𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐋 𝐆𝐑𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐒 [ 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐬 ] ✘

Pregnant [Pt. 2]

Carl's hand ran over my swollen midsection gently as we sat in the loveseat in the tiny house we shared in Alexandria. We had told Rick and the others months ago. They weren't happy at first - after all, we were both so young to be having a baby at all. But Carl had been mature for his age for a long time now and I as well because of the apolacypse we'd been forced to grow up in. So Michonne had convinced Rick to let us have our own house to live and raise the baby in. We'd been living in it for about five months when Carl suprised me by proposing.

I didn't know if I was ready for that. It certainly wasn't something that had crossed my mind before. But after thinking on it, I realized something. I wanted to be with Carl forever. I wanted to live with him, be with him, love him forever. And that would start with a ring on my finger. So I accepted and we married a few weeks later.

Everyone had shown up - Rick and Judith, Michonne, Eugene, Morgan, Rosita, Sasha, Abraham, Glenn, and Maggie. The wedding was beautiful, spectacular. And better than I'd even hoped for it to be. Carl's fingers went to my hand, playing with my wedding band. I smiled up at him and with his other hand, he brushed my hair away from my forehead before placing a chaste kiss there on my skin. Intertwining our fingers, I gazed deep into his ocean-blue eye.

"I can't wait till the baby's born," he grinned down at me.

I laughed, shaking my head.

"Well, you're going to have to. It's not magic, Carl," I teased and he rolled his eye playfully.

"Well, I know that but still...I want to teach the kid all I know," he smiled proudly.

I snorted, smiling.

"Oh dear," I joked.

Carl punched me on the arm, smirking and I hit him back harder.

"Don't hit a pregnant woman!" I scolded him and he scowled slightly, rubbing his arm where I'd socked him before his smile returned.

"Fine, fine whatever. But the first thing that baby is going to eat is pudding!" he insisted, gesturing to my stomach.

I arched an eyebrow defiantely.

"That so? You're instantly going to make it a sugar addict?" I asked, trying to hide a smile that was starting to form.

He nodded, a proud smirk plastered on his face.

"Well, it is my child," he bragged.

"Yeah, well, it's mine too and I say no pudding," I shot back playfully.

His face looked like I'd just stolen his best friend.

"What?! No...no pudding...for my child?!" he fake-roared.

A laugh bubbled up from my lips at the priceless expression on his face and I shook my head 'no'. He immediately grabbed a pillow off of the couch and held it out as a weapon.

"I DECLARE WAR ON YOU THEN! FOR THE SAVAGERY OF BANNING MY FUTURE OFFSPRING FROM EATING THE WONDERFUL DELECTABLE GOODNESS WHICH IN THIS WORLD IS CALLED PUDDING!" Carl shouted loudly.

By now, I was laughing hysterically as I grabbed the other pillow from the couch and held it in front of me for 'protection'.

"EN GUARDE!" I yelled as I smacked Carl mercilessly with my pillow, careful not to fall over with my swollen stomach.

Grinning, Carl smacked me back and I laughed. Just as I was about to hit him again, I doubled over as pain shot through my stomach. Dropping the pillow from my hand, I let out a groan and Carl immediately rushed to my side. His hand went to my back while his other held my hand in his.

"What's wrong?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.

Before I could answer, another wave of pain shot through me and I winced.

"It's-it's the baby. It's coming!" I breathed out.

Carl's blue eye widened and instantly ran out the door, shouting down the street wildly for Rick.

"CARL, DON'T YOU LEAVE ME ALONE LIKE THIS!" I screamed out angrily.

In the blink of an eye, Carl was back in the room. Without a word, he reached his arms around my legs and scooped me up in his arms as another contraction hit me. He ran down the street as fast as he could with the added weight that was me and our child. Once we arrived at the infirmary, everyone was already waiting on us. He lied me down on the hospital bed in the middle of the room and Denise ushered everyone out but Carl. Sweat was pouring down my face by now and all the nerves in my body felt like they were on fire.

"You guys ready to be parents?" Denise asked, grinning as she dried off her hands and walked over to me.

Carl caught my hand in his and I squeezed it hard as more pain shot through my body. I nodded vehemently.

"More than ready," I replied, grimacing.

"Okay, then let's have that baby!" she chirped, smiling.

It was several hours and innumerable excruciating screams later that Carl and I welcomed our baby into the world. It was a girl! Her eyes were bright blue like Carl's but the blonde wisps of hair on her tiny head were mine. I grinned up at Carl as the tiny pink bundle was nestled into my arms. He smiled down at me and the baby before I handed her to him. He looked so nervous as I passed her to him, his hands were shaking so much.

But once she snuggled into his chest, a warm smile lit up his face and I bit my lip as I watched them.

"What should we name her?" I asked him softly as he bounced her up and down gently in his arms.

"Sophia," he replied, glancing up at me.

My breath caught in my throat at the mention of my older sister and tears pricked my eyes. But they weren't tears of sadness but of joy. Slowly, I nodded.

"Sophia Grimes, it is."