Lori sipped from a water bottle that Glenn had opened and handed to her while Maggie put pressure on the still bleeding crook of her arm. She rested her head on her husband's shoulder wearily, tired enough that she was sure she could fall asleep right there sitting on the exam table. The effects of whatever Reggie had given her had yet to wear off and her limbs felt weighted, her hands uncooperative as she fumbled to put the bottle down on the tray table.

Behind her she could hear Daryl rummaging through the cupboards and drawers, stuffing medical supplies into bags collected from the pharmacy. "I'll bring Hershel back later," he muttered, tossing Maggie a roll of medical tape that she caught easily. "Best tape that up now. Should get back before dark."

Maggie lifted the corner of the gauze pad and peered underneath it. "Slowed down a bit already," she assured Lori, glancing up for a second before she turned her attention to picking at the end of the roll with short nails.

Nodding, Lori closed her eyes to rest them for a moment. When she heard the sound of the adhesive tearing she opened her eyes again and watched as her arm was bandaged with long strips of the clear tape. "The car?" she asked, wondering how they were all going to get back.

"Was out back," Rick's hand slid up and down over the length of her spine soothingly.

With her arm covered, Lori scooted forward to slide off the table. "I'm okay," she reassured her husband when he jerked to hold her, his hands gripping her forearms. She offered him a weary smile when he didn't release her. "I'm okay," she repeated, her toes finding the floor. Shakily, she added the rest of her weight onto her feet, easing off the table.

"We should get you both back to daddy," Maggie moved to her other side, bracing her under her elbow. She and Rick began to move toward the exit, Lori supported between them. As they made their way around the bed, Lori got her first good look at Reggie who still lay sprawled on the floor face down, the back of her head a gaping hole. Lori frowned at the sight, a mixture of emotions sweeping through her; first anger with a bitter edge that quickly eased into sadness. The woman, for all of the harm she had done, had been driven to insanity by the loss of her child – Lori wasn't so unsympathetic that she could deny the possibility that the same thing might have happened to herself if she ever lost Carl. She knew she would spend the rest of her life battling grief and guilt for not protecting him.

"Wait!" Lori interjected, planting her feet on the floor so they couldn't move any further. Rick and Maggie both gave her questioning looks. "Before we go there's something that needs to be taken care of."

"Can it wait 'til later when Daryl comes back? You've spent enough time here, Lor," Rick protested, and though she couldn't disagree with him, she didn't want to place the burden on anyone else. She knew that it was her responsibility to take care of it.

"No, it has to be me," she answered. "Daryl, can I use your knife?"

Daryl paused in his search of the cupboards, turning to meet Lori's eyes. "Yeah, 'course," he replied after a quick beat. He pulled the weapon out of his pocket and handed it to her. Lori gave him a nod in thanks, for both the knife and for not asking her what she needed it for.

Her husband, naturally, was not so accepting. "What do you need that for?" he hissed, gently pulling her aside so they could have a semi-private conversation, his hand still closed around her elbow. She sighed, she couldn't begrudge him for being worried; she'd probably do the same to him if their roles were reversed. In fact, she had on several occasions in just the last few days alone.

"Reggie had a baby, Rick. He died, but she kept it in a crib up there as a Walker," she explained in a low voice so the others couldn't hear. To their credit, Daryl, Maggie and Glenn had all gone back to rummaging through the room, giving the couple their privacy.

Stunned, Rick blinked a few times before he could say a word, his hand tightening on hers as he looked her over. "You alright?" he asked, his eyes lingering on her stomach.

Lori offered him the best smile she could muster, though it dimmed and fell faster than she had presented it. Lifting her shoulder noncommittally, she swept her stomach with a shaky hand. The truth was that she wasn't sure how she felt about Reggie's baby; she hadn't really had a chance to process all of it, but she knew there would be time for that later. She needed to focus on the task at hand.

With clear hesitation, Rick finally nodded towards the door that led to Reggie's apartment. "Well, why don't you tell me where it is and I'll handle it. You should go back to the car with Maggie. Rest."

Lori shook her head, expecting this type of objection from him. "No, I need to do this. We can go up together, but I have to see it through. Please." In spite of everything that the other woman had done to her since their meeting, Lori felt empathy for Reggie: from one mother to another.

Her husband huffed, but she could see he was ready to relent. "Fine. We'll go up together, and then take it from there."

Rick wrapped his arm around her waist, his hand firmly in place on her hip. She curved her own hand around his back. Between the two of them it was a slow trek through the exam room and the hallway to the kitchen. Rick was still limping and relying heavily on his good leg and Lori was still very weak from her last bout with Reggie.

By the time they got to the stairs Lori had to chuckle, even though everything still hurt with every move she made. "Like a couple of old people," she mused, turning her head to give him a smile as she recollected a memory that was only a few months old: the two of them struggling to change clothes after he'd come back to the farm from collecting Hershel from town.

He laughed, shaking his head. "Next thing you know we'll need Carl to push us around in wheelchairs."

"Well, I hope not, we still have another baby to take care of in about seven months," she paused on the step so she could adjust herself to look at her husband, her back finding the wall behind her. "I heard his heartbeat," she disclosed, collecting his hand to place it low on her belly.

Rick said nothing, but she could see the surprise and awe playing out on his face as his eyes moved between hers and their hands.

"I told Reggie I was pregnant, thinking that might stop her from whatever she had planned to do," she explained. "She didn't believe me, so she brought out a doppler machine for proof."

Finding his voice, Rick's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, then asked, "How did it sound?"

"Beautiful," Lori grinned in spite of her exhaustion and taxed emotions, her fingers tightening around his. "And perfectly healthy, though I'm no expert. Maybe we can take the machine for Hershel to check?"

Rick smiled back, his hand rising to cup her cheek. "That sounds perfect," he traced the shape of her cheekbone before mouthing come here, and guiding her to his chest for a hug.

Lori looped her arms around his shoulders, burying her face in his neck, her eyes closing to recharge, drawing from his warmth and the feeling of him pressed against her, solid and unwavering. "We should go," she said after a minute, pressing a kiss to his ear, then his shoulder, before pulling back.

The two continued on up the stairs, eventually making it to the top landing that opened up into the large living room area. Lori snuck a quick glance at Rick to find him watching her closely; she offered him a small smile to reassure him before turning the corner to lead the way down the hall.

The door to the nursery was ajar when they came to it, the pale light from the window lighting the crack and the floor in the hallway. Lori took a deep breath before pushing it open and stepping inside, her eyes settling on the crib. Rick's hand pressed into the small of her back and she looked to him, finding apprehension pinching his brow and tightening the corners of his mouth. His fingers brushed against hers as he moved to take the knife from her. Lori pulled it back, just out of his reach as she took a step away from him. She blew out a careful breath, avoiding his eyes.

"You don't have to be the one to do it," he told her, his voice gravelly and too loud in the otherwise silent room. "Let me-," he trailed off at the sound of thrashing fabric and grunting from the crib. He took a step towards the sound but stopped when she rested her hand on his chest, holding him back.

"She infected him when she was trying to protect him," Lori cleared her throat, swallowing back the emotion that was slowly accumulating into a solid lump, blocking her airway. "Reggie told me about it… she told me her story," she continued, trying to find words to formulate what she was feeling. "I feel like it needs to be me to do this, Rick."

His chest fell underneath her palm and she faltered. She wanted to do it to protect him from having to shoulder another burden, from once again always having to be the one to make the hard call. The expression on his face, however, had her wondering if she was protecting him at all, if somehow seeing her pain was an even worse fate for him. "Baby, this is going to be okay," she whispered, letting her hand fall from his chest, unable to see the raw emotion marring his blue orbs anymore.

Turning around, she worked the knife out of its leather case, her trembling fingers fumbling around the handle to open the switchblade. She kept her eyes forward, fixed on the soft blanket that Reggie had carefully draped over the side of the crib, its border stitched beautifully with a running script: Always kiss me Goodnight.

When Lori reached the side of the crib, she blinked back the tears in her eyes as she looked down at the baby, setting the knife down on the mattress. Avoiding its snapping gums she reached out and touched one tiny curved, bootie-covered foot.

"Lori," Rick called over her shoulder, his voice soft.

Ignoring her husband, Lori avoided looking at the baby's face and took the blanket from the side of the crib to lay over him. She took a moment to smooth the fabric and tuck it around him, securing his flailing arms, covering his face. "Your mom loved you," she whispered, reaching for the knife with a shaky breath. "You can be with her now." The knife slipped easily into the soft spot on the crown of the baby's head, sliding between the plates of his skull that hadn't had time to grow and fuse together.

He stilled immediately beneath the blanket, plunging the room into sudden silence. She stepped back from the crib, her body coiled into tight stiff knots, twisting through her stomach. It wasn't until she was secured in Rick's arms, crushed to his chest, that she allowed herself to truly cry, hot tears soaking through the fabric of his shirt.

"Shh," Rick soothed, rubbing her back, his cheek resting against her temple.

"Wrap it up!" Daryl called from downstairs, startling her. "We gotta go!"

Pulling back with a small nervous laugh, Lori wiped her eyes and cheeks, sniffing. "I guess we better go," she muttered, sweeping the room one more time with her eyes before she let him take her arm to lead her out.

XXXXX

Lori sat on the couch of the small tire yard office where Daryl had set her down seconds before. Sliding her fingertips over her temples in an attempt to release the throbbing headache that had begun on the way back in the car, she breathed deeply, grateful to be back.

Carl had taken the seat beside her, sitting close enough that he was almost on her lap, his fingers twisted around the hem of her shirt. The room was buzzing with conversation and energy as Rick filled the rest of the group in on everything that had happened to them while they'd been missing. Blocking it all out, Lori turned to her son, draping her arm over him to pull him into a hug. "You okay?" she asked, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

She recalled his stricken expression as he'd run to hug her and Rick upon their arrival back. They had all cried, holding each other for awhile, she wasn't sure how long.

Pulling back a little he shrugged, keeping his eyes on the floor, his hair long enough to shield his expression.

"Hey," she reached out to lift his chin, using her other hand to push his hair back. "Everything is okay now, we're back."

His blue eyes were grey and stormy as he looked back at her for a second before breaking eye-contact, his gaze settling on the wall behind her. His jaw ticked as he nodded, a small tight movement, stiff and icy. "I thought you were dead," he ground out.

"I'm right here," she told him firmly, forcing the exhaustion from her voice and body as she sat up straighter. "I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere. I will always come back to you, I promise."

Carl's eyes hardened and he stiffly got to his feet. "You can't promise that. Sometimes people die and there is nothing you can do about it."

"Baby," Lori reached for his hand and missed as he turned on his heel and stalked to the other side of the room to sit with Beth who was sorting through the supplies that Daryl and Glenn were still bringing in from the car. Lori watched him kneel down beside the other teenager and reach across her for a bag, his chin ducked low as he nodded at something the blonde said to him.

Lying back on the couch again, Lori slid down and tossed her arm over her face to block out the room. She couldn't deal with Carl's teenage angst after the couple of days she'd just had. She groaned when she felt a hand on her shoulder and she was forced muster up the energy to move and face someone else. When she opened her eyes she was greeted by soft blue ones surrounded by kind creases.

"I'll only trouble you for a few moments," he winked, squeezing her shoulder. "Just wanted to check you over, Rick says you were injected with something," the old man helped her to lie down, her head sinking into the armrest.

"Yeah, it made me real groggy and numb. It was like I couldn't move after she injected me," Lori supplied.

"And how are you feeling now?" he asked patiently.

She sighed, all she really wanted was to sleep in a comfortable space for a decent amount of time. "Mostly tired and hungry. And I have a headache. Plus there's the cough and achy throat, still."

Hershel nodded. "Yes, Maggie found what we needed for that at the pharmacy. It really was a good find," he paused and looked back over to where Rick was talking to the group, still favoring his good leg. "Ya know aside from the crazy woman," his voice dipped conspiringly.

Lori snickered. "Well, I'm glad it was all for the greater good." She followed his gaze to her husband. "Have you looked at his leg yet?"

The older man redirected his attention to her, beginning his examination. He checked her pupils, prodding her cheek bones. "As much as he would let me; that woman did a good job stitching it up. He banged it up again pretty good with all that activity, but it looks like it will heal just fine with time. I'm putting him on antibiotics too, just in case. It would be good if he stayed off of it as long as possible. Think you can help with that?"

She rolled her eyes. "What do you think?" She caught Hershel's smirk as he moved on to check her throat stomach. "I'll do my best, though."

"From what I can tell, you just have a fever still, but that's likely from the bug you already had. But you're dehydrated and anemic." Lori nodded, she didn't need to have medical training to know that. "I'm going to set you up on an IV and we'll need to get some food in you. I'd like to check the baby too. I hear there's a doppler at the clinic?"

"Yes, I heard the baby's heartbeat. It sounded really good, to my inexpert ears, anyway," she shrugged.

"Well, I'll be heading back with Daryl as soon as I'm done here, and then we can check again, but I'm sure you're right and that baby is doin' just fine. You Grimes' are a pretty tough bunch."

Lori laughed, looking back over at her husband, who was now talking to their son. "I guess we are."

"Okay, I'm just about out of your hair," he said as Maggie approached with a bowl and water. "I just need to know if you've had any cramping or bleeding?"

Lori shook her head. "No, nothing like that." She moved to sit upright on the couch and motioned with her hand for Maggie to join them. The other woman closed the distance she was keeping and handed Lori the items, including two pills. "Those are your antibiotics. It would be best to take them after you start eating so you don't get nauseated."

"Thanks, Maggie," she offered as she checked out the contents of the bowl, some sort of broth that she concluded to be chicken after taking a spoonful.

"Make sure you get some rest after you finish," Hershel reminded her as he sat up. "Though you probably don't need me to tell you twice."

"You'd be right about that," she replied, yawning at the mere mention of sleep. "I'll just take a nap until you get back."

He nodded and turned to walk away, patting his daughter's shoulder as he passed her.

XXXXX

Lori awoke to someone gently shaking her shoulder. She blinked her eyes open to find Hershel's smiling face. He was sitting on a chair in front of the couch, Beth behind him holding the doppler. It took her a moment to realize that her head was no longer on the armrest, but on her husband's lap. She glanced up to find him rubbing his eyes and concluded he must have slept a bit himself. She was glad to see, he needed it as much as she did. Her son was sitting at her feet, looking wary of the setup. She caught his eye and offered him a reassuring smile, but only received a half-smile in return.

"Sorry to wake you, Lori, but I thought it best to try this out as soon as possible to ensure it still has battery life. I figured you wouldn't want us to do it without you, so to speak," Hershel chuckled.

"Of course," she nodded, clearing her throat to try to get rid of the scratchiness in her voice. "I'm ready when you are," she looked back up at Rick, who smiled and began running his fingers through her hair. She thought she might fall back asleep if he kept doing that, but she couldn't ask him to stop. It was still such a relief to her that they had gotten past that rough patch and agreed to work through their issues. After weeks without much affection from him, she couldn't refuse any he offered.

Beth stepped forward to hand her father the machine, moving closer to Carl once he took it from her. She placed her hand on her friend's shoulder, giving him an encouraging smile; apparently she had also noticed his discomfort. Carl acknowledged Beth with a brighter smile than Lori had received, which hurt, but she was glad that he would let somebody offer him some support. She also made a mental note to investigate what looked like a crush that her son was developing on the older girl. She planned to talk to Rick about it another time.

Hershel brought his chair closer to the couch and gestured toward Lori's belly, prompting her to roll her shirt up so he could get started. She was thankful to have this experience a second time with someone much gentler and more respectful and with her family by her side. He found the right spot quicker than Reggie had and she heard the familiar thumping sound once again.

She couldn't help but tear up just like before, but this time there was no fear in her swirling emotions, only happiness and awe.

"That's a fine heartbeat," Hershel commented, smiling warmly.

Lori quickly looked up again so she could gauge Rick's reaction. He too had a smile on his face, and if she wasn't mistaken his eyes looked a little damp as well. He looked down to meet her eyes, grasping her hand with his free one that wasn't in her hair.

"Whoa, is it supposed to be that fast?" Carl's startled voice broke in over the continuous whooshing of the baby's heartbeat. Lori looked over to see him holding his hand over his own heart, as if trying to compare.

"Yes, that's perfectly normal for a baby in the womb, Carl," Hershel answered. "As far as I can tell, Lori, this baby sounds very healthy."

"And growing too," Beth spoke up, eyeing Lori's bump wistfully. Carl gave her a look, his face scrunching up in what appeared to be confusion.

"Can you feel it yet?" he asked, trying his best to look nonchalant. Lori could see that he was interested though.

"No, not yet, but you can touch if you want," she tried, hoping her son would warm up a bit. Instead she got a vigorous head shake. "You sure? It's pretty neat, it actually feels hard, like…"

"I said no," he interrupted, receiving another sympathetic smile from Beth.

Hershel cleared his throat. "Well, I think we ought to let you rest some more, you need plenty of it to get back to top condition."

"Thanks, Hershel." At Lori's nod of confirmation, he removed the wand and turned the machine off. She re-covered her belly, trying to commit to memory the sound of the baby's heartbeat. The doppler wouldn't last much longer so she probably wouldn't be able to hear it many more times.

"Goodnight," Beth called softly as she and her father walked away from the couch.

"Night, Mom," Carl said, beginning to walk away when Lori caught his wrist to tug him back toward her. He sighed, and gave her a quick and reluctant hug, barely lingering long enough for her to plant a kiss on the side of his head. He turned on his heel again before being stopped by his father this time.

"Hey," Rick called, feigning offense at being left out of the exchange.

"Night, Dad," Carl offered, giving him the same treatment as Lori received. She sighed as he walked away for a final time.

"He'll come around," Rick said, sensing his wife's hurt feelings over their son's distance. "Let him process everything."

"Yeah, I know," she agreed, stifling a yawn. All the talk of going to sleep had brought back her exhaustion to the forefront of her mind. "You do realize he completely takes after you in his communication skills right?"

He chuckled. "Like I said, he'll come around." Both were aware that Rick was speaking from his own recent experience. Her boys sure were stubborn, but it was part of who they were and she could never want to change that. But she secretly hoped that the baby would take after her. Maybe she did want a girl so she could have someone on her side for a change.

"Goodnight, Lori," Rick whispered, bending down to place a kiss on her forehead.

She smiled sleepily as he resumed massaging her scalp and she could barely keep her eyes open any longer.

"Goodnight, love."