AUTHORS NOTE: I DONT OWN ANYTHING FROM THE WALKING DEAD

Also, for those of you reading this is a story of Josephine's journey in the new world. I didn't want to make this story about a girl who has a baby and has this little happy ever after story. There will be tough parts to read in this story and I want there to be a lot of drama and hurt and comforting and a lot of realistic expectations when it comes to what happens after the walkers come. The story will evolve quicker and quicker in each chapter but don't get too invested in all the characters because this is Josephine's story and how she becomes tough as nails. I hope you enjoy reading as much as I've enjoyed writing!

She had always been the quiet one out of the two Grimes children. She seemed to always be in the shadow of her older brother, Rick. He was three years older and ever since they were children he had always taken the roll of a leader and a fantastic one at that. Nobody in their town was shocked that he had grew up to be a sheriff, marry a beautiful women straight out of high school, and then have a perfect baby boy.

Josephine Grimes was not a whole lot like her brother. She shared some of the same features as him and that seemed to be it. She always had that long dark brown hair, somewhat wavy and always parted down the middle or slung into a messy bun. She shared his almond shaped eyes they had gotten from their father, but unlike Rick's steel blue eyes she got her mother's deep green ones. She was a small girl, only reaching 5'2 and had always had a petite and slender build.

She was deemed the quiet one because it seemed as though Rick had a voice for the both of them. He made their parents proud when he decided to take after their father and become a and his best friend Shane had gone through school together and it seemed as if Rick had planned out his perfect little life faster than a lot of people decide what color shirt to wear in the morning. Josephine however, was never sure of much. She had switched career paths in college three different times. First she wanted to be a nurse like her mother, then when the science had gotten too stressful she switched to psychology. Finally, when that became too boring she decided to follow her passions and graduated with a degree in Botany. Of course, she didn't do much after that except work in a green house part time along with her job at the station with her brother, as his receptionist.

Her father had seemed a bit disappointed in her career path after dropping from her nursing major. She just didn't seem to have what it took to be a Grimes, there was too much hype to live up to. She did however enjoyed working and seeing her brother everyday, and it seemed to be reciprocated. They had a strong bond, and took to looking out for one other. Josephine was far more of a passive person than Rick had always 's also probably why she never left her high school boyfriend, Dean.

Dean never treated Josephine with any sort of respect, but his father had been her father's police partner for many years and it seemed to just be pushed upon them both to be together. Dean always ran off with other women, always making sure to tell Josephine some kind of horrible lie about going out with his 'work friends' on weekdays. She didn't seem to care much, she had been with him so long she seemed to forget what it felt like to really be loved so she took a liking to just loving herself. Dean had proposed three different times, she said no to every one. She made up some bullshit about not being ready or that they didn't have the money for a wedding, but deep down the feelings were just not there. Dean was a pharmacist, and made a good fact that he did support her made her parents proud and happy and that was really the biggest reason she never left him.

He was a large man, 6'5 with big muscular arms and dark shaggy hair and fierce brown eyes. He had a deep and intense voice, which was really the only thing Josephine could stand about him. Although, when all the shit happened and the world seemed to fall apart, he was there for her when she needed him. It was almost like it took him the apocalypse to realize what he always had. But just like that he was gone, just like everyone else.

FLASHBACK.

Josephine sat at the living room table and buried her head in her hands. She took a deep breath before letting out another small sob. She had just gotten back from the doctors, which didn't turn out the way she had hoped. For a few weeks she hadn't been feeling well, almost like she had the flu and she was incredibly sore and throwing up almost everything she ate. She wasn't stupid, she knew what it could be, that she could potentially be pregnant but she pushed that thought from her mind because it was just not the right time for a baby. Of course, those thoughts were pushed back into her brain when the doctor congratulated her on her 4 week in pregnancy with a giant grin on his face and his hands in the air like he was ready to give her a hug. She had broken down crying right then and there. It was like her world was like waves crashing around her, and she was struggling to stay afloat. The doctor had lost his grin and asked her if she was alright. She lied and said she had slight anxiety but that these were, to an extent, her tears of joy. What a load of bullshit. She wanted to tell the doctor to please fucking help her get rid of this horrible situation, and fast.

So there she was sitting there, sobbing when Dean's truck suddenly rode into their driveway. She cursed to herself and whipped away her tears. Her legs were jello, and she felt like her and the chair were melting into each other. He was home 3 hours early, and this concerned her. Suddenly, he burst through the door. He brushed past her and went straight for the TV set. He had totally surpassed her in the chair with red puffy crying eyes to go watch TV?

"Babe, you have to see this," he stated from the other room. His voiced seemed shaky and unlike his normal stern and rough voice.

"Just a minute," she replied running into the bathroom to check her face. It was red and blotchy and her eyes were still glassy. There was no denying that she had been crying, but she had to tell him at some point that she was pregnant so why not now so that she could just get all the crying and fighting over with. She turned to leave the bathroom and saw him standing in the doorway with a questioning look.

"Have you been crying? You know whats going on don't you?" He said with more concern in his voice than he ever has had in their entire relationship.

"What in the hell are you talking about?" Josephine said pushing past him to go look at the TV set.

"Do not attempt to approach or apprehend these bodies, as they are considered extremely dangerous."

She looked over at Dean who was wide eyed and his mouth hanging open at the scene on the television. One local hospital was in shambles. The news reporter in front of the building was rambling on about some kind of attack inside of the hospital and it seemed to be some kind of virus attacking the sick and making them hostile and horribly dangerous.

Josephine stood there thoroughly confused at what was going on. Some kind of illness was spreading in the hospital? She vaguely remember earlier yesterday morning hearing on the radio about an ill looking man possibly on drugs who had tried attacking a man in the grocery store. She tried to wrap her mind around everything that seemed to be happening. This was a shit poor day.

"I came home because I'm worried about you," Dean said walking up behind her and wrapping her arms around her abdomen. She shivered in his touch, unable to understand where these actions were coming from.

"I don't understand, why would you be worried about me?" she turned to him and breaking their embrace.

"Jo, isn't that's the hospital Rick is in?"

Suddenly, her body was hot and her mind was empty. She felt herself getting the urge to vomit. She turned to the TV again and sure enough CRISIS AT HARRISON MEMORIAL HOSPITAL scrolled on the bottom of the screen. She swallowed back more tears as she listened to the woman's voice telling everyone to stay away from the surrounding area as survivors inside would soon be evacuated from the hospital and flown to a different on.

She rushed out of the room and grabbed her purse that was sitting on the living room, pulling out her cell phone. She had to make sure Lori and Carl were okay.