Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse

"Did you tell him?" Andrea asked. Leah, Andrea, and Lori were the only ones awake, besides Rick and Shane, who were outside on guard duty. Even though they hadn't seen a walker in a long time, they didn't want to let their guard down and be ambushed again.

Leah shook her head.

"Why not?" Andrea and Lori asked at the same time.

Leah shrugged, "I couldn't. He was going on about how he can't handle having a kid because of the walkers, and he'd worry too much."

"And how much longer do you think you can hide it from him?" Lori asked.

"I'm not hiding it. I just....I haven't had the opportune moment to tell him yet."

"Considering your size, I'd say you have a month before you start to show, if that, you might as well tell him."

Leah groaned and laid her head down on the table. "I'll tell him when the time is right."

"And when is that time going to be?"

"I don't know."

Andrea put her hand on Leah's shoulder and gently squeezed it. "It'll be okay. Sure he says he doesn't want a kid now, but once he knows you're pregnant, he'll be ecstatic."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I've seen the way he looks at you, we all have. He adores you, and he'll adore the baby too."

"And if he doesn't?"

"He will."

Leah took a deep breath and got up. "Where are you going?" Lori asked.

"To tell him."

Leah marched up the stairs to her bedroom and opened the door. Daryl was laying there in his boxers asleep, just like he had been when she got up an hour before. She crawled underneath the covers and laid down next to him. "Daryl, wake up," she gently shook him until his eyelids started to flutter. "Daryl," she said again.

He opened his eyes. "What? Is everything okay?"

Leah nodded, "I need to talk to you."

"About?"

"Well....I..um....."

"Spit it out already."

"I'm pregnant."

Daryl was stunned. He couldn't think of anything to say. What was he supposed to say? He blinked a couple of times, but still didn't speak. He just sat there, staring dumbfounded at Leah.

"Please say something," she said. She was starting to regret telling him.

"I don't know what to say."

"Are you angry?"

"Why would I be angry?"

"Well....you said you didn't want kids."

"I don't....I didn't....I don't know. I..." he trailed off. Daryl reached up and rubbed his temples, still trying to process that Leah was pregnant.

Leah got up to leave. She couldn't stand being there at that moment. She wasn't sure what to do, and she figured she'd just bunk with Andrea for the night. It would give Daryl time to think about everything, and they could talk about it later.

"Where are you going?" he asked her as she started for the door.

"I was going to give you time to think about it, and decide on what you want to do."

"Come here." She walked back over to him and he pulled her into his lap, and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm not angry. I'm happy. I just..." He closed his eyes while he tried to think of the right words, "I just don't know what to do. Before you, I never thought about having kids, I never even thought about getting married. That wasn't the kind of life I expected to have, nor did I want it. But you've changed me. I want to have kids with you. I'm just scared of what might happen."

"We'll worry about the future when it gets here, remember?"

Daryl smiled and nodded.

"We'll get through this, and everything will be perfect."

She kissed the tip of his nose and laid her head on his shoulder.

"It's amazing how optimistic you are."

She picked her head up and stared at him.

"What?"

"You always amaze me with how many large words you know."

He rolled his eyes and leaned forward to kiss her.