I don’t know if I have words yet for this. I’m just happy.
Unbelievably, stupidly, incredibly happy.
I remember the day we met so well. It’s weird to think how far we’ve come since then. How much has changed. I used to be such a different person, and you (along with the end of the world) helped me change into someone better. Sometimes, Nick, I don’t think I deserve you. I feel like I don’t deserve to be this happy. But I’m grateful for everything. I’m thankful for this second chance at life. I’m so thankful for you. In the end I’m thankful for everything, especially our newfound family. I couldn’t live without any of them. I think if my family’s looking down they’re happy for me. Happy for all of us still here.
Everything’s changed so much, us the most I think.
It’s a whole new world now. A world I never thought would look welcoming ever again.
And I can’t wait for everything that’s to come.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Week Seventy-Eight
The plane was probably somewhere over the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. She wasn’t quite sure. Riley was holed up in the tiny excuse for a bathroom in the back. The goodbyes to the remains of the European group of survivors had been hard. In the past months, she’d found some great friends. But that was the difference between them and the people she’d known for the past year-and-a-half. They were friends, while those with whom she’d lived since the world changed had become family. And who knew, perhaps one day they would see each other again. She hoped so if only for Gabby’s sake. There weren’t many people her age left in the world. One day they’d have to travel to South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia to see if there was anyone left alive there as well. But that would wait for awhile. For when Evette was older, for one.
It’d been a long flight so far. Nick’s fear of flying hadn’t lessened any and, with the way she’d been feeling, hadn’t made that any easier. Finally, she’d told him she wasn’t feeling great and ran back to this death trap of a restroom. Within moments, she had hurled that morning’s breakfast Liz had lovingly made for the group before they’d left. That was when she’d decided it was time to finally see if perhaps her suspicions were right.
She’d been avoiding runs outside the castle the last couple of weeks before they left because she had been unable to handle the smells up close. It was bad enough when she got by what were AJ’s favorite sniping positions along the wall. Sometimes she’d say she was watching the baby so Brian and Gretchen could get some rest – which was true. Other times she’d find a task to be doing around the time Kevin would gather people up. She didn’t think anyone had really caught on just yet.
Well, one might have.
Cracking the door open, she looked around and found Gretchen thankfully not too far from her as she watched AJ hold the baby. Oddly enough, he’d become a downright softy around the child who cooed up at him happily. It looked so natural, though, and Riley knew AJ would make a great father someday if he let himself. Maybe he would now that he had Selena.
“She loves you.”
AJ smirked and ignored Selena’s snort from beside him. “Of course she does.” He tickled under her chin. “I’m a fucking lady killer.”
“Hey, Gretch, can I borrow you?”
A brow rose, and AJ turned to Nick, a few rows up. “Hey, Carter, looks like your girl’s gonna get the preacher’s wife to join the Mile High club with her.”
Nick looked up from where he was, a little pale but a lot less green, a sight that had Riley sighing inwardly with relief. He wiggled his brows at them with a grin. “Rye, I didn’t know you were freaky like that. Let me join in!”
“Why would you want to join them?” Gabby asked. They could tell she knew they were talking about sex but probably didn’t know much about the more interesting kinds just yet at her age.
“Never mind, Gabby; you’re too young,” Howie mumbled, half asleep. “AJ’s crazy. You know that.”
“I’m not crazy; I just know what I like.”
“Howie’s right.” Gretchen rolled her eyes, but she was trying hard to keep herself from smiling. “You guys are perverts.”
“Hey, wait a minute,” Brian chimed in, laughing. “Why would you get to go in instead of me, Nick?”
“Duh, you’re a preacher. Preachers don’t get threesomes.”
AJ snickered. “That’s gotta be in the fucking Bible somewhere.”
“See! So it’ll be me. Ha!”
“Fuck this. I’ll join in – that way you two don’t have to fight about it.”
That earned him a smack to the back of the head from the Brit. “The bloody hell you are.”
Riley shook her head at them. “None of you are coming in.”
Nick pouted at her. “Awww, that’s not fair.”
“Hey, don’t start pouting at me.” She was smiling. “Besides, nothing’s happening except in your fantasies.”
Her fiancé grinned that charmingly goofy grin of his. “And what great fantasies they are.”
“And on that note, we’re taking our leave.” Riley reached out and pulled Gretchen gently in and managed to shut the door behind her. Shifting around, there was enough space between them so that the tiny stall didn’t feel so suffocating. She shook her head, bemused at the conversation still taking place outside the stall. “I swear, if I didn’t love them…”
“You’d want to kill them,” her friend replied with a smile. “So why was this worth the scene outside?”
She handed the object she’d been hiding in her pocket over to Gretchen. “Because I can’t look.” She bit her lip as she watched her. “I’ve been suspicious for awhile, and I… it’s the first chance I’ve had to find out. It wasn’t easy finding that without anyone noticing, let me tell you.”
“Especially with you ducking out of runs.” Gretchen hadn’t looked at the stick yet. “I was wondering myself.” She chuckled lightly. “Not that I haven’t enjoyed all the babysitting time. I’m actually able to get some real sleep and alone time, thanks to you and AJ.”
“Sometimes I think AJ’s gonna kidnap Evie for his own,” Riley teased.
“Now you might have one yourself.”
“I know. Gah, I can’t look, so can you? I don’t even know what I want,” she admitted. “I never thought I’d get married some day. Now I’m engaged, and there might be a baby. And I’m scared because, during your labor, when you passed out, you scared the living shit out of me. For a moment, I’d thought you’d… and I know I could.” She looked sheepish in that moment. “I know it sounds stupid.”
Gretchen looked at the pregnancy test in her hand and smiled, taking Riley’s hands to show her. “No, it doesn’t. You have every right to be scared about this. Just answer this question for me, then: Do you love Nick? Really love him?”
She nodded. “Of course I do. You know that.”
The pair looked back down at the results. “Then you’ll be fine.”
***
The plane touched down a few hours later, and Riley had napped for most of it, her head on Nick’s shoulder and feeling as safe and secure as she possibly could. She wanted to talk to him desperately, but she also knew that they needed to be alone to do so. Of course, everyone would know soon enough. She just wanted to talk with Nick about it first. Despite her own worries about what was to come, she wasn’t worried at all about Nick’s reaction. Nick was the type of guy who was loyal to the end. Just like Spunky had been. Or Lucky, who was currently camped out on top of Nick’s backpack in the seat beside them. She mewed contentedly before curling back up for another nap.
The landing was a bumpy one, which took her by surprise, waking her up when her head bounced against Nick’s shoulder. Minutes later, he was grabbing for a bag and hurling whatever stomach contents he had left inside him. Riley yawned and rubbed his back in small circles, fighting back her own nausea for the moment. She glanced around to see the others with varying expressions of confusion as well.
Evette had been startled by the jerky movements and was screaming as loud as her little lungs would let her.
“Shit, we can’t go anywhere with the baby going off like that,” Selena said plainly. “It’s like a damn dinner bell.”
“What was that?” Gabby asked, getting out of her seat when the plane came to a complete stop.
“The base was overrun when we left, remember?” Howie pointed out before hurrying behind her to grab her arm. “Wait! Don’t get out till Kevin gives us the okay.”
Brian had picked up Evette out of her car seat and was soothing the wailing baby as best as he could. “Shhhh, it’s okay.” He started humming softly to her. Gretchen was digging through the diaper bag for her pacifier.
The plane they were in had been one they’d managed to get running from the airport back overseas. The one they’d flown in originally had become overrun by the walking skeletons still managing to roam around. While they could have probably gotten it airborne, Kevin had decided it would be best for the baby if they found a new plane. It had been a bit of a struggle, but they’d succeeded. Only this one had also had the stained remains of the undead on its body, most the windows unpleasant to try and look through.
“Fuck this.” AJ stood up and started hobbling down the aisle. “I’ll go see what’s up.”
In that moment, Kevin came out from the cockpit. His grin went from ear to ear, his eyes alight with joy. “Guys, come look outside.”
Nick, in his everlasting hatred of airplanes, grabbed his bag, tucked his gun into his belt loop, and followed AJ out and down the steps of the plane. “Gladly.”
“Nick, hold on!” Riley dug around for her own weapon, rummaging hurriedly in her bag.
“Rye! Come on out! It’s okay! Guys! It’s okay!”
“Come on, you fucking slow pokes!” AJ’s gruff voice called after. It was a mad rush to get off the plane at that point. Everyone wanted to get out and see what had them so excited. To see Kevin’s theory be right.
Riley stepped up beside Nick and looked around in awe. His hand tangled itself up in hers. It was an incredible sight. There were no moans, the song of the undead they had long ago become used to. Instead, they could hear birds chirping in the air. The smells of the dead were still there, but they were lighter, somehow, perhaps because the bodies were no longer moving. Instead, there were corpses scattered everywhere throughout the base. Several had been squashed beneath the wheels of the plane, like human speed bumps. The base was calm and peaceful in a way Riley had never seen it since coming there in what felt like a lifetime ago.
“It’s beautiful,” she said softly. The others were around her, marveling as they were, but she wasn’t taking any notice of the others. She was remembering then how this all started. That very first night when she’d met the man who would change the rest of her life. Someone she never would have expected to do so. But in a world where the dead came back, she had learned life wasn’t supposed to be predictable. Riley felt she might like it better that way. She smiled at him. “Nick, I have something to tell you.”
“Yeah?” He couldn’t stop looking around. Lucky was on his shoulder, looking completely at home there.
“I’m pregnant.”
Nick grinned and turned her back towards him. As great as the world looked without any zombies to haunt them, the sight before her was even better. He kissed her cheek softly. “I know.”
