Tainted//Carl Grimes

The News

>>Flashback<<
I paced back and forth in Glenn and Maggie's living room. "Are you sure you can handle him?" I asked Glenn for the millionth time. We were talking about Nicolas and Glenn seemed to be assured that he could handle him. But I wasn't in the same thinking zone as he was apparently.

All of a sudden Maggie burst through the front door. "Have either of you seen Carl? He's gone. We can't find him."

I looked up from the ground and stopped pacing. "What?" I whispered.

"Ariel, when was the last time you saw him?" Glenn asked. I turned and looked at him, tears glistening in my eyes.

"About an hour ago when I told him the truth about what Connor did to me." I looked back at Maggie. "Maggie, I've never seen him so angry before. Do you think he's okay?" I stuttered.

"You told him?" Maggie ran forward and grabbed my arms. I slowly nodded my head. Thoughts were swimming back and forth. Is he okay? Did I hurt him? Did he go looking for Connor? Does he hate me? I sobbed and collapsed to the floor. Glenn rushed over to me as Maggie tried to catch me.

"I can't breathe." I gasped as a panic attack began to build inside of me. I didn't want to hurt him. That's the last thing I've ever wanted to do. All of a sudden my throat and stomach began to hurt as something built up it. I cupped my hand over my mouth and ran into the nearest bathroom, resting on the floor next to the toilet as all my food from the previous night flooded from my mouth and into the toilet bowl.

I rested back on the floor and flushed the toilet as the tears streamed steadily down my face. My hand was now resting on my uterus. "No.." I whispered as Maggie and Glenn ran in. Maggie looked at my hand then my face.

"Glenn, go see if anyone has found Carl, please." Maggie basically demanded him to go. He nodded his head, planted a kiss on Maggie's cheek then left the room. I watched Maggie walk over to the sink and get into the cabinet underneath. She pulled out a purple box and handed it to me. "If you are, you'll be about four weeks. We'll know if you take it." Maggie said.

I grabbed the box and looked at the label.

'Pregnancy Test'

I reached in the box with a shaky hand and pulled out the test. "I'll wait out here." Maggie whispered as she left the room, slowly closing the door behind her.

A few minutes later I was sitting on the toilet staring intently at the test. As I watched I noticed the results start to show. One thick line slowly started to appear. A sigh of relief escaped before I could stop it. And it was just a moment to soon as a second line plainly appeared next to the first. I sucked in a breath as I stared.

Everything seemed to go silent. I could hear muffled shouts in the living room. I slowly looked up as the bathroom door violently swung open, my tear stained cheeks lifted, to find a disheveled looking Carl and a worried looking Maggie. It was silent. You could hear the Sound of Silence stretch through the house. My eyes found the test again. Slowly it slipped from my fingertips. You could hear it clatter to the floor. I dropped my head in my hands and began to sob.

Carl slowly stepped forward and picked up the test. I didn't want to look in his eyes. What if he leaves? I can't handle all this. I was shaken from my thoughts as I felt strong arms wrap around me.

Besides my sobs, Carl's strong steady voice ripped through the depressing silence.

"Shh, I'm here. We'll get through this. I love you."

That's just it then.

I'm pregnant.
>>Flashback End<<