A Helping Hand (Joel x Pregnant Reader)

Chapter 2

It has been a few months since that day and Now you are seven and a half months pregnant. You were cleared and were able to walk around the town to see what is around. You definitely made sure to find Dina and Jesse and apologize for your attack and Dina was glad to accept the apology if she was the first person to feel your bump when the little tike begins to kick. Jesse on the other hand was a little more apprehensive. You later found out that the two were dating so you could understand why he was upset. As of right now you are currently waddling towards a small bar which you heard had great steak sandwiches. You enter quietly not wanting to cause attention and walk over to the bar, hang your jacket over the chair, and sit down. You drum your fingers against the bar top quietly until you see a man with grey hair and brown eye.

"Um excuse me?" You ask politely. "What." He grunts. You can tell that this man is not in a good mood despite how slow service is at the moment. "I was wondering if I could get a steak sandwich. I heard that they are really good." You say giving a small smile. The man grumbles as he goes back into the kitchen. You let out a sigh of relief and wait for a few minutes. You look around the room to see a few patrons sprinkled about. You turn back around when you hear a slap on the counter. You look in front of you seeing a sandwich wrapped in paper. The smell is mouth watering. "Thank you!" You say unwrapping it and take a bite. "You know you're selfish right?" The man asks. You take a moment to swallow your food and ask. "Pardon me?" "I said you're selfish." You look at him confused. "I'm sorry but I don't understand..." You say looking down at your food. "You bringing that baby into the world knowing it gonna get killed is selfish." You gasp. "My baby is- Why would you say that?" You asked absolutely shocked. "It's the truth." He says. "My baby is going to be just fine!" You snap glaring at him. "I don't understand what it is with you women and getting pregnant." He says. "Does it look like I have a choice here?" You ask placing a hand on your belly protecting it from his gaze. "That baby has a shit mother for someone bring it into this world I say get rid of it. We don't need another mouth to feed." You suddenly don't feel hungry anymore. "After what you tried to do to Dina nobody here is going to trust you and they just gonna throw you out so don't get comfortable!." He snaps and walks away. You feel bile rising to your mouth and tears welling in your eyes. You step down from the stool and look around to see everyone watching you as well as a man taking big steps toward the counter anger present on his face.

You leave both your sandwich and your jacket as you speed walk out the door toward your house that Maria and her husband Tommy allowed you to move in to. It is a small one story house with two bedrooms and one bathroom. It has a small kitchen and a small living room but it is just the perfect size for you. You quickly go up the steps, open your screen door, and get inside your house before locking it. Now this is where you let your tears flow freely. He was right. Who would trust you after what you did? Maybe it is better to quit while you are ahead. You begin to walk to your room when a knock sounds at your door. You slowly open the door cracking it enough so you can see who it is. It is a man with a mixture of black and grey hair which was pretty shaggy, he had a pretty well grown beard and he had eye catching eyes. You didn't get to look at him further before he spoke. "Hello miss." He says. "Hi..." You say quietly. He stays silent for a minute. "I uh... You forgot your jacket and your sandwich." He says lifting his hands to show you. You open the door a little more before taking both of them gently from his hands. "Thank you. You didn't need to do that for me..." You say wiping your eyes with the back of your wrists. "Don't let Seth's words put you down. He is just an asshole." The man says scratching his beard. "My name is Joel by the way." He says lifting his hand to shake yours. You set the sandwich on the table next to the door and shake his hand. "Nice to meet you Joel. I'm (Y/N)." You say before letting go.

"Would you... Would you like to come in?" You ask opening the door more so he can come through. "If that's okay with you ma'am." He says stepping inside slowly as to not scare you. You shut the door when he is all the way inside. "Could you please leave your shoes at the door?" You say picking up the sandwich which is surprisingly still warm. You hear him shuffle behind you as you place your jacket over the arm of the couch. Joel stays at the front door after he takes off his shoes and you look back at him. "Come sit and make yourself comfortable. I have to use the bathroom." You say walking down a small hallway to the bathroom. Even though you really had to use the bathroom you also came here to give yourself a pep talk. The man that is currently in your living room is very attractive and he took time out of his day to talk to you. 'You need to calm down...' You think to yourself as you wash your hands and drying them off.. You walk back to the living room to still see him standing at the door. He only walks closer to the couch when he sees you. "I'm sorry for leaving. This baby is right on my bladder right now." You laugh nervously. "Nothin' to worry about." Joel says giving you a small smile. You sit on the couch with a huff and Joel sits on the other side. "So that man was named Seth?" You ask and Joel nods. "He isn't one for kind words..." You say and Joel sighs. "I gave him a piece of my mind when you left. He shouldn't be bothering you anymore." You nod and smile. "Thank you Joel." You say with a small smile. "If you don't mind me asking. How did you know where I live?" You ask and he shifts in his seat. "We're neighbors... I live across from you." He says and you let out a small 'oh'

You both spent a good thirty minutes talking to each other before he had to leave. Even though you did most of the talking he was a good listener. Not once did he have any sign that he was annoyed. He seemed like he was genuinely interested in what you had to say. To say you felt great after talking to him was an understatement. You walked him to your front door and smiled. "I enjoyed talking to you Joel. You aren't to bad for an old man." You tease and Joel chuckles. "You ain't to bad yourself." He says with a small smile. "I hate to cut this short but I have patrol soon." You nod and sigh. "Stay safe out there okay?" You ask and he nods. "Of course." He says as he walks down the steps. "Seeya around." He says and you wave. "See you later Joel." You say with a smile before shutting the door.