traded my life [TWD]

『60』

"Most people would feel uncomfortable feeding a child that isn't theirs," Maggie notes.

"We do what we have to do," I remind, making sure the new baby takes to feeding. "Lori would do the same for Woojin if the roles were reversed."

"Is it possible?" Maggie asks Hershel. "For Hyejin to feed both babies?"

"As long as her body keeps up, she should," Hershel answers. "Though it will be hard on Hyejin's body overall. Woojin can start eating baby food in two or three months.. At least it will be easier to balance both of them."

I look down at the new baby and shake my head with a small laugh.

"What?" Maggie asks.

"I'm breastfeeding the child of my adopted dad," I remark.

"I thought you considered Rick your uncle?" Maggie questions, then 'ah's. "Right. I see. Never mind."

"The world has ended and life is strange," Hershel notes. "The least we can do is work with what we have."

Maggie hums and I nod in agreement. Then, I sigh.

"My boobs are gonna be sore forever," I complain.

Maggie laughs a little, heart still heavy with the weight of the losses. But, it was something.

"I'll be sure and put an extra prayer in there about that," Hershel adds.

I scoff and it leads to a laugh, my chest also heavy with burden. Maggie sniffles, she was still letting out a tear or two every now and then, but she smiles at the way Hershel tried to make the air lighter.

--

Rick was deep in the prison slaughtering any walker he could find.

Carol was dead.

Lori was dead.

Shane abandoned me.

No one else knew who Q was. What the history is.

Maybe that's why Q took the chance to approach me.

"Hyejin." His voice was still the same.

My back was turned to him as I cooked dinner for the group. 

Hershel was rocking Woojin to sleep as Beth fixed up a crate for the new baby to sleep in- the new baby was in Woojin's carrier right now. Carl was on watch, refusing to talk to anyone. Glenn was on the other watch post. Maggie was sleeping, trying to get through the night after the day she had. Daryl was cleaning and sharpening his knives, his own way of calming down.

"The others are letting you and your friends sleep wherever," I say, voice tight. "You shouldn't push your luck."

Q rests his hand on the table in front of mine. I could feel the lingering touch of his chest on my back as he moved closer.

"Q," I call. "Don't."

"Where's Shane?" he asks.

I rub my lips together, my hands shaking now. "Doesn't matter."

"It does," he urges. "Rick is here, but he's a shell of who he was. Where's Shane? I thought you all resided up each other's asses?"

"Shane's fine. He's on a long run," I lie. "He'll be back."

I wasn't sure if I believed myself when I said that, though the firs part was a lie.

Would Shane ever come back? Even if he looked for us, would he be able to find us? All he knew was the farm. We'd moved so much and so far since then.