Dead Man Walking | Rick Grimes

|101|

"Everything looks good, June," Siddiq reassured me, "The wound healed properly, and there are no signs of infection. Have you felt anything off? Any bleeding?" I shook my head and lowered my shirt, covering my pink scar.

"I'm just worried because I haven't felt them move yet," I whispered, my voice sounding hoarse, "I should be around twenty weeks, so why haven't I felt them yet? Maggie's only a few weeks further than I am, and she started feeling movement at eighteen weeks or around there." Siddiq flashed me a warm smile and placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder, giving me a tight squeeze.

"Every woman is different. Every pregnancy is different," Siddiq reminded me for the hundredth time, "Give it time. I'm sure you'll feel the baby move soon." I felt my lower lip quiver and my breathing became shaky.

"What if my baby's dead, Siddiq?" I cried, my tears spilling onto my cheeks, "What if—" Siddiq shook his head, his thumbs wiping the tears from my eyes quickly.

"Don't say that, June," Siddiq murmured, "You and your baby are healthy, okay?" I couldn't stop the dam that shattered within me. The tears kept pouring out, and my hands rubbed my small bump, "I know it's been hard lately, and I know you're worried about this baby, but everything is going to be okay," I nodded, wiping my nose on the sleeve of my shirt, "Do you need me to find Rick?"

"NO!" I snapped, jumping onto my feet, "He's working on the wall. I don't want to bother him with this, okay?" Siddiq frowned at me and sighed heavily.

"He's worried about you and the baby," Siddiq informed me.

"I know that, but we're still adjusting, okay?" I whispered, "These past seven weeks have been hell for all of us,"

"June," I shook my head and wiped my eyes furiously, trying to rid myself of any traces that I may have been crying.

"Please," I croaked, "He doesn't need any more stress," Siddiq pursed his lips but nodded, a sigh escaping him.

"I don't want you working on the windmill for a few days, okay?" Siddiq ordered, "If you must work on something, why not the gardens? You won't overexert yourself with gardening," I nodded, forcing a false smile to spread across my dry lips.

"Thank you," I murmured and quickly shuffled out of the infirmary. Since the Saviors surrendered, I've been running back and forth from the infirmary. Now that we don't have the stress of war, my mind has been plagued with worries. It's no secret that I haven't taken the best care of myself since finding out about the baby, and this is my mind's way of punishing me for that. Any little thing that feels off or any new worry pops up in my head, I'm rushing to the infirmary to speak with Siddiq. That man is gifted with the virtue of patience.

The streets were bustling, with our community members running back and forth. We had a minor breach in the west wall, so all focus is on fixing that, but we've managed to accomplish a lot in the seven weeks. The beginnings of a windmill were sitting bare where the old clocktower used to be. Our gardens are blooming, and Eugene is starting up blueprints for an artificial water source to be added inside our walls.

Usually, I'd be slaving my day away with the windmill or talking to Siddiq and Eugene about constructing an adequate water system plan. Rick has been at the forefront of all these plans, approving them after I had a chance to run them by him. Like me, he's been stretching himself thin by piling on mountains of work.

Selena, she's the one that's worrying me. She's been locked in her room all day, every day, for the past seven weeks. When she does come out, it's only to eat a few bites of what I made, and then she runs back to her room. It's been hard for everyone, but she's definitely having the hardest time – or she's the only one showing it.