S6E04:
Bailey woke up the next day and got out of bed as quietly as she could, 10K didn't have to go to work until later for his shift and she wanted him to get his rest. He shifted a bit with his eyes still closed and mumbled 'Have a good day.' Before rolling over and burying his face into his pillow. Bailey smiled and patted his shoulder gently, bending to whisper in his ear.
"I will. I'll see you later for dinner." She said and he nodded, it wasn't long before she heard him softly snoring again and knew he'd fallen back to sleep. She got ready quietly, throwing on a pair of jeans and a hooded sweater. It was knit and was three colors, blush on the top, grey in the middle and white on the bottom she wore a white cotton shirt with long sleeves under it, threw her jean jacket over it all and headed to the supply building. The snow from yesterday hadn't been much but it had left a fair dusting along the ground though Bailey could still see the green grass poking up from the speckled white. She made a mental note to get a thicker jacket, maybe one like 10K had, when she got to work that day. She knew they had coats and knit hats and gloves, scarves and blankets but she wasn't sure if it would be enough and it surely would be in high demand today. Old Frontera was the outpost that had farm animals like sheep and goats and they usually would ship the wool over to the Inlanders who would turn it into actual clothing and fabric. The Inlanders outpost was also the place every other outpost was meant to send their torn beyond repair clothing for patchwork. In the apocalypse you couldn't take anything for granted and they tried to throw out as little as possible. The problem now was after Estes had planned those bombings Old Frontera hadn't been exporting their wool or crops. And High Plains, the other outpost with livestock, hadn't been able to export what they got from the animals like honey and milk to make cheese and yogurt so even something as critical as food might be in short supply now too.
When she got to the supply building there was already a line out front and she went in the back entrance where the workers got in before opening in the morning. The few who were already there had started pulling out winter clothing and had laid it all out on the front tables.
"There's not enough." She heard Katie say, "We can maybe cover half of the citizens in Altura, maybe."
"Bailey." Annie said when she saw her come in, "What do you think? We'll have to find some way to regulate what we have while we wait for more supplies to get here."
Bailey made her way over and looked at what they had in stock. Her mind quickly filed through all of it and the ratio of citizens they supplied. "Alright, blankets get divided among the elderly and children first. Coats will go to the people who have jobs that keep them outside, they'll be priority. What's left of the coats plus the hats, scarves and gloves will go to whoever is left without anything. I know the guard detail is getting together to collect firewood from the forest so that'll be how we keep the houses, dorms and trailers warm after sunset when we have no solar power. It's going to be tough, but it could be much worse. When people come in tell them to hang in there. We'll get through this."
"I like those words." Came a voice from behind her and she turned to see George and Warren who had just come in the back. Bailey turned and nodded at the other workers who started dividing up the supplies and getting ready for the wave of people who would be rushing in the moment they unlocked the front door. Bailey turned back to George and Warren who were at the back of the building behind all the rows of supplies. They smiled at her as she approached but the closer she got she could see the worry in their eyes, they had the same concerns she had about their rations.
"Hey George." Bailey said giving a small smile, "Warren."
"Looks like the snow has you worried too." Warren said.
"Yeah, 10K told me what you guys talked about." She said stuffing her hands in the large single pocket of her sweater, "How are we going to get everything we need before traveling becomes too dangerous?"
"I've got Citizen Z contacting the other outposts trying to make a schedule of who's going where with what. But people are scrambling, more so now that the first snow has started falling." George explained, "Hackerville has responded, they're all set but said they've been keeping an eye on the Doppler radar from some satellite they hacked and said more storms are coming our way so we need to move fast."
Bailey looked at the floor as her thoughts raced through her head, her hands in her pocket rubbed against her stomach discreetly as her mind wandered again. She couldn't help but think back to Pre-Z how even with all the modern technology and supplies and equipment they had there were still sometimes complications with pregnancy that nothing could fix. How was she supposed to have a baby when things as simple as food and clothing were going to be hard to ration for the next several months?
"Bailey? Bailey?" Warren asked seeing she had zoned out on them.
"Hmmm?" she asked picking her head back up.
"Did you hear what we were saying? About Murphy?"
"Oh no sorry, what?"
Warren didn't look upset as she repeated, "Murphy has his blends working on distributing bizkits to all the outposts so at the very least the Talkers will be well fed and we won't have to worry – are you okay?"
"Hmm?" Bailey asked again her mind still wandering. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just worried."
Warren gave her a long look and Bailey knew the woman had been through enough to know when someone was keeping something from her.
"Bailey. . . " Warren said trailing off in that tone that meant she wasn't going to put up with any bull so you better tell her what she wants to know. Bailey had seen Warren use that tone on a lot of people but it had never been turned on her and she knew Warren wouldn't leave her alone until she told her the truth. Bailey took a deep breath and pulled her hands out of her pocket and rested them on her stomach. When she did she saw both Warren and George's eyes widen in shock.
"Uh, uh." George said looking at her, "Are you?"
She nodded, "10K doesn't know yet."
"How long have you known?" Warren asked, the suspicion in her eyes turning to concern.
"Just since yesterday." She muttered, "Red says I'm two months in."
They could clearly tell she was worrying, about so much more than just the weather like the rest of them and George stepped forward and rested her hand on Bailey's arm trying to be comforting.
"Hey, it's okay. We're not going to let anything happen to you or the baby." She said quietly, clearly being able to tell Bailey wasn't at all comfortable talking about it.
"But with the winter coming –" Bailey tried to argue but George stopped her before she could get herself worked up.
"Hey, what did you just tell the others? Huh? Hang in there, we'll get through this." She said still rubbing her arm, "If we could handle Estes and Pandora, bombings and hordes of zombies and hungry Talkers we can handle some snow."
Bailey appreciated her optimism and was reminded why George was such a perfect fit to be leader of the new world. She smiled as best she could given her stress and let George give her a hug while Warren rubbed her back, both of them telling her they were there for her whenever she needed them.
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When Bailey's hectic shift was over and she made it back home, now in her new navy blue winter coat that George had insisted she take from the pile, she was greeted by a certain red head who was leaning on her front door waiting for her.
"What are you still doing here?" she asked Addy with a smile. "I thought you would have been gone by now delivering flour to the other outposts."
"I planned my route so Altura would be my last stop." She said giving a shrug, her Z Whacker in her hand hanging by her side. "Besides, I figured you could use a girl's day, or at least an afternoon."
Bailey kept smiling as Addy wrapped her arm over her shoulders and they went inside. Addy flung her backpack onto the bed and plopped herself on the mattress and made herself at home.
"So how have you been since. . . everything?" she asked gesturing to Bailey's stomach. She responded with a shrug.
"Part of me still feels like it isn't real, I guess until I start showing I won't really be able to wrap my mind around it." She said sitting next to her longtime friend.
"And 10K?" Bailey only shook her head making Addy let out a long breath, "Bay, you know you have to tell him –"
"I know." She cut her off not wanting to get into another lecture, "I just. . . haven't found out how. Every time I go to say it something in my gut stops me like it's telling me it's not the right time. And. . . when he comes home he looks so happy and relaxed and I know why, I had that feeling for the past few weeks since he moved in. Life is good right now, we're not running from zombies, or fighting a blend army. We're not saving the world or fighting off some bad guy trying to blow everything up. Everything is calm and peaceful and really, really nice. And I know once I say it out loud and he knows, that's going to go away and I don't want it to go away."
Addy sat patiently while she droned on and on and when she was done she rested her hand on Bailey's knee and gave her a deep look.
"I know. It's hard to let go of peace after fighting for it for so long, but I honestly thought you'd be a little happier about this."
Bailey gave a deep sigh, "I always pictured it a certain way, you know? And this just. . . isn't it."
Addy let a long moment of silence pass before she swallowed like she was nervous to talk, "Bailey. . . do you want me to go see if Red has any pills that will get rid of it?"
"NO!" Bailey shouted, inadvertently bringing her hand to her stomach and leaning away from Addy who raised her hands in surrender.
"Okay, okay I was just checking." She said calmly, "Clearly if you react like that though some part of you must be happy and want this."
Bailey let out another deep breath, "Even though I wish 10K and I had planned it, or talked about it, or it wasn't happening at such an inconvenient time, I . . . I just, in a world full of the dead I can't end a new life. And I could never do something like that behind his back."
Addy nodded in understanding and Bailey was grateful for her support. To Bailey it didn't matter that she was the one carrying the baby, it was just as much 10K's as it was hers and she knew how hurt he'd be if she did something that drastic without even telling him they were expecting. He'd be crushed. He'd be devastated. He'd be heartbroken. She couldn't do that to him.
Addy could see she was deep in her own head so she turned and reached into her bag and pulled out the last thing Bailey thought she'd ever see this many years into the apocalypse – a chocolate bar.
"Here, you look like you could use this." She offered.
"Oh my God, Addy you're amazing." She said taking the chocolate and ripping the packaging off.
"I know." Addy said with a smile as they shared the bar together and started thinking up ways of breaking the news to 10K.
Murphy POV
He'd arrived at Altura the day after the snow flurry. Business had slowed down after the first flakes started hitting the ground as his customers headed back to the outposts they called home and prepared to wait out the winter. This left all his staff to pitch in, Murphy had sent nearly every blend he had to every corner of Newmerica to deliver the bizkits. After getting their flour they were able to make more than enough and he left Ma back at Limbo as she and her sons made more bizkits by the dozens. Now the biggest concern on his mind was Sun Mei's mind, or rather, her brain. He'd been picking at it knowing once it was gone that was it. There was still a lot of information in her head but just the few nibbles he'd taken had made him aware of how much more he'd need, having just her brain wouldn't cut it. That was why he'd been the one to take Altura's bizkit delivery and not another outpost's, why he didn't have some other blend make the trip for him. He needed to get into Sun Mei's old lab and dig through her notes, see what equipment she'd had at her disposal, things like that. Of course getting into Altura was easy now, even if this had happened before the vote George still would have let him and his truck in because he was the one supplying bizkits.
Once he left the truck at the gate to be emptied he made a quick remark about visiting some friends and he was off, free to wander as he pleased. He'd dressed down a bit leaving the spiky leather at Limbo so he'd get less people staring at him, for once the idea was to go unnoticed.
He remembered being in Sun Mei's lab back when he had first gotten here and they insisted she run tests on him, a place with a memory like that you didn't forget. He found the room easily and opened the door slowly before taking a peek inside.
"Hello?" he called, "Anyone home?" when he got no response he smirked and stepped inside. He started going through drawers and cabinets looking to see where Sun Mei kept her notes. He found mostly empty flasks and beakers. Boxes of rubber gloves and needles. There was one cabinet with nothing but a heavy stock of cough syrup and aspirin, not that any of that would help him. There was a drawer full of boxes of different sized band aids, a drawer with different tubes of cream for different rashes and a drawer with – whoa. He paused seeing the positive pregnancy test, someone must have celebrated the yes vote pretty enthusiastically he chuckled to himself.
"What are you doing in here?" a voice demanded and he turned to see Red coming in.
"It's rude to not knock you know." He said calmly having been caught doing much worse things in the past.
"Not when it's your own lab." Red replied crossing her arms as she made her way over to him. Her eyes widened when she saw what he was holding. "Give me that."
"Why? Is it yours?" he chuckled.
"No but Bailey wouldn't want you –"
"Hold on! Hawthorne!?" he asked shocked, "Texas Hatchet Massacre is expecting what? A zombie slaying version of Chucky?"
"That's not funny." Red scolded, "And give me that!"
"Why don't you make me?" he challenged.
Red smirked, "You know she peed on that right?"
"EW!" he shouted tossing the test away and Red caught it in the air before putting it back in the drawer and slamming it shut.
"Why are you really here Murphy?" she asked getting back to the interrogation, "Is it about Sun Mei's brain?"
"Maybe it is maybe it isn't. What makes it any of your business?"
"Well since I helped Sun Mei, she taught me everything I know about medicine, I inherited her lab, maybe I could help you."
"Would you?" he asked sarcastically knowing Red had been with 10K once and she probably hated him as much as the sniper did.
"Probably not." Red admitted, "But you'd have better chances of getting help if you stopped being so secretive about everything. Unless you're planning on keeping the cure all for yourself."
He scoffed trying to play off how close she was to the truth, "Please, right now there is no cure. I haven't worked my way through that part of Sun Mei's brain yet." He lied, "When I do. . . well I guess you'll have to wait and see." He said making his way to the door and leaving in a dramatic exit.
Third Person POV
When Bailey and Addy had finished the chocolate bar and fallen into lighter girl talk the door opened and 10K walked in. He looked pleasantly surprised to see Addy there and gave her a small smile.
"Hey Addy." He said leaving the door open just a crack and not noticing, distracted by their friend's sudden appearance, "What are you guys doing?"
"Just chatting." Addy replied with a shrug before turning to Bailey and giving her a look though she looked down at the chocolate wrapper in her lap, a churning feeling rising in her gut and she knew it wasn't from her morning sickness. Addy seemed disappointed but was about to let it go when the door opened again and Doc stood there. He opened his mouth to say something but when he noticed 10K was there he instead just stood there oddly.
"Hey Doc, what's up?" 10K asked now seeming a little suspicious as to why they suddenly were having so much company at the same time. He'd just hung his jacket up on a hook on the wall as Doc opened and closed his mouth trying to say something that would make his sudden appearance seem casual.
"Uh, hey Kid. Just checking on Bailey. . ." he trailed off looking at her sitting beside Addy and being able to clearly tell from both their expressions that 10K still didn't know. But instead of shrugging it off 10K turned to her with concern written all over his face.
"Why? What's wrong with Bailey?" he asked looking from her to Doc.
"Nothing Kid I only meant –"
"Is this about that checkup you had with Red yesterday?" he asked clearly thinking she was sick and hadn't told him. She opened her mouth but no words came out, she turned to Addy looking for help but the expression she had told Bailey she wasn't going to give her an excuse, and when she turned to Doc he only shrugged not having an excuse that'd help her out. Bailey got up from the bed and moved to the kitchenette, inadvertently the furthest place in the trailer from 10K and she nervously played with the wrapper in her hands as she moved to throw it out.
"It's nothing." She said finding the waste bin and tossing the crinkled wrapper in, now leaving her with nothing to play with but her own fingers.
"Then why is Doc coming to check on you?" he demanded and she could see his mind was jumping to the worst case scenario.
"Really, 10K I'm fine. It's . . . nothing that can kill me." She admitted still not easily finding the words to tell him but also not wanting him to worry the way he was.
"So something is wrong with you though?"
"I wouldn't say that." Doc began but the look he got from Addy made him shut up again. Bailey meanwhile was starting to have trouble breathing as she felt herself also start to overheat. She looked from 10K to Addy to Doc and back to 10K again before it became too much and she bolted.
"Bailey!" 10K shouted in shock as she ducked into the bathroom and locked the door behind her.
"Bailey!" Addy called, her tone sharper and more scolding as Bailey slid down the wall and hugged her knees to her chest trying to calm the panic attack that was taking over her. 10K moved to the door and tried the handle but she'd locked the door behind her and it wouldn't budge.
"Bailey." He called through the door worried she'd ran because she was going to vomit again, "Bailey, come on. I'm not mad at you just tell me what's wrong." He begged but got no answer. He turned to Doc and Addy who both shrugged and avoided eye contact with him which left him no choice but to turn back to the door and keep calling for Bailey hoping she'd let him in.
Then Warren and George walked in, they had been walking by and saw Doc standing in the doorway and heard 10K calling Bailey's name. Finding the situation odd they'd made their way over, and after only a few seconds in the very tense room they both knew what was happening. Addy and Doc looked at them and they all nodded to each other in acknowledgement while 10K tried to get Bailey to come out. He turned around and when he saw them all exchange a knowing look they all suddenly avoided eye contact just like Addy and Doc had before. It was silent as he looked at all of them and got a bad feeling in his gut.
"Does. . . everyone here know something I don't know?" he asked, his expression a mix of worry and sadness believing that Bailey had seemed to trust everyone else more than him.
"There you all are!" came a booming voice and the next minute Murphy was there too and he looked annoyed, but that was probably just because the attention wasn't on him.
"I have been looking everywhere for you people." He complained with his hands on his hips, "I –wait, what the hell are you all doing in here?" he asked looking around and seeming to realize this was Bailey and 10K's home. Then he looked like a lightbulb went off, "Ohhh, did she tell him about the baby?"
Everyone froze and it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Murphy immediately understood he'd clearly said the wrong thing as 10K turned from the door wide eyed and looked at him.
"What baby?" he asked.
"Uh, er, your baby." Murphy replied as Warren glared at him and the phrase 'if looks could kill' flashed through his mind.
10K didn't seem to notice though as he stammered, "My. . . ?"
Then he turned back to the locked door and pounded his fist against it once.
"Bailey open the door!" he said again now with a new nervous edge of desperation in his voice.
"Murphy." Warren growled at him before grabbing him and shoving him out the door with George right behind her.
"What?" Murphy asked as she pushed him and George closed the door to the trailer, "How was I supposed to know she hadn't told him yet?"
"Maybe from the tension in the room?" George asked from the steps astounded that Murphy could have missed how obvious that had been. Then the radio attached to Warren's belt started making static and a moment later they heard Citizen Z's voice.
"Warren. Warren, come in." he said as she pulled the radio from her belt and brought it to her face pressing the button on the side.
"CZ this is Warren go ahead." She replied still glaring at Murphy.
"Warren we need you and George over by the old breach in the fence." He said, "There's been a situation."
When CZ let go of the transmitter button on his radio he looked down at the ground at the body that laid at his feet. Whoever it had been hadn't even had the chance to turn Talker, not with their skull smashed like that.