Adapting (A Daryl Dixon/ The Walking Dead Fanfiction)

Chapter 16

Gemma's P.O.V
It's at that point when the humiliation settles in and the tears begin to stream down my face. I see Shane's car pull up and I quickly duck into the RV, pulling on the first shirt I see. I step out of the RV to see Shane and Lori arguing as everyone watches.

"First things first, I gotta look after you. I gotta make sure the baby's alright, okay?" Shane says.

"You're having a baby?" Carl asks, appearing out of nowhere.

Everyone looks at him, "Why didn't you tell me?" He presses.

Lori looks at him in shock, unable to speak. And she looks away from the child, realising his mistake. I walk towards Lori and wrap an arm around her, "Let's get you checked out huh?"

She nods her head and follows me inside, not before giving Shane a dirty look. We walk inside and I sit her on the couch with Carl beside her and I pull a chair in front of me. I begin to inspect her as Andrea walks in with a glass of water and Dale with a tea towel. I poke and prod at her, determining that nothing's broken.

"You should be fine. I don't see anything broken, just a couple of bumps and bruises." I say.

She nods and gives me a smile before turning to Carl, "Hey, I'm so sorry that I left without telling you."

"It's okay. I wasn't scared." He says strongly.

"When's dad getting back?" He asks.

"Let's hope soon." She says quietly.

"I wanna be there when you tell him about the baby." Carl smiles.

Lori sighs and wraps her arm around him, "Bub, he already knows. We were just trying to find the right time to tell you."

"Is it a boy or a girl?" He asks, eagerly.

"Well, we won't know that until it's born." She states.

"Will I be able to feel it?" He asks, placing a hand on her stomach.

"Not for awhile. Must have a lot of questions huh? We never had the talk. I guess we forgot." She says to everyone.

Carl looks expectantly at Dale, "Don't look at me, that's your father's job."

Carl nods, "If the baby's a girl, can we name her Sophia?" He asks.

Lori's face drops as Shane appears in the doorway, "Hey dude. Hey, I'm sorry bud. Thought you knew."

Carl tips his hat, "Big brother Carl. Pretty cool huh?"

"I say that's very cool." Shane laughs.

I look at Lori, who wears a furious look on her face. She looks me in the eyes and I nod, showing her that I feel the same way. She nods in return as Shane addresses her, "Lori I had to get you back here, you wouldn't have come otherwise."

The tension is thick in the room about their exchange. Shane steps further into the room, "How about you just hear me out please?"

She turns to Carl and rubs his back, "Give me a minute?"

Carl nods and stands, exiting the room. Dale, Andrea and myself head out as well, Shane looks at me and I glare at him before leaving. I step into the kitchen and see the high pile of dishes on the sink. I walk over and turn the tap on, putting detergent in the water. I begin to wash up when someone stands beside me.

"Need any help?" Andrea asks.

I look at her for a moment, "If you wouldn't mind drying up."

She nods and grabs a tea towel, starting to dry the dishes. We do our jobs in silence, the air filled with tension and awkwardness.