A:N: I promise you won't have to wait so long for the next update. The conclusion to Promises We Made will also be up soon. Thanks for your patience!
Sophia
He could watch her sleep for the rest of his days and consider his life a well lived one. Every breath she inhaled and exhaled filled him with a sustaining sense of peace he thought he'd never feel in his lifetime. The sun was now streaking in, the curtains filtered enough of its aureated light for him to know they were probably an hour behind schedule. He dare not disturb his jam making, festival planning, ranch revamping wife's slumber. He wanted her to get as much rest as she could. Today was the Oakland Festival and she would be plenty busy running her jam stall and helping out with the fashion segment of the long awaited event.
His impatient hand gravitated towards her big belly under the duvet, well into her eight month, their baby boy was growing bigger and bigger as the days pass. His take charge mode was overlooked these days, she was a busy lady with not much down time because of the festival. Simply put, she didn't have time to spare for something as ridiculous as rest. Although he made no apologies when he put his foot down when her pretty feet began to swell and her slender back began to ache. Even though his wife never complained he saw the intervention necessary.
She shifted slightly on the pillow, her cheek barely made a dent on the mint green pillowcase. The light curve gave the impression she was resting on a cloud which was so fitting because her beauty was angel like to him. Michonne came to mean everything to him in such a short space of time. He couldn't imagine his world without her existence now. He slipped a stray loc behind her ear, his body in a perpetual state of willingness to touch her alluring frame.
"Good morning," she said reaching out to touch his stubbled face.
"Mornin' beautiful."
"What time is it?" She yawned in her dainty Michonne way and she stretched her arms wide before allowing her hands to rest comfortably on her baby bump.
"Seven thirty." He adjusted himself against the headboard of the bed, content to watch her morning ritual unfold. It was a whole show as she morphed from sleepyhead to organizer extraordinaire, having full plans for most days of the week. He was usually out of bed before she woke up most mornings, so when he got a front row seat to the Michonne show he made sure to lend all of his attention.
"We're late."
"Nah, we're not. We have time for a lazy breakfast. Think Denise is making pancakes today. And eggs and bacon…"
"And mangoes?"
He bent over her, lifting her stretchy white tank he kissed her belly, "Yes..mangoes too."
That made her giggle and she struggled to sit up on her own until he assisted her.
"So let's talk about today..."
She grabbed her phone off the night table, checking for messages or missed calls from Georgia or anyone else from the committee. Pushing off his upcoming lecture, but there really was no way to avoid it. She stole a glimpse of him in her peripheral and as expected his veiny arms were folded, his enticing baby blues were waiting for her registration to his sermon.
"What about today?" She faced him, giving him her full attention.
"There's gonna be plenty of activity today and I know you're involved in a lot…"
"But…," she smirked at him.
He squinted at her, reading her with his significantly dismantling gaze. "But I don't want you doin' too much. I need you to not push the limits today. You think you can do that for me?"
"Babe…"
"Michonne…"
"Our whole family is gonna be there. We have all hands on deck. I won't over do it." She reached over to him and kissed him sweetly on his lips. "You worry too much."
He frowned at her, but he felt touched by how she openly claimed his family as her own. They were a fragmented crew when she arrived, but her strong will and take-no-bull- shit attitude helped to cut down his bullheadedness. She helped him see the good in love again, toning down his philistine ways and amping up his more palatable side. She helped his family build bridges for the roads that were broken after his father's death. It was her acceptance of Shane and Dwight, Andrea and Sherry, despite the competition they were all so heavily baited into entering that brought the big changes. The perfect way she filled the loneliness that had swallowed his mother whole when his dad died. She fit right into his life the way she fit right into his heart, as though she was always meant to be there.
Now they were reaffirming their foundation by having a son, building a family of their own. Nothing gave him more joy. She filled the cracks, they were whole now even though a big part of them was still missing. He never dwelled on it but he thought about him every day. He knew his mother did too.
"Hey, where did you go?" She was commanding his thoughts with just her touch. He didn't realize how lost he got in them sometimes.
"I'm still with you."
She shuffled her way to him, as delicately as she could've given her roundness and fitted herself on his lap. "You better be."
Bailey and Codger had slept in their room last night, no doubt Michonne let them in while he was at his business meeting signing another contract for the provision of their best cuts of prime beef. This contract went to a major restaurant chain up north called Pepper Pot, a growing franchise that catered to spicy appetites and meat lovers galore. By the time he got home he was too tired to take the dogs downstairs. He knew ever since the poisoning two months ago she preferred to keep them close. He was glad his boys stuck by her side even in his absence.
There were no more incidents, nor was there any trace of circumstantial evidence that linked anything back to Gareth. His friends were still working on the case and he still kept up every precaution to ensure Michonne's safety. He wasn't being careless, if anything happened to her he was afraid of the things that type of loss would make him consider.
Life had pretty much rolled on. Now that the baby race was drawing to a welcomed close his mind did drift to the hypotheticals of him and Michonne winning the baby race money. It would be interesting now that they weren't in direct need of the funds and could pretty much do whatever they wanted with it.
"Have you ever thought about if we won the money what we'd do with it?" he asked, unable to keep the thought to himself.
Her eyebrows pursed, surprised by his question. She'd place all thoughts of the money behind her ever since she put her love for Rick in front of everything else. Now that they'd sign their fourth restaurant and second grocery story to be their regular supplier for prime beef cuts it wasn't a thought in her mind.
The way Rick's eyes narrowed and his eyebrows set pensive she realized he did.
"I haven't given it much thought." Since he'd surrendered their marriage earnings as a sacrifice to Gareth for her she wanted to forget the power the money had over their relationship at one time. Knowing Rick traded the money for her heart was all the richness she needed. "But you have, so tell me."
Sherry and Andrea were neck and neck with her during the last couple of months. They were all just waiting to see who'd pop first. Something told her Sherry would go into labor first because she was so much bigger than she and Andrea were. Besides she still had three weeks to go before they met Mango.
"I think I wanna invest in making this place a rehabilitation center for horses. With that kind of money we could more than do it."
She nodded, committed to follow him wherever his dreams took him. He loved horses, they thrived under his care.
"Maybe I can start my own jam company! Branch out into syrups and other treats." She too was getting exposure. She and Georgia went to every farmers market, every country fair, every trade show they could find within Oakland's radius. She was talking to a few people who were considering exporting her tasty jam.
Rick said their zany duo was like Lucy and Ethel. Their jam promotion was delivered in a high octane yet comedic fashion. It was so well received and gaining popularity by the minute. She was grinning at the prospect. He loved to see her face light up so bright, the bioluminescence of the fireflies was no match for it. Love wasn't a pre requisite for him when he asked her to marry him. He wanted to shield his heart while sharing his home with Michonne, but she broke through the scaffolding he set up around his heart.
Now her love was essential to him as breathing.
"I think the possibilities are endless now." His confidence was soaring and he wasn't going to feel guilty for feeling so happy. Not when he had all that he wanted in his grasp.
"We're gonna have a good day?" Her voice was laced with enthusiasm.
"Oh yeah."
….
She lost count of how many orders she received so far. She didn't think her and Georgia's decorative yet small jam tent would've received so much attention today. There wasn't a slow period for them since they had fully set up. The weather was cooperating despite the humidity of the day. She'd rather the big ball of sun being on blast than its counterpart of ill timed rain on such a jovial occasion.
Georgia was packaging a small box containing four bottles of Pineapple Of My Heart and Cherry On for a customer.
"Good thing we decided to make some more jam Michonne. Our stock is almost finished," Georgia said setting the boxes in order.
"I wanted to make more but that son of yours…" Michonne laughed, feeling the exhaustion of the day seeping in but she was determined to sell all the jam she could before the festival was over.
"No wonder he calls you The Jaminator!" Georgia's sweet laughter filled the air, Michonne and the girls joined her.
"Yeah, look who's adding corny to their reputation now?" She bent at the knees, trying but failing to reach a box of labels on the ground. She huffed out a sigh of frustration at not being able to do things she so easily took for granted before.
"Chonne, you gotta ask me to do those things! I have strict orders from the Big Kahuna himself to take care of you." Sasha was at her feet in a flash, witnessing the dilemma of her friends bending impediment.
"Sasha, I'm not dying you know. I'm just pregnant. Besides the Big Kahuna isn't here." Michonne turned around rubbing her back, feeling the once vacant air turn into one hundred and eighty pounds of rugged cowboy.
"You were sayin'?" Rick questioned, hands on hips waiting for her expected rebuttal.
"I was just trying to get one thing." Of course the universe would be in cahoots with Rick Grimes. His timing was always impeccable!
"You're rubbing your back. You in pain? Is it Mango?" Attentive to all her pregnancy pains, phantom and real ones, he knew she wasn't bluffing. She was doing the most today as expected. He wasn't pleased about it. Before she could respond he dragged one of the white wooden chairs with his boot, bringing it right beside her.
"Chair." It was a command almost, one not to be dismissed.
"Bear!," she hissed.
"Chair." He put more bass in his tone, unconcerned about their familial audience.
"Fine." She sat down on the chair, conceding with his caveman care. She'd be a liar if she said his badly hidden Fred Flintstone alter ego didn't turn her on.
"It's amazing how a little base in your throat will have you actually listening to somebody!" Sasha was always thrilled by the way Michonne and Rick orbited each other.
There was a light breeze making its way across the sprawling Savannah, it was the ideal location for this year's festival. The hills and mountains surrounding the plains looked like it was taken out of a picturesque Austrian backyard. Crape Myrtle trees fenced the lush grounds, its showy vibrant flowers blooming over the evergreen landscape with a southern flare. Some flowers had fallen from glory but were still able to carpet the ground beneath them in a pink and purple haze. It was a beautiful day and everything was coming along nicely.
"Everything seems to be going well," Michonne said from her wooden chair view.
"Yeah the horses are being groomed by Eddie. As soon as I'm done ridin' I'll be back here to help. I'm yours for the evenin'" Rick handed her a bottle of water as a measurement to tamper off the heat.
"Great…" She was trying not to be sarcastic. She failed. She loved her husband but having him at her heels, monitoring her every movement like he was a CIA agent was going to drive her nuts.
Rick's smirk died a quick death when he saw Jessie headed their way.
Andrea, Sherry and Georgia had sauntered off to collect a late lunch. Rosco had brought his BBQ food truck and the line was already circus long.
"Rick," she began giving Michonne a half wave in greeting, "Dale's lookin' for you. Said the horses are ready." Jessie was shielding her eyes from the sun's potent rays. It was difficult to see the seething under the shed her hand created.
"Already? I thought we had another twenty minutes?"
Jessie shrugged, paying attention to her planner, "You know Dale. He likes to be pragmatic."
He checked his watch, then looked directly at Michonne. "You comin' to see me ride? I saved you a front row seat."
Michonne stared back at him with the sweetest gaze, "I wouldn't miss it."
He kissed her squarely on the lips and gave her belly a pat, oblivious to the upset that encased Jessie.
"Sasha you two come on over. I'm sure Andrea and Sherry will head straight over there. Maybe in ten minutes."
Shane and Dwight along with Daryl were all going to be in the horse parade too. This year was a real family affair.
Sasha nodded as Rick sauntered over to his current destination.
Michonne got up from the chair wanting to ensure her belongings were packed away and nothing valuable was left back before she went to the small arena. She couldn't wait to see Rick on his horse again. The marlboro man was no contender for his appeal on a thoroughbred. He and the horse moved as one; with a stetson on his unruly curls, he was a moving masterpiece.
"Umm...Michonne before you head on over can I introduce you to someone?" Jessie was still at the stall.
"Who is it?" Sasha asked, curiosity getting the best of her. They had met and measured all the models for the fashion show. The stage was already set and decorated. The clothes had been steamed and prepped, they were ready to roll as soon as the curtains were up.
"It's a potential buyer for your... jams, but he's a private guy with plenty of money so he wants you to come to him instead." She was trying her best to sound convincing. It was easy to just assume the worst about Jessie but Sasha felt like she was behaving outlandish for a reason.
"You're helping us?" Sasha remained skeptical of Jessie's intentions from the first day they'd met.
Jessie placed her hands on her barely there hips, a wistful smile tugging her thin lips, "Listen I know we started off on the wrong foot but without you two the festival wouldn't have been this...efficient." At the moment Jessie resigned herself to lie through her teeth to get what she wanted.
Sasha folded her arms unconvinced. Michonne nudged her not wanting to continuously be at odds with someone so insignificant to her almost perfect life.
"Sure. Where is he?"
"Follow me." Jessie was too happy to lead the way.
Just as Michonne stepped outside their tent, Sasha lay a firm hand on her arm.
"You sure you're up to this?"
"Yes Sasha I'm sure. Rick is expecting us soon so let's get on with it."
"How far is it Jessie?"
"Not too far. He has his own trailer." They started down on the beaten path.
Jessie lead the way, cutting through the mass of people who were moving in the opposite direction towards the small arena like a swarm of bees. Everybody wanted the best seat in the house to enjoy the thoroughbred horses on full display. Once they were at the exit to the far end where the restrooms were located Jessie paused and looked around like she was searching for something.
"There's no one here," Michonne deduced.
There was no trailer in sight. Just a stray dog, two stragglers who didn't want to go with the crowd and an empty guard both.
"What's going on Jessie?" Sasha asked, amused that it appeared they were wasting their time.
"This wasn't a good idea." Jessie wrung her hands nervously. Her head spinning in every direction as though she was looking out for somebody.
"What wasn't a good idea?" Sasha barked to the now mute blonde.
Michonne was flummoxed that she'd been setup, she was trying to give Jessie the benefit of the doubt inspite of her constant criticism over every change she'd brought to Oakland. Some people were resistant to change, Jessie tumbled into that category.
Without warning, except for the loud rumble of an overused engine, a white unmarked cargo van sped up to the fence. Two men who were dressed in all black with black hats tumbled out the van.
Sasha and Michonne's reactions weren't as swift. The scene unfolded in front of Michonne like something she'd seen and laughed at on TV because the action looked so staged.
The tallest man grabbed her arm, with his other hand he yanked the slider door open and shoved her inside.
She screamed in vain.
"What the hell is this!?" Sasha struggled out of the other man's grip, refusing to be taken by force.
"Jessie please! Get Rick!" Michonne pleaded from the confinement of the van where she'd already been tied by her hands.
She didn't want to retaliate for fear of her baby being hurt.
"Shut up!" The man inside the van pushed Michonne around to make room for Sasha.
"You said you weren't going to...to..hurt...them!" Jessie stammered.
"Let her go!" Sasha shouted again. This time the plea was while she was being dragged inside the van.
"Shut up! And get in!" The masked men hit Sasha on her head with something blunt. Michonne couldn't make out what it was, but Sasha slumped to the ground.
They swooped her up immediately and dumped her in the van like she was a sack of grain.
The man with black eyes pushed her into the van. She didn't want to retaliate and hurt her baby so there wasn't much she could do. They were too far from the festivities to be heard clearly but she screamed till the air in her lungs ran out.
Jessie was a statue, mute and stone cold in her numb position.
The door slammed shut, encasing them in a dark closet. Michonne's chest heaved in fear.
She didn't know where she was being taken and Sasha was knocked out at her feet.
"Oh God!" She cried hoping that Rick noticed she was missing.
Jessie watched the van disappear in a cloud of dust. She didn't think things would've unfolded so theatrically, so dangerously. Gareth promised that no one was going to get hurt. All he wanted was more money and to teach Rick Grimes a lesson.
She thought about Michonne clutching her belly in a protective gesture and her palms began to sweat.
"Oh God! What have I done?" she said to herself, berating her dumb decisions and the macabre situation she had orchestrated.
….
"Sasha!" Her friend had been knocked out for over fifteen minutes. At least that was her best estimate of time. The truck was still moving, the terrain now a bumpy ride. The scent of trees were stronger than before and she assumed they were in the woods. She lived on the ranch and had been out hunting with Daryl too many times rescuing animals to pick up on the difference.
She was convinced it was Gareth who took her.
What did he want this time?
Sasha remained still next to her. Her fear was palpable, she thought she'd bite her lip until it bled. The van was speeding now, her hands were tied and fear had stolen her voice. Worried about Sasha and her baby she began to pray. Rick would notice her absence. She knew he would. Then he'd come looking for her like a mad man out of hell.
Her kidnappers would know soon they had made a grave mistake.
….
"Where's Michonne!?" His voice was venomous.
They had spent two hours casing the whole area searching for Michonne. She was nowhere in sight.
"She has to be here!" His tone was furious. He thought she and Sasha had a slight delay in coming to see him ride, but the show was over and Michonne was nowhere in sight.
"Can't find Sasha either!" Daryl was pacing now which he only did when he was angry or concerned about something. Everyone knew how much he cared about Sasha. Rick passed a frustrated hand through his dark curls, losing his cowboy hat the minute he came off his horse. Michonne was the only thing on his mind when his eyes hadn't found hers in the man made arena where she promised she'd be.
"Everything is here. All packed up. Where could she be?" There was a worried tone in Georgia's voice when she spoke. Concerned etched on her face as she watched her eldest go silent which was never a good sign.
"Well she couldn't just disappear!" Rick barked. Michonne wouldn't just leave and not tell him or anyone else where she was going. She would think about Mango first. Something was wrong, he could feel it in his bones.
Shane and Dwight came jogging up to their tent. "I searched high and low, ain't no sign of neither of 'em."
Rick caught Daryl's eye, the same speculative glint in his mirrored that of Daryl's. He was feeling the same sense of trepidation the evening they found Bailey poisoned. Only this time the ghastly feeling was a million times more intense as he wondered if someone took his wife from right under his nose.
"Who was she last with?" Sherry asked.
"Sasha." The answer came from Daryl.
"No. That would be Jessie." Rick recalled Jessie calling him to the show. He remembered leaving her with Michonne when he left. In hindsight it seemed suspicious because when he went to meet Dale, he'd been told they weren't ready for him yet. Did Jessie set them up?
Michonne could be somewhere hurt, or bleeding or in labor.
"I swear to God if Jessie had anything to do with this…" A heavy pulse beat at his temples.
"Rick…" Georgia placed a hand on his arm, watching his eyes transform into a savage stare.
"Find her!"
Shane and Dwight were on it. Concern for their sister in law and friend all the motivation they needed.
"You think Gareth had something to do with this?" Daryl was persuaded he had a hand to play in things. "What if he and Jessie are working together?" He was trying to make sense of it all.
Rick's cell phone rang, an unknown number appearing on his screen. He slide the green key and answered in a huff. "Who's this?"
"Rick Grimes. I guess by now you know you're wife is missing. And yeah I've got ..Sasha is it? She's here too. Wasn't planning on taking her but…"
"I'm gonna kill you." Rick couldn't control his tongue.
Gareth laughed. Rick heard the imbecile in his voice.
"Really? Listen, this is gonna be an easy trade. You want your wife back? All you gotta do is give me twenty thousand dollars. You can use the same account from when you paid off Michonne's debt. Heard through the grapevine you two are doing pretty well now." Gareth was sinister in his request.
Rick was holding his cell phone in a vice grip. Any tighter and he'd break the phone in two.
"Let me talk to my wife." He was aggravated now, ruthless on his thoughts about what he'd do to Gareth when he found him, and he was going to find him.
There was a slight shuffle in the background, when he heard Michonne's strained voice on the phone his hands and knees grew weak.
"Rick!"
"Chonne! You alright?"
"I'm ok...but Sasha.."
"That's enough!" Gareth took back the reigns. "You have two hours. And don't try anything stupid. Keep your phone close."
"Hope you remember what I promised you the last time you tried to take what was mine." Were Rick's last words before the call ended.
Now that he was certain Gareth was the asshole he'd proven himself to be it was easy to deduce the stampede, the poisoning and now Michonne's kidnapping were all his doing.
He was certain Gareth wasn't working alone but he'd fight off a whole army to get Michonne back if he had to.
….
It didn't take much interrogation from a guilty, ashamed Jessie to spill where Gareth could've taken Michonne. She admitted her role in the heist and her shanghai shenanigans that lead Michonne and Sasha to the back fence. Rick couldn't even look at her, disgusted that she'd put his wife and unborn baby's life in jeopardy because of jealousy and greed. Daryl had badgered her enough. Rick couldn't even bear to tell his friend he'd suspected Sasha was injured. He didn't know what Daryl would do in all his rage. They didn't have much time to waste. Gareth gave him two hours to get him the money which meant Rick had two hours to find the bastard before he touched a hair on Michonne's head.
The area where Jessie said they may have been taken was in the backwoods of Oakland. The only place Rick considered they could be was in an abandoned church. He knew the area well and was going to use his knowledge of the land to his advantage. Shane and Dwight waited on his command on how they were going to ambush them. Gareth assumed nobody knew where he was.
Georgia went to the sheriff to report what happened while keeping an eye on Sherry and Andrea who were showing obvious signs of worry.
"Shane! Go to Serenity. Get my rifle." Rick pondered a few seconds on a way to prove to Gareth he wasn't one to be messed with. "And bring my red handled machete." If Gareth wanted a savage beast today he had just found one on steroids.
"Got it."
"Meet me and Daryl by the river."
He was going to get his wife back, anybody who got in the way of that was going to lose.
….
She didn't know how much time had passed by now, but she felt her stomach tighten again and she bore the pain silently. Her hands were still tied behind her back and Sasha lay next to her. Dry blood stained her forehead but she was moaning and that sign of life was a good thing right now.
"Sasha, please! Wake up! I think something's wrong!"
She was scared for so many things; for Sasha, for herself, for her baby but she knew Rick would find them.
He had to.
"My head." Sasha was coming to. The old abandoned house they were in was musty and the scent of the room was about to make her gag. Even though it paled in significance to the crippling pain her body was feeling. She couldn't be going into labor. Not now, not when she was three weeks away from her due date. Not now, when she was kidnapped and Rick was so many miles away.
"You sick, greedy bastard! You're gonna pay for this!" Adrenaline was coursing through her veins giving her much more bravado than she felt.
"Where are we?" Sasha said sitting up slowly clutching the side of her head.
"This will all be over soon. Ricky boy will send the money. He's proven you're worth it before." Gareth's voice was annoying as hell.
"This is all….about money? You think you're getting away with this? You obviously didn't think this through….dumb ass!," she said viciously. She was grinding her pain now, pretty sure she was about to go into labor if she wasn't already.
"Why don't you just keep quiet!"
Sasha called him every derogatory name in the book, refusing to be subjugated. Her head was back to a heavy throb, like a band was hosting a concert up there. Someone was on drums and someone was banging cymbals too. The pain was worth the irritated look on Gareth's face though.
"I think you have a concussion. Sasha listen to me. I think I'm in labor!" Her whisper was edged with panic but she tried to remain calm for her baby's sake.
"What? Now?" Sasha was still holding her head. They were on the floor, next to a broken down altar. Michonne made out a few wooden benches in front of them despite the lack of natural light. She discovered they weren't in a house, but a church. She wished she picked up on that detail to tell Rick but it had been too dark for her to see. The night had been ushered in quickly making her realize she had lost track of time. They were probably missing for hours by now.
Gareth was talking to someone by the double door entrance. It was safe to say he had two partners. It wasn't just Jessie alone. She didn't know the two men he was with, having never seen them before.
"Michonne...are you sure? Are we in a church?"
"Yes we're in a church. Oh god!" Pain ripped through her belly again. This one was more intense than the last. She felt a wetness between her legs. Her worst fear was being realized. She was in labor. Talk about Mango having bad timing. He wasn't ripe yet.
Sasha saw the wetness and shouted to Gareth. "Untie me! She's going into labor!"
"Shit! Right now?" Gareth said, a slow panic dancing on his face. He had no contingency plan for this surprise. He didn't realize she was so far along.
The man next to him, dressed in all black spoke, "Well we can't leave her there like that!"
"Fine! Untie them. Rick doesn't have much time anyways."
Sasha positioned herself between Michonne's leg to check her progress.
Michonne was obviously in a lot of pain and Sasha would be lying to say she wasn't scared too.
"It wasn't supposed to happen like this," Michonne said, beads of perspiration bursting out on her forehead.
"I know." Sasha wished she had a gun. Daryl had made her into a good shot. At this range there was no way she would miss Gareth and his co-conspirators.
She had to concentrate on Michonne right now, who was just as scared as her.
She hoped wherever Rick and Daryl were, they were on their way to find them.
….
Rick remembered the old church from his childhood. He and his three brothers would always run away to play there until George Grimes came and found them. He would ground them all for playing cops and robbers in such a sacred place, but due to its gradual abandoned state Rick didn't consider the dilapidated building a church. It was simply four walls and a roof to him.
Whatever the place was now, if Michonne was hurt in any form today there would be hell to pay inside its walls.
They knew a secret passageway through the underneath of the house. He and Daryl, Shane and Dwight snuck in with their lot of weapons knowing that Gareth wasn't going to give up without a fight. They had to be prepared. Although he knew the city boy was no match for his earned cowboy status. They crept up into the main office, careful to not crack the old floorboards. He split the door as quietly as he could and saw three men at the entrance. You would think Gareth would've been smart enough to keep some kind of watch around the perimeter.
Michonne and Sasha were huddled together. There was a small bundle in Michonne's arms.
Had she gone into labor? His jaw clenched.
He signaled for Shane and Dwight to take point. He would handle Gareth and Daryl would get the two women to safety. The sheriff had commissioned his men to head out to the area armed and ready, but Rick couldn't wait for them.
Not when his wife's life was at stake.
It didn't take much to handle Gareth's sidekicks. By the time they'd been neutralized they had been knocked out on the floor by Shane and Dwight, leaving Gareth and Rick in a standoff.
"How the hell?" Gareth stammered.
"Get on your knees!" Rage blinded Rick. When Gareth didn't comply and reached for his gun Rick delivered an uppercut to his jaw. It was fast and hard. He stumbled and the gun fell out of his shaky hand.
Rick kicked it away.
He and Gareth scuffled until Rick had him on his knees in front of him. Not wanting to scare Michonne and Sasha he didn't bother using his gun. He yanked his red handled machete from his gun belt.
"You gonna kill me?" Gareth said in front of him, holding his side and face that was bleeding profusely.
"Well I did make you a promise."
He raise the handle of his machete when a small cry penetrated the old, dark room. Michonne had given birth to his son. He paused in his stance.
"Rick….don't! We're okay." Her voice sought him on the path of rampage his anger was about to take him. The Beauty in the way she said his name always tamed the Beast in him.
In some way he still wanted Gareth to pay for taking from him. For making him miss his son's birth.
Gareth saw Rick's emotional crack and used it to take a broken piece of wood to strike his leg. Rick was faster and brought the red machete down on his hand, severing away his wrist in one swift motion. Gareth let out a skin crawling shriek and Rick laughed.
Rick's head tilted. His sweaty curls slipping onto his wet forehead. He watched as Gareth rolled around on the ground in pain. Didn't Gareth understand by now that any attempts he made at threatening his wife, interfering with his life was tantamount to insanity?
The hellish scream was rivaled by the door bursting open by the sheriff and his men. Guns were drawn, they moved in hard on the three criminals.
"Looks like we came in just in time," Ben said witnessing the fury in Rick's stance over the now one hand man.
"Get me away from him! He's a mad man!" Gareth screamed.
"Well I could've told you that!" Ben said yanking Gareth up by his bloody jacket.
"C'mon you asshole! You're going away for a very long time." Ben and his deputies dragged Gareth and the two accomplices outside to their waiting off-track vehicles.
There was an ambulance waiting by the Savannah, but the aid came with them. "Let's see how fast we can get them there," Shane said running inside.
Rick rushed to Michonne who was holding their baby in her arms. He pulled them both into an embrace.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" was all he could say. Relief took hold of him once she was in his line of sight.
"You're late." She was trying to make light of a really horrible situation.
"I am. But didnt I say I'll always come get you?" He was staring at his heart and soul. She had all confidence in him. She made him feel like superman but he knew he was no superman. Even superman's heart wasn't made out of steel.
"You did," she said, her tone calm. She loosened her arms a bit to give Rick a better view of his son who was in a contented sleep despite his rather unconventional entrance into the world. "Mango this is your Daddy."
Rick's eyes filled with unshed tears. The impact of the baby in his wife's arms on his heart was humbling. How could something so tiny already mean the world to him?
"Hi son." He kissed his dark hair, just like his. "Let's get you two to the hospital."
…...
"What do you mean Andrea and Sherry went into labor?" Rick asked once he had gotten Michonne and the baby settled and checked out fully. They were both now sound asleep in their room at Oakland Springs Hospital. Georgia who had been relieved when Sasha and Michonne had returned to them in one piece couldn't believe the drama that unfolded as evening turned to night.
"I don't know if it was the stress of Michonne's kidnapping but Sherry took in first. By the time we got here Andrea's water burst and everything unfolded pretty quickly." She couldn't believe her three grandchildren had been born on the same day.
What were the odds?
"Is everybody okay?" Rick wanted to know. Michonne and his baby boy were safe now. She had to have been exhausted.
"They are. The boys are with them. Daryl is with Sasha. She had a concussion you know..." Despite all the bad that had happened today everybody was safe now and Rick was contented with that .
"What a day!" Rick allowed himself to collapse into the red chair in the small but quaint room. He sat his hands on his knees watching Michonne and his baby like a sentry.
"Mrs. Grimes?" An attendant stepped into the room.
"Yes?" Georgia said from the three story window view.
"There's someone here to see you."
Confused, she looked at Rick. She wasn't expecting anyone and she wasn't in the mood for any more surprises today. She thought about the possibility of it being Philip Blake. Maybe he had heard of the babies being born and as commissioned came down to the hospital to declare the winner of the baby race.
He couldn't have know already, the babies were only a few hours old.
News didn't travel so fast. Could it?
"Send them in," Rick said now standing next to his mother.
The figure that walked into the room may as well have been a mirage come to life.
He thought he was seeing a ghost, his father in a reincarnated form.
Georgia gasped and placed a hand on her chest. Everyone said that Rick was the splitting image of his father but to him Spencer was more George Grimes than all of the Grimes boys' put together.
He didn't think he'd ever see his brother again but here he was in front of them, alive and smiling like he had just returned from the corner store.
Spencer left a few weeks before their father died, creating a dent in their family and a final nail in his ailing father's heart when he declared Ranch life wasn't for him. That was a year ago and as much as he'd miss his baby brother he tried to forget about him and the gaping size hole in the Grimes family dynasty left by his absence. He always thought his brother's sudden departure had been the catalyst for George Grimes's marriage and baby incentive. Too afraid his other sons and nephew would leave the land they'd grown up on for worldly desires.
"Mama..." Spencer took two steps closer to his tearful mother and unreadable brother.
"Spencer…" Georgia clutched Rick's arm, her eyes matching the shock in her pitch. Rick was struggling to find words. Nothing was getting past the lump in his throat.
"I'm back. And I've got someone for you to meet." Spencer didn't miss a beat.
Rick still couldn't believe his eyes, he'd had a day indeed.
Michonne had been kidnapped, his son had been born in an old church and the prodigal son had returned.
