The prospect of having a child during the apocalypse was terrifying. Leah never dreamed she’d be facing this situation a second time. Had she known five years ago that zombies would be roaming the world, she would’ve seriously reconsidered bringing Marigold into it. Raising one child with hungry, flesh-eating undead humans around was enough of a challenge already. Leah didn’t want another baby.
Confiding in Kori had been another surprising twist. Back when she’d first been showing signs of being pregnant with Marigold, Leah never really got the chance to share the news with her family, because Lilah had blurted it out the moment she first suspected. These days, Lilah was always busy in the lab, taking up the slack on the research while Eloise was taking a leave of absence. This meant there was no twin sister around often enough to notice anything peculiar.
Kori and Leah were at opposite ends of the age spectrum in the Stone family. Their relationship was still on somewhat rocky ground, but the bond was piecing together bit by bit each passing day. If there was one thing the two had in common, though, it was their soft spot for children. That was why Kori had been the first of the Stones that Leah told.
The youngest sibling appeared in the empty ladies room and Leah glanced up from the white plastic sticks resting on the counter, innocently working their way to deciding Leah’s fate. Naturally, it wasn’t as dire as it sounded, but faced with a potential pregnancy… yeah, it was pretty damn stressful. She’d taken both tests already. Wanting to get it over with as soon as possible. Waiting for the results would be torturous.
Thankfully, she wasn’t alone now. Giving a weak smile, Leah straightened up from leaning against the wall and crossed the room to Kori. The embrace was reassuring, a reminder that she wasn’t alone. To anyone else, it might’ve been funny, the oldest sibling taking comfort from the youngest. Not to Leah.
Her body tried to convince her that she was okay, by way of bobbing her head, but when she answered Kori, it took her a moment to find her voice. “I know.” Deep down, she really did believe that; that her family would be there for her, no matter what the outcome. Things like this were isolating, though. “I’m definitely not at my best, but… I feel a little better with you here.”
Leah let out a humorless laugh. “Guess I totally dropped a bomb on you this morning, didn’t I? Telling you you might be an aunt again.” She shook her head, eyes flicking over the empty bathroom stalls. “Had to tell somebody, though.”