The Family Man

A/N: About lunchtime yesterday, Rick Grimes was on my mind something terrible and I realized it was soon Father's Day and he deserved to be honoured. Ringleader1010 Friday's edit certainly enabled the words to flow. This is the end result. I hope you like this story. It may be added to at a later date because I like the premise, but it all depends on the feedback this story receives; for now, however, it's a one-shot.

On another note, I have not abandoned my other works, I actually have three unfinished updates for the following stories: TFR, ANB, and CCCC, but I'm currently swamped in my day to day life.

Hey Cleo, I used your suggestion from TFR but with modifications, you'll see why at the end.

It was a beautiful spring afternoon in the Alexandria Safe-Zone, almost nine months to the very day when Rick Grimes returned from his forced captivity.

The children, R.J. and Gracie were riding their bikes up and down the deserted streets of Alexandria entertaining themselves in their father's absence, when suddenly the distinct squeak of the steel gates announced the crew's return.

The group had been gone five days and the council was beginning to worry.

Michonne was starting to worry too, but she could do very little about it because she was big with child, one that was due in a matter of days. She prayed that her husband, Rick Grimes would return in time for the birth since he had missed R.J.'s birth. He promised he would, that not even a herd could keep him away from the momentous occasion, but that was five days before. It was supposed to be a three-day run, so by day five, she was most definitely worried because, on the third day after their expected return date, another crew would be dispatched to search for them.

She was sitting on their front porch eating some juicy fruit while keeping an eye on the children. The sound of the squeaky gate, however, was like music to her ears it allowed her to breathe once more.

The sound caused both R.J. and Gracie to drop their bikes in the middle of the street and beelined towards the entrance eagerly anticipating reuniting with their fathers, Rick and Aaron respectively.

Michonne smiled, she didn't take their desertion personally. She too was excited about the crew's safe return, but unlike the children, her activity was a little curtailed for the time being, but their unborn child, however, had no such issues because there were distinct hand and leg movements going on as she massaged her huge belly through the flimsy oversized frock she wore. It was as if the baby knew its father was home.

"Daddy's home sweetie. He kept his promise." Michonne whispered while massaging her rock hard stomach. It won't be long now before we meet you. She received repeated taps in response. Yeah, you're gonna be a fighter alright, she thought and smiled to herself.

Gracie was the older of the two, but sometimes it was hard to tell the difference because she often allowed herself to simply follow R.J. and get caught up in his antics, be it throwing rocks at walkers or attempting to scale a tree only to find out he didn't like heights.

Richard James Grimes Jr. was a handful. He was a ball of energy always running around and pranking not only the adults but Gracie as well. The latter being the only other child old enough to roughhouse with him in the ASZ. Truth be known, they acted more like brother and sister, they became really close especially since the older children all fell ill and died.

"Daddy, daddy," R.J. cried as he ran towards his father's horse, Zeus.

Rick smiled at his eager son as he dismounts his horse and turned the reins over to an outstretched hand.

He knelt down to R.J.'s level, his sunburnt face was covered in dirt and sweat, but the expression he wore on it was pure happiness.

After losing Carl, getting hurt and disappearing for six years, when he finally arrived back at the gates once more, the best he was hoping for was to find his wife, Michonne and their teenage daughter, Judith, but instead, he found Michonne grieving not only their son, Carl and him but also Judith too. There was a ray of light through all the darkness, however, it was R.J.

Unknowingly, he had left behind a piece of himself when he disappeared. During his entire absence and long journey home it never once occurred to him that their grieving Carl and comforting one another had possibly led to another child; they had been together many times where they weren't exactly careful, but nothing ever came of it, so R.J. was a welcomed surprise.

...

Nine months ago...

Rick rode up to the gates of Alexandria and waited to be allowed entrance. He was wounded, feverish, and parched. He also had a broken arrow protruding from his shoulder.

Father Gabriel who was on watch at the time, made the sign of the cross and mouthed something to himself as he did so.

"Open it up. Hurry. Get Michonne and Siddiq, NOW!" bellowed the usually soft-spoken man of the cloth.

Rick dismounted his horse just inside the gates of Alexandria and fell to the ground. His lip was busted and his ribs were bruised perhaps broken. The adrenaline had long worn off so his pain was very real, but it was all worth it every punch and every kick he received because he was finally home.

Laying there on the hard surface, he made no effort to move he simply closed his eyes and allowed the pain to wash over him.

Hours later, his eyes flitted open, he blinked again not sure whether or not he was awake or whether he was dreaming because on the chair, at his bedside sat a young boy. The child was light brown in complexion with curly brown hair. He had Michonne's eyes and his face.

The two stared at one another in wonder then R.J. cried out, "Siddiq, come quick," but no one came.

"Hi!" Rick said in a raspy southern drawl. "What's your name?"

"I have the same name as you, but I'm junior. Mommy says I'm a mini you. She calls me R.J." The boy replied as though the answer should have been obvious to his father.

"Is that so? Well, it's nice to meet you, R.J., I'm your daddy, Richard James Grimes Sr.", Rick said while attempting to sit up in bed but stopped because of the pain in his side.

"Siddiq says you are not supposed to move." R.J. offered when he saw the boo boo look of pain registering on his father's face.

"Who is Siddiq?" Rick asked not liking where this might be heading.

R.J. giggled, "He's the doctor, silly. Mommy says the doctor knows best. When I broke my arm Siddiq fixed it."

"You broke your arm?" Rick asked curiously.

"Yeah," he said blushing not quite sure whether his father would get upset with him like his mommy did but he told on himself anyway. "I broke it when I fell out of the cherry tree behind our house."

"Oh! And what did mommy have to say about that?"

"She cried and made me promise not to do it again. She said she couldn't lose me too."

"She's right. Mommy's lost too much already."

"Daddy?"

"Yes, son?"

"Will you promise not to leave us again?"

"I promise. Daddy will only go on runs, but I will always come back to you and mommy. Can I have a hug?"

R.J. scrambled onto the bed once their introductions were successfully concluded and he had exacted a promise from his father that they will remain a family. Rick opened his arms to welcome his son who carefully navigated his way around the IV line attached to his father, rest his head on his father's chest and the two hugged one another until such time Michonne showed herself.

"Okay, Dr. Grimes, I shan't move another muscle. Where's your mommy?"

"She went to our house to get you some clothes and some food for me."

The news that Michonne had held on to his thangs even after all this time caused him to choke up.

Earlier, when R.J. mentioned Siddiq, it awoke the little green-eyed monster inside of him. Sure, he knew it was unrealistic of him to believe that after all this time, that life would be as he left it. But in his heart of hearts, Michonne was his compass, his one true North, she was his family. He had known that since they locked eyes on one another, the attraction he felt during his grief was a clue that theirs was a story still yet to be told. Despite it all, however, he had vanished from their life together only the resurface to hear his son speak highly of another man. It wasn't something he would idly sit by and accept after fighting his way back to his family. Thankfully, it didn't appear that Siddiq was going to be a problem for him.

...

By the time Michonne and R.J. arrived at the infirmary, Rick was out cold. She was still trying hard to accept the news she heard and the image her eyes were currently fixed on while holding on tight to her son, R.J. At times, she would pinch herself to ensure that the whole affair wasn't some sick joke.

Rick Grimes, her one true love was lying in the hospital bed almost six years after he disappeared. But how? There were so many nights when she would lay awake wondering who was responsible for his untimely end.

Days after the accident, she knew he had not met his end on the bridge that day because she found his blood and tracks on a flat rock a few miles downriver. It was obviously where had come ashore, so she searched the entire area ridding it of walkers searching each dead face for his, but she did not find him. She backtracked to the riverbed where she originally found his tracks and walked every possible direction from the river rock. One led to a burnt-out clearing where once again she found his tracks but it was not alone, there were three other sets of footprints one of which was small enough to belong to a woman.

In that clearing, however, was something that didn't make sense, at least not this late into the apocalypse. The last time she had seen a helicopter was at the onset of the apocalypse and it crashed and burned. But on the ground before her were the distinct markings of the landing skids of a helicopter. It only left one conclusion, he must have seen it and signalled them and they took him. But who were they? She had no leads as to where he might have been taken so she returned to Alexandria.

Weeks later, the older children took sick and died. Weeks later still, she discovered she was pregnant, eight months later, R.J. was born.

...

Siddiq said Rick was no longer in any danger; he had a few bruised ribs and his fever was under control and he'd more than likely sleep through the night. There was no way she and R.J. would sleep elsewhere that night but at his side, so a cot had been placed in the room for R.J. The latter was now hungry but he refused to leave his father's side, so Michonne ran back home to gather a few things for them.

...

Michonne overheard the last exchanges between the father and his son and allowed them some alone time before she walked into the room.

...

Both of her guys looked up at the sound of her footsteps in the otherwise quiet room. Michonne held the two pair of eyes which reflected back at her and reminds herself to breathe. Once she did, she was able to advance towards the bed.

"Hey," Rick said desperately trying to sit up.

"Hey. You're not supposed to be moving about."

"Mommy, you're back. I'm hungry now."

"Okay, sweetie. But you will need to climb off the bed because daddy's not supposed to move, okay?"

R.J. loved his long last father, but no one came between him and his food, so he quickly scooted off the bed and sat on the chair taking from his mother the plate of food she offered.

"I see he gets his appetite from you."

They both laughed, it was easy like it was before no judgments just love and appreciation that they were once again whole.

"That and his eyes too, but apart from that, the rest is all you." She offered as an icebreaker. "I brought you some soup… Siddiq said it should be okay it's not heavy."

His hand reached for hers, and that slight touch reignited what lay just beneath the surface. They exchanged no words because it wasn't their way, a single look could sometimes melt surfaces because of its intensity. They still had it... it did not fade to black... he was back.

"Thank you!"

...

Rick and his crew had just entered the Alexandria Safe Zone. The others busied themselves in securing the carriage carrying their loot as the rest of citizens arrived to help them to unhitch the animals and take them to the troughs to drink and after to stables to be groomed fed and rest.

"Hey, son, how's mommy doing?" Rick asked hugging and kissing an excited R.J.

"Good. The baby is still in her tummy too."

Rick laughed at his son's comment. It was no secret that he wanted the baby out so that his mother could continue his training.

"It won't be long now, son. It won't be much longer now."

"Dad, can we go fishing tomorrow?"

"That sounds like a plan. But, we'll have to it really early so we can be around later to help mommy around the house, okay?"

"Okay."

Gracie finally caught up with the group and ran towards Aaron as he dismounts his horse, but unlike R.J., she waits a safe distance away because she was afraid of the horses.

"Dad!"

Aaron walked over to his daughter, grateful to have her and to have been living at the Hilltop when the scourge which eradicated the kids in Alexandria passed through. He kissed the top of her head and hugged his daughter.

"Gracie, sweetie, how are you? Did you give Michonne any trouble?"

"I'm fine. No, I did not," she replied to her father's teasing.

"That's good. Let's go home and see what your daddy been up to."

...

The next morning...

"Rick," Michonne called out in barely a whisper, but no answer came. She reached her hand across their bed to find him gone. No, she thought, NO! I will not have another child of yours without you.

The onset of pain had woken her up. There was no indication like she had days before R.J's arrival. The baby was not messing around it decided things were going be like taking the express lane at the checkout.

Michonne had time enough to walk to the front door and open it to find her husband and their son carrying their fishing rods and a bucket of fish. She pushed passed them and puked over the porch into her geraniums.

"Oh shit!" Rick added turning to R.J. "Run to Nora's house and ask her to come over here to take care of you and the fish. I have to take mommy to the infirmary. Do you understand, R.J.?"

R.J. shook his head. He was afraid for his mother because she was in pain and he couldn't help her.

Michonne grunts were scaring their son. "It's okay, son. Mommy will be okay but you are going to have to move. Now, go!." Rick said raising his voice to ensure his son's compliance.

R.J. took another look at his mother who was now drenched in sweat, "I'll be fine baby… please… go!"

Three hours later…

The Grimes clan grew by two, a shock to the happy parents who were expecting a child but was blessed with two. A happy surprise to their son R.J. and his best friend Gracie, because they welcomed Ryan MacKenzie and Madalynn Ryleigh Grimes to the family.

THE END!

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