Just run

Twenty five

"Hey. Anything you need?" Rick asked Georgie softly as they walked. The girl looked up at him, then slowly shook her head. "You sure? You don't look sure."
Georgie wanted to scream. Scream that she needed to know if she was pregnant, but she also couldn't know. Scream that she couldn't have a baby. That she wouldn't. But she also couldn't abort it.
"I'm fine!" She snapped angrily, then she began to sob.
"C'mon." Rick mumbled, putting an arm around Georgie's shoulders and moving her aside.
"Where are you goin'?" Carl asked in confusion.
"We'll catch up. Go." Rick nodded. Carl nodded, and the rest of the group carried on walking. Rick and Georgie sat on a fallen tree, and Rick held the child into his chest as she sobbed, rocking her softly.
When Georgie finally stopped crying, Rick kept his arm around her, the top of her head resting in the crook of Rick's neck.
"Georgie, is something else going on? I know it's incredibly hard with what happened to your mom and Tegan, but is there something else going on?" Rick pressed.
Georgie kept facing ahead, still nestled into Rick's side. Then she shakily blurted out, "I'm pregnant. I'm sure I am. And I don't know what to do."
Rick's blood ran icy cold, filled with anger and fear. Anger over what the Claimers did to Georgie. Fear over what happened to Lori. He couldn't let that happen to Georgie.
"Okay. It's gonna be okay," he said calmly, "do you need a test? Who've you told? Daryl? Carl?"
"Maggie and Glenn know. They got me a test but I... I'm too scared to take it. No one else knows."
"Okay, go behind those trees and do the test. You need to get it done. Then it'll be easier. And if it's negative, you don't have to worry about it again."
"Okay." Georgie nodded slowly, walking to behind some trees. She cane out a few minutes later, holding it between her thumb and forefinger.
Rick looked at her expectingly, and she gave him a nervous, awkward smile. "Gotta wait a few minutes." She explained, and Rick nodded softly. They sat in silence for a few minutes, leaning on each other, then Rick spoke up.
"C'mon. Have a look."
"I'm scared." She breathed, a tear rolling down her cheek.
"I'm scared too. I'm so scared." Rick admitted.
"Why?"
"Because... Carl's mom died when she had Judith. And she was healthy, yet in all this, she still didn't make it. She still died. And you're young and weak and we're on the road. Childbirth? And a baby? Raising a baby? I'm scared. I'm scared you both wouldn't make it." Rick said honestly.
"I don't want it. I'll abort it. I don't want it!" Georgie panicked.
"If that's what you want, I...I support it. But it's not that easy. I - we - don't have the means to do that. I can try, but it's not easy now. I don't even know what it is, or how to do it. But I'll try."
"I don't know what I want." Georgie whimpered.
"I know. Let's start with looking at the test. Georgie. Look at the test, sweetheart."
Georgie let out another whimper, then raised the long plastic stick to her eye line. Then she let Rick hold her as she sobbed.

When Georgie and Rick finally caught up with the rest of the group they were stood around several bottles of water, pondering what to do.
"You okay?" Maggie whispered, putting a hand on Georgie's shoulder.
Georgie flinched away, then slowly, shakily breathed in. "Yeah."
"What's wrong with her?" Daryl asked sharply, suddenly returning as Rick looked at the water.
"She's okay." Rick nodded firmly.
"What is this?" Georgie sighed suddenly, taking the note beside the water from Rick. It read "from a friend."
Georgie smiled softly. She didn't have many friends. She wasn't the type of girl who had friends. But once, she did. Lola. Lola was icy and blonde and harsh, a personality so similar to Georgie, and they met when they were nine, and inseparable. They both lost people. Lola's mother had died. Georgie's father had died. They judged people together. But they also loved fiercely together. When everything began, when the world began to end, Lola and her father naturally ended up with Georgie, Tegan, and Jess. But Lola died a week in, and her father not long after.
She was a friend.
Then there was Carl. Sweet, kind, beautiful Carl. He had her back. They'd die for each other, of that, Georgie was certain, and she knew that Rick would kill for her, treat her as his own. Carl was angry and broken and motherless too, just like Georgie. He was her new Lola. Her new family.
"Can't we just drink it?" Carl sighed, his thirst overwhelming.
"What else are we gonna do?" Tara shrugged.
"Not this. We don't know who left it." Rick insisted.
"If that's a trap, we already happen to be in it. But, I, for one, would like to think it is indeed from a friend."
"You're so stupid." Georgie scoffed.
"Shush." Daryl hissed, and Georgie went silent.
"What if it isn't? They put something in it?" Carol pointed out, as Eugene grabbed a bottle.
"Eugene!" Rosita hissed.
"What are you doing, dude!?"
"Quality assurance." Eugene shrugged, about to drink until Abraham hit the bottle out of his hand.
"We can't." Rick insisted, but before anyone could argue, it began to rain. People began to laugh, Tara and Rosita laying on the floor, Glenn crouched beside them. Everyone was laughing and happy, apart from Georgie, Maggie, Sasha, and Daryl.
"Hey. This is good." Noah whispered to Georgie, and she looked at the teenage boy, then hugged him tightly, tears running down her cheeks. "It's good, Georgie. It's good."
"It's gonna be okay. Promise?"
"What's gonna be okay?" Noah asked, as Georgie clung onto him.
"It's gonna be okay." Maggie nodded, touching Georgie's shoulder gently.
"It's not. It's not okay." Georgie whimpered, and she began to cry softly.
"C'mon Georgie," Rick said gently, walking over to her and squeezing her shoulder, making her let go of Noah, "help me out. Everybody, get the bags! Anything you can find. Come on! Let's keep moving!"
The thunder increased, each strike making Georgie jump a little. Judith began to cry softly, and Georgie related, wanting nothing more but to curl up in a ball and cry.
"There's a barn!" Daryl called suddenly.
"Where?" Rick demanded, and Daryl simply nodded, running to lead the way, one of Noah's hands on Georgie's shoulder. When they arrived at an abandoned barn, a few members of the group went inside, as Noah kept a protective arm around Georgie's shoulders.
"Okay. Come on, come on in." Rick said soothingly to Georgie.
"She's not a baby. She's fine." Daryl said gruffly, and Georgie followed his lead, walking away and helping him start a fire.
"What's goin' on? What does Rick know? What the hell is goin' in with you? And what the hell aren't ya tellin' me?" Daryl snapped.
"Nothin'." Georgie whispered.
"Nothin'?" Daryl scoffed.
"Nothin'?" Rick parroted at Georgie with a raised eyebrow.
"Nothin'!" Georgie screamed at the two men, before storming away. Noah was the one to follow her, and they sat alone by the door for dozens of minutes, Georgie lent on Noah, his arm around her tightly.
"You okay now?" Noah asked the girl, and she nodded. Noah moved his head closer to her's, and after hesitating awkwardly, he pressed a kiss on the top of Georgie's head.
The movement made Georgie twitch her head to the side, then her wide, dark eyes blinked open, then closed, then open again. Then she smiled up at Noah, and kissed his cheek.
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For being here." Georgie whispered.
"Of course." Noah nodded with a smile. 
"Why are you so nice to me?"
"Because you're amazing. You're amazing and strong and so brave." Noah said gently, and Georgie blushed slightly.
"Let's go sit with everyone." Georgie decided, and he nodded.
"It's going to be okay." Noah whispered again, and this time, Georgie half believed him.