I was back to back with Merle in the woods a few miles away from the prison. We were hunting for something larger than a turkey. Though it had been just over a month since the Woodbury survivors joined our camp, Daryl was still as Hershel put it, restricted on what he could and couldn't do. And since no one from Woodbury really had any experience with hunting, it was up to Merle and I to come back with game.
"Stop clobbering around!" I snarled as we neared a herd of deer. "You'll scare 'em all off."
"You're da one clobbering amuck!" he snapped. I didn't say anything. I was feeling under the weather and just wanted the hunt to end. Over the last week, I'd noticed that I just didn't have the energy I used to. Match that with waking up every morning feeling like shit and losing my breakfast before it could even hit my stomach, I was feeling anything but confident about the hunt. Hershel suggested pregnancy, but it seemed unlikely. Daryl and I only slept together twice since the first time, and both times, we were careful. Or so we thought.
"Hang back," I muttered to Molasses, who was stalking the deer along with us. She had become a very active part of our hunts the last two weeks. Unlike Chance who would get distracted by the sounds or smells of walkers, Molasses was able to zero in on her prey.
I was about to release an arrow when a sudden pain in my abdomen made me shrink back, biting a cry of pain. Merle shot me a look before taking out his gun, ending one of the smaller does before it could run off with the rest. I said nothing as I leaned heavily against a tree, my body twitching as I fought against the stabbing pains.
"Leigh?" Merle said cautiously, the doe now forgotten. He was at my side in seconds flat, his hand resting on my shoulder. I looked up at him, aware of the sweat pouring down my face.
"I'm fine," I lied through clenched teeth.
"Like hell ya are," he said with a shake of his head. "C'mon, we'll leave the deer for the biters. Let's get ya back to Hershel."
"I'm fine. Ain't come all this way to feed the walkers," I growled. "Grab the deer an' let's go."
Merle reluctantly did as I said, though he kept his eyes on me the entire way back to the prison. Daryl met us at the gate, his expression changing from that of excitement to one of concern when he saw the look on Merle's face. I pushed past the pair before Daryl could bombard me with useless questions. I barely made it halfway to C block when another sharp, unbearable pain ripped through my abdomen, causing me to double over, a pained cry escaping my lips.
Have it my luck, Daryl had been following me and was at my side in seconds, his arms wrapping protectively around my body. I bit back another cry, my muscles tensing under his touch.
"What's wrong?" he asked me, his tone urgent and concerned.
"Something's wrong…" I moaned, pressing my face against his shoulder as my knees gave way.
"Thought Hershel told ya to take it easy?" Rick scolded a month later. My tiny frame was sporting the starts of a baby bump, thanks to being nothing but skin and bones before the pregnancy. Hershel had been right after all. From his calculations, I was about 9 weeks pregnant now.
"I am," I said with a sullen smile. Vixon was darting between my legs, her bushy tail wagging happily. "Had to take this 'un out 'fore she drove us all insane."
"Does Daryl know you're out here?" Rick asked.
"Yeah," I laughed. "He was the one who suggested it. Ya get stir crazy when you're stuck inside all the time."
"Safer for the baby though," he observed.
"I'm not gon' lose the baby by walkin' around a little bit," I sighed. "Hershel cleared me for some gentle walking. No running. No hunting. No climbing. Walking is fine."
"How're ya gonna hold up these next 6 months?" he chided. "You've never seemed to be the sit around and be merry type."
"Ehh," I shrugged. "I'll read a book. Or ten."
"Sounds fair enough," he chuckled. "Take it easy though," he added as he walked back towards the fence, taking out the pile of walkers that were slowly piling up along the chain links. I sighed to myself. I felt more useless than ever. But Hershel was convinced I was running a high risk of losing the baby, or worse, and refused to let me do anything anymore. I wasn't even allowed to pick up Vixon, the tiny, five pounds soaking wet dog.
I slowly walked back into our cell block, Vixon at my heels. The little dog had become my only source of entertainment since Hershel restricted me to bed rest and light activities only. I smiled down at her, eager to let her loose in the block once more. As soon as we rounded the corner, I felt the weight of a child slamming into my side. I yelped and fell back, catching myself against the wall before I could fall.
"Mika! Watch out! You almost knocked her over!" Lizzie cried, looking up at me with fearful eyes. "I'm real sorry about her, Harleigh," she said, her eyes scanning the hallway for something.
"It's okay, really," I said with a small smile. "I'm not that fragile."
"Is the baby okay?" Mika said with wide eyes. "I didn't mean to, I swear!"
I kneeled down so I was face to face with the frightened child.
"It's okay, Mika, really. The baby's perfectly okay," I smiled. As if to prove my point, I let her lay her hand on my barely visible baby bump. "See? Perfectly okay."
She smiled up at me before rejoining her sister as the pair ran down the hallway towards D block. I smiled to myself as I continued to C, where Carl let me back in through the locked gate.
"I thought Hershel told you to stay put?" he muttered as Vixon tried to jump up on him.
"I did," I chuckled. "The dog had to pee."
"Someone else could have taken her out," he scolded.
"Carl, I'm not a child, and the baby is fine. Everyone needs to let up," I sighed before slowly making my way up the stairs leading to the cell Daryl and I shared. Daryl was sitting on the bottom bunk, his head in his hands. I sighed, knowing another argument was about to break out.
"Where the hell have you been?" he practically screamed, causing me to shrink back, away from his angry tone.
"Vixon needed some fresh air and quite frankly, so did I!" I said, shaking my head. "I'm fine, Daryl, really."
"You almost lost the baby, Harleigh. You're far from fine!" he shouted. He hadn't been too keen on the idea of keeping the baby when he first found out, but in the weeks since the almost miscarriage, he had become not only used to the idea, but outrageously protective of me.
"I'm fine, Daryl, perfectly fine," I said as calmly as I could, despite the tears welling in my eyes. "Go hunt or keep watch or do something. You're driving me crazy with your overly protective self!" I suggested.
"It's my job to protect you," he growled.
"No," I said lightly, placing my hand on his arm. "It's your job to protect everyone. We're running low on meat, and you heard Hershel, I need to keep up on protein. Go catch us a nice ol' turkey for dinner."
He scowled at me for a moment before pulling me into his arms, kissing me passionately for a moment before pulling away.
"You're gonna be the death of me, Harleigh, I swear," he grunted as he grabbed his crossbow, leaving me breathless and alone in the small cell. I smiled as I stretched out on the bottom bunk, Vixon soon wiggling her way into my arms. Despite everything, I felt confident that it would be okay. One way or another, everything would be okay.
A/n - For the sake of not having to write a 9 month pregnancy, I'm going to merge the scenes together to avoid the boring, filler chapters that would have otherwise taken over the next few chapters. With that said, this is where I veer completely away from the original series. :)