A Second Chance

Chapter 27

A/N- Okay guys, back to the relative dangers of the apocalypse after the fluffy, domestic chapters! Please don't hate me for this? Please?

Clementine made a full recovery thanks to Calpol, a thin shirt and mine and Carley's TLC. Logan was getting bigger by the day, much to mine and Carley's fear.

"Oh my god, Lee." Carley commented one day, seeing him drag himself around the tent using just his arms and babbling away in complete gibberish. "My baby boy's growing up!"

One day in his sixth month, I was relaxing in our tent with Clementine and Logan after I got back from a run. Carley was off doing the washing with Christa and Katjaa while Lilly stood guard over the small creek, leaving me with the kids.

Logan was curled up in his crib while Clementine and I played a game of Go-fish when our relaxation was interrupted by a frantic-looking Carley.

"Guys!" She panted, her chest heaving as she clutched it. I stood, worrying out of my head while Clementine huddled over to the sleeping boy.

"What's up?" I asked, relaxing when I saw the goofy grin that was spreading across her features.

"Christa's gone into labour." She said simply, bending down to greet Clementine with a hug.

"Holy sh-!"

"Lee!" Carley interrupted, elbowing me in the ribs and effectively shutting me up. She knelt down and kissed Logan's forehead softly, making him crinkle his face in aggravation. She smiled and stood once again, grabbing mine and Clementine's hands in hers and pulling us outside.

Christa was being huddled into her and Omid's tent, hyperventilating and gripping her boyfriend's hand tightly. Lilly and Katjaa were busy clearing the general debris of the floor, making space for her. Omid, however, looked absolutely terrified. His eyes were wide (well, wider than they normally were) and he was sweating nervously. When he made as if to follow her inside, Katjaa held her arm out and shook her head.

"Come on, buddy." I laughed, walking over to him and throwing my arm around his shoulders, leading him away from the tent. "I know it sucks, but it's for the best. You don't want to hear her in pain."

"That's my kid, Lee!" He exclaimed, running his hands through his hair in frustration. "I'll never forgive myself if I'm not there!"

"You'll never forgive yourself if you see what she's going through. Now, come on." I instructed, sitting us both down on one of the overturned, whitewashed logs in the clearing. "Relax, buddy. You're going to be here for a while."

With The Girls

"Holy fuck, Carley!" Christa groaned, sweating profusely. "How the hell did you do this for nearly six hours?!"

"I know, honey." The older woman soothed, brushing the sweat away with a damp cloth. "It's well worth it in the end. I promise."

"It better be…" She replied, letting out an almost inhuman noise. She felt something warm trickle down her leg and looked at the three others in surprise. Their faces blanched as they stared at the patch between her legs. "What the fuck was that?!"

"That's blood, honey." Katjaa said simply, mopping it up with one of the many towels they had. "It's okay. It's actually fairly normal."

"Fairly?!" Christa squeaked, gripping onto Carley's hand tightly.

"Yeah." Katjaa replied, nodding her head and tossing the towel to the side. "Now, I want you to relax. This isn't going to get easier."

Back With the Guys

Omid paced back and forth, wringing his hands and shaking his head in disbelief. It had been two hours since we had last seen the girls and we had received little to no progress reports.

Christa's screams had gotten gradually louder over the course of the two hours, making Omid worse than any of us had expected.

A rustling from inside the tent caught our attention and Carley emerged with Lilly beside her. Her eyes were filled with tears. We all stood and Carley launched herself into my arms. Almost instantly, I knew what had happened.

"Hey." I soothed as she sobbed into my chest. I smoothed her hair as Lilly guided Omid inside.

"Oh my G-god, Lee!" She said between sobs, gripping onto me tightly. "I… I just can't believe…"

"Christa or the baby?" I asked, knowing the answer without her needing one.

"T-the baby… A gorgeous baby girl."

"How's Christa?" I asked gently, rubbing her back in a circular motion.

"How do you think she is?!" She exclaimed, making me jump back in shock. "Her baby just died, Lee! Imagine if it was us with Logan!"

"Okay, I'm sorry…" I whispered, brushing away her tears with the pad of my thumb. "I didn't mean it like that… I just mean how she was feeling… Y'know, after giving birth."

"Sorry." She quickly apologized, kneeling down and embracing Clementine in her maternal embrace. She moved her head slightly so she was looking in the little girl's eyes. "You okay, sweetheart?"

"Yeah…" Clem replied, wiping her eyes and snuggling into Carley's arms.

"You understand what's just happened?"

"Yeah."

"Okay…" Carley sighed, standing once again and making her way over to their tent.

"He's asleep." Lee called, stopping her in her tracks. "I fed him ten minutes ago."

"I know, Lee… I just…" Carley shrugged, entering the tent and leaving us outside, shuffling our feet and grieving together.

Two Days Later

A burial had been held that night, allowing Christa and Omid to say goodbye to their baby girl. She hadn't turned, which meant no one had to put her down. I honestly don't think I could have done it.

As Kenny and I crept through the forest, we kept our ears and eyes alert to pick up any imminent danger. Our guns were held in front of us and our breathing was low.

"You okay, bud?" Kenny asked quietly. I furrowed my brow at the question and nodded.

"Yeah." I replied, keeping on high alert. "Why d'you ask?"

"It's just… ever since the funeral… you've been different."

"I just can't imagine what Christa and Omid are going through." I whispered, shaking my head in disbelief. "Their baby just died! I know it's an apocalypse and we're used to death by now, but it was a baby!"

Suddenly, some twigs snapped nearby and I crouched, signalling for Kenny to be quiet. Thenwe saw it.

A deer.

I signalled for Kenny to walk around, looping so he would attack from it's front. He set on his way and I slowly made my way through the brush. I was almost there… Nearly…

Movement to my left startled me and before I knew it, a walker had leapt on me. I battled with it for a short while but managed to stamp on its skull, effectively scrambling it's brain. A slight burning raised my attention to my left arm. I looked down.

Dark red stood out against my skin, outlining the bite mark that adorned my wrist.