The Doc

Chapter 16

"Hey!" Joel called as he walked through the door. "Somethin' smells good." He gently kicked the door closed behind him and stepped out of his shoes. "Al?" He called again, furrowing his brow. He heard a sniffle from the living room.

As Joel walked further into the house, he took his holster off and hung it on the hangers by the door. He spotted his girlfriend sitting in the living room, back facing him. He undid the top two buttons of his shirt and crossed the last few steps to the living room.

"How was your day?" He sat down next to the doc and put a hand on her knee. "Alice?" He questioned quietly as he saw the single tear roll down her cheek.

Alice sniffled and brushed the hair out of her face., shaking her head as she did so. "It's nothing. How was the patrol?"

"It was the usual. Same ol' same boring Creek Trails. What's the matter?"

Alice took a deep breath and kicked her feet over Joel's legs. "I knocked over the green beans."

Joel tried to prevent a smile from breaking out across his face. "You..."

"Don't you make fun of me." Alice warned.

"I would never make fun of you, Al." Joel smirked and planted a soft kiss on her forehead.

"I want it out."

Joel reached over and placed a hand on Alice's small belly, chuckling. "Baby knocked over those green beans didn't he?" He cooed as he bent forward to place an ear at stomach-level. 

"He?" Alice raised an eyebrow. "Who says it's a he?" 

Joel laughed and placed a kiss on her belly. "So, other than the ruined green beans, what's for dinner?" Joel gently placed her legs back in a sitting position and stood up, unbuttoning the rest of his shirt. He held a hand out to help Alice get off the couch.

"Chicken and sweet potatoes. The beans are in the garbage so I chopped up a tomato and cucumber salad." Alice said, rubbing her hand over her stomach. "This little one has been kicking me all day."

Joel held his hand against her stomach once again, feeling a gentle, and then a not-so-gentle push from the inside. "God I love that feeling." He said, smiling.

"I used to, too." Alice mused. "Try having these in the middle of the night, though, and then baby having a party on-top of your bladder."

"It'll be so worth it though, Al." He laughed, kissing the top of her head.

"I missed you today." Alice murmured, wrapping her arms around his waist. They stood for a moment before Alice's nose wrinkled and she stepped back. "Phew, you stink. Go wash the zombie brains off you. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes."

"Hey, is Ellie home?" Joel asked, heading back over to his coat. 

"Yeah, I think so," Alice said, peering out the kitchen window. "Her light is on."

"I was gonna ask if she wants to have dinner with us," Joel suggested, peering around the kitchen doorframe. "What do you think?"

"Go and have a shower," Alice smirked, holding her hand out to keep him at a distance. "I'll go out and ask her." Joel chuckled before heading upstairs without protest. 

Alice stepped into her boots, lacing them up. She grabbed her heaviest coat and scarf before dipping out the back porch door and trudging through the snow over to Ellie's shed-cum-house. She knocked on the door before jumping from one foot to the other to try and warm up. She rubbed her hands together and raised them to mouth as the door opened.

"Hey Ellie," Alice smiled.

"Hey doc," Ellie said, stepping back. "Come in."

Alice stepped into the small shed Ellie had turned into her own studio apartment. 

"What's up?" Ellie asked, folding her arms awkwardly. 

"Joel just wanted me to ask if you wanted to join us for dinner today?" Alice said. "He's just back from patrol and he was gonna come out and ask you himself but I sent him upstairs for a shower because he was covered in zombie brains." Ellie chuckled. 

"Sounds about right," she smiled. "I mean, Dina and Jesse were gonna come over as soon as they came back from crop rotation..."

"They can come for dinner too!" Alice smiled. "The more the merrier."

"...okay," Ellie said, collapsing onto her sofa. "What time?" 

"Say, 7 o'clock?" 

"Cool."

"See you then kiddo,"