Sunny Days

Chapter 24

Sunny watched the last of the bubbles bursting as soaked in the  tepid water. Her toes clung to the edge of the clean tub. Trying to  ignore the guilt gnawing at her gut, knowing all her friends were still  working, she pulled the plug and let the water drain around her. It was  difficult to accept being spoiled while everyone else toiled, but part  of her job, she discovered, was keeping Negan happy. If he was stressed,  it bled throughout The Sanctuary.

         

She had heard about the weeks she was gone. Everyone was walking  on eggshells afraid that any mistake or slight would earn them a meeting  with Lucille as Negan stalked the grounds like a caged beast ready to  lash out at anyone who would dare approach him. She had no desire to do  that to everyone again.

         

Taking a day off and soaking was an easy way to keep him sane.  Was it really such a burden? She asked herself as she wrapped a towel  around her. Oh no, you have to sit on your ass and do nothing all  day. Poor you. Get a grip, Sunny. Nobody is going to hold it against  you. 

     

Well, maybe some people would. Sunny had tried not to worry about  what she overheard the night before but failed miserably. Was she being  too much of an influence on Negan? Was she making him lose his edge?  What would happen to him if he no longer garnered the fear and respect  he fought so hard to instill? What would happen to her and their baby?

  

Her dreams last night shifted from mundane to macabre, running from  walkers and Saviors, trying to find Negan but never reaching him. What  was scarier? Running from walkers or losing Negan? She couldn't decide.  At least with the walkers, it would be over quickly. Living a life  without Negan? She didn't know how she would go on.

  

Dwelling, as her mother always told her, never solved anything.  Shaking her morbid thoughts away, she left the bathroom and found an  outfit waiting for her on the bed. He didn't always pick out her clothes  but apparently, he really meant for her to not do anything today. She  smiled at the maternity dress he had laid out. It was a simple sky blue  cotton maxi dress. Comfortable and already hemmed so she wouldn't trip  on it. She slipped on the ballet flats and walked to the office to raid  the fridge.

  

Sunny's appetite had finally returned in full force. It was hard  for her to think about her pregnancy. She was excited, but she didn't  feel that mysterious glow her mother and others had spoken of. She felt  fat and slow. And she would only get bigger. The fact that there was a  human inside of her was bizarre. And that tiny human would have to come  out. The birth terrified her. She refused to think about it. That's tomorrow Sunny's problem.

  

Sitting on her couch, she turned the tv on and started watching an  old DVD, she snacked on a sandwich and some chips. How much longer would  she be able to enjoy something as simple as this meal? The chips were  stale but it was still better than nothing. The supply would run out and  soon all the prepackaged food of her childhood would be a distant  memory. Something old folks told younger generations about with fond  nostalgia.

  

What she wouldn't give for some meat. Red meat. Grilled with  garlic, thyme, and butter. But that was impossible here. Maybe Negan  would take her home so she could cook for them. She'd like to cook for  just the two of them again...three if you count Sherry. It could still  be nice. Getting away. Living in their own little bubble even if just  for a day or two.