Chapter Text
Jackson County’s church was a wide, wooden building with a cool ass garden in the back. Ellie had only been inside the church a few times, usually to help out with repairs Joel and Tommy were doing.
This time though, she was putting the final touches on her wedding suit. That’s right—In fifteen minutes, Dina would make an honest woman out of her in the garden behind the church. They had the whole shabang—rows of mix-matched chairs with a long rug for the aisle, a wooden awning that Joel had crafted, and April flowers that shivered in the wind from the last remnants of winter.
In the back room of the church, Ellie stood in a full length mirror. She wore a white button down, navy pants, and brown loafers that were slightly too big. All her clothes were borrowed from people in town who still liked to dress nicely for dances, unlike her.
“Quit tuggin’ at your shirt. You’ll mess up your collar,” Joel said from his seat of the only chair in the room. He was there for moral support, kinda like a da…pper person because he'd combed his hair and was dressed in nice clothes.
Ellie let her hands drop to her sides, looking herself over. “Why do we have to wear these clothes?” She said it more to herself than to Joel.
“Cause it’s a wedding.”
“I can still get married in chucks,” she mumbled.
He huffed out a laugh. “No one’s forcing you, you know.”
“Wrong. Dina is.”
Joel’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“Dina said she lubbed me last month, and I couldn’t say it back, so to prove that I lub her, we’re getting married,” Ellie explained.
Joel lifted a short hand like she was saying too much too fast. “Hold on, why are you saying it like that?”
Ellie tugged at her collar again. “Saying what?”
“Love.”
“Oh.” Ellie faced him. “I can’t say that word. You didn’t know that?”
“Never came up, I guess.” He looked thoughtful for a second. “But you can’t make the ‘V’ sound?”
“No, look. I luhh–” She gagged, a long heaving sound, then put a hand on her chest as the nausea passed. Her voice was slightly ragged as she spoke. “See? Can’t say it. Gotta get married instead.”
“You sure that’s a good reason to get married?” Joel asked in a concerned voice.
Ellie shrugged. Dina thought it was a good reason and Dina was always right. “Yup.”
“And that’s why y’all are rushing this?” Joel asked. He had a point. It’d only been two months since the winter dance where Dina had first kissed Ellie, a.k.a. the best fucking night of her life.
“Yup,” she repeated. “Do you think I’m ready?”
Joel stood from his chair, making old man sounds as he did. He walked up to her with a tender smile and Ellie turned to face him. “Let me get a look at you.” He set his hand on both sides of her shoulders and got that faraway look in his eyes that meant he was gonna say something sappy. “Feels like yesterday you were that little firecracker. Now you’re all grown up.”
Ellie smirked. “And soon I’ll be old like you.”
Joel's expression fell to a tired look. “When you gonna come up with a new insult?”
“When you stop being old.”
“Hm. That’ll be the day.” He let go of her shoulders. “You feel all set?”
“I feel,” Ellie began, her words trailing off. She was about to get married to Dina, so she felt….Holy shit she was about to get married. Married. Her eyes widened. It felt like the ground was about to open up and swallow her. “Fuck, I don’t know how Dina talked me into this.”
“Whoooa now,” Joel said like he was calming a hyperactive horse. “Alright. Just take a breath.” She was taking breaths, a lot actually, each more rapid than the last. Her heart thudded and her hands felt clammy. She bent over, bracing her hands on her knees. “Hey. You’re fine,” Joel reassured, placing a hand on her upper back.
She was gonna get all sappy and say ‘oh, I love you, Dina,’ in front of everyone. Whoever invented weddings was a sick fuck.
Between gasps, Ellie said, “I think I’m gonna throw up.”
“You won’t.”
“Or pass out. Or throw up and then pass out.”
“You’re fine, kiddo. None of that’s gonna happen.”
“Til it does,” Ellie breathed out. She felt so dizzy, the wooden floorboards started to warp.
“Listen. When you’re out there, you won’t even see us.”
Ellie lifted her head and stared at him, incredulous. “What?”
“You'll only see her when it’s just you two up there.”
“How do you know?”
Joel seemed to hesitate a second. “It’ll just happen.”
Before Ellie could ask further, the door to the room swung open. Maria stood in the doorway with wide, scared eyes like she’d just seen a hoarde of Infected. She wore a purple swishy dress, kinda girly for her vibe, but it looked nice. “It’s Dina. She’s–”
Ellie stood straight, suddenly alert. “Dina? What happened to her?”
“We were helping her into her dress and she threw up and passed out and then threw up again,” Maria said.
“Oh, fuck,” Ellie whispered. Was Dina nervous too or was she sick? Was she gonna die?
“Where is she now?” Joel asked Maria.
“Med center. Come on.”
They rushed with Maria out of the room. Ellie ran ahead of Joel and Maria, scared that she’d miss Dina’s last moments alive.
—
In Room 1 of the med center, Dina laid in a gurney as Steph, the town doctor, patted a damp towel on her forehead. Ellie ran to Dina’s side as soon as she burst through the door, hair clouding her face from the flyaways that had escaped her bun. “Dina. Please don’t die. I’m sorry I can’t say I lub you yet.” Ellie bent her head over Dina like she was praying to her.
“I’m not dying Ellie,” Dina said in a tired voice. Ellie’s lifted her head, her gaze hopeful now. Dina placed a hand over Ellie’s. “It’s something else.”
“I’ll give you two some privacy,” Steph said, leaving the room.
When the door was shut again, Dina took a slow breath. Ellie couldn’t take the growing anticipation. “What is it?”
Dina intertwined her fingers with Ellie’s, keeping her eyes lowered. “Steph just told me I’m pregnant,” she whispered and Ellie’s stomach dropped far below the floor to the fucking molten core of the planet.
It took a few seconds for her to find the words. “Oh shit, is it mine?”
Dina’s eyes met hers. “I…I don’t know.” Dina squeezed her hand and her face crumpled. “I feel like I ruined the wedding.”
Ellie blinked a few times, still in shock. “I was probably gonna ruin it if you didn’t, so it’s fine.”
Dina looked confused, eyes shining from unspilled tears. “What do you mean?”
Ellie didn’t get a chance to answer because the door to the room opened a crack, and Joel poked his head in. He and Maria must have finally caught up. “You alright?”
“I’m fine,” Dina answered, quickly wiping under her eyes. “We just need a second.”
Joel nodded, shot Ellie a hesitant glance, and shut the door. Ellie turned back to Dina and spoke slowly. “So do you, like, still wanna get married?”
“What? Of course I do,” Dina reassured.
“Cool, cool, cool,” Ellie said, nodding to herself. Baby and wedding and a baby and a wedding at the same time in front of people. That was cool. That wasn’t overwhelming at all.
“Ellie, are you okay?”
“Uh huh. Sorry, I’m just…so excited.” She added as much cheer to her voice as she could.
Dina lifted a hand, cupping Ellie’s cheek. “It’s okay if you’re nervous. I am too.”
Her hand was warm, soothing some of the nerves that had sharpened. Only then did she realize what Dina was wearing. A white sundress with light yellow flowers embroidered at the top. “Is this your wedding dress?”
Dina let out a small laugh, and let her hand fall to the medical bed. “You weren’t supposed to see it yet.”
“So what?”
“I wanted it to be like a real wedding, not with throw up and my hair all over the place.”
Ellie looked her up and down. “Well, you look beautiful on this gurney.”
“Ew,” Dina said as Ellie leaned down and captured her lips in a calm kiss.
When they let up, Ellie looked over her dress again. “And there’s no throw up anywhere. You’re fine.”
“I did get some on the bottom hem.” Dina sighed.
Ellie looked over. She definitely had. “We can wash that out.”
The door burst open, startling them both.
“Dina.” Jesse rushed to the other side of the gurney. He was wearing a three-piece tux. Way more decked out than anyone else in the wedding party. It suited him though.
“I heard you fainted. Are you okay? I don’t know what I’d do if I lost the love of my–” He cleared his throat and Ellie raised a brow. He spoke slower, more collected now. “I mean if I lost my friend.”
“I’m fine, Jesse,” Dina said. “I just got sick.”
“And pregnant,” Ellie added without thinking.
Dina stared daggers. “Ellie!”
“Oh shit, sorry.” Ellie clamped her lips shut.
Jesse's eyes widened in a blend of horror and shock. “Pregnant?”
“We just found out,” Dina said in a quiet voice.
“Is this a few weeks pregnant or months pregnant?” Jesse asked slowly. Ellie knew what he was really asking—who the father was. She watched Dina, waiting for the answer.
Dina shrugged, looking between both of them. “I don’t know.”
The three let the question hang in the air for a few moments, Ellie on one side of Dina and Jesse on the other.
Dina sighed. “I don't want to think about this. I just want to get married.”
Ellie squeezed Dina’s hand. “Then let’s get married.”