Hopeless

Chapter 17

I lay in the tent, sweat dripping down my face. Shane is kneeling beside me, his hand around mine.

"Are you sure you weren't bit?" I look up at him struggling to keep my eyes open.

"I-I-I think so."

"Baby please. Where does it hurt?"

"Everything hurts." I whimper. I clutch my stomach as a sharp pain erupts through me. I groan in pain, tears in my eyes. "I think it's the baby." I grunt through the pain. Shane's eyes widen.

"No." He gasps. I scream out in pain as another wave hits me. "But it's to early! You can't be having contractions!" He screams. I stare into his eyes.

"Something wrong." I whimper. Dale comes bursting into the tent Rick on his heals.

"What's going on??" Rick questions in a panic. I cry out in pain again. "What did you do!?" Rick screams at Shane, the sight of me so sick and in pain send him through the roof.

"It's the baby!" I cry.

"The what??" Rick asks in disbelief.

"She's pregnant..." Dale answers calmly. He kneels beside me. "Katie. I need you to calm down. Take nice deep breaths." I breath like he says. Shane grabs a small cloth and dabs the sweat from my face. "It's gonna be alright. Just breath." Dale tells me.

"What's happening?" I cry.

"False labor is my guess." Dale answers taking my hand.

"How do you know?" Rick asks clearly upset.

"It happened to my wife when she was pregnant. Sometimes if the mother is under extreme stress the baby becomes distressed and Katie has obviously been under a lot of stress. Just breath." he says to me. I try slowing my breaths.

"It hurts." I whimper.

"I know. I know it does, you just have to push through it." I look to Shane who is still by my side. He takes my hand, holding it in his.

"I'm here baby." He says reassuring me. I close my eyes and picture my baby. I hold her in my arms, cradled in a pink blanket. Shane has his arms around me, admiring our beautiful baby. My breathing slows and the pain begins to fade. I slowly blink my eyes open.

"How do you feel?" Dale asks me quietly.

"Been better." I say weakly. He smiles, then glances at Rick who does not look happy.

"Well...I guess I better let you guys talk." He says standing up. Shane thanks him then he leaves.

"How far along are you?" Rick asks as I sit up.

"I don't know exactly. A few months." He scoffs.

"How long have you known?" He asks, sounding angry.

"Not long..I-I was gonna tell you..it's just.."

"Just what??" He snaps, obviously hurt. Tears sting my eyes.

"Hey man that's enough!" Shane yells at him.

"This isn't any of your business." He growls at Shane.

"That's my girl and my unborn baby! It sure the hell is my business."

"You can't just screw my baby sister and expect me to be ok with this!" Rick screams.

"Stop it!" I scream at them, tears sliding down my cheeks. They both look at me with wide eyes. "I'm not a baby anymore Rick! I'm a grown ass woman, you can't keep treating me like I'm a child! I love him and I love you, but I will not choose between the two of you. You don't have to love each other, hell you don't even have to like each other, but you need to stop acting like a bunch of school children! This baby will need their daddy and their uncle and I need both of you. So grow up!" They both look at the ground.

"You're right Katie. You're not a baby anymore, but when I look at you I still see the six year old that I carried back to the house when you fell of your first bike, I see the little girl that never let her baby dolls out of her sight, the little girl that used to sneak into my room at night when she got scared of the monsters in her closet." He looks at me and smiles. "I don't care how old you get, you'll always be that little girl, but now I have to protect you from the real monsters. We used to tell each other everything, a-and now you're having a baby and you didn't even tell me."

"I was afraid. I didn't know for sure and I was scared. The world is dying and here I am growing a baby inside of me! If I-we if we told people it would make it real. The odds of the baby and I both surviving have got to be about one in a billion-" Shane cuts me off.

"Well then I guess you're that one in a billion cuz I'm not losing either of you." He says from where he's still kneeling beside me.

"Shane..." Rick stops me.

"He's right Katie. We're not losing either of you."

"Hell at least we agree on one thing." Shane says laughing a little. I smile at them.

"But...how can I raise a baby here? You saw what happened last night." I say sadly.

"We'll leave. We'll go today. As soon as you feel well enough to travel." Rick says.

"To where? There's nowhere left!" I say getting upset.

"We'll find somewhere." Shane says with a smile.

"What about the CDC?" Rick asks. "Last I heard they were working on a cure."

"Maybe they could help Jim too." I say hopefully.

"What about that military base...Fort Benning?" Shane suggests.

"That's on the other side of the city. Jim will never make it that far, besides the fact we'll never make it through the city."

"We'll go around." Shane says.

"We don't have nearly enough gas."

"We could syphon gas from the cars on the highway as we go. They'll be military protection there. Food. Water. It's our best shot."

"Yeah if it's not overrun by now."

"If it's overrun who's to say the CDC is still up and running."

"If they really did have the start on a cure. I'm sure it would be protected."

"Katie help me out here." Shane says looking to me.

"Nope." I say bluntly as I stand.

"Woah, where are you going? You need to rest!" Shane calls after me as I walk out of the tent.

"I'm not getting stuck in the middle of this." I mumble as I continue to walk away. Shane runs after me, grabbing my arm when he gets close.

"Hold on Katie, just hold on." I stop and turn to look at him. "We're going to the CDC." He tells me.

"We are?" I ask in disbelief.

"We are. You're right. You shouldn't have to be in the middle of this and I want what's best for you and our baby." He places his hands on my belly as I look at him with wide eyes. I've never known Shane to be a man to back down that easily. "I've known your brother for as long as I can remember and if he thinks the CDC is the best option, then I trust him." I nudge his hands off my stomach and push myself into him, our lips meeting halfway.

"Thank you." I whisper happily as we pull away.

"Anything for you baby." He says as he kisses my forehead. "Now what do you say we go pack?" He asks. I nod, smiling. Rick asks everyone else to gather in front of the RV so he can tell them the plan, as Shane and I continue to pack.