December 4th
Rick had tried to concentrate on work all day. His laptop was set up at the table, but he'd spent the morning just pacing back and forth across his loft.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, the call he had been waiting for illuminated his phone. He knew it was Michonne. He hadn't even saved her number yet, but he already recognised the string of digits.
"Hey." He said, hoping he hadn't picked up too soon. Though he wondered if there was such a thing as 'too keen' with a woman you've already impregnated.
"Hey. I've just seen the doctor." Michonne was back in her office, the glassed walls didn't give her much respite. She had no chance to sneak a quick nap when the exhaustion took hold. She was glad she at least had the vomitting under control with a diet of peppermints and ginger ale.
"What did they say?" Rick was once again pacing the length of his loft.
"I can have a scan, if I want to. Tomorrow."
"And do you want to?"
"I think so." She paused for a while before asking: "Did you mean it about coming with me?"
"Course I did. What time?" He stopped pacing to run his hand through his hair.
"He said to get there for 8am."
"Shall I pick you up?"
"It's ok, just meet me outside I'll text the address."
"Ok." His voice felt strained from trying to sound neutral. "How you holding up?"
"I'm ok. Managed to get the nausea under control a little better, still get sick most evenings though."
"You're doing great."
"Yeah. I guess I'll see you tomorrow then?"
"See you tomorrow."
He let her hang up, the phone still pressed to his ear. He wished he'd asked for her number that night they met, asked her on a date. He wished he'd said anything apart from a string of pick up lines. Daryl and Glenn assured him that he hadn't embarrassed himself, though how they knew was beyond him as he just remembered everyone on the table enjoying the same ridiculously high amount of alcohol. He wished he'd left a slightly better impression on the potential mother of his child.
December 5th
Rick had set his alarm, but he didn't need to. He'd been awake for hours, the same thoughts invaded his brain as they had done all week. He dutifully showered and got dressed, heading down to the parking garage way too early. He plugged the address into the map on his SUV and within a few minutes he was on his way.
Michonne stood under her waterfall shower, numb now to the searing pain the shower brought to her tender breasts. She watched as the water ran off her toned abdomen, the slight bloating that was visible only to her as she was so in tune with her own body. It was slight, but it was there.
She'd not thought of being a mother that often in her life, maybe a few times when her and Mike had been together for a while, or when her family would quiz her over Thanksgiving dinner. She was an only child and she knew her mom was bitterly disappointed that she hasn't given her any grandchildren. In truth she'd never felt particularly maternal, she never felt a nurturing bond with her younger cousins, and holding a newborn baby never gave her the same overwhelming feeling it seemed to give some of her colleagues. Her career excited her, the trip she was planning to Europe with Sasha excited her, babies did not. But this morning she had a weird calm feeling, she could imagine herself with a baby, with a toddler, with a child. She could imagine Christmases and taking her to the park, always a girl when the fantasies invaded her brain.
Michonne stepped out of the cab, as Rick noticed her his face lit up, and for the first time she wished she'd met him before. She wished they'd had a chance to see what their one night stand could have turned into. She wouldn't have contacted him again if it wasn't for the pregnancy, and looking at him now, effortlessly sexy in black jeans and a dark grey button down, she wondered why.
"Hey." His voice was hoarse with nerves. "You ok?"
"Fine." Michonne lied, in truth she had a weird flutter in her chest unrelated to her usual pregnancy symptoms. Rick hugged her.
She looked incredible, Rick thought. She'd looked amazing the night they'd met, in heels and a yellow dress. But now she looked next level, maybe it had something to do with the fact she was carrying his baby, but he couldn't take his eyes off her. Skinny jeans, leather jacket and biker boots had never looked so good. He always thought that people just said that pregnant women were glowing because they felt they had to, but he finally realised what they meant. He wanted to tell her she looked good, but he sensed this wasn't the time.
"I brought you a ginger ale." He held it out to her.
"You're a lifesaver." She cracked it open. "Shall we head in?"
Rick nodded and held the door open for her. The man at the desk was cheerful in a false, but professional kind of way. He handed Michonne several forms to fill out, and a leaflet about screening tests. It was all beginning to feel very real. Her hands shook as she suddenly struggled to write down even the most basic details about herself. She didn't even know why she was so nervous. It was just a scan to see how far along she was, she didn't need to make any decisions today.
She tried to push her thoughts to the back of her mind, but her head had been consumed with them all week. As sweet though Rick was being, she didn't know him, not really. She didn't know if he'd stick around or be gone tomorrow. She saw her mother broken from her father walking out and leaving her with a young baby.
But she couldn't shake the feeling that it would all work out ok. There were plenty of single mothers out there, her friend Carol swore she'd never have it any other way after leaving her abusive husband and raising her daughter Sophia on her own. And from some locked part of herself she felt a pang of excitement about having a baby. As if he could read her mind, Rick stretched his arm around her. She leaned into him and smiled.
She returned to filling in her forms, enjoying the feel of Rick's arm around her shoulder still. When she was finished he wordlessly delivered the forms to the man behind the desk, offering a thin smile as he thanked him.
"Michonne Hawthorne." A petite blonde woman appeared from behind the double doors in what seemed like no time at all. "Follow me." She said as Michonne and Rick stood up.
He averted his eyes as Michonne climbed onto the bed and lifted her shirt. They couldn't see the screen yet, they waited with baited breath as the sonographer settled the wand for the perfect angle.
"Ok." She offered a reassuring smile at the both of them and turned the screen around to face them. "Everything looks ok, you're about six weeks pregnant." Michonne looked confused. "We date the pregnancy from the start of your last menstral cycle." She explained.
"Wow." Rick whispered from beside her. Michonne could barely make out the image on the screen, it looked like a tiny bean with a heartbeat. Her mouth fell open as it pulsated in front of her eyes in black and white.
"If you'd like to go through those doors and take a seat, the nurse will be with you shortly to take some bloods."
She was grateful for Rick's arm around her shoulders, her legs felt like jelly. He led her to yet another sterile seating area and sat next to her. Neither of them spoke.
"Ms. Hawthorne?" A plump dark haired nurse peered out from the consultation room. She was the first person all day that Michonne had felt a genuine warmth from. She smiled with her eyes as Rick and Michonne entered the room. "My names Olivia, I'm one of the nurses here."
"Nice to meet you." Michonne returned her smile, feeling more at ease now.
"Are you ok with having your blood taken?" The nurse asked as she tied the tornoquet around Michonne's arm, she nodded in response.
"Ok. It won't take long." She found the vein with ease, Michonne flinched slightly at the scratch. "These are just to check your iron levels are alright, and for any underlying infections...and you're all done." She replaced the needle with a small plaster. "The doctor will call you if there's any problems. Are you taking prenatal vitamins?" She smiled.
"No...I...uh...we haven't decided if we're keeping it yet." Michonne stuttered, unsure why she didn't just give a simple yes/no response.
"Oh that's alright honey." The nurse tapped her knee as she got up. "There's no harm in taking them just in case." She smiled as she handed Michonne a bottle.
They walked together out of the clinic. Rick didn't know what to say, Michonne couldn't find the words either. They walked in silence to Rick's car and climbed in.
"How're you feeling?" He turned to her, his arm resting on the steering wheel.
"I feel ok." Michonne swallowed the nausea that was building. "Apart from the usual."
Rick rubbed his thumb and forefinger together as he looked like he wanted to say something.
"Are you going home or to work?" He decided on instead.
"Home. I've got some work to do there." She yawned. "After a nap first."
"That was wild, huh?" He said as he started the car. "Seeing the scan."
"Yeah." She said quietly, looking out her window at the snowy New York city morning. "I don't know many people who own a car in the city?" She mused, changing the subject.
"I don't even know why I do." Rick shrugged. "It's weirdly soothing, the traffic. Though it's a nightmare getting to work in rush hour, why I normally work at home in the mornings."
"What do you do for work?" Michonne asked, suddenly realising that they had never discussed it. Not that she had remembered anyway.
"It's so boring." He warned. "I used to work in construction, then one day I came up with an idea for this little bracket that fixes stuff to the wall. One thing led to another and I got a patent for it, so now I just own a company that sells them." He shrugged as if it had been the easiest thing in the world. "An international company."
"Ok..." She smiled, there was more to him then she thought.
"Told you it was boring." He raised his eyebrow. "As of this year we have factories in 30 different countries. So I've been to Europe and Australia in the last 6 months."
"Ok now it seems a bit more interesting."
They were interrupted by Rick's cellphone ringing through the Bluetooth. Michonne saw the name flash up on the central monitor, 'Lori Walsh.'
"My ex wife." Rick explained. "Do you mind?"
"No, no it's fine. Go ahead."
"Hey Lori." Rick said as he clicked to accept.
"Rick!" A shrill voice reverberated around the car. "Sorry to bother you. Are you with Carl?"
"Carl? No? Why?"
"He said he was going to see you last night?"
"Last night?" Rick shook his head, even though she couldn't see him. "No."
They heard Lori stifle a sob on the other end of the phone.
"He's turned off his phone." She said. "He hasn't been home."
"I'm sure he's fine, Lori. I'll look for him ok? Try not to worry."
"Ok. I'll call his friends, see if he's there."
"Alright, keep in touch ok?" And with that, he hung up.
"Your stepson?" Michonne guessed. "How old is he?"
"He's seventeen." Rick smiled. "He's...um..a little bit of a loose cannon. But I think I know where he is." He scrolled down to Carl's name in his phone book, the attempt was met with a predictable flat tone indicating that his phone was indeed turned off. "Look, I gotta swing by the NYU dorms. You need me to drop you home first?"
"No way. This is more important."
"You sure you're ok?" He studied her face. "You don't feel too sick?"
"I'll be alright." She settled back into the seat. "Let's go."
"Third date..." Rick smiled.
"Third date indeed."
