What If... a TWD Tale

Chapter 1~The Farm

"I'm pregnant."

As she spoke those dreaded words, Lori kept her gaze on her boots that were a size too big. Rick kicked at small clumps of dirt and grass as he stepped away, flinging the morning-after pill packet away from him in disgust.

With all the crap that been happening, the world dying, he and his newfound family constantly running and fighting for their lives, she had to go and pull this shit. Not that it was her fault getting pregnant (that takes two) but it's the lies that had him pissed off.

Biting the inside of his cheek, he rushed back over to where she was standing. "Now? You had to do this now? Why didn't you say somethin' before?"

Lori held up her hands while backing up in fear against the thread-bare wooden fences in need of mending, yet no one had the time to mend, "I couldn't tell you. I was scared."

Biting his lip and running a hand through his ever-growing hair, "Scared of what? Why are you acting like I'm gonna hit you? I've never raised a hand to you in all the years I've known you. With all we've been through, you should be one of the baddest bitches there is. You of all people shouldn't be scared of shit... talk!"

Using a shaky hand to push her long dark hair behind an ear, Lori tried again to keep from fessing up, "I was afraid of how you'd react."

All the while they were arguing, Rick kept a vigilant eye out for any stray walkers that might make an appearance near the farm. He'd only caught the end of her sentence when his mind strayed back to when this shit show began:

When he woke up alone in the hospital, he made his way to his house and immediately noticed a couple of things before going on the search for his family. He had his suspicions, but his mission to find them was more important. He'd deal with whatever... after. Once Rick found his family, he didn't have time to deal with what he discovered. There was only time to escape from the camp, the CDC and find someplace where they could be safe.

Then his boy was shot.

That was another incident that held back this talk. Now that Carl was on the mend, they had a safe roof over their heads and enough food to fill their bellies, he was ready to get it over with and wasn't going to wait for Lori to confess.

"Oh, I know why you're afraid. You're scared I'd find out about you and Shane bein' fuck buddies. I caught on when I went straight home from the hospital."

Lori's frantic face fell blank, "What?"

Rick's temperature began to rise over the thoughts and feelings he'd held back since he first saw her when he stepped foot on that mountain camp. He couldn't forget the look of fear she had on her face when she realized that he was back... that he was still alive.

"Did you think I wouldn't figure it out? Did you thank I was that stupid?" He rubbed a hand over his lips before placing them at his waist, "When I looked for you first at home, do you know what I saw?"

Not understanding what he was talking about, she just shook her head.

"You packed clothes for you and Carl. You took photo albums, but you didn't take nothin' else."

Frustrated with how cryptic he was being, "What are you talking about? I took the things that Shane said I needed. People were dying all around us, I didn't think about getting anything else. I didn't have time. Where are you going with this, Rick?"

Sunset was approaching and the air around them was beginning cool down, "Shane told you what to pick up and you didn't have time, you say."

She huffed in frustration, "No, I didn't."