Maggie and Glenn were slowly moving on, they were still hurting, but that was to be expected. Hershel and Meredith were helping them as much as they could. It had been close to a year and they were still trying for a baby. Meredith was outside of the school with her class plus her kids - Sam, Joel, Daniel, Eli and Isaac, they were doing school work and all doing good in school. She smiled going over their paperwork.
"Good job." She said passing it back out. She sat down at the coffee table on the floor and started working on some other work with them, they finished a while later, Meredith slowly got up. "Take a break, go check on the animals or play.." She smiled, Harley, Spot, and Tanner - their pitbulls that survived all this with them were outside keeping watch over the place and the animals they had. The kids nodded and quickly left to go outside.
Meredith was picking up the pencils and papers, putting them in a folder and leaving them on the table. Elijah and Isaac were playing with Judith, while Rick and Michonne were watching and playing with them. Meredith stood up feeling a hand wrap around her and kiss her neck. "Good morning beautiful." Hershel smiled kissing her neck more.
Meredith smiled kissing him softly back. "Good morning." She place her hands over his and moved closer to him. "Busy morning?"
"Yes." He smiled nuzzling her face with his beard. He hadn't been shaving lately, and it had grown into a good full beard, it was slowly going white, with some specks of black in it still. "Very busy." He kissed her more
Meredith smiled feeling him and laughed softly. "Keep doing that and we might have to run home, Bear."
"I wouldn't mind doing that, Dove." He smiled pressing a kiss against her neck.
Meredith let out a sigh closing her eyes, relaxing against him. "Me either." She smiled.
Hershel chuckled into her neck.
Later that year, Meredith and Hershel were talking with Isaac and Eli, watching them play with the dogs on the porch. She smiled feeling the sun shine. Maggie had announced her pregnancy, along with Beth being very pregnant. Beth was huge, and uncomfortable - along with being really emotional. Merle didn't know really how to talk to her and had to talk to Hershel about how to talk to his fiancee being so upset, and emotional all the time. She was near the end of her pregnancy. Maggie was ecstatic to be pregnant again, and was taking it easy, resting a lot and refusing to really do a lot. She was worried she'd lose this baby. Harlan even made trips over to Alexandria to reassure her, and keep an eye on her with Hershel.
"So…. You and Hershel planning on anymore?" Enid asked during dinner one night they all were eating together outside.
"I….If it's meant to happen." Meredith smiled. "Whatever the Lord decides.." She looked at Hershel. They had been trying, they just didn't talk about it with the others.
"That's a good way to look at it." Enid smiled slightly. "Sorry for being nosy." She looked down.
"Not nosy at all, dear." Meredith smiled slightly. "Don't worry about it."
Enid smiled slightly and nodded, continuing eating.
Harlan agreed to stay in Alexandria while Beth was during the last week of her pregnancy. She had a few false alarms but nothing progressive. She had Meredith telling her it usually happens, but wanted a real doctors second opinion about it.
Merle and Beth were still engaged, and being quiet close. Meredith was working on some paperwork, while Beth rested upstairs in the bedroom. Merel was off with Daryl on a run, they needed some extra baby things, and took Michonne, Carol and Rick with them as backup. Hershel was off tending the animals on the growing farm they all had established.
"Mama?" Beth said worried, walking out of the bedroom.
"Yes, dear?" Meredith said not looking up from her paperwork.
"My uhm…" Beth let out a groan, "My water broke."
Meredith looked up, putting her papers down and going to Beth. "Are you sure?"
"I…think so?" Beth frowned, she wasn't sure now.
"Let's get you in the bathroom and we'll see." Meredith smiled slightly helping her. Beth nodded walking to the bathroom with her and showed her. "Yeah, that's your mucus plug honey.." She smiled.
Beth frowned seeing it. "That's gross."
Meredith laughed softly. "It's a good thing honey." She helped her clean up and in some sweatpants. Meredith helped her into the living room and relax on the couch.
Beth groaned and sighed sitting down. "I hope so."
"It is honey." Meredith smiled softly, holding her hand. Beth bit her lip holding her hand back.
Beth continued with her labor, having contractions frequently. Meredith was keeping time of them, and writing them down, helping her with them. Hershel and Merle came into the house around dinner time. "Everything okay?" Hershel asked walking in.
"Baby…" Beth breathed groaning through another contraction, gripping onto Meredith's hand.
"Good honey." She smiled moving her hair from her face. She moved her hand when the contraction was done, and tied Beth's hair up into a ponytail.
"Really?" Merle smiled slightly, walking in. Hershel smiled loosening his boots.
Beth nodded hugging him slightly when he sat down.
"Comin' frequently." Meredith smiled getting up. "Going to work on dinner." She kissed Beth's forehead and gave her some water. "Drink honey.."
Beth nodded leaning against Merle, and breathing more. She took small sips and closed her eyes.
Meredith smiled hugging Hershel and kissed him softly in the kitchen. "Getting excited Papa?"
"I am." He smiled kissing her back and helped her with dinner. "Seems strange to become a Grandpa… Can't believe Beth is going to be a mother.." He remained silent for a minute, and continued cutting up the potatoes. Meredith was cutting up the squirrels that Daryl and Merle got while hunting to blow off steam earlier this morning. She was using one of Hershel's mother's recipe for baked squirrel with veggies and potatoes.
She got them browned on the stove, threw some water with some spices in with it and put them in the oven part. They had put a old fashioned wood stove in that had an actual stove on it. "I know it's a big change." She smiled up at him. She noticed he looked worried, she placed a hand on his shoulder. "She'll be okay."
"I know, Dove." He smiled down at her, and kissed her cheek. "Just thinkin' back to when she was born." He sat in the chair at the table, and pulled Meredith into his lap. "She was so beautiful.." He rested his chin on her shoulder. "She didn't cry, she just smiled, and looked up at Annette with her big blue eyes. All the nurses just fell in love with her." He chuckled. "Scared me 'cause she refused to cry - Doc had to get her crying.."
Meredith smiled listening, and laughed softly. "She is a beautiful girl - Can only imagine what she looked like as a baby.. Pictures don't do her justice.."
Hershel nodded and smiled. "She looks just like her mother…." He looked up. "Sorry, Dove." He muttered.
"For?"
"Talking so much about Annette.." He sighed.
"Hershel David." Meredith smiled looking at him. "Don't you apologize for talking about Josephine and Annette to me." She stroked his face. "I love hearing about them. That's why, I always pushed the girls to talk about them when they were going through things or just missed her in general and wanted to talk about her. That's why, I had them dedicate the main wall in our house in the living room to Josephine and Annette.. It helped them a lot and helped me understand them a lot more."
Hershel smiled listening to her. "God, I love you." He stroked her face, watching her. "You are always so good to them.. I just thought I was hurting your feelings talkin' about them."
She shook her head, "Not'all. I love hearing 'bout 'em." she kissed him gently. "They are family."
Author Note:
I'm working on another story with Meredith and Hershel - it'll be a yours, mine and ours version! I'm still doing the first few chapters so far... So it'll be interesting to see where that goes. Also working on another story with Rick and Michonne... So keep your eye out!
Also come up with some suggestions for Beth's baby and Gender. I got some idea, but Though it'd be fun to let you guys have some fun with it too! Blessings, EJ-StoryGirl
