Destined to Lose: The 5th book

Chapter 28: Beauty and Pain

Weeks later Michonne returns from a short stay at the hilltop. Maggie had her beautiful baby boy at 39 weeks. She names him Herschel after her father and the birth went really well. Hearing Siddiq talk about how it went and how the first 2 weeks of his life have been, gives me confidence and peace that I can do this. I reminded myself that birth in this new world doesn't have to be what happened to Lori, it can be beautiful as well. Although all wasn't butterflies and rainbows during her visit. Maggie is still upset and angry at Rick for allowing Negan to live. Maggie told Michonne now that she is no longer pregnant, her role as leader of the hilltop has resumed full force; and she will stop at nothing to keep it safe.

A few days later, Negan is reading a book in his cell and I feel a sharp pain in my side. I know I'm
too early to be in labor so just tell myself it's Braxton Hicks. But the pain quickly gets worse and closer together and I start to sweat. I reach for the walkie talkie and radio over, "is someone there, I need a relief." I wait for a moment, trying to breathe through the pain but no one responds "hello? Eugene? Rick?" I ask, those two names being the only two I can think of who may be up with a walkie right now.

"Are you ok?" Negan asks, picking his head up from the book.

I put my hand on my stomach and nod my head, "yea, just fine." I push the radio again "somebody? Hello? I need relief at the prison." I wait again, the pain continuing "ahhhh, owww" I breathe as best I can and realize this is labor.

"Shit. You're in labor!" Negan must realize at the same time as me.

"Damn. Radio is useless down here." I mutter to him, "I'll have to step outside to get a better connection." I stand up to go outside and I fall to my knees, "owwww, owww. This—this isn't right."

"What?" Negan stands in his cell, staring at me.

I try to stand again but fall, unable to support myself and manage the pain. "I can't—" I grab the radio from where I dropped it on the ground and try again to get help, "help! Help!"

"You're having this baby right now, aren't you?" Negan asks, with a hint of worry in his voice.

I shake my head, "no, no, it's too soon. I need to get to Siddiq. He can stop this." I try to crawl and stand again but crouch down in a side position in pain.

"You can't even stand. Let me out and I'll take you to wherever you need to go." Negan steps up to the bars of the cell.

I barely shake my head through the pain and say, "no, I can't. I have too—" I try again to crawl to the door to get out but my body reacts with more shooting pain.

"Sadie-Mae!" Negan yells at me forcefully, never having used my full first name before, "I won't leave you, I promise. But you can not have this baby down here, understand me?"

I eye him, wondering if I really can trust him. More pain, more contractions and I know I won't make it out of the basement room without his help. I crawl around to my bag and grab a small set of silver keys, I toss them over to him and mutter, "the cuffs. Take them off and put one on your wrist."

"There's no time for that." He argues while picking the key up."

"Do it or you're going to be helping me deliver tonight." I manage to get out, "ahhhh!" I scream through more pain.

Negan does what I told him to and waits at the cell door. I grab the key off the wall, barely standing long enough to get it and toss it to him, "open the door, put the other cuff on my hand." Luckily, Negan doesn't argue and does exactly what I say. A few moments go by, and Negan is now squatted down next to me, his right hand and my left hand cuffed together. I breathe and grumble through another contraction before giving him the next step, "doors locked. You have to break—" but before I finish Negan is already smashing the glass in and opening the door from the outside.

"Let's go!" He quickly turns back around, bloody hand and all to lift me up and carry me out, "where am I going?" He asks as we reach the top of the steps to the street.

It's eerily quiet I think, but a sharp pain through my body, changes that and I growl through it loudly, I say simply to Negan, "radio."

Negan grabs it and hands it to me and I mutter, "help. I need help." And drop it to the ground, knowing they'll be able to hear me now.

Within a few minutes, Rick, Michonne and Rosita are out in the street running towards the jail. As they see Negan with me in his arms, all of them pull out their weapons.

"Wow. Wow. Wow. Now I'm only here to help." He tells them, unable to put his hands up like they are demanding to holding me and being handcuffed to me."

I yell out through the pain, "he can't! He's handcuffed to me." I yell again in pain and Rick lowers his weapon to step closer.

He asks out loud, "what's going on?"

"She's in labor, asshole." Negan snarls to him as he gets closer.

I hear Michonne and Rosita snicker to one another but the pain is too much for me to care and I say to Rick, "somethings not right. This isn't right. I need to get to Siddiq."

"He's at the hilltop for another 2 days." He reminds me.

"She doesn't have two days." Negan returns, and Rick gives him a pissed off glare. He decides to get Negan back in his cell, "give her to me, Michonne!" He calls over his shoulder for her help, "get Negan back to his cell."

"We're hand cuffed together. Even in early labor she had a plan so I couldn't leave." He snickers to Rick, "are we just going to stand around with our Dick's in the air or are we gonna help Sadie-Baby deliver her baby?"

"We can drive her to the hilltop, get her to Siddiq." Michonne says in a lower whisper, stepping by closer to his ear.

I scream in pain again, more people coming to the streets to see what's going on. Rick looks around and says, "we have to move, people aren't going to like seeing him out here like this."

"Follow me, Michonne, behind him. He tries anything shoot him. We can chop off the hand if we need to." Rick directs her. Negan simply smiles down at me while walking behind Rick to a truck to drive me to the hilltop.