Family

“Rick, if you don’t stop hovering I’m going to punch you.”

He looked hurt at her words, which made Michonne feel guilty, but the labor pains were making her snippy.

“Sorry,” he said. “Where should I go?”

“No, I’m sorry. I’m just hurting so bad.”

“What’s taking her so long to get here?”

Michonne managed a chuckle. “It’s literally been two minutes since we called Dr. Fernandez. She’s coming all the way across town at three in the morning. Give her time.”

He nodded. “Right.”

Michonne watched as Rick sat down at the foot of the bed, got up, walked to the door, changed his mind, walked to the window, sat down in the chair, came to sit on the bed, checked his watch, and then repeated the process. 

“What happened to Lori won’t happen to me,” Michonne said.

“I know.”

He knew no such thing. He wasn’t going to give voice to that fear.

“Dad,” Carl said, coming to the door. 

Startled, Rick worked around, his hand reaching for his gun, which, thankfully, wasn’t there. 

“Beth’s here,” he said.

“What about the doctor?”

“It’s only been three minutes,” Michonne informed him.

“Are you sure? Can’t be. It’s at least been ten.”

Michonne moaned from an intense contraction. Carl came to sit beside her, to hold her hand. “Maggie called. She doesn’t think it’s a good idea to travel with Josephine in the middle of the night but she’ll be over in the morning.”

Michonne nodded. “The baby is four days old. It might rain again so I understand.”

Carl was holding her hand. Michonne found it comforting but she realized she was squeezing really hard. She just couldn't bring herself to let go.

“Goodness, look at you,” Beth Greene said, coming into the room and guiding Rick to the door.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Giving you a mission. Keep Daryl company. He’s in the kitchen. I’ll call just as soon as the birthing starts. I promise.”

If she wasn’t in so much pain Michonne would have laughed at the look of panic on her fiancé’s face as he was gently pushed from the room by the tiny but determined blond.

“Thanks, coach,” Michonne sighed.

“No problem. Let’s do our breathing.”

“I’ll head downstairs, keep Dad and Daryl company,” Carl said, extricating his hand from Michonne’s and shaking it to get the feeling to return. Michonne nodded and then focused on Beth as the door shut.

Downstairs, Rick was pacing the kitchen while Daryl concentrated on making some chamomile tea. He watched his brother with a smile.

“Did you see the ring on Beth’s finger?” Daryl asked.

“To be honest, I wouldn’t have noticed if Beth was orange,” Rick said. “Where is Sylvia? And don’t you tell me it’s only been three minutes. I know it’s been fifteen. I know it,” Rick snapped at Carl. He looked back at Daryl. “Congratulations. I’m happy for you two. Honestly.”

“I know,” Daryl said. “At least you’re not sitting on the kitchen floor crying like Glenn.”

Rick and Carl both laughed. “I know, right?”

There was a moment, just a moment, when it looked like Rick was going to burst into tears after all, but he recovered and then rushed to the door when he saw the lights of the doctor’s cart pull into the drive. A moment later she entered the room with Rick pulling her inside with a tight grip on her arm.

“Rick, let go, Honey,” she said, extricating her arm.

“But she’s upstairs.”

“I figured as much,” Sylvia said, smiling. “Don’t worry, Dad. Women have been birthing babies at home since the dawn of time. This is going to be a cake walk.”

“You’re sure?”

“Of course! I’ve been taking care of Michonne since she found out she was pregnant. She’s had a healthy, textbook pregnancy, I don’t anticipate any problems.”

“Well then, let’s go. She’s with her coach.”

“It would be best if just Beth and I were with Michonne,” she said. “I know you want to be there but your nervous energy isn’t what she needs right now. Everything is going to be fine. I’ll send Beth down as soon as your baby has arrived.”

Rick considered fighting. This wasn’t the nineteen-fifties. Father’s could be in the room with their children being born. He was there with Carl. True, he’d passed out as soon as Carl’s head crowned, and he’d had to have a couple of orderlies escort him from the room, but he’d been there…mostly.

“Rick, man, sit down and drink some tea,” Daryl said. “It’s all good. It really is.”

“Listen to Daryl,” Sylvia said, and winked at Daryl. She had a very obvious crush and she blushed when Daryl winked back.

“Did you propose to that lovely girlfriend yet?” Sylvia asked.

Rick was making ‘hurry up this is no time for small talk’ motions with his hand, which Sylvia laughed off after Daryl said he had.

“I’m going, I’m going,” she said, and headed upstairs.

“Door at the end of the hall on the left!” Rick called out.

“Right,” she called back.

Rick sat down at the table and took too big a drink of the hot tea, scalding his mouth and throat, but he barely noticed. All he could think of was Michonne and the baby. God, he hoped they’d be okay.

…

The moans coming from the bedroom were loud enough to be heard in the kitchen. Michonne sounded like she was in serious pain.

“It’s been three hours!” Carl said. Now he, too, was a wreck. Daryl’s calm was annoying both him and Rick, who were now both pacing the kitchen. The tea hadn’t calmed them down.

“Guys, it can take awhile,” Daryl reminded them. “Maggie was in labor for twenty-six hours, remember?”

“Oh, God, that’s right,” Rick said. “I don’t think I can take anymore of this.”

“You can’t take it? Imagine her,” Daryl said, shaking his head.

The sudden silence from upstairs was noticeable. Had something happened? Were they okay? He and Carl were staring at one another.

“Rick!” Beth called from upstairs.

Oh, God…something’s wrong, he thought, and ran pell-mell for the stairs with Carl hot on his heels.

“What?”

“Baby’s here,” she said.

Rick was flooded with relief so intense he nearly started to cry. He hurried up the stairs and into the room. He could hear cries but the doctor and the baby were nowhere in sight.

“She’s cleaning the baby,” Beth said, deliberately caging on the sex of his child. She wanted it to be a surprise.

He went to Michonne’s side. She was covered in sweat and looked exhausted.

“I wish we still had epidurals,” she lamented with a smile. He kissed her and tucked her braids back, finally letting the tears fall from his eyes.

Michonne touched his face. “Russell with be with us any second.”

“A boy?” He said, laughing.

“I’ve got a brother!” Carl whooped. “Yes!”

“Here we go, Mom, Dad, Brother,” Sylvia said, coming out of the bathroom with his son, screaming in her arms, but all clean and wrapped up. She handed the baby to Michonne, who unwrapped him enough to place him against her chest, skin to skin. He continued screaming for awhile until Michonne stroked his back.

“He’s beautiful,” Rick said.

“He sure is,” Beth agreed. “Big fella, too. The scales put him at nine pounds eight ounces.”

“Russell Andre Grimes,” Carl said, kneeling beside the bed to touch one of his brothers hands. His skin was so soft. A second later he latched on to Carl’s fist. “He’s got a good grip.”

“Come on, Carl. Baby needs to learn to suckle,” Beth said, after giving him a few minutes with his family to enjoy the baby, who’d started crying again.

Reluctantly, Carl kissed Russell’s hand and extricated his finger from his baby brother’s grip. He also kissed Michonne before following Beth out and leaving his parents and the baby with the doctor.

“I breast fed Andre…” Michonne was telling Sylvia, as he pulled the bedroom door shut.