March 10th cont...
"Here we go. For you I have your olive, pepper, mushroom and onion topping." Rick stepped over Michonne's legs and placed her pizza box on the table in front of her. "And for me...ham and pineapple."
"Pineapple on pizza?" She recoiled and stared at him in mock outrage.
"I like it." He shrugged. "What's the problem?"
"Not a problem, just didn't know the father of my child was a monster."
"Hey...I'm not out here judging your...pizza full of vegetables..." He teased.
"My normal pizza topping you mean?" She said from under raised eyebrows.
"I don't understand why, given the choice of any topping you could have, you chose basically a salad. It's not meant to be a punishment." He waved his hand dismissively over her pizza.
"Maybe I like salad."
"Nobody likes salad. You just force yourself to eat it don't you?"
"Well up until tonight I assumed nobody liked pineapple on pizza."
"Well I'm glad I can introduce you to new experiences."
"Talking of new experiences...you excited for Lamaze class next week?" She sat back on the couch, taking her pizza box with her.
"You betcha. We're going to be top of the class I bet." He said already proudly as if they'd already been handed the metaphorical trophy for best Lamaze class taking.
"I don't think you get graded?" Michonne laughed, recognising the same hyper-competetive nature in Rick that she knew was within her too.
"So I had a meeting today with Morgan and Ezekiel." She changed the subject.
"Oh yeah? Did it go well?"
"Kind of." She said carefully. "I decided to take my foot off the gas. For a few months."
"What's that mean?" The statement made him pause his pizza eating momentarily.
"It means I might not make partner this year, but it means I'll have more free time."
"Michonne...I don't want..." Rick was shaking his head.
"It's my decision." She said firmly. "I just figure that I need to dedicate some time to us, to becoming a family. Getting to know our little girl, and getting to know each other."
"I mean...that sounds great to me. I just don't want to get in the way of your career."
"You're not. My career will still be there once she's born. It just feels like this...us...her. It's something I'll only get one shot at."
"Yeah, for sure." He felt a flutter in his chest that he made a conscious effort to suppress.
"I'm finally letting myself get excited. I think I was just so anxious and nervous and unsure before."
"Of course. That's normal I think."
"And you were just so excited I felt like I wasn't as cut out for it as you are and it scared me."
"I was nervous too, I still am. But it's easier for guys to be excited, we don't go through the huge changes that women do."
"Yeah."
"If you ever feel worried or anxious, I want you to know you can talk to me. About all of it."
"Ok."
"You can't scare me away, Michonne. Honestly." He reached out to hug her with one arm and pulled her closer to him. "I'm sorry I came on too strong and too eager at first. It's just, you're amazing. Women like you don't often even give me a second look."
"Well I find that hard to believe mister chiseled jawline."
"I'm serious!" He blushed slightly at the compliment.
They let the conversation hang between them for a second, before Michonne broke the comfortable silence.
"So, you'll think I'm a massive geek but I'm re-watching Game of Thrones in preparation for the new season. You mind if I put it on?"
"Not at all." He hadn't removed his arm from around her shoulders yet, and she didn't seem in a rush to move away from him.
It was nice. Sitting eating pizza, not talking about anything in particular other than the fact Joffrey was a dick and that they'd both forgotten about how they thought Ned Stark was going to take the iron throne.
At some point Rick moved his arm from around her shoulders, and Michonne didn't realise how much she had enjoyed the little piece of intimacy.
"Well..." Rick said eventually as it neared midnight. "...I gotta get going. I'm going to Dallas early tomorrow morning."
"Oh right, I forgot you're a jet setter." Michonne said through a tired stretch.
"Texas is hardly jet setting."
"Well it beats my 30 minute commute."
"I could do without it. Though I guess it's gonna be nice spending time with Daryl. The only time I can tear him away from your boy is work."
"I can assume Jesus will be pining for him all week then."
"They've got it bad."
"They do. I'm kind of jealous."
"How so?"
"How they've both just...put all their trust in one another. How do you assume someone isn't gonna break your heart?"
"I guess they don't know for sure." Rick shrugged. "But I guess, to them, the risk of getting hurt is worth it."
"Maybe."
"Gotta take a chance sometime." He said light heartedly, but with the usual flirtatious glint in his eye.
"Text me when you get to Dallas safely."
"Course. Don't get up." He said as she made a move to stand up and see him out the door.
"Ok." She sunk back into the comfortable couch cushions.
"Thanks for the pizza." Rick bent down to hug Michonne and she kissed him on the cheek before letting him go.
"No problem. Thanks for...everything else."
Rick nodded and winked at her before making his exit.
March 18th
Carol Peletier had been Michonne's friend for over ten years. They'd met by chance when Carol's children were young and Michonne's roommate used to babysit for them. Now Carol ran a Lamaze class in the city.
She was one of the first people Michonne told when she knew she was keeping the baby. Carol had been a single mother since Michonne had known her. "I'll take care of you." She had smiled and squeezed her hand. "You're gonna love it, I promise."
Now, walking into her class, Michonne began to feel it. The excited buzz from the other women and their partners felt infectious. Carol beamed as her and Rick entered.
Rick's eyebrows were raised as he took in the decor; pink velvet armchairs and brown corduroy beanbags scattered around the room, incense was burning in every corner and the entire room was bathed in an amber hue. It wasn't the kind of environment he imagined Michonne liking, but she was smiling from ear to ear as they saw her friend make her way over.
"Hey sweetie." Carol held Michonne's face in both hands and kissed both her cheeks.
"Hey Carol." Michonne enjoyed surrendering to her touch. "This is Rick."
"Hey." Rick smiled and held out his hand for Carol to shake.
"Hello Rick. I've heard a lot about you." Carol smiled.
"Don't make me nervous." He glanced at Michonne who gave him a reassuring smile.
"Oh it's all good, I promise." Carol winked at Michonne. "Find a comfortable spot, we're about to begin."
"Hey Michonne." Rick whispered loudly from the beanbag beside her. As the class got underway "Look!" He was pointing to a poster on the wall of a very anatomically detailed female reproductive system.
"Pay attention." Michonne whispered sternly.
"Sorry...I just didn't realise there would be porn here." He giggled.
"Rick!" She chastised, trying to keep one eye on what Carol was saying, but she was laughing too.
"Now! Ladies sit on your birth balls! Partners we're going to practice that sacrum massage technique we talked about." Carol clapped her hands together as Rick tried to recall what she'd been talking about while he'd been laughing about vaginas.
"Ready?" Michonne moved to the birth ball as Rick crouched beside her.
"May I?" Rick asked quietly while the couples around them got into position. Michonne nodded and Rick moved his hand to the small of her back and began massaging. "Is that ok?"
"Yeah." She leaned into his fingers. She was enjoying the relief his firm touch was giving to her already aching bones.
"My hands gonna get sore if I have to do this the entire time." He joked. Michonne raised her head to look at him under raised eyebrows.
"Your hands gonna get sore huh?"
"Yuh huh." Rick chuckled as he said it, Michonne gave him a playful shove causing him to lose his balance and end up in the floor.
"I'm so sorry." Michonne gasped through her laughter.
"I guess I deserved that." Rick returned to his position next to her.
"I liked it. It was interesting." Rick said as they stepped into the street.
"It was." She nodded.
"Do you feel ready to give birth now?"
"I'm not sure I'll ever be ready." She grimaced, remembering the section on just how wide her cervix was going to have to dilate.
"I think you'll do alright. And I'll be with you every step."
"I know."
"I can't wait. I'm so excited for her to be here now."
"Me too." Michonne smiled sincerely. She took a second to consider what she was about to ask. She remembered what Rick said about taking chances. She was slowly realising that the scary parts of this experience seemed far less scary when he was by her side, and that maybe it was time to take just a little tiny chance on something. On him maybe. "Hey...so...what are your plans for Easter?" She kept it casual.
"Easter?" Rick hadn't had Easter plans since Carl was younger and was visibly taken aback by her question. "Nothing."
"My mom wanted to invite you to a cook out. It'll be low key, just a couple of us. You don't have to if it's too much or it's too soon or..." She was stuttering...shit. She searched for a sign on his face that would tell her he clocked how nervous she was.
"It sounds great." He smiled. "I wanna meet your mom."
"Ok cool."
"Cool." He nodded. "Come on, I'll walk you home."
"I'll be fine."
"I want to. Come on." He slung his arm around her shoulder and led her down the street towards her apartment.
