AN: Hello again! Thank you to mrskaz453 and VampWolf92 for their reviews. You too are great! Too sweet. I'm really sorry about the delay. I've been on vacation and thought I would be able to post from the shore but I honestly never finished much there. I finished a lot today in the car. I'm on vacation again for DCI Finals in Indianapolis. 10 hours on the road is a long time to write! Thank you to everyone else that favorited or followed.

I own nothing but Eliza, Josie and whatever characters you don't know. I would love to have Daryl all to myself though...

Enjoy!

Chapter Four

It was the first day Eliza had been allowed out of bed. Hershel had wrapped her thigh tightly with gauze. Her side was wrapped a little less, as it wasn't giving her as much trouble being the smaller wound. She had recovered from the blood loss without the need of a transfusion which everyone on the farm was quite happy about. Hershel still found her too skinny, especially in her condition. He always made sure there was a bit more food on her plate. Sometimes, Eliza tried to slide it onto Josie's plate, still in the habit of giving her daughter more food, still thinking she needed it more. One of the Greene family members or Patricia always caught her.

Eliza was in fact pregnant. The three test she took proved it. It was great news—if the apocalypse had not happened. Gabe had always wanted a large family and she was just fine with that. She would have been fine with Josephine, her pride and joy. And the though became more and more her favorite when she couldn't become pregnant again.

Now the dead walked and it was not a safe world for a child to be born into.

However they all tried to stay positive about the ill-timed pregnancy. Josephine was incredibly excited to be a big sister. She lifted everyone's moral as she skipped about the house singing about being a big sister. It helped Eliza focus on the happier side of being pregnant instead of the fact that she might not survive and neither might the baby.

Josephine was outside in front of the porch chasing what looked like a moth. Eliza had ask to go outside with her, after being cooped up in bed for over a week. It was beautiful outside, though it would have been a little nicer if it was cooler. She sat on the porch swing with her legs stretched out across the seat. Patricia sat near her in a chair, sewing a hole in a pair of pants. She had offered to watch over Eliza as Hershel hadn't wanted her to be alone.

"You think they will be okay?" Eliza asked Patricia, referring to Otis and Jimmy who had decided to go back to where Otis had found the Harlow girls to look for their bags.

"I think they will be just fine. Otis knows these woods well and Jimmy has a good head on his shoulders," the older woman replied. "Don'tcha worry."

"I can't help but worry. They are putting themselves in danger for Josie and I," Eliza muttered softly.

"Worrying is gonna put stress on that baby of yours," Patricia reminded her.

"I know," Eliza assured, placing a hand on her stomach. "I can't believe I'm pregnant now. My husband and I have been trying ever since Josie was born. I just hope I don't lose her…"

"Have you lost children before?" Patricia looked up at Eliza, her eyes sad for the mother.

Eliza nodded, her face ashamed. "Two… but I don't think it will happen to this one."

"Because your husband isn't around?" Patricia asked knowingly. Eliza eyes snapped to Patricia's, wide and afraid. Patricia got up then and came to sit beside her on the swing. Her voice was soft when she spoke. "I saw the bruises."

"I-I h-had tripped," Eliza stuttered.

"Some were faded, darlin'. And I don't think you get a black eye from tripping over a rock. I saw the scars. I noticed how tense you become around men," she said. "Don't worry though, I don't think anyone else figured it out."

"How did you then?" Eliza questioned.

"When I lived near the city, I had volunteered at a women's shelter as a teenager. I noticed the signs but Otis has lost his temper sometimes so I know what those bruises look like," Patricia explained.

"You don't judge me for still loving him though, right?" Eliza asked, her green eyes wide and childlike.

"I still love Otis. But I have a feeling when Otis hit me the few times that he did, it doesn't compare to what your husband did to you," Patricia said.

"Gabe was a kind man. He was friendly and charismatic. He was EMT and always checked in on the patients he brought into the hospital. He always gave Josephine whatever she wanted. The look on his face when she was born…" Eliza smiled through the tears that started to weld in her eyes.

"But the abuse…"

"Never killed me. I love Gabe, despite his aggression. And I know he loved me. He didn't know I was pregnant those two times and he felt so horrible afterwards. You should have seen him. I know he would never raise a hand to Josephine," Eliza said, her voice steady. She would always defend Gabriel, no matter how many times he hit her or abused her. No matter his nasty words when he was drunk. No matter what. Eliza was his and she was blinded by love for him.

Patricia sighed. "I believe ya."

"You ought to."

The two women fell into silence as they overlooked the farm. Eliza watched as Josephine giggled away as she chased about the butterflies. Her daughter was so carefree. Eliza was glad to see this world had not changed her yet. It didn't even looked like it touched her. Her curls were unbound, bouncing around her shoulders as she giggled and ran about. Eliza couldn't see any weightloss on her like she could see on herself. Her eyes held no anguish, fear or sadness. She was just like the Josephine that Eliza had raised for the past four years.

"Now who did they bring back now?" Patricia murmured as she stood up.

Eliza looked to were the two boys were walking back from the woods; Eliza and Josie's bags on their back and a little girl walking between them. Patricia muttered something about going to find Hershel before she walked off the porch and off to the barn.

"Josephine," Eliza called out. "Come up here to momma."

The blue eyed child stopped her chasing and ran up to the porch. She was out of breath, huffing and puffing, as she sat down on the swing. She was all sweaty but smiling a huge smile, making the dimples on her cheeks stand out.

"Momma! Did you see me?" she chirped, her big blue eyes beaming. "I was running so fast!"

"I did, sweetheart. Did you catch one?" Eliza asked her as she brushed some of Josie's curls back.

"No," Josie said, her eyebrows furrowing together.

"That's okay," Eliza said, soothing her.

"I wish I could fly like them!" Josie exclaimed, all happiness returning to her.

Eliza pulled her daughter close to her. "I wish so too. I'd want blue wings, like the color of your eyes."

"I'd want pink!"

"How did I know you'd say that?" Eliza laughed.

"Momma, who's that?" Josie asked as she looked at Otis, Jimmy and the little girl between them. Hershel, his daughters and Patricia had joined them.

"I'm not sure. She was probably lost in the woods like us," Eliza explained.

The group turned then; Hershel, Maggie, Beth and Jimmy walking off toward the barn while the rest continued their way to the house. The girl looked to be around ten or eleven. Her hair was short and dirty, the blonde just peeking through all the dirt that it as coated in. She looked horribly scared and worn out.

As they reached the porch, Patricia introduced her. "Eliza, Josie, this is Sofia. Otis found her running from some of the turned."

"I'm glad you are safe," Eliza the young girl, smiling kindly. "I'm Eliza and this is my daughter Josephine."

"Everyon' calls me Josie!" Josephine exclaimed, giggling.

"It's nice to meet you," Sofia said kindly.

"Have you been on your own?" Eliza questioned, wondering just how a young girl could survive on her own for so long when she herself barely made it.

"No, I got separated from my group. A horde of walkers came through…" the young girl sniffled. "And I got scared and they chased me through the wood. Mr. Rick found me but more came after he led two others away. I haven't stopped running."

Eliza felt her heart go out for the young girl. Josie was too young to know the fear of the reanimated dead, but Sofia wasn't. She knew the danger and what happened if you were bit. She knew of the new epidemic and the catastrophic world they now lived in. Sofia knew the fear and Eliza could tell the fear plagued her mind like the dead plagued this new world.

"We'll take care of you," Patricia told Sofia lovingly. "Why don't we get you cleaned up and maybe Eliza can make you something to eat. I bet you are starving."

Sofia's brown eyes brightened at the prospect of food and followed Patricia into the house, ready to get clean and get a mouthful of food.

"Otis would you mind helping me into the kitchen?" Eliza asked, moving to stand up.

"'Course," the bigger man said, grabbing her hands and pulling her into a standing position. "Found your bags. Looks like they were untouched."

"That's good," Eliza commented as she hobble into the house. "Josie go get momma the peanut butter and the jam."

The little girl rushed ahead, eager to help. Otis helped Eliza as she slowly made her way to the kitchen. The pain wasn't as bad as it was when she first woke up. Her side was doing a lot better. Her thigh was a bit more difficult. Because of how deep it was, it was barely healed still. It bled from time to time, especially when she was up and about. Hershel said it had look like it might have touched the muscle, so she was looking at a longer recovery time for it.

Otis dropped the bags by the entry way to the kitchen before sitting down at the table. "Girl says her momma was in the group."

Eliza's heart went out to Sofia's mother. She couldn't imagine if Josephine was lost in the woods. She would go absolutely nuts with worry over her daughter. Shebe willing to bet money that was just what Sofia's mother was doing. "Poor woman. I can only imagine what she is going through."

"Told Hershel and Patricia that I'm gonna go huntin' tomorrow. Gonna look for her group while I'm at it," he said, wiping his face on a rag.

"Just be careful," Eliza said as she gather the bread, knife and a plate. Josie put the peanut butter and jam on the table next to her before climbing into a chair.

"Do you think Sofia will play with me?" Josie asked trying to get her finger into the sweet tasting jam.

Swatting her hand away, Eliza assured her daughter that Sofia would love to play with her, all she would have to do is ask. Putting the sandwich was simple enough; getting up to get a glass of water for the young girl was going to be a pain. Putting her weight onto good leg, she hobbled over to the sink.

"You want anything, Otis?" Eliza asked.

"No. I'm gonna go help Hershel. Hope the little girl settles down alright," Otis said before taking his leave.

"Stay cool," Eliza said before turning her warm gaze to her daughter who was still trying to get into the peanut butter. "Josephine Val Harlow, stop tryin' to get into that peanut butter!"

"But momma," her daughter whined.

Amused, Eliza went to the fridge and pulled out two apples. She grabbed another knife and plate. "How about some apples and peanut butter?"

Her blue eyes brightened. "Yeah!"

Eliza chuckled softly as she sat back down and waited for Sofia and Patricia. She cut up the apples for Josie and herself. She let Josie put the peanut butter onto the apple slices, moderating her so she didn't get too sticky. Josephine loved peanut butter. It was something Gabe had introduced to her because he loved it too. Eliza had found them on multiple occasions with two spoons and a jar of peanut butter between them. Eliza smiled fondly at the memories of the two of them.

A little while later, Sofia walked down with Patricia. The girl was noticeably cleaner, her hair hung straight around her shoulders, a mix between blonde and brown. Her skin was clean of dirt and she smelled a lot better. She must have been wearing some of Maggie or Beth's old clothes because they looked clean. She had a bright smile on her face when she saw the food on the table. Eliza pushed the sandwich and glass of water toward the empty seat.

"Come eat."