Promises Kept
Carol turned off the stove and surveyed the kitchen. There were jars of canned vegetables stacked everywhere. Aaron and Eugene had worked with her most of the day to finish the last of the summer's canning. The basement shelves were filled with the summer's bounty. She wanted to go take a shower and sit on the deck with something cool to drink but there was still work to do. She decided the work could wait for an hour or so.
They had started this morning at dawn and worked through the day. Lunch had been cold sandwiches and Aaron and Eugene had went to the fields this afternoon to help harvest the wheat. It was hot but there was a good breeze blowing outside and she wondered if Michonne would like to sit outside a while. Alia and Matthias had entertained themselves playing with the toys and reading, but she knew they would like to be outside on the community playground.
Carol walked down the hall of the new addition and knocked on Michonne and Morgan's bedroom door. Michonne was lying in bed reading a book. Sasha and Christie had cut her hair short two months ago and Carol was still getting used to the new look. The new look was also Michonne wearing maternity clothes and looking like she was ready to burst at any moment. Chana had insisted that she rest as much as possible. Being inactive made Michonne crazy but Carol risked being dismembered to nag Michonne into lying down for at least two hours in the morning and again in the afternoon.
Carol rubbed her own baby bump. Baby girl Dixon was according to the ultrasound growing at a normal pace and was way more active than Sophia had been at five months. "Let me give you a sponge bath and if you feel like it we'll go sit outside for a little while".
Michonne said, "I feel evil. I am sick of being pregnant, sick of bed rest, sick of the whole beached whale look and really hate everyone. Run, save yourself before I explode into flying chunks of evil."
Carol laughed, "I'll get the water for your bath. There is a nice breeze blowing and you need some fresh air." She gave Michonne a sponge bath and rubbed lotion on her swollen feet. They walked out to the deck and she helped Michonne sit down on the shaded part of the deck. The playground was in front of the houses and well within the fenced part of the compound. Sarah and Rachel were there and so was Tyreese so she let Alia and Matthias go. She could still watch them and she carried her new sword to the deck. She still missed the old one that had been taken from her at Allanvale.
Michonne laughed, "Your chicks will be alright, you know. That fence is checked every morning."
"I know, can't help it. Doesn't that breeze feel good." Carol leaned back. "I am going to get some water. Watch the children for me." Carol brought back two glasses of ice water flavored with some sort of mint.
Michonne tasted it, "Ah, the refreshing taste of spring water mixed with whatever weeds that Daryl found in the woods. It is good though. I would love a big glass of sweet ice tea, the house wine of the south." She sighed and put her hands on her stomach. "They are quiet today. I think they are planning to break out soon."
"We'll have that tea just as soon as you have the babies. I have that box secreted away. It won't be long now." Carol drank her water and watched the playground. She had any number of things she needed to do but for now she was content to sit in the shade with Michonne and watch children play. Chana was coming by this afternoon and if everything was ready they were going to do the surgery tomorrow.
Michonne watch Carol. She wanted to thank her getting the Hakims to move to the mountains. She shifted in her seat to look again at the playground and beyond to the mountains. "I know you did it for me. I know you told everyone that you did it because you found out you were pregnant and some people may have believed that but I don't. I can't ever repay you for risking everything to go find an obstetrician who specializes in high risk pregnancies." Michonne stared out into the light blue sky and the hazy blue peaks. "It's going to be alright, isn't it?"
"You and your babies will be fine. Unfortunately, I think they'll inherit your evil nature instead of Morgan's sweet one. You don't owe me anything ever. I was so weak when this all started that I let Ed beat on me for a pastime. I didn't go after Sophia when she went over the guard rail. I depended on Rick to do my job. I promised myself after that farm fell that I would learn how to protect myself and then I would do whatever I had to do to protect those I love," Carol paused and took a drink of water. She glanced at Michonne and grinned, "I was so jealous of you at the prison. You would just ride in on that beautiful horse. You were so powerful and strong and sexy and I felt like I was still so weak compared to you. I wasn't jealous about that though. I was jealous because you had Daryl all to yourself when you were out chasing the governor. I just had bits and pieces of his time, and I resented you."
Michonne grinned wickedly, "Yeah, we were doing the sex all day and all night. Just stopped once in a while to kill some walkers and bad guys. Then back to bumping uglies and telling each other our life stories. You were wasting your time being jealous 'cause that shit didn't happen. We did talk sometimes about Andrea and Merle. After we had been out awhile he would start talking about everybody at the prison but you. I used to torture him by telling him that this guy or that guy was making a play for you. Made him crazy and I would just sit and laugh my ass off. It also drastically reduced the walker population in any area that we were in."
"You are evil. He never said anything to me. Who did you tell him was making a move on me?" Carol had been too busy with the prison to be looking for a man.
Michonne grinned. "John Rogers one time, Dan Fletcher the next time, and Terry Johnson the last time. It worked too well though, because he told me that he was needed at the prison after that. Don't be looking all innocent. All three of those guys tried to get into your cargo pants, now didn't they?"
Carol sputtered, "How did you know that? John tried to get into everybody's pants. He showed me some attention but he wandered off after somebody else. Dan Fletcher was a great guy always willing to help work on things around the prison. He was just lonely I think. Terry Johnson was sweet as he could be and he understood when I told him that I wasn't interested."
Michonne smiled triumphantly. "I just looked to see who was hanging around you when we were at the prison. If they were showing interest while Daryl was watching them; then they were definitely making moves when he was away."
Carol shook her head at her, "I sometimes forget how smart you are. Evil and smart."
They sat companionably for an hour enjoying the breeze talking. Carol thought it was time to do some truth telling on her part, "I never told you how much your friendship means to me, Michonne. I was…. fragile after Terminus. I felt like I didn't belong anywhere. You, Morgan, Sasha, and Tyreese held me together. I felt like everyone hated me except for you all. I was ready to just pick up my pack and wander off by myself. You and Morgan kept me tethered to the group. I would have lost my chance for the life I really wanted. That's a debt I can't repay." Carol got up, "I am going to help you back to bed and get the children. Then I am making dinner and tomorrow we're going to have us some babies."
Chana came by and checked on Michonne while Carol cooked dinner. She wasn't there long and came out in a bit of a rush. "Let's do this thing. The operating room is clean as we can get it. I was there supervising all afternoon. Christie is going to assist. David and I will do the C-section. We have everything ready. She drank some water but hasn't eaten today?"
"She said she wasn't hungry and I didn't push it. You mean right now." Carol felt her heart rate rise.
"Everything is fine right now, but I think we should do the surgery while it is fine. Maybe my psychic vibes are telling me to do it now. I'll send someone to get Morgan. I'll take Alia and Matthias to Emily. You stay with Michonne and keep her calm. Nothing is wrong. I am just wired up and ready to go." Chana hugged her, "It will be fine. You calm down too."
Carol nodded, "I am just finishing dinner and then I'll go check on her." Chana gathered up Matthias and Alia and took off down the hill in her tiny energy efficient car. Carol held Michonne's hand until Morgan rushed in.
Carol calmed him down. "Chana said that the operating room was sterile. She is just wanted to do this while everything is fine. So instead of worrying all night we'll have babies that need us."
Morgan was gentle and loving with Michonne. He had time for the briefest of showers while Carol checked the bag that Michonne was taking with her. Morgan helped her to the car and drove carefully and calmly.
The trip down was uneventful and they drove to Adair Hospital where Christie was waiting with a wheelchair. Christie wheeled her back to the surgical wing with Carol and Morgan following along behind like little ducks.
Daryl, Tyreese, Carl, Rick, and Jesse were already there on guard duty and Sasha was going to be in the operating room. Daryl spent more time calming Carol and Morgan down than standing watch. Carol was quietly hysterical. She was terrified that the horrific images of her visions would somehow still come true. Morgan showed his nervousness by his continual pacing in the waiting room while Carol stared into space. Daryl tried to keep them both from flying apart.
Daryl held Carol's hand and knew by the way she was clutching his that she was frightened for Michonne. He knew that things could go wrong even with experienced doctors. He tried to distract her, "Won't be long until I'll be waiting here for you to have our baby."
Carol turned to look at him, "Four months. She will kick her way out by the end of the year. Probably in the middle of a blizzard." She smiled faintly and then went back to her stare.
Michonne had opted for everyone but the Christie, Sasha, and the Hakims to stay out of the operating room. She was awake but had been given an epidural. Michonne was amazed at how quickly it went once Chana made the first incision. David assisted and he brought her son to her. She just had a quick glimpse of dark curly hair and a squalling baby when Sasha took him to be cleaned. Christie carried the little girl who looked fierce and angry to her and Michonne smiled at her daughter and said, "I guess you are going to be a lot like me."
Christie laughed, "She came out fighting. She is yours for sure". The Hakims seemed to be busy sewing her back together. She and Morgan had decided on their names some time ago. Her son's name was Joshua Dale Jones and her daughter was Amelia Carol Jones. Andrea had told her one time that if she ever had a son she was going to name him after her father and a man who had been like a father to her. Andrea's sister's name was Amelia and if she had a daughter she was going to name her after her. Andrea had died in Woodbury and never got her happy ending. She had pondered naming the girl Andrea but that was too close to Andre. These children were not substitutes for her lost son; they deserved their own name.
Sasha came out to the waiting room and smiled. "Who is ready to meet some babies?"
They rushed back and Carol concentrated on the babies while Morgan talked with Michonne. They were strong and lively and Carol kissed their fingers and toes and cried all over them. Then Morgan came to see them and she cried as she held Michonne's hand.
Morgan had been given a hospital gown and he was holding one of the babies, "Is this Joshua Dale or is Amelia Carol?"
Sasha laughed, "That is your son, Joshua. I am letting Carol hold Amelia now." Sasha placed the girl in Carol's arms.
Carol looked at Michonne as she held Amelia, "Andrea would be so happy for you. Naming your babies after people she loved is a good way to honor her." She cried some more, "I am just so happy."
Sasha let Daryl come back to see the babies. He surprised everyone by kissing Michonne's cheek and hugging Morgan. He admired the babies but insisted that he was too dirty to be close to them. "I'm taking Carol home before she baptizes those babies with tears. We'll have the house ready when you get there Michonne."
Carol kissed and hugged everyone goodbye. They had saved Michonne and her babies. She cried some more and Daryl held her hand as they left. Michonne was going to be transported as soon as they could move her. She and the babies would be safer up on the mountain.
Daryl had his old truck out front and he helped Carol in. He got behind the wheel and started out of Adair. They were half way up the mountain before he spoke. "I was angry even after you got home. I loved you more than I was angry, but I still was angry. I understand now. You did what you had to do and now I know why you said you would do it again." He glanced at her and saw that she was watching him.
"I knew you were angry and I let you be mad. You had a right to be angry. I hurt you even if I didn't want to. I have lost so many people that I loved. I just couldn't lose Michonne too. I should have told you, but I couldn't explain it myself. I would have never forgiven you if you had kept me here and they all died. I would never have forgiven myself for being weak. I understood when you went with Merle and I prayed that you would understand why I had to go to Savannah. "Carol's voice broke and the tears threatened again. "Let's get Alia and Matthias on the way up the hill. They are probably ready to come home by now."
It wasn't quite dark yet when they got home with the children. Eugene had come home early and finished supper. He and Aaron had cleaned the house, moved all the canning jars downstairs, and supper was waiting on them. Carol ate a late supper with Daryl and cleaned Michonne's room. Eugene and Aaron carried the cribs into the master bedroom while Carol put fresh linen on the bed.
Michonne arrived home not long after that. She was moved into her bed quickly and she settled back with a grimace. Morgan ate supper while Carol tended to Michonne. Chana had left a list of instructions, but told Carol that she wasn't expecting any problems.
Carol held Amy while Michonne fed Joshua. "She looks like you, Michonne. I bet she keeps us hopping from now on." Alia had snuck in and was lurking behind the door, "Alia is curious. Are you up for some company?"
Michonne nodded, "You may have some explaining to do after this, but tell her to come one in."
Carol raised her voice slightly, "Alia, come on in and meet the babies."
Alia was fascinated by the children. "They look like real people." She touched their fingers and gently rubbed their heads.
Michonne grumbled, "Did you think that they would look like gnomes or goblins?"
Alia grinned at her, "Maybe I did. They can't so much of anything except eat and poop, right? Goblins might be more interesting."
Carol sent her off to bed after that. "I didn't want her to tire you out. You better feed Amy because she is getting fussy."
Michonne nestled Amelia Carol to her breast. The baby rooted around and then settled down to eat. Michonne rubbed her finger along her daughter's cheek. "She and your girl will be teenagers together. I dread puberty already."
Carol laughed, "Let's get them potty trained before we worry about puberty. " Morgan came in carrying a bowl of broth and Michonne made a face but took it anyway. Carol wished them goodnight. She knew Morgan would take good care of Michonne.
Alia and Matthias were still awake when she went to check on them. "You two should be asleep."
Alia held up a book. "Uncle Eugene found this for me. It has constellations in it. Let's go outside and look."
Matthias looked hopeful, "We're not tired. Please". They had all sat out on the deck and watched the Leonid meteor shower. The children had loved it.
Carol held out her hands, "You'll have to talk Daddy into it." She knew that would take about twenty seconds. She went on and got the blanket. Aaron and Eugene came out with them. It was a beautiful night and the stars seemed brighter.
Carol and Daryl sat on the glider with Mathias. She thought about that night she and Daryl had been on watch and named constellations. She thought about the sex that night and hoped Daryl wasn't too tired, but then he was never too tired. They were all watching the sky when a shooting star streaked across the sky. Eugene explained patiently to Alia what a meteor was and Carol knew that her daughter was far more entranced by the scientific explanation than she would be some whimsical story.
"Did you make a wish?" Daryl rumbled in her ear.
She shook her head, "Got all my wishes today. Not going to be greedy."
Daryl wrapped the blanket up around her and Matthias. Alia came back and slid in beside Carol and Daryl made sure that she was under the blanket. The nights were cool here in the mountains. Summer was almost over and most of the crops were in. The wheat harvest was cut and gathered. Lots of work still left but there would be bread this winter for his family.
Aaron sat in a chair close to Carol. "Remember the sky from the boat? David would show us constellations and we would sit up and talk for hours."
Carol remembered nights on the boat. They turned off all lights and put the anchor down. They told stories about their lives and they would ask questions about Adair and McAllister Mountain. She told them how her grandmother had sold the family farm to some rich kids who had put a fortune in it before they went broke and tried to sell it. She told them about Emily and Jesse and how the fences had kept people alive on the mountain. She told them about Gabriel and Christie and all the people who had moved there from South Carolina and who were becoming farmers in the mountains. Carol had told them that she belonged there now and soon they would too. She smiled at Aaron, "Remember when you got into the whiskey?"
Aaron grimaced, "Drinking alcohol on a boat wasn't a good idea. David and Blaine could handle it but I threw up for hours. The boat's rocking didn't help one bit." Carol had gotten a cold washcloth and held it to his forehead like he was a little boy. The next day as he was sitting in the bright sun and the boat rocked and rolled without a care about how he felt and he suddenly realized that he was Carol's little boy. This world had taken everything from him but it had given him a mother and a promise of a family waiting in the mountains.
Daryl teased, "Did you learn a lesson about drinking whiskey?"
Aaron shuddered, "Never again."
Carol took the children inside and put them in their beds, "Go to sleep now. Tomorrow morning we will have to help Aunt Michonne with her babies." Alia seemed interested but Matthias looked less enthused. She kissed them goodnight and then went down the hall to check on Michonne. Morgan was holding Amy while Joshua nursed. Michonne looked tired but alert.
Morgan handed her Amy while he took a break, and Carol changed her diaper and kissed her toes. "She is adorable." She felt like she might cry some more.
Michonne snorted, "Don't make me get out of this bed to smack you upside your head. No more tears. Just take the win. We have had precious few wins and we ought to enjoy them."
Carol met her eyes and nodded, "No more tears. We have four months to enjoy these two and then we'll get one more. The baby train stops there."
Michonne groaned and moved around a little on the bed. "I disembarked that train today. Chana took care of that in the operating room. Three babies and Alia and Matthias seems like enough to tend to."
Morgan came back and she handed him his daughter, "I'll see you two in the morning." She went in search of Daryl was checking the doors for the night, "I am going to take a shower."
Daryl yawned, "I'm going to bed. I'll probably be asleep as soon as I hit the bed."
Carol grinned at him, "I hope not. Be a bit of a waste if you are." She turned and headed toward their room and Daryl smiled to himself. He could probably stay awake a little while longer.
He was still awake when Carol came out of their bathroom with a nightshirt on. He had propped himself up with pillows and left the lamp on. "I'm still awake."
She slid into bed and leaned against him. "I'm taking a win. Michonne told me that if I cried over her babies again she was gonna smack me upside my head. They are fine and she is fine. Game over. Home team won."
Daryl rubbed his hand over her stomach. "I think there is another game coming up, but today was a win. Take off the shirt and let's get busy."
He kissed her stomach first. "Take a nap, baby girl. Daddy and Mommy are going to be playing a little game for a while. Daddy wants to touch Mommy all over and make her squirm for a bit. Then Daddy is going to put to rock Mommy for a while. Mommy and Daddy are going to use adult language and you don't need to hear that." He kissed his way back to breasts and sucked them greedily. Carol could feel the heat pool between her legs. She was taking a win here.
AN
Joshua Dale and Amelia Carol sounded right to me. Andrea was important to both Carol and Michonne so it made sense that Michonne honored Andrea by using those names. Michonne naming a baby after Carol shows how close they really are.
Carol and Michonne's bond is very close. They promised each other that they would help rear the children together. They shared chocolate and their pain on their journey to the mountains. They found Sarah and Rachel convinced them to trust them. Together they fought walkers at Indian Rock and then found their way up the mountain. They are sisters in every way possible.
Carol's trip to Savannah may seem out of character and that part is over. It is part of her now. She did what she needed to do to find doctors than could save Michonne and her babies. Daryl would say, "That is her".
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