Ok so...hi! I have no explanations or excuses other than the crazy year this has been. Thank you to everyone who loves this story so much and thank you to everyone who reached out and gave me a nudge. I jam packed this one with stuff to make up for the very long long delay. The plan is maybe two more chapters and an epilogue after this one and I will do my best to make the wait not so long.
I hope you all are doing well and please stay safe and healthy out there. xoxo
Chapter Sixteen - I Couldn't Love You More
Inspired by I Couldn't Love You More - Sade
It was early when Michonne walked across the deck to lean against the railing and sip her steaming cup of caramel flavored coffee. The morning sun kissed her bare shoulders, warming her skin. It was still early, and the remnants of the night before were still scattered around her; rose petals, melted candles, wine glasses and an empty bottle of wine. The mess brought memories of how it was made and a smile danced across her lips. That smile stretched even wider when she glanced down at the delicate diamond ring on her finger.
She was getting married. Sure, she'd been here before. She'd basked in the afterglow of a romantic proposal and admired a pretty ring on her left hand while dreaming about the future she wanted to create with the man who'd put it there. But this time, it was different. This time, she was sure that she was engaged to her soulmate; a concept she'd never been sure that she completely believed in before meeting Rick. Now, she was sure that everything up to that point in her life had happened for a reason. It all had led her to the kind of love she'd always wanted; the kind of love she'd grown up with a front row seat to.
Speaking of her parents, she couldn't wait any longer to share her joy, so she pulled her phone from the pocket of her shorts and pushed the button to FaceTime her mother. A few seconds later, Aline's smiling face filled the screen.
"Good morning, baby!"
"Hi, mom. Did I wake you?"
"No, I was already up. Your father and I are about to go on our morning walk, but someone is dragging his feet." Her mother peered at her through the camera and lifted a brow. "You're calling early for a Saturday…is everything alright?"
She bit her lip in a sad attempt to stop the smile threatening to burst out of her.
"Yeah, everything's good. Things are better than good actually."
Her mother's eyes narrowed and she could feel her trying to dissect all of her secrets through the phone screen.
"Michonne Pierce! You know good and well you've never been able to keep anything from me so you might as well stop trying. You look like you're about to burst over there."
"Rick asked me to marry him," she squealed, holding her left hand up to the camera.
"Oh! Michonne," Aline gasped. "Baby, I'm so happy for you two! I want to hear all about it!"
She told her mom all about the romantic urban picnic Rick had set up on her deck, and nearly started crying when she repeated the beautiful words he'd said during his proposal. Her mom covered her mouth with a trembling hand as she listened; her own eyes glistening with happy tears.
"He did good with that ring. It's beautiful."
Michonne nodded. "It belonged to his grandmother. Loretta gave it to him as a nudge. I guess it worked."
"So…it this going to be a long engagement or do I need to start looking at flights to Atlanta?"
Leave it to Aline Pierce to cut right to the chase.
"We haven't talked about it yet but either way, you need to book a flight up here as soon as you're recovered from your surgery. I can't look for a dress without you."
"I'll be there. You know how much I love to shop," Aline agreed with a laugh. Her laughter joined her mother's, just as she saw her father enter the room behind her.
"What's so funny?" He asked.
Aline turned around and waved him over to the camera.
"Sam, come over here! Michonne is on the phone."
Her father came closer and peered into the camera.
"Hi daddy."
"Hey baby," he greeted. "Y'all still haven't told me what's funny. I like to laugh too, you know."
"Our daughter is getting married," Aline announced. "Show him your ring!"
Grinning, Michonne did as she was told and held up her ring one more time. Her father raised an eyebrow and hummed noncommittally.
"It's about time. I was starting to think he'd chickened out," he said.
It was quick, but she didn't miss the elbow her mother dug into her father's side.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"I'm just talking, baby girl," he said, trying to wave it off. But there was something he wasn't telling her and her lawyer senses were peaked.
"You know I'm not gonna let it go, daddy. Why'd you think he'd chickened out?"
Sam glanced over at her mother, who was still cutting him a mean side eye.
"Don't look at me. This one's all you," Aline chastised.
Sam rubbed his hand across his face and sighed.
"He called us a couple weeks ago and asked our permission to propose. He didn't want you to know because it's an old-fashioned tradition and he didn't know how you felt about it, but he said it was something he needed to do."
Aline added, "He let us know that he was going to ask with or without our blessing, but it would mean a lot to him if he had it."
Michonne's eyes filled with tears again and she gave her full attention to her father.
"You gave him your blessing?"
"Your mother would've murdered me in my sleep if my lips tried to form anything other than that," he grumbled, earning another poke in his side but this time, her mom was smiling over at him.
"Besides," he continued, "it'd be obvious to a blind man how much he loves you, and he makes you happy. That's all that matters to me."
"Thank you, daddy. I know that meant a lot to him."
It meant a lot to her too if she was being honest. It was an old-fashioned gesture, but she liked it and she was sure her dad respected Rick a little more for doing it.
"Anything for you, baby girl. While I'm not looking forward to giving you away, I'm gonna be so proud to walk you down the aisle."
She swallowed hard, trying to get rid of the emotion clogging her throat.
"Thank you, daddy."
They talked a little longer before her mom decided she and her dad needed to leave for their walk before it got too hot, and Michonne promised to give Rick and Carl her mother's love as they said goodbye.
She wanted to call Noah, but knowing him, it was way too early on a Saturday for that. So, she dropped her phone into her pocket and went back to her coffee, her mind running through all the people she had left to call. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice Rick until he'd wrapped his arms around her from behind and started pressing kisses along the side of her neck.
"I feel gypped," he whispered; his voice rough from sleep.
She grinned and leaned into his arms.
"Why?"
She heard the smile in his voice when he answered, "One of the benefits of living together is not waking up alone."
She turned around and wrapped her arms around his warm body with her cheek resting on his chest.
"I'm sorry, baby. I wanted to call my parents and tell them the news."
"You should've woke me up," he said, squeezing her tighter against him. "How'd they take it?"
"Mom's thrilled, daddy is too, but he's trying to hide it. They're already asking about wedding plans."
He kissed the top of her head. "My mama gonna be the same, so maybe we should talk about it before she wants to call Father Gabriel and book the church."
"Yeah, we probably should," she said. "What if—what if I don't want all of that?"
"All of what?"
"The big church, the big dress…it didn't go exactly as planned but I've kinda already done that."
"So have I. We should have something that's just ours."
"I've always liked beach weddings," she mused.
"Good thing we live someplace where you can get married on a beach almost year round."
"That's true," she agreed. "It should be small, with just the people we love there to celebrate with us. After the ceremony, I wanna eat delicious food and have a slice of Carol's cake, drink champagne, and dance until my feet hurt. Then, I wanna go up to our hotel room and make love to you as my husband for the very first time."
"Sounds perfect," he laughed.
"I was also thinking that I don't want to wait to do all that."
Without a second of hesitation, he answered, "Me either."
"Well," she sighed, "I guess I'd better call my mom back."
"Yeah?"
She nodded. "She needs to get a flight up here to help me find a dress as soon as possible if we want to do this before her surgery."
The smile that spread across his face was like a sunrise and a sunset all rolled into one.
"The sooner the better. I'll send her a ticket myself."
She slipped her arms around his neck and grinned.
"Now that we've settled that, let's clean up this mess so we can go pick up Carl," she said. "I have a craving for a chorizo taco."
After picking Carl up from Lori's, the three of them headed off to find a food truck that Michonne swore had the best breakfast tacos in Atlanta. La Sabrosa tweeted their location out daily to it's hundred of followers, and that day it had set up shop near Candler Park. Neither Rick nor Carl had ever had a breakfast taco and according to Michonne, they were well overdue.
They actually found a parking spot on the street and walked over to the food truck, where Michonne ordered for them all in perfect Spanish after greeting the two ladies working like they were long lost friends. He didn't even know she spoke Spanish, and she explained that she remembered just enough to get by from the high school and college classes she'd taken.
He held on to Michonne's hand under the table like a lovestruck teenager until their food was ready; only releasing it so he could go get their order. Upon returning, she wouldn't let him taste his food until she'd added a scoop of salsa verde and a few drops of Cholula hot sauce. Then, she sat back and let him try it.
"Well?" She asked, watching him expectantly as he chewed his first bite of warm tortilla stuffed with egg, chorizo, peppers, and cheese.
"It's good," he mumbled through a mouthful of food. "What do you think, Carl?"
His son had already scarfed down half of his first taco and could only nod his appreciation.
That seemed to satisfy her, because she grinned at both of them before turning her attention to her own food. They enjoyed the sunshine and mild weather as they ate, listening as Carl told them about his first week as a fifth grader. He liked his teacher, hated the fact that his mother insisted on packing his lunch instead of letting him buy lunch like his friends, and was a little too interested in a girl named Enid who'd just moved to Atlanta from North Carolina.
"Are you and Enid friends now?" Rick asked with a wink.
"She's cool…for a girl," Carl clarified. "I was the new kid last year so I don't want her to be lonely."
Michonne said, "That's really sweet of you," and Carl's cheeks turned a bright pink.
Seeing his son blush like that sent a realization flooding over Rick. Carl was only turning eleven in a couple months, but it was pretty obvious that his little boy was on his way to experiencing his first crush. He was growing up and Rick couldn't help but wonder where the time went.
Michonne's hand on his knee pulled him from his thoughts and he gave her his full attention.
"We have some news too," she said; her eyes never leaving his as she spoke to Carl.
"What is it?" Carl asked.
Rick covered her hand on his thigh with his own, but looked across the table at Carl.
"I asked Michonne to marry me last night," he announced.
Carl quietly appraised them for a minute before his eyes landed on Michonne.
He didn't sound shocked at all when he asked, "You're gonna marry my dad?"
"Yep," she confirmed with a nod.
"Cool! That means you'll be my bonus mom."
Her throat tightened and she had to fight against the tears threatening to fall. God, she loved this kid.
"Bonus mom?" She asked.
Carl grinned at her through a mouthful of taco. "Yeah. You're way too awesome to just be my stepmom."
It had felt like home the night before when it was just him and Michonne, but now that Carl was there too, everything just felt right.
"Carl, go put your stuff in your room," he said.
"Sure!"
Rick followed his son across the living room and down the hall to the bedroom that was now his. Michonne's townhouse had dual master bedrooms on separate sides of the house. She'd been using the other as an office, but she'd worked for weeks in secret to turn it into a room suitable for an almost eleven year old boy.
He'd agreed that the kid needed new furniture, so he'd given Michonne a budget to replace the hand me downs he'd gotten after the divorce. She'd gone out and taken care of everything and he'd seen none of it, so he was just as excited as Carl was to see the finished product.
Carl pushed open the door and froze before taking a single step inside.
"Is this...my room?" He asked; his voice coming out in an awestruck whisper.
Rick looked to Michonne who was standing behind them with a nervous smile. He hadn't seen the room yet either, so he joined his son in the doorway to see what had stunned Carl into silence.
The room had a fresh coat of white paint except for one wall that had been painted in dark blue chalkboard paint. She'd drawn constellations and other designs around a glowing decal of a full moon. The light, honeyed wood furniture was modern and industrial; a set that Carl would be able to grow into. There was a bookcase that Michonne had filled with comic books and memorabilia; and a desk with plenty of room for homework. A flat panel tv sat on the dresser with Carl's game system already set up and ready to go.
There were so many small details she'd added to represent Carl's love of Marvel movies, space, and comic books that Rick could barely take it all in. The jewel in the crown was the telescope Carl had been asking for ever since they's gotten back from the Kennedy Space Center, sitting near the window.
Carl slowly walked into the room and inspected everything with wide eyes; like he didn't know what to look at first.
Michonne moved up to stand at his side; threading her arm through his as they watched Carl take it all in.
"Do you like it?" She asked.
Carl turned around, nodding at both of them with a wide grin.
"It's the coolest room ever! Thank you dad!"
He shook his head and pointed at Michonne.
"You need to thank Michonne. She's the one who did all this."
Carl threw his arms around her waist with enough force that she stumbled back, but her face was lit up with a smile.
"Thank you, Michonne! You're awesome!"
He squeezed her tight, and she giggled and hugged him back.
"You're welcome," she said.
Carl went back to his exploring and Rick took Michonne's hand and pulled her out into the hallway.
"You did an amazing job. It's perfect for him."
Her lips curved up into a bright smile.
"Thanks. Carl made it easy by being so vocal about the things he loves. I knew as long as it had comic books and astronomy, I couldn't be too far off base."
He followed her into the kitchen where she poured two glasses of water.
"Before you ask, the budget paid for the furniture just like we agreed. The rest is my gift to Carl," she explained.
He pulled her close and held her in a loose hug. He'd been around women long enough to know not to ask too many questions when it came to money. Besides, after seeing how happy that room made Carl, he didn't care how much it cost.
"You talk about me spoiling you, but you're spoiling him."
She grinned and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Well…we're supposed to spoil the ones we love, right?" He couldn't argue with that. If it was up to him, he'd spend every minute of every day spoiling her. "I'm just glad he likes it."
"He loves it. He may never come out," he said, pulling her tighter against him. "Which gives me enough time to kiss you properly."
"I think you kissed me properly quite a bit last night…and this morning."
"Well…it is my favorite thing to do."
He pressed his mouth again her pillowy soft lips which parted almost immediately after contact. No matter how many times he did it, he loved exploring her hot, little mouth with his tongue. This time, she tasted spicy like the peppers in their tacos and the cinnamon in their horchata with a hint of sweetness that was uniquely Michonne. The taste made him dizzy, and he backed her against the countertop so he could regain his balance, but it didn't help. He was so completely gone for her; head over heels in love with the woman who was going to be his wife.
He frowned when she broke the kiss and put her palms on his chest.
"We need to cool it if we're going to make it to King County today."
He groaned and dropped his forehead to her shoulder.
"You sure we can't wait and go tomorrow?"
"Your mama will never forgive us if we make her wait an extra day for the news. Besides, we can continue this later. We have the rest of our lives, right?"
"Yeah, we do."
Loretta Grimes stood on the porch drying her hands with a dish towel as they walked hand in hand up the sidewalk leading the house. Her mouth stretched into a broad smile the closer they got, and when Carl ran past them and threw his arms around her waist, she laughed loudly and hugged him right back.
"Hey, baby," Loretta greeted; planting kisses on top of Carl's head. Then, her eyes found Rick's and narrowed slightly but she kept her grin like she knew something was up. "Well…this is a surprise. Why didn't y'all tell me you were coming?"
They joined Loretta and Carl on the porch and Michonne squeezed Rick's hand a little tighter, making him turn his head and give her that cocky half grin that always made her stomach flutter.
Rick cleared his throat, but Carl was already fidgeting like he couldn't hold in the news a second longer.
"Dad asked Michonne to marry him!" He shouted.
Loretta's wide, blue eyes darted between her and Rick before resting on her son. "I did," Rick confirmed, before his mama could even form the words.
"Oh my..." Loretta whispered; her eyes shining with tears. "Oh my! Praise the Lord!"
She threw her arms around both of them, squealing like she'd just won the lottery.
She pulled back and cupped Michonne's face in her hands.
"You're already part of this family and I couldn't ask for a better daughter," she said and Michonne's heart seemed to expand in her chest.
"Thank you, Loretta, and thank you for your mother's ring. I'll treasure it."
Loretta's eyes teared up all over again when she looked down and noticed the ring.
"It was meant for you, honey," she said before giving her son a loving smile and patting his cheek. "I'm glad my son stopped wasting time and gave it to you."
"Mama-," he began, but she ignored him. The wedding planning wheels were already turning in her eyes.
"We need to call Father Gabriel and book the church—wait, no. You probably want to get married in your church in Atlanta, don't you sweetheart?"
Michonne glanced over at Rick and he gave her the go ahead nod.
"We're thinking about getting married on the beach at Jekyll Island," she said.
Loretta's eyes went wide. "Oh honey, that sounds lovely! When are you planning to do it? We'll still need to get on Gabriel's calendar unless you have a preacher you were thinking of."
Rick draped his arm over Michonne's shoulders.
"We're thinking…October," he said, and it took a minute for Loretta to process that before her mouth dropped open.
"October as in six weeks from now, October?" She screeched.
Rick nodded. "Yes, ma'am. We've already waited too long to find each other. There's no point in waiting any longer than we have to."
"Well, as long as getting married in October means I get another grand baby sooner, I'll do whatever I can to help y'all pull it off," Loretta offered with a wink.
She laughed Loretta off and said, "My mother is right there with you."
Honestly, she was right there with them too. Her biological clock had been ticking like Big Ben ever since she and Rick had gotten serious and even louder since she'd spent more time with Carl and Savannah. Making them smile made her heart squeeze and seeing how good Rick was with them, made her ovaries ache. It had her wondering if it would be such a bad thing if she wasn't as religious as she usually was about taking her pills…
Loretta's voice pulled her from those life-altering thoughts and for good reason. They had enough on their plate with trying to plan a wedding in six weeks. No reason to pile even more on.
"We have so much to do between now and October! Is your mama well enough for travel?" Loretta asked.
"She's feeling fine. Her surgery is scheduled for the first week of November which is one of the reasons we're moving fast on this. It's October or we wait till the spring when it's warm again."
Rick pulled her in closer to his side and kissed her temple.
"We're keeping this thing small," he said. "We've both done the big church wedding and we want this to be just family and a few friends, so don't go inviting the whole town."
"I wouldn't invite anyone without talking to y'all first."
"I'm serious, mama," he warned and Michonne understood why. Loretta called half of King County close friends and if she had her way she'd want them all there to see her boy get married. Her mom would probably be the same way about all of her aunts, uncles, and cousins so they'd have to have the same talk.
"I understand you want to keep things small," Loretta said; waving him off in a way that didn't quite match her supposed understanding, but before Rick could say anything else about it, she continued, "You got here at the perfect time! I baked cookies for church tomorrow and I need some taste testers."
"Did you make peanut butter cookies, grandma?"
"Of course I did! I have chocolate chip, oatmeal, and sugar in there too!"
Loretta guided a grinning Carl into the house and she and Rick followed.
"Well, she's excited," Michonne said.
"She's excited we won't be living be living in sin for too long," Rick teased and she slapped his arm. "What? Of course she adores you too, but you know I'm right."
"Well, I guess it's good for all of us that you decided to put a ring on it."
He stopped and held her back as Carl and Loretta disappeared into the kitchen. As soon as they were out of sight, he pulled her against his chest and stared down at her with eyes filled with an ocean of adoration.
"Best decision I ever made," he whispered, and the sincerity made her heart flutter.
She brought her hands up to cup his cheeks that were a little scruffy as he grew out what he called his "football season beard" but she was getting used to it.
"Saying yes is mine."
A slow smile spread across his face and she pressed her lips against his in a kiss she intended to keep chaste because of being in his mama's house and all, but he wasn't having it. He pulled her closer and while the kiss stayed mostly decent, it was filled with promises of what was to come later.
"Dad! Do you want sugar?" Carl asked from the kitchen.
Rick pulled away from her grinning.
"Nah, I'm gonna have chocolate chip," he answered, kissing her hand before they continued to the kitchen.
Her cheeks warmed when he lowered his lips to her ear and whispered, "I got all the sugar I can handle right here."
They spent most of the afternoon in King County. Jeff brought Savannah over and while Loretta wanted to cook for them all, they ended up going to the Crispy Biscuit for dinner to give her a break. The place was packed for a Saturday night and before the evening was over, it seemed like the whole town knew about the engagement. Carol had noticed the ring right away and after that, the hotline was on. Even Shane showed up and gave her a bear hug while telling her to take good care of his boy.
It wasn't too late when they got back to Atlanta and Carl didn't let them forget about the movie night he'd been promised, so they all cuddled up on her sectional with popcorn and The Goonies. She still needed to tell her friends the good news and for a second, she'd thought about leaving movie night to do just that. But as she sat curled into Rick's side, watching a movie she'd loved as a kid with the kid she loved like her own, Michonne decided she'd have to schedule time to tell Glenn, Daryl, Andrea, Sasha, and Maggie in person. Even though she had a lifetime of Saturdays to fill with days just like this one, she didn't want to miss a second of it.
Rick looked up from the papers on his desk, his eyes drifting around the squad room. The DeKalb County Sheriff's Office wasn't too different from King County, and everyone had been nice so far. It had only been a few weeks, but he liked the work. Every day was more intense than back home; Atlanta had the crimes he was used to and then some. But at least he hadn't seen a meth lab yet and that was a good thing.
It was three weeks since he and Michonne had moved in together and gotten engaged, and they'd been the happiest three weeks of his life. It had also been three of the most hectic weeks as they tried to plan a wedding that was now only three weeks away.
The first weekend without Carl, they'd held a housewarming with their friends to tell them the news and the timeline. They'd all been thrilled, but they were surprised at how fast it was all going to happen. Maggie was a little concerned about being a bridesmaid while seven months pregnant, but they were all in. He'd invited Shane up to meet Michonne's friends and strangely enough, he and Andrea hit it off. He didn't know what to think about that, but Michonne told him not to worry because Andrea could take care of herself.
Michonne's mother had flown up for a few days to go dress hunting the second week. They'd taken his mama with them and she'd been almost in tears to be invited. She'd never thought she'd get to go wedding dress shopping considering she didn't have any daughters. She and Aline hit it off even more in person and they were like the Wonder Twins of meddling mama's. He'd heard more innuendo about babies in those few days than he'd heard in his entire life.
Then there was Lori. He hadn't looked forward to telling her, especially after her reaction to the news that they were living together. She'd surprised him by not really having a reaction. He wanted that to mean that she was growing, but a few days later her found out that she'd gotten the letter from his lawyer letting her know that taking him to court for custody would not be in her best interest. He wasn't going to knock it though. A more civil relationship with his ex was a good thing even if it was due to the threat of litigation.
Now they were in week three, and he and Michonne had slipped into a blissful domesticity so effortlessly that it was easy to forget they'd just moved in together. Waking up with her in his arms had quickly become his favorite way to start the day.
After a shared shower and some shared kisses, she would leave him to get a pot of coffee started while he got dressed. He'd meet her at the kitchen island where a steaming hot cup of coffee made just the way he liked it was waiting for him. After a few more kisses, she would disappear to get dressed for work leaving him responsible for getting their breakfast ready. She'd set him up for success by buying frozen waffles, fresh fruit, greek yogurt, and microwave bacon and he made sure a plate was waiting for her.
She'd come downstairs wearing one of those sexy pantsuits with a pair of sky high heels and that was the image that got him through the day. They'd eat together while talking about their schedules before heading off to their jobs on opposite sides of the city.
After a long day at work, they'd have dinner together, either home cooked or ordered in depending on who got home first, followed by some tv and usually capped with a passionate bout of lovemaking, which he had to admit was his favorite part.
It wasn't always the same. Some mornings he'd have to go in to work early, forcing him to reluctantly extract himself from her arms. Those mornings always left him feeling slightly off balance all day and he never felt right until he held her again.
Today was one of those days.
He looked up when Sergeant Williams's laugh rumbled through the station. Tyreese was a fellow investigator and Sasha's older brother. Tyreese was the one showing him the ropes and all the best places to grab a bite around the station. He was gregarious and funny; the station's resident teddy bear. He was definitely a better influence than Shane had ever been, but he had to admit that he occasionally missed his best friend.
"Grimes! Did that fiancée of yours pack your lunch again today or will you be joining us for burgers?"
Tyreese loved teasing him about the lunches he brought from home. Usually, it was just leftovers from the night before, but Tyreese always made it sound like Michonne had packed him a four-course meal.
"It's a burger day," he called back. He'd been responsible for dinner last night and they'd devoured every bite of the food he'd ordered before making a meal of each other.
"Well, c'mon then. We're leaving in five."
Rick stood; grabbing his jacket from where it was hung on the back of his chair.
"Hey, check out the tv," Tyreese said, pointing to the flat screen mounted on the wall that was usually tuned to the local news.
He was almost to the door when he glanced back to see Michonne's gorgeous face in full high definition. She was standing on the courthouse steps surrounded by reporters, but she was unruffled. She stood with her shoulders back and her deep, red lips set in a firm line.
The sound was turned down, but he needed to know what was happening.
"Turn that up," he commanded, and one of the deputies immediately complied. The sound came to life just as one of the reporters shoved a microphone in Michonne's face.
"Ms. Pierce! What are your thoughts on the jury's decision?"
"This is the outcome the District Attorney's office has worked tirelessly for. John Negan and his criminal enterprise destroyed lives and I'm glad the jury saw fit to convict him on all counts. It won't change what he did, but hopefully the people impacted by his callous crimes can finally begin finding peace."
"Forget about it, Sergeant."
Rick hadn't even realized that one of the deputies had come up to stand beside him. He remembered the deputy from the firearms workshop he'd taught that morning, and he hoped he'd never been as young and cocky as Deputy Ramirez was.
Based on the way he was leering at Michonne, he decided to follow him on whatever path he heading down.
"What are you talking about Ramirez?"
The deputy shook his head and laughed, his eyes never leaving the television screen.
"You're new around here so let me give you a tip. That fine ass woman you're looking at is the untouchable ADA Michonne Pierce."
Amused, Rick asked, "Untouchable?"
Ramirez nodded, "She shoots down any guy who comes near her and believe me, some good ones have tried."
He ignored Tyreese's snickering and gave Deputy Ramirez his full attention.
"Oh yeah? Have you tried?"
"I shot my shot," Ramirez admitted. "She turned me down but I think I could wear her down if I saw her again."
It was getting harder to ignore Tyreese's snickering as it grew even louder and Rick was struggling to keep a straight face.
"You think so?" He asked.
"Definitely. No lady can resist my charms for too long, but my buddy at the Fulton courthouse says she might be off the market."
"Is that right?"
Ramirez nodded, "Yep. So don't go getting a crush on that one. Even if she was still available, an old man like you would just end up getting your feelings hurt."
"Thanks for the advice, Deputy Ramirez, but it might be too late for me considering she's my fiancée."
"Bullshit!"
Before Rick could respond, his cellphone rang and when he pulled it from his pocket, there was Michonne's face smiling back at him. He flashed the screen at Ramirez whose smirk vanished and made way for an expression of utter disbelief.
He brought the phone to his ear.
"Hey, baby, congratulations on the win," he greeted; his grin growing wider as Deputy Ramirez paled.
"How did you know?" She asked.
"It was on the tv in the station. You should've warned me," he replied.
"About what?"
"I didn't realize I was marrying a celebrity."
Her throaty laugh had him already looking forward to going home and celebrating by worshipping every inch of her body. He shot one last look at Ramirez, who was still staring at him like a deer in headlights, before heading over to the door where Tyreese was openly laughing his ass off as were most of the other officers in the room.
"Hold on a sec," he said into the phone before lowering it from his ear and turning back to Ramirez. "You can let your buddy know the rumors are true. ADA Pierce is definitely off the market."
He slapped Tyreese on the back and they walked out of the station as Michonne filled him in on the case. He didn't blame Ramirez; he often asked himself how a guy like him landed a woman as perfect as Michonne. All he knew for sure, was that he'd do whatever it took to keep her happy.
"You killed in court today! We have to go celebrate!"
Michonne grinned over at Andrea who was standing in her office doorway. She'd just gotten off the phone with Rick and between winning the trial and her too sweet man, she was feeling pretty good.
"Yeah? What were you thinking?"
Andrea rolled her eyes.
"Tacos and margaritas, duh!"
She laughed and snapped her laptop closed.
"I'm starving so count me in," she said, grabbing her purse. "Besides, you need to tell me about you and Shane."
"There's nothing to tell. We're just using each other for sex."
Michonne snickered and shook her head.
"I know what'll loosen those lips," she began rising to her feet, but as she did, it felt like her head was floating away from her body. The floor felt wavy beneath her feet and her vision shook and flickered like an old home movie. Cool, pinpricks of sweat burst across her forehead and under her arms, and she squeezed her eyes shut to fight the wave of nausea threatening to overtake her. She held on the the edge of her desk to steady herself.
"You ok, Mich?" Andrea asked, but she sounded underwater. "Michonne?"
"Yeah," she answered after a minute. "I didn't eat breakfast this morning. I guess I'm hungrier than I thought."
"Let's go get you fed. We don't need you passing out," Andrea said with a hint of worry coloring her words.
Michonne nodded and only took a few steps before the world went black.
Rick grinned when he saw Michonne's face lighting up his phone screen. They'd just talked but he'd never decline a call from her.
"She keeps you on a tight leash, huh?" Tyreese teased.
"She just can't get enough of me, but you wouldn't know anything about that would you?" He fired back, putting down his burger to slide his finger across the screen to answer.
"Hey baby, what did you forget?"
"Rick?"
He frowned when he didn't hear Michonne's voice on the other end of the line and ice, cold dread filled his veins.
"Andrea? Where's Michonne? Is she alright?"
"I don't know. She just…passed out," she began, and he was on his feet; his food and Tyreese forgotten.
"I'm on my way," he said, his mind already working out how long it would take him to walk back to his car and drive across the city.
"She's not here," Andrea stated and that stopped him in his tracks.
"Where is she?"
"She—she wasn't waking up so we called 911 but the ambulance wouldn't let me ride with them."
"Where did they take her?" He asked.
"Grady Memorial. I'm headed there now."
"I'm on my way."
He pressed end and realized he'd walked out of the restaurant and halfway down the block without any conscious thought. All he knew was that he had to get to her. Nothing else mattered. He took a few deep breaths, trying his damnedest to control the panic rising in his chest as memories of a similar call a few years ago flooded his mind. His dad had been walking in the town square with his mama when he just passed out. A few weeks later, they found out he had cancer and a few months after that, he was gone…
He shook those thoughts away. Michonne was fine. She'd probably just overextended herself with wedding planning and the trial, and he was just going to have to make sure she took it easy from now on. He just needed to see her and then everything would be ok. She had to be ok. He'd just found her and there was no way he was losing her any time soon. He couldn't because there would be no coming back from her loss for him.
Footsteps approached him quickly from behind and a hand grabbed his shoulder.
"Rick! What's going on?" He shrugged off Tyreese's hand and kept walking, forcing Tyreese to fall into step next to him. "Rick! What the hell happened?"
"Something's wrong with Michonne," he mumbled, and it pained him to even speak those words. "The ambulance took her to Grady and I've got to get to her."
"Getting across the city at this time of day is going to be a bitch," Tyreese said.
"I'll figure it out," he snapped.
They'd reached the station in record time and he pulled his keys out of his pocket as he approached his truck in the parking lot. He was almost there when Tyreese snatched his keys out of his hand.
"What the hell?" He clenched his fists, ready to fight Tyreese to get his keys so he could go. He needed to go and he thought Tyreese would understand that. He was on the verge of losing when Tyreese pulled out his own set of keys and headed for the department's cars.
"Let's take a cruiser," he said. "You got someplace to be and lights and sirens have a way of clearing traffic."
The lights were too damn bright and she squeezed her eyes shut as pain lanced through her head.
"Michonne, come on back to us."
That voice forced her eyes open because she didn't understand why she was hearing it. It took a minute for her vision to clear, but what she saw made her think she was still dreaming.
"Mike? What are you doing here?"
She tried to sit up, but his hands on her shoulders gently stopped her.
"Whoa, you need to take it easy," he warned.
"Where am I? What are you doing here?"
"I'm the E.R. Chief Resident here at Grady Memorial. Do you remember what happened?"
Only then did she notice he was wearing scrubs and a white coat, but instead of comforting her, it made her more anxious.
"I was in my office…I felt lightheaded…did I pass out?"
He nodded, and shined a small light in her eyes.
"You remember, that's a good sign," he answered. "You must've hit your head when you fell and you were unconscious when they brought you in."
"What's wrong with me?"
"You passed out and you have a nasty concussion. We're keeping you overnight for observation, and tomorrow we're going to do some more tests to make sure it's just a concussion and nothing else," he explained. "We're waiting on some other test results, but we should be able to get you something for the pain soon, ok?"
She nodded and leaned back against the pillows. Her mind flashed to Rick and she hoped they'd contacted him somehow.
"My phone. I need my phone."
"It wasn't with you when they brought you in, but I still had your parents number in mine. I called them and let them know you're ok."
"I need to call Rick," she said.
"Right now, you need to rest. A nurse will be in shortly with something for the pain…"
If he didn't know what happened, he'd be upset when he found out. If he did know and hadn't gotten any updates, he'd be going crazy.
She shook her head, which was a mistake because she had to squeeze her eyes shut from the pain.
"You have to get in touch with him for me," she grimaced.
Mike only frowned and continued jotting things on her chart.
"Michonne…I've checked on you and now I have other patients to check on. I don't have time to track down your boyfriend."
"He's my fiancé," she said, and she saw his gaze flick to her ring. When he looked back at her though, his mask of professionalism was firmly in place.
"And right now, I'm your doctor. You need to rest or I'm going to have to order a sedative for you."
Before she could get another word out, the door to her room swung open hard enough to knock against the wall, and there was Rick; breathless, teary eyed and looking like he'd been through hell and back.
"Michonne," he rasped, and that one word was filled with so much love and relief that it made her tear up.
"You're here," she whispered; her voice cracking with a strange combination of relief and sadness.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, she heard Mike's voice but she didn't care what he was saying. All that mattered right then was Rick and as if he'd read her mind, he moved across the room like Mike wasn't even there. He perched on the edge of her bed, grabbed her hand and squeezed it like it was the only thing tethering him to the earth. His pale eyes simply searched her face for a moment; like there was so much he wanted to say but didn't know how. Finally, those eyes closed as if in prayer, and he lifted her hand up to his lips.
"You're ok…thank God," he breathed, as he peppered her skin with kisses. "Andrea told me what happened, and I was just about to search this place room by room when your mom called me."
"I'm fine," she said, and a deep frown darkened his expression as his eyes lingered on the bandage covering her forehead.
He tore his eyes away from her and glared at Mike who was still standing by the door looking perturbed.
"Is she ok?" Rick asked.
"I'm sorry. HIPPAA prevents me from giving you any information about her condition," Mike explained, looking more smug than was necessary.
She sighed, "Oh for godsakes! I give you permission to tell him!"
Mike shrugged, "You'll have to sign a release and in your condition, it wouldn't be ethical to allow you to do that."
Rick's hand tightened around hers and she knew his already frayed nerves were at the point of snapping. She tugged his arm to pull his attention away from Mike.
"I know you have other patients, Dr. Anthony. We're fine here," she said, hoping Mike would take the hint and leave the room.
Apparently he did because his next words were, "An orderly will be here shortly to take you up to your room for the night and I'll be up for rounds a little later." He was almost out the door when he added, "The…sheriff…is going to have to leave. Visiting hours are over."
Rick turned to Mike, and even though she couldn't see the expression on his face, she could tell it had Mike shook from the way his smug smile faltered. When he spoke, his voice came out as a growl she'd never heard from him before.
"I'm staying," he said; leaving no room from argument. "I know you had no problem leaving her, but I'd like to see you try to make me do it."
They stared each other down for another few seconds, before Mike responded with a slight nod and left the room.
There was no trace of any anger when Rick turned his attention back to her. The only things she saw in his eyes was worry and love.
"What happened? Are you sure you're ok?"
"I just fainted. I must've hit my head pretty hard on the way down and they think I have a concussion. They want to keep me overnight for observation."
He nodded, but he still looked unsure.
"Do they know why you fainted? Are you…sick?"
His voice wavered on that last word and it made her want to cry. She squeezed his hand tighter, trying to reassure him.
"They're waiting on some tests but I'm fine, Rick. I didn't eat breakfast this morning so it was probably low blood sugar or something."
He nodded but the uncertainty was still written all over his face. She squeezed his hand and offered him the brightest smile she could muster.
"Thank you for not knocking Mike on his ass. I know you wanted to."
That put a weak smile on his face but it faded quickly when he lifted her hand to his lips again.
"Only reason I didn't is because they would've thrown me out and I don't want to leave you."
"Rick…"
His phone started ringing in his pocket and he pulled it out and frowned at the screen.
"It's Tyreese," he explained. "He drove me here and he's probably wondering what's going on."
"Answer it."
He lifted the phone to his ear but kept holding on to her hand like it was the lifeline to his sanity.
"Hey Ty…yeah, I found her…She's gonna be ok. They're keeping her overnight for observation…"
Michonne leaned back against the pillows as the adrenaline that had been keeping her awake started to wear off. So she closed her eyes and let Rick's voice be the soundtrack to her falling asleep.
The saying about hospitals being the worst place to get some sleep was proved right as she was awake again a few hours later. Andrea had replaced Rick in the chair next to her bed after a whole lot of reassurances and promises that Andrea would stay with her, he'd gone with Tyreese to get his truck and pick up Carl. It was their weekend, and even though Rick had offered to call Lori and swap weekends, she'd convinced him to go ahead and get him. While he and Lori had been on decent terms, she didn't want to give her a reason to ruin it.
After he'd left, she'd talked to her parents and spent a half hour convincing them that she was really ok. Her mother had insisted on using Facetime because she needed to see for herself that she was really ok. She hated worrying her parents, especially her mom. There was enough going on without them getting all worked up over her forgetting to eat and passing out.
Because that was all it was. She'd been consumed with the trial and wedding planning, and mornings where Rick left early allowed her to slip back into a few bad habits like surviving on coffee and maybe a peanut butter protein bar until dinner. Obviously, her body had gotten a little too used to having breakfast and had revolted accordingly when it wasn't provided.
She was telling Andrea her self-diagnosis when the door to her room opened after a soft knock. An Asian woman with her hair pulled back into a long ponytail and a warm smile walked into the room.
"Hello Ms. Pierce. I'm Dr. Ng and I'm replacing Dr. Anthony as your doctor while you're here with us tonight. How are you feeling?"
She was sure her face showed her relief over not having to see Mike again. It was entirely too awkward and he'd been such an ass.
She answered, "Still a little woozy, and my head is killing me."
The doctor flipped through her chart. "I'm sure it is. You smacked it pretty hard going down, but the concussion should heal itself over the next few days."
Andrea asked, "Can you give her something for the pain and nausea?"
The doctor paused as if she was waiting for approval before she said anything else.
Michonne said, "This is my best friend. You can talk about my treatments with her in the room."
Dr. Ng smiled and nodded. "We're not going to be able to give you anything stronger than Tylenol right now," she explained.
"Why?"
"We have your test results back and we think we know why you passed out," Dr. Ng explained. "It's still very early, but you're pregnant, Ms. Pierce."
Confused, Michonne slowly shook her head. "I can't be. I'm on the pill."
Dr. Ng nodded. "I saw that in your chart. The pill is very effective but missing just one day can limit the efficacy."
Michonne ran through the craziness of the last month trying to remember missing a pill. Between Rick moving in, planning a wedding, and the trial there were plenty of opportunities to miss a pill.
Pregnant.
I'm pregnant.
The doctor kept talking but Michonne barely heard any of it. She was getting married in three weeks and she was pregnant. Her eyes filled with tears and she covered her mouth with a trembling hand.
"Ms. Pierce?"
She blinked at the doctor
"I-I'm…pregnant?" She stuttered.
"Yes ma'am; three to four weeks as far as we can tell. Now, it's common for pregnant women to faint, but we want to run more tests to make sure everything is ok. I'm also going to prescribe you some prenatal vitamins to hold you over until you can see your OBGYN."
Three to four weeks…the night of the proposal…
Her hand fell to her belly and she giggled through her tears. How appropriate that they'd managed to knock two things off the planning for the future list on the same night.
"Do you have any questions for me?"
Unable to speak, Michonne just shook her head. She barely noticed when she left the room or remembered that Andrea was even in there.
"Mich? Are you ok?"
She reached for Andrea's hand as her tears started falling even harder.
"I'm pregnant, Andie," she whispered. "I'm going to be a mom."
Andrea's smile lit up her face and she squeezed her hand even harder. "I know, babe. You're gonna be the best mom."
"I need to call my mom! I need to tell her," she gasped.
Andrea nodded. "I get that, but don't you think you should tell the father first?"
She laughed again. Was she already suffering from pregnancy brain?
"God…yes! I need to tell Rick first."
"How do you think he's going to take it?"
Michonne grinned because in the middle of everything going on, that was the easiest question to answer.
"He's going to love it."
Rick returned to the hospital about a half hour later with Carl in tow. When he'd told him that Michonne was in the hospital, Carl had insisted on seeing her before Andrea took him back to the condo and stayed with him for the night. He'd stood back while his son hugged Michonne to make her feel better, but there was something in Carl's expression that said he was the one actually needing the comfort. Rick got that because he needed the comfort too.
Not knowing exactly what had been going on with Michonne had taken it out of him, and if he was being honest with himself, he was still shaken by the whole experience. If he didn't already know that he was irrevocably in love with her, the fear that nearly swallowed him earlier that day would've confirmed it. Those stray, dark thoughts his mind had conjured up about her not being in his life had been nearly crippling. He still had some residual anxiety over the potential causes of her fainting, but he refused to let that overwhelm him. She was fine and she was going to stay that way.
After Andrea left with Carl, he took his place in the chair next to her bed and held her hand tight in his.
"How are you feeling? I hope Carl wasn't too much for you."
She squeezed his hand tight and gave him a tired smile.
"Never," she said. "Seeing him made me feel better. I'm glad you brought him in."
He'd never stop being amazed at the relationship she had with his son. Sometimes he wondered what might've had they not gotten on so well, but he quickly stopped himself. He and Michonne were meant to be together which meant she was always meant to be in Carl's life too.
"Are you sure you're feeling ok?"
She squeezed his fingers and smiled over at him. "Rick. I'm fine. In fact, I'm better than fine."
He searched her eyes for any sign that she wasn't telling the truth, but found none. He relaxed a little then and wove their fingers together.
"I'd feel better if you were home," he said.
"Me too," she agreed, "But, I do have an update. The doctor came by while you were out."
He groaned at the thought of her asshole ex being in the same room with her without him there. As if she read his thoughts she added, "I think you scared Mike away because I have a new doctor."
He didn't even try to hide his relief at that news.
"I can't say I'm not glad to hear that. What did the doctor say?"
"She thinks she knows why I passed out."
Even though she sounded calm, those words made his anxiety bubble up to the surface again.
Bracing himself, he asked, "Yeah? What does she think caused it?"
"While me hitting my head complicated things a bit, it's common for women to faint early in a pregnancy."
He blinked a few times, not sure that he'd actually heard what he thought he heard. There had to be something wrong with his hearing because he thought she said she was pregnant. That couldn't be it though. She was on the pill and ever since he'd moved in, he'd seen her take it almost religiously. Even though it would be the best thing she could ever tell him, there was no way she could actually be pregnant.
But then he noticed her brown eyes glossy with tears, the way the corner of her lips curved up in the slightest of smiles, the way her hand rested protectively on her stomach…and he knew it was true.
"You're pregnant?"
She nodded as a few tears escaped down her cheeks.
"She says three to four weeks, but I'm sure it happened the night you proposed. We were pretty enthusiastic."
He was out of the chair and cupping her beautiful face in his hands.
"We're having a baby?" His voice cracked and his eyes stung with tears to match hers. She nodded her confirmation and all he could do was press his mouth to hers in an attempt to communicate the joy threatening to burst out of him. Then, he planted kisses on her eyes, her cheeks, her forehead, even her chin as she just giggled.
He knew the doctors wouldn't approve, but he slid onto the bed next to her and lay on his side so that he could cover the hand resting on his stomach with his own.
"You're happy?" She whispered. It was more of a statement than a question, but he felt it deserved an answer.
"I don't think it's possible for me to be any happier. I mean, I know I will be on our wedding day and I'll pass that on the day this baby is born. But right now, this feels like it, you know?"
"I do. I want this with you so much. I actually thought about talking to you about going off my pills but with everything going on, I decided to wait. Turns out, you'd already knocked me up."
The pride rushing through him seemed a little ridiculous, but he couldn't help it. The love of his life was having their baby and the unplanned nature of it nor the fact they weren't quite married yet could change how thrilled he was about it all.
"I guess it's a good thing we decided on fast tracking the wedding," he said.
A spark of something like worry flickered in her eyes and a crease appeared between her eyebrows.
She asked, "Does it ever feel like everything is moving too fast?"
His answer was on the tip of his tongue, but the seriousness in her eyes made him pause and actually consider the question. Sure, he sometimes felt a little overwhelmed but it wasn't because of the pace of their relationship. It was because of how much he loved her, the all encompassing nature of it and how he couldn't imagine his life without ever finding and loving her. He was overwhelmed by the fact that she loved him just as much because after Lori, he'd never thought he'd find that. So, no. It never felt like things were moving too fast. It felt like they were just getting to the place they were always supposed to be.
He smiled and pressed a kiss against her forehead.
"Baby, I love you. It feels like you were put in my life to make all my wishes come true all at once so none of this is too fast for me."
Those tears were back, but he knew it was the happy kind as she twisted her fingers in his beard and grinned over at him.
"I love you too and I feel the same way," she whispered, before a yawn betrayed how tired she was.
He gathered her in his arms as much as he could without disturbing the medical equipment connected to her and rested his forehead against hers.
"Get some sleep. You and the little one need the rest."
Her eyes fluttered shut almost on command but her smile stretched across her face.
"Andrea googled it and the baby is the size of a poppy seed right now."
"Really? A poppy seed?"
"Yeah," she breathed. "By the time we get married, it'll be the size of a blueberry."
He hummed and closed his eyes, his own exhaustion catching up with him. Her breathing evened out into a steady rhythm and he allowed himself to fall asleep too, with thoughts of weddings, poppy seeds, and blueberries coloring his dreams.