Adapting (A Daryl Dixon/ The Walking Dead Fanfiction)

Chapter 57

Gemma's P.O.V
I feel Judith's overheated body in my arms as I hold her against my chest, the sun sweltering down from above. I take sip from the bottle and look over at Carl who walks by my side. I hold the bottle out and he takes it, giving me a weak smile. He takes a long drink, finishing the last of the bottle's contents. He looks at it before placing it in the bag on his back. He zips it up and looks forward once more.

"You alright?" I ask.

He looks at me and shrugs, "I suppose."

"A lot's been happening lately, it's okay if you aren't." I reassure him.

He looks ahead, "Bad things happen, you just have to learn how to deal with it."

I look at him for a moment, noticing how harsh but true his words are. I move Judith into a more comfortable position and continue walking.

After awhile Carl speaks, "What about you?"

"What about me?" I say.

"Are you fine?" He asks.

I remain quiet and bite my lip, looking down at the ground as he continues, "I know you're not. You haven't been fine since we left the church."

He pauses before he speaks, "I hear you, late at night. I hear you crying."

I look over at him and see the concern in his eyes for my safety, "It's okay if you aren't. It's just..." He trails off.

"What?"

His eyebrows scrunch up before he looks at me, "I just don't like to see you hurt. Since my mom died, you're the closet thing Judith and I have had to a mother. And now you have a baby on the way, I'm just worried that you are gonna get hurt."

I smile and wrap my arm around his shoulders, Judith asleep on my other shoulder, "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"How do you know that?" He asks glumly.

I stop and he stops beside me and I look into his eyes, "I may not know what's going on, but I promise you that I'm going to try my best to not let anything happen you, Judith, your Dad and everyone else in this group. You are my family, you have been for a long time now. Nothing is going to change that."

He looks at me for a moment before nodding his head, looking down. I pull him lightly against me to not hurt Judith, placing a kiss on his head. He hugs me tightly for a moment and I hold him back, oddly at peace. He pulls away and looks at me, "I love you."

I smile, joy coursing through my veins, "I love you too."

I give his arm a squeeze and we continue walking along with the others. My arm begins to go numb under Judith's weight and I try to shift her into a more comfortable position.

"Let me take her." Carl says, holding his arms out for his baby sister.

"You sure?" I ask.

He rolls his eyes, "She's my sister."

I chuckle and hand him Judith, being gentle to not disturb her. She stirs for a moment before snuggling into his shoulder, her plump lips moving as she snores. I look ahead and see Rick looking back at us, a small smile on his face. I smile and catch up to him, walking by his side.

"You're really good with them." He says, looking between me and the road.

I shrug my shoulders and scrape my hair up into a ponytail, "I really care about them."

"I know, you're gonna be a good mom." He says as I tie my jacket around my waist.

I pause in my movements and look at him in the corner of my eye, a shy smile on my lips. He bumps his shoulder with mine and I smile, tying the knot at my waist. I think about his words and wonder if they are true, I wonder if I am good mother material. I begin to fantasise about when the baby comes, holding it in my arms, protecting it before anyone else. As I think, Daryl comes to mind. What is his role? Will he want to be involved? Is he ready for this kind of commitment?