Infection in the air (walking dead fanfic)

(13) New Inmates

I woke up to a cold bed and Carol calling for me to go eat. I went and sat down with Justin and Mary and ate what I could before I got sick. Mary followed me into the bathroom along with Glenn, and I wasted my breakfast. I was a little dizzy afterward, so I went to sit down at the table again and Carol made me eat.

"So um, are you and Carl a thing?" Justin asked.

"Uh, yeah, I guess you could say that. We've been together since about when I first got here like 4 years ago, so..." I trailed off and he nodded.

"So, whatever you're sick with, is it contagious?" he asked.

"Oh, hell no. You can't ever have what I've got, trust me." I said and he looked confused. Somehow, Mary knew what I meant. She hit him in the chest and laughed at his confusion.

"She's pregnant, idiot. And I'm willing to bet Carl's the dad, right?" she said, looking at me. I nodded and she kind of squealed in excitement. Carol came and asked them to help her with the animals outside, and that left me and Glenn. We didn't talk a lot except for when we had to, and we rarely had to. But at least he's nice.

"So, do you have any idea how long until you're due?" he asked, trying to make simple conversation.

"Not really, but I'm probably not that far along. I'm just worried about all the booze we drunk a few days ago." I said.

"I can understand why. So, uh, what are you gonna do? About everything?" he said. Usually I would be thinking about planning my funeral, where Carl should bury me, what to do with the baby.

"Carol said I should be able to carry full term. And I should be able to handle having the baby. Hopefully I'll live. I don't want to plan what to do if I don't." I told him and he dropped the subject. I decided to be useful and made everyone's beds. Everyone else came in a while later and we ate dinner. I told Carol I wanted to get up in the morning and go to the stream just a few yards outside the prison to wash clothes and sheets and do laundry.

"That sounds fine. How about I go with you and Glenn can keep Justin and Mary company?" she said. I don't think Rick realized that he left us unguarded, but the governor died years ago of natural causes, and the only danger was really new people. Besides, the town they were going to was huge, and even with everyone there, it's going to take 3 more days for them to go through it all. Glenn, Justin, and Mary were going to guard while Carol and I took Judith with us and did laundry. We finished eating and went to bed.

In the morning, Carol and I gathered everyone's laundry and carried it out to the stream in the wagon we use for wood. After washing for half the day, we hung everything up to dry and decided to feed the animals.

"Let me know if you get too tired doing this." Carol said as I fed a calf we had. It's mother had been killed already.

"I will. I'm not that far along though, so I can still keep up. What are going to do with this calf?" I asked. Judith said she wanted to feed it, so I handed her the bottle. She was only as tall as it.

"Rick will probably want to use it for meat. Why?"

"Well I was thinking it might be good to have a dairy cow. We have the stuff to purify it, and if I can't, you know." I finished awkwardly.

"Okay. I'll ask Rick about it. And don't worry, you shouldn't need a c-section like Carl's mom did. They should be getting formula if you don't make enough milk on your own." she smiled. The calf finished the bottle and we decided to head inside to make food.

"Want to help us cook, Judith?" I asked and she nodded excitedly. She reached her arms up wanting me to carry her. I bent over to pick her up.

"Not your best idea Jinxx, Judith, how about you just hold her hand?" Carol interrupted. Before I could react, she grabbed my hand and was tugging me toward the kitchen. We made soup for everyone and after Judith had us all play Candy Land. Carl got it for her on a run a while back, and she loves it. After 10 rounds of the colorful board game, Judith needed to go to bed.

"I'm not tired." she whined. I said it didn't matter and went to put her in her cell she shared with Rick. I tucked her in and a while later when I when to bed, she was fast asleep.

The next morning, I was up early with morning sickness so I decided to help Carol cook breakfast. She only let me make toast. I made every one's beds again and started cleaning, something that maybe happened once since I've been here. People would get busy and everything, I don't mind cleaning, and it would be nice if this place really was clean. To our surprise, the group was back from their run that night. Judith had just gone to bed when Carol went outside to open the gates for them. She jumped out from under the covers and ran to go see her dad and brother. Glenn waited inside with me. When they came in, Carol started making food for them. Carl came up to me and hugged me, planting a kiss on my cheek.

"How're you feeling?" he asked.

"Better. I still have morning sickness of course." I said and he laughed. He said he had a surprise for me and had me wait inside while he and Daryl went and got it. First, Daryl carried in a full size crib with a mobile of zoo animals on it. He said that wasn't everything and Carl stepped out from behind him with a stuffed green rabbit. It had yarn for fur and long floppy ears with white paws. He came up to me and handed it to me as he hugged me. Daryl said they had found a baby store and took all the formula they could carry along with plenty of bottles and toys.

"We have an empty crib box filled with just toys, stuffed animals, and formula. Of course, I grabbed some clothes too. About 10 girls and 10 boys onesies. Just to be sure." Carl said.

"Oh, honey. I love you." I said and hugged Carl even tighter. I let go and moved to Daryl.

"You'll be a perfect mother, Jinxx." he said.

"Thanks dad." I responded. Carol called them over to eat and she actually had to make more food to feed them. Rick was out unloading supplies with Beth and Maggie. Hershal ate a little and went to sleep. When the ones unloading came back inside, they ate a bunch.

"God, I hope that truck and car weren't full of just baby stuff, we have to eat too." Carol laughed.

"Nope, the 2 boxes of baby stuff fit in the trunk of the car. Daryl just assembled the crib before coming in. The entire back of the truck was filled with food. We shouldn't have to go on a run for the rest of winter if Daryl can keep hunting and I can keep the animals going." Rick said. We lit the fires for the night and I went into my and Carl's room. He was already in bed while I changed into a baggy shirt and sweatpants. Carl gasped as he looked at me.

"What?" I asked, feeling slightly self conscious.

"You're still as beautiful as when I left." he laughed. "That and you have a small bump." he finished. I looked down at my stomach. If I didn't know I was pregnant, I would've just thought I was gaining weight. My stomach was sticking out a little more than usual but not much. How Carl noticed, I have no idea. I crawled into bed and felt Carl's hand on the back of my neck as he tried to kiss me. I wriggled over and told him not to touch me.

"You're hands are freezing!" I complained.

"Then warm them up." He laughed and pressed his hands against my back. I squirmed away from him and rolled over so I was facing him again. I gently grabbed his hands in mine and held them until they were warm.

"Can I kiss you now?" he asked. I chuckled and moved closer to him, pressing our lips together. He kept going and pulled me closer to him. Our lips moved in sync and I felt his hand go under my shirt.

"Carl, still pregnant." I said, separating from him. "God, at the way you are, its no wonder I am." I laughed.

"Well you make it hard. How am I supposed to resist someone like you?" he argued. I smiled and rolled onto my other side. Carl pulled me against him and ran his hand over my stomach as I went to sleep.