The Infection

Chapter 26

"Alright, let's take a look at this Cumberbun," Rob joked, but Ben was clearly not in the mood. He's about to find out if this is his child or not and he's nervous as all hell. He wants this baby to be his, he wants to raise it as his own...but if it's Tom's, he's not sure that he can.

He watched the screen as Rob moved the wand around Cassie's stomach and saw a tiny ball appear on the screen. "There's the baby," Rob said, as Ben scooter closer with a smile on his face. "And she looks to be...wow...15 weeks."

Ben sighed and shook his head. Immediately, he knew it wasn't his. It couldn't be. He and Cassie haven't been together that long. Tears were almost prickling in his eyes, but he refused to cry. "It's not mine," he said. "It's Tom's."

Tony, who has been standing behind him, put a hand on his shoulder for comfort. "You sure?" He asked. Ben nodded and told him, "She's three and a half months along. We haven't been together that long. It's Tom's goddamn child."

He took his hand out of Cassie's and grunted in frustration. "It's a she," Rob told him. "It's a girl." Great. That didn't make Ben feel any better. He's always wanted a beautiful baby girl and now that he has one...she's not even his.

"I need a drink," he grumbled as he walked out of the infirmary tent. Rob kept the picture of the baby on the screen and followed him with Tony right behind. They must have forgotten, but Tom was also in the infirmary. He was also just a few feet away from Cassie.

He may have been injured...but he wasn't deaf.

**

Ben had his head laying next to Cassie's stomach and his fingers grazed across her stomach. After a few drinks to get himself less depressed about the news, he decided that he was going to raise this girl as his own. He won't tell Tom it's his and he reckons Cassie won't want to tell him, either.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. For once, he wasn't thinking about the infected. He wasn't thinking about Gary's group or that Mark and Sharon are dead. He was thinking about his family. He was thinking about how he could get Cassie away from here and someplace safer. He was thinking about the dream he had, where they had escaped and everything was fine. They were all fine.

Just as he was closing his eyes, hoping to have that same dream as before, when he felt something in his hair. He opened his eyes and looked up to see Cassie running her fingers through his hair and staring down at him with tired eyes.

"Cass," he breathed out, before quickly sitting up. "Oh my God, you're okay!" He laughed and brought her in for a kiss. Her lips and tongue were dry, but that didn't make the moment any less of what it was.

When he pulled away, he brushed back her hair and asked, "Are you alright? Do you need anything?" She nodded and croaked out, "Water." As quickly as he could, he ran outside and to their shelter. He went into the small kitchen area and got down on his knees.

Without any problem, he tore up her floorboards and grabbed one of the several water bottles she had stashed away. He quickly ran back to the infirmary and put the bottle to her lips after opening it. "There you go, baby, drink up," he said as she practically chugged it down.

When she finished, she took a deep breath, then asked in a clearer voice, "What happened?" He sat down next to her and took her hands. "You were shot," he said. "During the ambush, a gun went off and hit you. I saw it happen, so I ran to the building and carried you here as quickly as I could. You went into cardiac arrest and a three day coma."

He wasn't one to sugar coat things and he knew she didn't like any sugar coating anyways. She took a moment to process this, then said, "Well, remind me to thank Sharon. I'm sure I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her."

Ben sighed and squeezed her hands. "Sharon's dead," he told her. "Gary raided the camp. He shot Adrien and Tom, locked everyone up in that bloody cell we have...and he killed Mark. Shot him right in the fucking head."

He could see the shock in her eyes. Though she wasn't one to show much sentiment towards other people because it just causes heartbreak in this world (minus Ben), she considered Sharon and Mark her family. They took them in, gave them food, shelter, everything.

"Shit," she said, "I'm gone three days and all this happens?" He chuckled a bit, knowing she was just trying to make the moment brighter. "Well, you're here now," he said, "and that's all that matters. I love you, Cassie, so much."

She brought him in for a kiss and said, "I love you, too. Is there anything else that happened? You hit me with all of this news, I think I can handle a little more." This wasn't going to turn out well, he just knew it.

He put his hand over her stomach and said, "There is one more thing. One more...important thing." She slowly nodded and looked at him oddly. "Now I don't want you to freak out," he gently told her, "but you...you're...you're pregnant."

Cassie dropped his eyes and blew her eyes widely at him. "W...what?" She asked. "Preg...pre...oh my God." She put her hand over her head and started breathing heavily. "Ben, I...I can't be pregnant. No, no, no not now!"

Ben gently shushed her and brought her in for a hug. "Hey, hey it's alright," he told her. "Look, if you don't want her, it's completely up to you. I won't stop you." She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "Her?" She asked. "It's a girl?"

He nodded and said, "Yeah. You're 15 weeks along. Rob said you didn't feel any symptoms because you were so active, they were in control. The bullet hit more of your hip than your stomach, so it didn't hurt it. Also...the baby is Tom's, so maybe you should discuss the abortion with him since he's...you know, the--the father."
Cassie looked at him like he was crazy. "Ben," she said, "Tom can't be the father. I'm three and a half months along, but we haven't had sex in almost five months. The prison, Ben, that was nearly four months ago now,"

His eyes suddenly lit up. She was right. How could he be so stupid? He didn't even think about the prison, only when they came back. The baby was his!

"Oh, my baby," he said with a wide smile and tears in his eyes, as he put his hand over her stomach. "Bloody hell, I've been so depressed all morning, I--." He cut himself off when he saw the look on Cassie's face. "Oh shit," he said. "Sorry. I...listen, I want to do whatever you want to do. If you don't want this baby, then I understand. Having her grow up in the world would be almost cruel. I will support whatever decision you make, Cass."

She looked at him with a small smile and took ahold of his hand. "I want the baby," she told him. "I don't want this world to change what I've always wanted. I've always wanted a baby, I've always wanted you. And now that I have that, I don't want to let it go."

Ben let out a huge breath and kissed her. "I love you," he told her, "and I love our little girl. I promise, nothing is going to come between me and our family. I'm going to protect you till my last breath."