Alternate title: Three Men and a Baby

[axemeaquestion]

Holy hell of a morning.

After Coach had gotten shot, the motherfucking mountain man, the one the other called Marshall, didn't waste time. The other woman quickly introduced herself as Jean, a nurse and Marshall's wife, and had barely started trying to stop Coach's bleeding when Marshall brought up the bunker. It was less of a reccomendation and more like a demand. With Coach bleeding as bad as he was coupled with Rochelle's condition, which he would bring up later, the faster they got out the better.

And it was just in time, because as soon as the four of them got out of the hospital and made their quick introductions. Well, introductions coupled with arguing, especially when it was brought up who had shot Coach. Jean was about to shut them up with the roar of a horde did it for her. It didn't take more than a second for them to decide what to do. They abandoned the van (temporarily, they hoped), carried Coach and Rochelle into Marshall and Jean's pickup truck, piled in, and drove the fuck out.

Coach managed to stay conscious, even with all the blood he was losing. Rochelle, though, was out hot (pun intended) in her feverish condition. Jean did her best with the both of them. She said there was a doctor at the bunker, a co-worker she escaped with before she found Marshall again, who could give them a lot better help. Otherwise, between driving and trying to stablize the others, Jean and Marshall didn't have much focus to explain themselves and the bunker. As soon as they were out of the woods, that story was being saved.

The horde finally caught up when they got to the bunker. The slow opening door didn't help. But a crescendo later and the door opened enough for them to crawl under, and all that's left was to shoot the zombies trying to do the same until the door slid closed, just as slowly.

It finally did, and Coach leaned against the wall. He panted, hard.

"God DAMN..."

Jean moved over to him and offered an arm. Marshall was already carrying the unconscious Rochelle in both arms of his own arms, seeing as he wasn't sure how good of an idea it was to haul a pregnant woman over his shoulders.

"Gotta agree with that shit." He grunted. "Doc better still be here."

Comments

[axemeaquestion]

"Yeah." The detached, faint way she spoke betrayed her answer. Yeah, this baby was imminent. She could have sworn she could feel her move around inside her. Her hand went over her belly. It was almost time, and she STILL didn't know what the hell to do.

"What about you?"

[candyass]

"You don't sound all that sure," Nick mumbled. Maybe he was dodging the question... he probably was, really, but she really didn't sound all that sure.

Hell, neither was he.

[axemeaquestion]

"You didn't answer the question."

she can play the dodging game too ok

[candyass]

"Yeah, okay. Sounds like a plan." Nick just wasn't sure why he felt so... agitated by it. Disappointed in some damn way he wasn't going to dwell on. He wasn't father material, never wanted to be.

It was probably better for the kid, really. He just didn't know why the hell he felt so weird about it all of a sudden.

[axemeaquestion]

Rochelle pauses again. Then she nods, slowly. Honestly, she was thinking the same thing. Like said before, she was too damned torn. She didn't want a baby, she didn't think of herself as anywhere near being a mother. Especially in an apocalypse. But...

Another wave of pain hits her and breaks her thoughts. Rochelle pushed out a slight gasp and clung to herself.

Travis, who had been quiet and watching, frowned.

"I'll be right back. I better get some things out of storage..."

He walked out. Coach was slowly taking the hint, too.

"You guys wanna be alone? Ain't much we can do yet."

[candyass]

Nick tentatively reached out to put a hand to her back, rubbing lightly. What else could he do? She was in pain though and he felt like he ought to try to do something.

"Huh?" He gave a look back to Coach and shrugged. "You can go if you want to... like you said, we're gonna be doing a hell of a lot of waiting for awhile."

No sense in them all standing around yet, besides this wasn't exactly the kind of conversation you had in a room full of people, he figured.

[axemeaquestion]

Coach nodded.

"I'm gonna--help out Travis. Better not wake up Ellis in the process." Coach huffed and shook his head. "Not yet, anyway. That boy's gonna be all over this."

With a brief, concerned look at Rochelle, Coach headed out, trailing behind Travis. Shit. Babies were supposed to be a happy thing. Even if those two wanted that little baby girl, it ain't like this was the happiest time to have one in the first damn place...

Rochelle was thinking the same thing. She doesn't react to Nick's hand, but she does cling tighter to herself. That counts for something, right?

So congrats, Nick, you're stuck with your pregnant baby mamma who's in some major pain.

[candyass]

"Jesus, yeah, let the kid sleep." He did not need Ellis bouncing around this goddamn room right now. He felt a headache coming on bad enough as it was.

He rubbed his hand over when she curled further into herself and let out a sigh. When they're gone, he let out a short sigh. "You need anything?"

He knows he keeps asking that, but... hell, it's not like they're prepared. Hard to prepare for childbirth when you've spent most of it running for your lives from shit that wants to kill you.

[axemeaquestion]

No kidding.

Another silence.

"I don't know."

[candyass]

"Yeah, okay." He was quiet for now, keeping his hand moving over her back since she hadn't moved away or told him to stop yet.

"Just let me know if you do."

[axemeaquestion]

The (ex, assistant) producer let out a deep, DEEP sigh. She still hadn't turned back to face him, nor did she react much to his hand. She would have appreciated it more if the impending baby thing wasn't so heavy in her mind.

It's not like she hadn't had nine fucking months to think about it.

"That's the thing, Nick. I don't know."

[candyass]

"Jesus, Rochelle, I'm just offering to get you water or ice or... whatever you're supposed to have." He bites at the inside of his cheek, going quiet a moment.

"Unless you want to talk about the kid thing, but it seems like you wanna give her up, so I don't know what else there is to say." And really, they should. That's what they'd decided, right? And Nick was pretty damn sure he wouldn't make an amazing dad by any means... or even an okay one.

[axemeaquestion]

"I didn't SAY that. I said IF."

Okay, this time she's rolling around to face them. It's uncomfortable as hell as she does, but she manages.

"If we--don't. I mean."

[candyass]

"If," Nick repeated. "What's that supposed to mean, Rochelle? You want to keep her? Because you seemed pretty damn sure when this first happened that you didn't."

[axemeaquestion]

Rochelle's eyes narrow at Nick as she tries to adjust herself. It hurts, but god dammit if she can't pick her own ass up.

"It means I thought I--" Rochelle feels another pang hit her as she tries to pull herself upright. It doesn't work. She winces, biting back a sound, and sinks into the pillows. Soft, thankfully. "I THOUGHT I didn't want her. I don't--I don't know anymore. I don't want to just throw her into someone else's lap, okay?"

[candyass]

"So what, you want to talk about keeping her?" Nick can't help the uncertain way his voice comes out. He's not sure what the hell he'd do with a kid, how he'd raise her.

Doesn't mean some part of him doesn't want to keep her either, after busting his ass to keep her safe. Hard not to care about a kid after all the crap they'd been through to make sure she'd even be born.

[axemeaquestion]

She goes quiet for a moment, looking at him. She knows that tone, and she studies his expression. Well, hell.

Her expression softens.

"You don't sound like you know, either."

[candyass]

"I don't," he finally muttered, rubbing a hand over his own face. Might as well say it.

"But it looks like we don't have a hell of a lot of time to decide either."

[axemeaquestion]

Tiredly: "I figured."

She lulls her head back until she's staring up at the ceiling. Slowly, she takes a few deep breaths and closes her eyes.

"I should've made us talk about it sooner."

'Made them' because they had a rough idea of what they were going to do, but they always avoided WHO they were going to give their daughter to.

... Daughter. Right. That's another word they avoided.

[candyass]

"What would that have done?" he shrugged.

"We've been a little preoccupied lately and hell, there aren't a lot of options here anyway. There's one freaking couple we could give her to, Rochelle... that'd want her."

He paused. "Only other option is keeping her. Hell if I know how we'd raise a kid."

[axemeaquestion]

She sighs.

"I know."

She just wasn't so sure anymore. Suddenly it was more complicated than it used to be.

[candyass]

"I mean, what the hell would we do if we kept it? I mean, I ain't exactly a father type, you know?" Though he was pretty sure Rochelle could handle it, if she really wanted.

But it definitely didn't seem as easy anymore even if he had that voice in his head telling him to stop being a dumbass.

"Doesn't sound like you're too sure though."

[axemeaquestion]

"I know, Nick." She almost snapped, but she was too damned mentally exhausted about the subject at this point. Then, more softly: "I know."

Because she didn't think she was the mother type either. It wasn't true, she knew how to look after kids. Or Ellis. But raising her own child was too damned daunting in her mind.

She didn't answer his last remark.

[candyass]

Nick was quiet, himself. Too damn much on his mind to even care about the snappish response. He shook his head and let out a sigh. What the hell were they gonna do?

And it sounded like he could almost hear the freaking clock ticking away now. They didn't have time to not have a decision at all.

[axemeaquestion]

God dammit Nick, say or do something that will actually help her.

Because this awkward, ominous silence is getting to her.

Rochelle didn't know why she had even half-expected an answer from him. Nick wouldn't know. They talked about all this a long time ago. He already SAID he wouldn't be a good father. And Ro didn't think she'd be a great mother, either.

She sighed.

It had to be up to her, huh?

"Let's figure it out when she--" UGH GOD NOT AGAIN MORE PAIN. Rochelle groans, hard. "--when she wants to come out. Which is gonna be soon, shit."

God dammit. She would get up and walk around or something. But moving is a task and a half. And yet she wanted to move.

She could feel the pain getting more frequent too. That was a sign if anything.