouldn't?" then her tone turned softer, "But Bailey you know he's going to love this baby, you know he's not going to just up and leave you. 10K's a great guy and he's going to be a great father, but you're not going to be able to calm down until you tell him. Then everything there is to worry about will be easier because you'll have him with you, you'll go through it together. Okay? You have to tell him."
Bailey took a deep breath and nodded, "I know, but. . . how?"
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After Bailey had left Doc's office she walked around Altura taking the longest way home possible. She kept trying to think of what way was best to tell Tommy but nothing seemed to fit. As she was walking she wrapped her arms around herself as she begun to feel cold even with her denim jacket on. Then she looked up and saw it had started to flurry. She hurried home to get out of the cold and tried to distract herself by unpacking the pictures she and Tommy had brought back from their trip.
She put the frames on some of the small tables and little counter space they had looking for other places where she'd be able to hang some of them up once she got her hands on a hammer and some nails. She couldn't stop herself from looking at the pictures of Tommy as a child and couldn't help but think about what kind of life their baby would have. It was good they were at least in a safe place and not out on the road like they used to be.
Would their baby end up liking fishing like Tommy did? Would they be as good a shot? Or would they inherit her ability to manipulate and read people like an open book like she did? She took a deep breath knowing that long before all that could happen she had to figure out what she was going to say when Tommy got back from work.
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When 10K got back from his guard shift he'd told her all about Warren and George's meeting with him about collecting supplies for the winter months.
"They're probably going to see you sometime tomorrow about what we've already got in stock and what we need." He said as he sat on the bed near her and took off his jacket and Velcro boots. She was only really hearing half of what he was saying as she struggled internally. See, this whole situation is worse than you thought. That awful voice she thought she'd shut up years ago said, now you're knocked up right before a supply shortage - like getting through the winter wasn't going to be hard enough?
"Bailey?" 10K asked turning to her as he sat on the edge of the bed, "You okay?"
"Hmm? Yeah I'm fine." She said, her voice soft.
"You just seem like you're kind of spacing out a lot tonight." He said, moving so he was lying on the bed, his back resting against his pillow. She scooched over to lay beside him resting her head on his chest while he wrapped his arm around her and used his only hand to rub up and down her arm soothingly.
"It's just. . . " she began as her hand rubbed up his stomach to his chest and back down and up again, "It's nothing, I'm fine."
But 10K seemed to sense something was off as he sat up a bit, jostling her as he moved onto his elbows to look at her better. "Hey, what did Red end up saying? Did she find out why you keep getting sick?"
Bailey moved so she could bury her head into his chest a bit more to hide her biting her lip before she made up a lie, "Uh, she ran some tests but eliminated most illnesses. She said she'd get back to me when she had the results."
She felt him lean back on the pillows again and rest his head on hers. She was happy he seemed to accept her lie, she just had to make sure he didn't talk to Red now or she'd be caught.
"Sorry I was so pushy." He mumbled into her hair, "I just want to make sure you're okay."
"Don't apologize." She told him, "Maybe I'm just having an allergic reaction to something. You were only pushy because you care."
She felt him kiss her temple before cuddling into her again, "I just can't lose you a second time. I don't know if I'd survive it."
Something in her gut twisted and not in the nausea way, this was guilt and it was hitting her hard. Tommy had never lied to her, not once, and now she felt lower than Murphy for not having the courage to tell him the truth.
This popped into my head today, I get a lot of favorites and follows on this story but now I'm curious, what would you guys say are your favorite things about 10K? What draws you to his character?
