Fracking Apocalypse - a ZNation 10K/Tommy Fanfiction

S6E05

She moved to her knees and looked him in the eye desperate for an answer that would relax her.

"Did I ever tell you about my mom?" he began and saw her confusion at the sudden change of subject, "She was a veterinarian - before she had me and became a stay at home mom – but sometimes people would bring their pets to her if they couldn't afford a vet and she'd look them over. One time this man brought his dog over because she was expecting puppies. He wasn't sure what to do so my mom helped make a bed for the dog and she let me help her by getting blankets and other stuff she needed. I remember when the dog was having the puppies, she didn't have a doctor coaching her through it or machines monitoring everything, she just plopped herself down so she was comfortable and she did what her instincts told her to do. That's our plan. We're going to take it one day at a time and whatever life throws at us we're going to find what we need to make it work and face it. People have been having babies for thousands of years, way before we had any of that other stuff. We're going to be okay. I'm going to make sure you and the baby are going to be okay no matter what."

Bailey looked touched as she leaned back over and hugged him. He rubbed her back again soothingly before she muttered into his shoulder, "You're not mad?"

He pulled away from their embrace to look at her, "Why would I be mad?"

She shrugged, "Because I didn't tell you. Because Murphy of all people did."

"Well yeah but its Murphy." He said, "I'm always mad at him."

She chuckled and it made him smile.

"So this is why you've been getting sick? You're just pregnant, everything's normal?"

She nodded, "Yeah I'm fine."

"Good." He said kissing her temple and pulling her close, "I was so worried you were sick with something we wouldn't be able to cure."

"I'm sorry I made you worry." She said wrapping her arm around his waist. They sat in the quiet for a little longer while he rested his head on hers. He kept glancing down at her flat stomach still wrapping his head around the idea that she was pregnant. She must have caught him looking because then she broke the silence.

"Are you happy about this?"

He hesitated trying to think of his answer. "No –" he began and she looked away from him trying to get out of his embrace, "I'm. . . ecstatic, I think." That made her pause and turn back to him, "I've never been ecstatic before so I'm not sure. Aren't you happy about it?" he worried seeing the tears in her eyes.

She wiped them away before they could fall and chuckled halfheartedly, "I – I haven't moved past nervous yet." She admitted as she leaned back against the wall again and he rested his hand on her knee.

"I'm nervous too, but we'll figure it out – together. Just like we've done everything else." She smiled at him and he smiled back before he leaned in and kissed her wanting to take away all the doubt and worry in her mind.

"We're going to have a baby." He whispered in awe, smiling when he pulled away and she nodded now grinning from ear to ear, "I'm going to be a Papa."

«»

About a week passed as George ordered Altura to go into lockdown. Not that anyone was leaving anyway, the light snowfall they'd had was followed by another storm and now there was a good few inches of snow that covered the ground. It left tracks and their feet sunk into it as they walked, people flooded the supply building asking for what more they could trade for but Bailey could only give out so much. She began to worry about what would happen when enough people didn't get the food and blankets and coats they were demanding, would they riot? Would they break down the door and take what they wanted at the expense of others? It reminded her of the start of the outbreak when people were so driven by their fear they forgot about caring for anyone else, for caring that humanity survived, only concerned that they would live. She didn't want to relive that and she knew George didn't want that for the new world either but George was a bit busy at the moment as she and Warren investigated the murder Citizen Z had stumbled upon. The man who had been killed didn't have any enemies, he'd been military Pre-Z and at the start of the outbreak; since moving north he'd helped out in Altura's community whenever he could. Bailey knew it only added to the people's fear that there was a killer among them and George was having trouble keeping everyone calm. Bailey would have felt better if they'd at least seen someone fleeing the crime scene but the killer couldn't even do that. With the snow on the ground they'd leave tracks and be caught that much easier and Bailey knew how people worked, if the killer felt trapped or backed into a corner they might get paranoid and anxious and kill again.