Rain drummed softly against the council hall windows while people filtered mud across the wooden floors from outside. Spring had finally reached Jackson. Snowmelt ran through the streets in shallow streams and everybody seemed a little less tense because of it.
Jesse sat near the end of the council table, half-listening while Maria talked crop rotations and patrol coverage.
Across the room, his girlfriend sat three rows back beside Ellie.
Every few minutes Jesse caught himself looking over.
Not intentionally.
Just checking.
She’d been tired lately. More quiet. Not enough that anyone else noticed yet, but Jesse noticed everything now. The way she rubbed absentmindedly at her wrist. The slight exhaustion around her eyes. The fact she hadn’t touched the coffee somebody handed her before the meeting.
Maria slid over the updated patrol schedules. “East perimeter needs another rider this week.”
Jesse glanced down.
Three nights outside the walls.
His girlfriend’s name sat near the top.
Immediately, “No.”
Maria looked up. “No?”
“She’s off patrols.”
A couple people frowned in confusion. Tommy leaned back in his chair slightly.
“Why?”
Jesse didn’t hesitate long enough to think better of it.
“Because she’s pregnant.”
The room went still.
Then came the reaction all at once — surprised smiles, soft congratulations, somebody in the back whispering “Holy shit,” under their breath.
Jesse looked toward her automatically.
And immediately realized his mistake.
She stared at him in complete disbelief.
Not emotional. Not teary-eyed.
Just utterly blindsided.
Ellie slowly lowered in her chair beside her like she wanted absolutely no involvement in this.
Maria’s expression softened first. “Jesse…”
“She’s early along,” he said quickly, already pushing forward. “So I don’t want her outside the walls anymore. No patrols, no infected clearing routes, none of it.”
His girlfriend spoke sharply from the crowd.
Jesse rubbed a hand over his jaw. “I know you’re capable.”
More arguing from her.
“I’m serious.”
Tommy looked like he was fighting for his life not to laugh.
Maria finally asked carefully, “Did the two of you actually discuss this beforehand?”
Silence.
Jesse exhaled once through his nose.
“…Not fully.”
That got a few uncomfortable laughs around the room.
His girlfriend stood up immediately.
“Okay,” Jesse said quickly, standing too. “Don’t do the leaving thing.”
She absolutely did the leaving thing.
The hall erupted into awkward murmuring while Jesse closed his eyes briefly like he physically felt a headache forming.
Tommy grinned. “Man.”
“Shut up.”
Outside, rain fell steady over Jackson’s streets. Jesse caught up to her halfway down the empty hall behind the meeting room.
“Hey.”
She turned around fast, angry whispering hitting him immediately.
“Okay, yeah,” he admitted. “You got every right to be pissed.”
More furious whispering.
“I know you wanted to wait.”
Because she was scared. They both were.
Pregnancies didn’t always survive this early. Not even before the world ended.
Jesse stepped closer carefully. “But I saw your name on that patrol list.”
She folded her arms.
“That route’s bad right now,” he continued. “Flooding north of the river. Infected moving around because of the thaw.” His voice lowered. “I’m not sitting in Jackson wondering if something happened to you out there.”
Her expression shifted slightly at that, anger giving way to frustration.
“You think I don’t know you can handle yourself?” Jesse asked quietly. “I know you can. Better than most people.”
She looked away briefly.
Rain tapped softly against the roof overhead.
Jesse sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Look, maybe announcing it in front of everybody wasn’t smart.”
That earned him a sharp look.
“Alright, definitely wasn’t smart.”
Finally, despite herself, her mouth twitched faintly.
Jesse noticed immediately.
“There it is,” he murmured. “Knew you still liked me a little.”