Disclaimer:

Carol Peletier, Sophia Peletier, King Ezekiel, Henry, Jerry, Shiva, and any other recognizable character or plot of The Walking Dead belong to AMC Network and Skybound Entertainment, Image Comics and Robert Kirkman.

In no way is the author claiming ownage of any of the characters nor is there any economical/monetary gain at any time. The author is extremely respectful of the original creators and is willing to take down this work of fiction if requested.

No copyright infringement intended.

Genevieve is property of the author.

Chapter 3: 2nd Month

The nosebleed comes out of nowhere. One minute she is reading to Ezekiel, sitting comfortably on their bed with his head on her lap, and the next he's looking up at her very, very concerned.

"You are bleeding." He tells her.

Carol quickly raises a hand to her nose and feels the moisture. When she pulls back her hand she notices the crimson on it. She's off the bed in an instant, moving to their bathroom to clean up, throwing a "Sorry" at the way she pushes him away.

"Are you sure you are alright?" He asks once she comes back a couple of minutes later, her nosebleed under control by a tissue paper. When she slides back into the bed he quickly gathers her against him.

She knows he has been worried about her; she's been so exhausted she can barely stay awake most of the time, she's had a stomach bug that doesn't seem to go away and whose effects alternate between vomiting and consuming everything in her path and now her nose has started bleeding.

"Perhaps we should go to Hilltop, their doctor is better equipped then our infirmary."

"It's just a stomach bug." She insists, settling against him with a slight wince. "I must have eaten something that wasn't well cooked and my stomach has decided to punish me for it."

"And the nose bleed?" He asks raising her chin just slightly so he can look into her eyes.

"Probably dry air. I think it was the peach cobbler that didn't agree with my stomach." She replies. "I know Jerry loves it, but I have to show restraint or my pants will really not fit anymore."

She is vomiting like crazy, specially when in the heat of the morning, but her pants kept getting snugger. She's blamed it on the munchies she keeps getting late at night. Once Jerry had heard about her sudden affinities to peach he had prepared peach cobbler for her, day in and day out.

Underneath her hand she feels Ezekiel suddenly become alert. She can't help but react to it, incorporating a little and looking around their room for some type of danger. When she finds none she turns to look at him curiously only to realize he's in turn staring at her. "What?"

He shakes his head as if trying to tell himself he's imagining things. His eyes are so expressive and his face looks so goofy that she finds herself smiling in return, although her smile is tainted with confusion. "What?"

"Don't panic." He tells her right away.

"Saying that will guarantee to make me panic." She warns him.

"Baby." He says, taking her hand in his. "Now I don't know much in this world, I can admit that, but I think you might be pregnant."

Carol's jaw drops as she stares at him, her back going straight, her whole body tensed. "What? No! That's impossible."

"But…". He pauses, putting some space between them, just enough to shift his body fully towards her. "The sleeping, the vomiting, the eating, you've said so yourself… you've been tender."

"That's just because my period will most likely make another appearance. I can't be pregnant."

"But there's a chance you might."

"No. I had my cycle last month. This is just a stomach bug…". She pauses mid-sentence to take a breath. "Ezekiel, I don't think it is a possibility for us… and even if it was I don't know…. I don't know if I'd want to bring a child into this world."

Ezekiel's expression slowly melts away and is replaced by sadness that makes her ache. They had never discussed the possibility of a pregnancy because she was sure that it was out of the cards for them. With her cycle rarely making a visit and the lack of certain nutritions she was sure she was going through the change long before they had even gotten married. As much as he insisted that she was not a bad omen for children and as much as she had opened to claiming Henry as her son, Carol knows that having a baby would come with many dangers not only for herself during the pregnancy, but for the child; they were defenseless in a world that requieres you to be always on your feet and ready to fight.

"I am sorry." She whispers.

He puts on a brave face, gives her a smile and pulls her close again, snuggling as they love to do. Without him even having to say it she knows that he'd embraced wholeheartedly the possibility of a child but he loves her so much that he's ready to never be a father if that's all she can offer.

"I'm sorry."