Some days, the silence was heavier than the war ever was.
Not the kind of silence that came before a gunfight—but the kind that came when the wind blew through the fields and no one screamed.
I was in the fields with Daryl, helping dig fence posts when Maggie came walking across the rows with that look on her face. The one that always said she wasn't here for small talk.
She took off her gloves and handed me a folded cloth.
Inside: a carved wooden horse.
I blinked.
"You pregnant?" I asked.
She smiled.
And nodded.
I stood there holding the horse like it was made of glass.
"I didn't know I could still be scared like this," I said.
"You're not alone in it," she said, and placed a hand over mine.
Later that day, I walked with Maggie to the greenhouse, where Hershel Greene was bending over tomato stalks, humming a hymn I hadn't heard since Atlanta.
"Rick," he said, brushing off his hands, "you got that look. Like someone just hit you with something soft, but heavy."
I chuckled. "That's accurate."
Maggie stood beside him, smile barely contained.
"She told you?" Hershel asked.
"She did."
He gave me a long look.
"You're a good man," he said. "I can't say you're the kind I thought my daughter would end up with, but—hell, after all this? You make her smile. That's enough."
"She makes me whole," I said honestly.
He nodded. "Then let's build something they can grow up in."
Later, I found Beth watching over a group of children learning how to tie knots. She waved when she saw me.
Otis joined us near the gate, sweat lining his brow from welding new hinges.
"Word's out already," he said with a chuckle.
I shrugged. "Fast-moving town."
"Just make sure you get her off her feet more. She doesn't listen to me anymore."
"She barely listens to me," I said.
We both laughed.
That night, I found Carl sitting alone near the edge of the field, sharpening a stick into a spear.
"Too old for toys," he said when I sat next to him. "Too young to be Graves."
I smiled faintly.
"You're just right," I told him.
He was quiet a long time.
Then he said, "I know about Judith."
I didn't answer.
"I figured it out a while ago. I mean, Shane… he was different after Mom."
I sighed.
"You're not mad?" I asked.
Carl shrugged. "You didn't leave."
"She's still my sister," he added.
"She is," I said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "And you're about to have another."
He looked at me sharply.
I smiled.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
He nodded. "Cool."
Then, softer: "Do you think this world's gonna stay calm long enough for them to grow up?"
I looked out at the trees.
"We'll make sure of it."
With Woodbury integrated and new families settling into the eastern expansion, we turned the focus inward.
Graves took point on training younger recruits
Carol and Sarah began formal teaching for children
Merle oversaw tool production
Guillermo and Morales restructured trade
Martinez, under watch, started running east patrols—quietly earning trust
The place pulsed with movement.
That evening, I sat with Maggie on the north hill, watching the sun dip behind the trees.
She leaned into me, her head on my shoulder.
"We should name them after someone," she whispered.
"Yeah, we will."
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