[Finished] Living Among the Dead

19. Spend

"This is stupid," Mason complains as he stares at the book in front of him."
I sigh, "This was the only deal I could make that seemed to keep Deanna even a little happy. I take the midnight shift of watch, and then I homeschool you for a minimum of three hours."
"Or you could just let me go to school."
"Mase."
Mason takes a deep breath, "I know why you don't want me going to school with everyone else, I do. But; Carl's there, and we have our meeting place... I'd be fine to go, if-"
"No. End of conversation, now what's 12 times 8?"
Carol walks through the dining room and eyes me closely, "Why aren't you out seeing Daryl off?"
I shoot a pointed look at Mason before standing up, kissing the top of his head and saying, "I'm going to be right back, I expect this page to be done when I get back."
"Whatever," Mason replies, bitterly.
I follow Carol out and onto the porch. "So why aren't you over there?" She asks again, pointing to where we can see Daryl on his bike by the gates.
"I have to tutor Mason, I made a-"
"I know about your deal with Deanna, but I assume she'd understand you going and saying goodbye to your boyfriend-"
"We aren't official, Carol. We're just testing the waters..."
"She'd still understand."
I shake my head, "Did it ever accure to you, that it's really just none of your business?" I walk back inside and sit next to Mason who's doodling on his paper.
I chuckle, "You're just like I used to be. The moment my teacher would turn their back on me, I was doodling on whatever I could."
"Daryl likes you," Mason's statement catches me off gaurd.
"Well, yeah, we're friends."
"No, I mean... he likes you the way dad liked you." He looks up at me with those eyes identical to his fathers'. "And you like him, too."
"Mase, Hunny-"
"No, it's okay. He's a good guy. I just don't get why you're hiding it from me."
"I'm not hiding anything from you, Mason."
"Yeah, you are. You just walked outside to talk about why you aren't saying goodbye to him. And that's not even that weird of a thing to talk about. He's not dad, he is a lot different then dad... but he gets you, and dad never did. So it's okay. But you should go say goodbye."
I ruffle his hair, trying to make this conversation more light hearted and say in a sing song voice, "I am helping you learn your math. I can talk to Daryl when he gets back."
"Remember how Aaron never liked saying bye to you when you'd leave to get us food?"
"No, I can't say I remember him not saying bye to me."
"He'd send me. He didn't want to say goodbye because he was always afraid you'd leave and not come back."
I can't believe I'm getting a talking to by my son. "Mason, stop avoiding your homework."

Later that same day, Sev comes to say goodbye before they go out on their run with Eugene, Tera, Glenn, Noah, Nickolas and Aiden.
"Rumor is that you didn't say goodbye to Crossbow."
I roll my eyes, "People need to mind their own business."
"Well, I wasn't letting you not say goodbye to me."
"Oh shut up."
"So, you get that pesky period yet?"
The little bit of anxiety fills me again at the mention of my late gift from mother nature. "No, not yet."
"So, you think you're pregnant?"
I push them, "Shut up, I can't be."
"What, you and the Mister not get it on before he died?"
"No, we hadn't 'gotten it on' since Tonia was born... never had the time with three kids, he was on set a lot, and I was running the PTA, was coaching Aaron's Softball and Soccer teams, and doing Cub scouts with both boys. And then, we were always running, and when we weren't running, we had kids sleeping with us so they didn't have nightmares."
"So you can't be pregnant?"
I look away, biting my lip harshly. There's no way...
"So, if I see one of them Pregnancy Tests, I expect you to take it and tell me immediately."
"Don't you have a run to go on?" I ask, trying desperately to avoid any more thoughts on this subject.

When the yells for help reach my ears I run out of the house to see the van that Sev and them left in is back and Glenn and Sev are yelling.

[A.N.] A short but filler chapter. Next chapter will be out tomorrow.