Red River Blue
Chapter 61
Lydia sat in the rear of the cart, leaning back against a large pile of the bedding the group took from the ghost ship. She was snuggled as close to River as her large swollen stomach would allow as they looked down together at the pages of a well worn paperback novel. During the cold winter months, Lydia's new family passed the time they weren't spending fawning over her rapidly growing stomach teaching her how to read. She was resistant at first, especially when they started her with a long discarded box full of Axel's old baby books. But despite her reluctance, she soon graduated to chapter books and short stories. Once she was proficient at those, Lydia and River started reading together. That's when Lydia finally started to enjoy the written word. River would find them a comfortable spot to cuddle up together while they took turns reading to each other, switching at the end of each page. It was the type of quality time that Lydia always longed to have with her own mother and never got.
The latest book was Lydia's favorite yet. It was long and had a lot of words she didn't know. But she was totally invested in the story, which was about a woman that fell through time and woke up in a strange new land filled with odd customs and people that often frightened her. Something Lydia was most certainly able to relate to. River finished the page she was on, handing the book back to Lydia with her finger on the top of the page she left off on. Lydia read aloud, stumbling a bit and sounding out the unfamiliar words.
"...kiss me again. He did, this time slip-p-p-ping the straps of the chem-ice…"
River corrected her, explaining that the word was chemise not chemical ice and it meant sexy pajamas. Lydia nodded before she began again.
"...this time slipping the chemise down over my sh–sh-sholders. He drew back sli-it-ightly, cupping my br-ea-sts and r-r-r-rubbing my nipples as I had done his. I f-f-f-fumbled with the buckle that held his kuh-eye-ilt…"
"River!," Tyreese barked, turning around on the driving bench and rudely interrupting their story time. "What on earth are you giving that girl to read?" River rolled her eyes, waving him off.
"What does that matter? She's reading ain't she? Just mind yer business," she chirped. "Ignore him and keep reading," River suggested to Lydia. "...this is the best part." Tyreese's mouth gaped open slightly. In his opinion, whatever they were reading wasn't even appropriate for Lydia, let alone all the children in the back of the wagon.
"You shouldn't be reading that smut in front of the kids," Tyreese huffed. He gestured towards Lydia before he added, "...and she shouldn't be reading it at all." River gave Lydia's large swollen stomach a pointed glance before she looked up at Tyreese and started to giggle. Clearly Lydia already had enough sex to get herself in a family way. River was pretty sure it wasn't going to get her any more pregnant to read about it. And this book was far from smut. They had to wade through over twenty chapters of actual story before they got to the good stuff.
"The kids aren't even listenin'," River countered.
Glancing over at the kids, she could tell she was right about most of them. Hershel and Axel were busy watching the treelines for walkers to snipe with their slingshots. Monroe and Gracie were leaning against each other, half asleep. But then she noticed that Judith and Annie were wide eyed and clearly invested in hearing what was going to happen when the two characters in the story finished removing each other's clothes. And Rick just gave her the business last week for teaching the girls inappropriate dance moves. She didn't need another lecture from him.
"Fine!," River huffed, marking their spot in the book before she took it from Lydia and stuffed it down into her bag.
Satisfied that River was done scandalizing everyone in the wagon, Tyreese turned around. Connie was next to him on the bench. And while she couldn't hear, she obviously still managed to catch the gist of the argument. She signed to River, telling her that she wanted to borrow the book when they were done with it. River gave her a thumbs up, her body shaking with silent laughter.
"I see one!," Hershel squealed, fumbling with his slingshot and almost dropping it over the side of the wagon in his excitement upon spotting the rotten old stumbling corpse. Axel was quicker, pulling the cup of his slingshot back and firing his marble with deadly aim. The walker was so old and crusty that his small missile went straight through, splattering what was left of the creature's brain out the other side and dropping it to the ground. Having missed his shot, Hershel slumped down onto his butt and huffed in disappointment.
"Good shot there killer," Merle hollered, pulling his horse up next to the wagon with Glenn close behind him. Rick and Harley veered around the group, taking off at a brisk pace once they passed the wagon.
"They wanna hurry up and get ta the Kingdom so they can radio home and tell Aiden what we saw," Merle explained. "Rick wants to put everyone on alert just in case."
River nodded, frowning when she saw Lydia's face go dark with worry. The girl slunk down lower into the wagon, pulling her hoodie up to hide her face. River wrapped her arm around the girl, giving her a reassuring squeeze. River knew they should have left her at home with Aiden and Rosita. Lydia was really too pregnant to be jostling around in a wagon on the road in the first place. And now she was terrified that one of her mother's people was going to spot her. River only let her come because she basically begged them not to make her stay in Alexandria without them. And River knew this was going to be Lydia's last chance to see Mika for a while.
"That was the first walker we've seen since we left Oceanside," Glenn said, glancing back at the rotted corpse on the side of the road.
"Maybe it's just a coincidence," Tyreese said, his voice overly optimistic. He cast a concerned glance at the kids before he spoke again. "Doesn't mean that… you-know-who is back."
Glenn nodded. But River could tell he didn't agree with the big man. After the evidence she and Merle found left behind at the abandoned campsite, the sudden absence of walkers was clearly more than a coincidence. River guessed the dead were being rounded up and added to Alpha's hoard. A weapon that she suspected was going to be used against them eventually whether they stayed on their side of the dividing line or not.
"DAD!," Axel screamed, hollering at top volume despite the fact that Merle was riding only a few feet away from the wagon.
"What?," Merle huffed, giving his son a dirty look. As often as the boy screamed in his face, one would think he'd be used to it by now.
"I'm bored!," Axel whined as River ducked her face into her hand and tried her best not to let the boy see her laughing at him. "Can I ride with you?," he asked, his voice already getting high and squeaky.
Hershel added his lower pitched demands to Axel's, also demanding to be let down out of the wagon. Merle pulled his horse up alongside the wagon first. And River moved, bracing her foot against a large box of canned goods from the ghost ship as she helped her son over the side of the wagon and onto the horse in front of his father. Once he was seated she did the same for Hershel, helping him climb over the side and into the saddle with Glenn.
Lowering herself back down next to Lydia, River watched Annie. As Glenn and Merle rode ahead, the little girl's big dark eyes followed the boys with silent longing. Despite being only a year younger, she was often left out when the three of them were together. Judith must have noticed her sad expression as well, because she elbowed Annie and suggested that they take the spots the boys left empty and watch the treeline for walkers. River smiled at them. Despite her obvious desire to copy Harley, Judith was naturally empathetic and sweet. More like Wren in personality than her sister. And the thought crossed River's mind that the girl might make a fine doctor someday. She made a mental note to speak to Denise about it when they got home.
They were quiet for a while as the wagon shifted under them. Lydia still had her head down, the hood of her sweatshirt pulled forward so that only her long dark hair was visible. River wrapped her arm back around the girl, resting her other hand on Lydia's rounded stomach. She felt a ripple of movement under her palm. And she moved her hand, smiling when she felt two strong kicks against the gentle pressure she was applying. The baby was active. And growing strong. River was really looking forward to having a little one in the house again.
"Ya know we'll never let her get anywhere near you or the baby," River whispered, pressing a kiss on top of Lydia's hooded head. Lydia didn't answer. Or flip her hood back off. But she did snuggle closer to River, placing her slim hand over River's so they could feel the baby move together.
"Holy crap," River gasped, her eyes widening as she watched the flaming missile streak across the sky above them. "What the hell is that shit?'
**In case it wasn't already obvious, Lydia and River were reading the wedding scene from Outlander.**