On the other end of the radio, Rick seemed to let out a breath, relieved yet a little wistful.
"...That's good. Tell Shane that Carl is doing well, and that he misses him. If, I mean if, you pass by the Prison next time, you can stop by and see him. Thank you, Calista."
He understood that this was as far as he could go, so he quickly returned to business. "Then I hope your spring planting goes smoothly. Stay in touch."
"You too. Stay in touch." Calista ended the transmission.
The radio fell silent, the indicator light went out, and the command room returned to its previous quiet. Only the faint sounds of the training ground outside the window remained.
Danny skillfully began tidying up the equipment, while Leah's gaze fell on Calista with a questioning look.
Calista did not speak right away. She turned her head and looked at Shane, who had been standing in the shadows by the door the entire time.
The Shane before her was completely different from the sharp-eyed Defense Force member he usually was.
His tall body seemed slightly hunched as he leaned against the stone wall, staring blankly at some point in the air. His jaw was clenched tight, and his fingers kept curling and relaxing unconsciously.
The news that Lori was starting to show hit him hard. It struck at his heart and seemed to shatter the new identity he had tried to build at Rock Fortress, dragging him violently back into that tangled past of desire and conflict.
Calista understood at once.
That child very likely was not Rick's, but Shane's.
Before this, Shane had made a difficult decision and resolutely left Rick and Lori behind to follow Calista to Rock Fortress.
At that time, Lori had only just found out she was pregnant, and Shane had not yet had much sense of what that tiny new life meant.
Back then, aside from little Carl, the two things he could not let go of were mainly his brotherly bond with Rick and the way Lori kept pulling at him emotionally from time to time.
But now, the baby was three months along and gradually growing into a complete life.
For Shane, who had found a new place for himself at Rock Fortress, who had been trying to numb himself with discipline and combat, and who had even developed a trace of complicated attention toward the young leader before him, this realization was undoubtedly a massive storm.
Calista gave Leah and Danny a look.
The two understood, quietly left the command room, and gently closed the door behind them.
Only Calista and the absent-minded Shane remained in the room.
"Shane," Calista called.
Shane snapped back to himself, his gaze focusing on Calista.
His eyes were extremely complicated. Beyond the pain of old scars being torn open, there was also a deeply hidden embarrassment, as if he did not want her to see him this vulnerable.
"Calista..." Shane's voice was hoarse, almost pleading. He seemed to hope she would not press him, yet also longed for someone to pull him out of this mire. "You heard that? Lori... she..."
"I heard." Calista walked to the table and poured herself a glass of water, her movements calm and composed, standing in sharp contrast to Shane's tension. "The baby is three months along."
That calm statement pierced straight through the unspoken truth.
Shane's body swayed slightly.
He lowered his head, avoiding Calista's gaze, which seemed able to see through everything. Then he shoved both hands into his curly hair and tugged hard, as if he were about to pull himself bald.
"I-I don't know what to do," Shane said almost through gritted teeth, his voice low and full of pain. "That's... that might be my child..."
Calista watched him quietly, offering neither immediate comfort nor judgment.
She could feel the surge of emotion inside Shane at that moment. It was not only about Lori and the child, but also mixed with masculine pride, old grievances, and perhaps even a trace of concern over what she thought of him right now.
Shane was a useful blade, but an unstable blade would cut itself.
She had to give him an outlet, one that could soothe his emotions while keeping him firmly tied to Rock Fortress.
Silence spread through the room. Shane could almost hear the wild pounding of his own heart, along with the faint sound of Calista sipping her water.
That silence, like waiting for judgment, tormented him.
At last, Calista set down the glass and slowly spoke, offering an unexpected suggestion.
"Shane, I think becoming the godfather might be a good choice."
Shane suddenly raised his head, confusion in his eyes, along with a trace of dazed uncertainty after being pulled away by the sudden change in topic.
He did not understand why Calista had suddenly brought up something that seemed completely unrelated.
Calista met his gaze and guided him patiently. "A father figure who has no blood relation, but is willing to take on part of the responsibility of guiding and protecting a child.
Since you're not sure whether the child is yours, and since you can't appear beside that child as the biological father, maybe 'godfather' is a position you can choose."
The suggestion struck like lightning, splitting open the fog in Shane's mind. Strangely, it also eased some of the agitation that had come from exposing his vulnerability.
"Godfather..." Shane murmured, turning the word over again and again.
It meant he could have a reasonable, even honorable identity through which to care about that child.
He could fulfill his responsibility without destroying his complicated relationship with Rick, and step into the child's future in a dignified way.
More importantly, the suggestion came from Calista.
People were drawn to strength.
Leaving aside Shane's quiet attention toward her, Calista was still the leader of Rock Fortress, the person he had chosen to follow.
That made it easier for Shane to accept, and even gave him a feeling of being guided and recognized.
"You can talk to Rick yourself," Calista added, giving him the initiative. "During the next regular call, you two can discuss it. Whether Rick agrees will depend on his own considerations and on how you present it."
As long as Shane did not interfere between Rick and Lori, and did not forcefully insist that he was the child's biological father, then based on Calista's understanding of Rick, he would agree.
She did not take everything onto herself. Instead, she left Shane with the space to choose and act for himself.
It was both a test of Shane's ability and a cautious way to avoid Rock Fortress becoming too involved in the Prison's internal affairs.
At the same time, by taking the role of listener and guide, she invisibly deepened Shane's dependence and gratitude toward her.
Shane drew in a deep breath, his chest rising and falling heavily several times.
"I understand, Calista." Shane straightened. "Thank you... thank you."
He knew what he had to do now.
Not as a failure or someone who refused to let go, but as someone seeking reconciliation and willing to shoulder a new responsibility. He would face Rick, and face the child who might be connected to him by blood.
Calista nodded and said nothing more.
Shane straightened his back, turned, and left the command room.
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on p-@-treon.
p-@-treon/GhostParser (70 Chapters Ahead)
You can also follow as a free member to read a few advanced chapters.