#Samuel is always so distraught when I forget to tell em to stop waiting

[intofree]

plague check!

[you-a-southpaw-doll]

Another One Bites The Dust (AOBTD) ~ Chapter 22

Warning(s): Explicit Language. Fluff - Negan’s being a soft boy! Angst. Childbirth. Mentions of a lost kid. 

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Taglist: @negans-network , @thamberlina , @prettyboynegan , @mychemicalimagines  @rockinkel21

Previous Chapters: One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six.  Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten. Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen. Fourteen. Fifteen. Sixteen. Seventeen. Eighteen. Nineteen. Twenty. Twenty-One. 

Chapter 22 ~ Lost In This Moment

I scream out in pain and tightly squeeze Tim and Jeffrey’s hands. I hear them both grunt slightly. Tears are streaming down my face, but there’s not anything I can do ‘bout it right now. I’m in too much pain.

“C’mon. Push again, Leigh.” I hear Carson say. “You’re almost done.”

I yell out again as I do. The pain is unbearable. I feel a wet pop between my legs and a moment later hear a tiny wail. I relax slightly once I hear the noise. My brief moment of relaxing is over as quickly as it started. I feel the immense need to push again, and I do, screaming in pain again.

“Doc? What’s wrong?” Jeffrey asks.

“Nothing. Leigh, I need you to push again.” Carson says.

I do. He has me push eight more times before I feel another wet pop between my legs. I hear another wail as my head hits the pillow behind me.

“Doc?” Tim asks.

I don’t hear Carson’s response since everything goes black for me.

“How’s she doin’?” Negan asks, softly.

“She’s still out. Doc says she’ll be fine. She just needs to rest. She’ll wake up soon.” Jeffrey replies, his voice cracking.

I try to wiggle my fingers a little bit, but I’m met with some resistance that’s warm to the touch. I hear a gasp.

“Baby?” Tim asks; his voice soft and full of hesitant hope.

I groan. My entire body hurts like hell. I struggle to open my eyes, but I finally manage to do so. Thankfully, the bright lights are off. I try to look ‘round, but I can’t see much since I’m laying on my back.

“Baby. You’re awake!” Tim says, happily.

His face peers over mine, and I can tell he’s been crying. He leans down and gently kisses my forehead. He moves away for a moment and I hear quiet whispers from my left somewhere. When he’s back beside me, he’s helping me sit up a little bit. 

He props the pillows up behind my back before reaching over to grab something. He holds a cup with a straw near my lips. I eagerly drink the liquid, realizing it’s water. Since it’s coming through a straw, I have to drink it slowly. Regardless, it feels really good going down my throat.

“Thank you.” I croak out.

He just nods and kisses my forehead again before setting the cup down again.

“Doll?” I hear Jeffrey ask.

I turn my head slightly and look to my left. Jeffrey’s sitting on the edge of the bed, holding two blanket-wrapped bundles. I give him a small smile.

“Hi, honey.” I murmur.

His bottom lip quivers. “Hey, sweetheart.”

He moves to sit next to me. That’s when I realize that I’m laying in my bed. The bed I share with my loving husbands. Tim’s sitting on my right side, facing me, with one hand clutching mine. Jeffrey sits on my left side, facing me. Tim reaches over and gets one of the bundles from Jeffrey’s arms. 

I hear a tiny wail as soon as Tim has a gentle, but secure, hold of the bundle. The wail stops once Tim has the bundle cradled in his arms, against his chest.

“Hey, darlin’. We’ve got two people who’d loved to meet you.” Tim says.

“Two?” I ask, slightly confused.

He grins. “Yes, darlin’. Two. You gave us twins.”

“Negan was right.”

“What do you mean?”

“The day I felt the baby �� well, babies – kick for the first time, Negan was there ‘cause it was shortly before the talent show. He felt ‘em kick, and mentioned that he thought I was carrying twins.”

“Why? How did he know?”

“He explained that when he felt his son kick when Lucille was pregnant, that it would almost always be on one side of her stomach, and they’d feel the baby move before he kicked on the other side. When I got kicked, it came from both sides, and there wasn’t any obvious movement to suggest the baby had moved ‘round in my tummy to kick the other side so quickly.”

“Negan was gonna be a father?” Jeffrey asks, quietly, and clearly shocked.

“I was. Yes.” Negan says.

I jump slightly and groan from the pain that jolts through my body. I look over to see my brother-in-law standing in the doorway. For once, I can’t tell what his emotions are. I have no idea if he’s mad at me for something or not. I hope he’s not mad at me for telling Jeffrey and Tim ‘bout his unborn son; I thought they already knew. 

He walks closer to the bed, and sits right beside me, in front of Jeffrey.

“I’m sorry, Negan. I thought they knew. I wouldn’t have said anything if I knew that they didn’t.” I apologize.

“Shhh. It’s ok, Half Pint.” He soothes, gently wrapping his arm ‘round me. “It’s ok. I should’ve told ‘em. You did nothing wrong.”

I nod my head against his shoulder. At least he’s not pissed off at me.

“I was gonna have a little boy. But, there was an accident and we lost him. Then, Lucille got cancer, and I lost her too. And then the world ended.” Negan says, softly, and I realize he’s addressing his brother and brother-in-law.

“I’m so sorry, brother. I never knew.” Jeffrey says.

“Lucy and I wanted to wait to say somethin’ till she was further along. In case somethin’ happened to our little boy. The day we were gonna call you was the day we lost him. I couldn’t bring myself to pick up the phone and call. Two weeks later, she was diagnosed with the cancer. Months later, she passed away. That day, the apocalypse hit the area. I was just too distraught and caught up in grief over losing ‘em both, I didn’t call you to tell you.”

The room’s silent for a few moments. I snuggle up to Negan’s side as much as I can as a way to comfort him. He just tightens his arm ‘round me, being careful not to hurt me.

“So…can I see my niece and nephew?” He asks after several minutes.

“Niece and nephew?” I ask.

Jeffrey chuckles. “Yes, baby. We have a little girl and a little boy.”

I smile. Jeffrey leans forward to hand me the baby in his arms. I realize it’s a little girl. My little girl. I hold her close to me as I look down at her. She’s so precious. So perfect. She has her father’s nose and my eyes. She looks more like Tim than she does Jeffrey. 

I brush her ginger-colored curls back from her forehead and smile. She’s got her little hand curled up into a tiny fist, resting against her cheek, and her eyes are closed. A tear rolls down my cheek as I look at my baby girl. I look up when I feel the bed move slightly. 

Tim’s leaning forward to hand me the baby in his arms. I cradle him in my other arm. I look down at my son. He’s absolutely precious. He looks more like Jeffrey with tanner skin than his sister, and a mop of black curls on his head. I feel another tear roll down my cheek.

I’ve got my babies in my arms, my husbands sitting beside me, and my brother-in-law next to me. I get lost in this moment of having my family so close to me. Everything else seems to slip away. I forget ‘bout the pain I’m in, the fact that there’s dead’uns walkin’ ‘round outside, and that the world’s already ended. 

My world is right here, and it’s just beginning.

“Hey, Half Pint. Can I see one of the munchkins?” Negan asks softly, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I nod and he reaches forward for my daughter. He cradles her tiny body in the crook of one of his big arms. She looks extra small when he’s holding her, but he’s gentle with her. Looking at him, holding his niece, I realize that he would’ve definitely made a great father. 

He just grins from ear-to-ear as he gazes down at her.

“You know…this is the first time I’ve held a baby since Cousin Johnny had his third kid when we were teenagers.” He says, glancing up to look at Jeffrey.

My husband laughs. “Has it really been that long? I’d’ve never known. You’re a pro when it comes to holding babies.”

Negan chuckles. “I’ll take that as a compliment?”

“It was meant as one. I might get you to teach me your ways.”

Negan smirks. “It’s gonna cost you.”

“Oh really?”

“Yep. I want to be able to see the kiddos whenever.”

Jeffrey shares a look with Tim and I, before grinning at his brother. “I think that can be arranged.”

“Unless I’m feedin’ ‘em, or they’re sleepin’, then you can always see ‘em whenever you want.” I say.

Negan grins. “Ok. That works for me. Have y’all decided on names yet?”

“We decided on a girl’s name in hopes that we got a girl. We haven’t decided on a boy’s name. Leigh said she had an idea, but wouldn’t ever say anythin’ ‘bout what it was.” Tim says.

“What’s the girl’s name?”

“Roselyn Anne Rayne Hall-Morgan.”

Negan looks down at me. “And your idea for a boy’s name?”

I hesitate. “I wanted to get your permission first.”

“If you’re gonna ask what I think you’re gonna ask, the answer’s already yes.”

I smile. I can tell he’s serious and that it’s ok with him for me to use the name I’ve thought ‘bout naming my son if I ended up having a little boy.

‘Thank you.”

He smiles. “No. Thank you.”

I look at my husbands. “I’d like our son’s name to be Samuel Dean Isaac Hall-Morgan.”

Jeffrey cocks his head and smiles. “I like it.”

Tim grins. “Me too.”

I look up at Negan. His eyes are watering.

“I fuckin’ love it.” He whispers.

I smile. “Me too.”

I look down at my son who now carries the name of his late cousin.

“Where’d you get the idea for the name for our son?” Tim asks.

“It was gonna be my son’s name.” Negan says, his voice cracking.

“Is that why you didn’t say anythin’ to us, doll?” Jeffrey asks.

I nod. “I wanted to make sure it was ok with Negan before I brought the idea up to y’all.”

Jeffrey looks at his brother. “Here, let me take Rosie.”

I smile at the nickname for our daughter. Negan reluctantly hands her to her father. I look at my husbands and they both nod. Negan goes to get up, but I place a hand on his elbow, stopping him. I hand Samuel to him. He cradles my little boy gently. 

A tear rolls down his cheek. I’ve only seen him cry once before, and that was when I found out that he was gonna be a father, but never got the chance to be one. Negan gently tugs the blanket down and rubs his thumb across his nephew’s cheek. 

The little boy’s eyes open, and Negan lets out a choked gasp. He starts freely crying now.

“He’s got mum’s eyes, Jeffrey.” He sobs, looking up at his older brother.

Jeffrey hands our little girl to her other father before he shifts and moves so that he’s sitting directly beside his twin brother, and his son. He peers over and looks at his little boy. He lets out the same strangled gasp that Negan did.

“He sure as shit does.” He agrees, quietly.

Negan lowers his head and kisses his nephew’s forehead. Jeffrey wraps his arms ‘round his brother, being mindful of the infant. I watch as the two brothers embrace one another. Tim moves so that he can sit right beside me. I snuggle up to his side. 

He holds our little girl with one arm and wraps his other one ‘round me, holding me close.

“You ok, sweetheart?” He asks.

I nod. “I’m just tired.”

“Get some sleep, babygirl. We’ve got the kids.”

I nod. “I love you.”

“And, I love you.”

I feel him press a kiss to the top of my head. My eyes drift closed.

“Tell Jeffrey I love him too.” I murmur.

“I will, darlin’.”