Cowboy

53) Jordan Marie Dixon

Carl and Ali rushed into the Prison, the young boy holding her hand the whole way there. "Hershel! Daryl!" Carl yelled as they came through the door. "Hershel!"

Daryl and Rick were the first ones to their side, taking in Alicia's panicked state. "What happened?" Rick asked.

"My water broke." Alicia said hurriedly. "I'm having contractions."

Hershel was there now, immediately taking action. He grabbed Alicia's hand, pulling her into an empty cell.

"Rick go take care of the infected. Do not let anyone who's been exposed near her." He said.
Rick nodded, running off.

Alicia sat up on the bed she was laying on. "Infected? What happened?"

Hershel pushed her back down, shaking his head. "I'll explain later. You need to focus on the fact that you're going into labor."

Daryl looked to Hershel. "She can't be going into labor. She's not due for another month!"

"The baby will be born prematurely." He sighed. He looked to Carl. "You might want to leave."

Carl nodded. He squeezed Alicia's hand. "You'll be alright." With that he left the room.

Another wave of pain hit her, causing her to clench her eyes shut, her hand making a fist with the sheets. "Damn it Hershel, how long is this gonna take?" She breathed.

He sighed. "Some women are in labor for up to 12 hours."

Daryl grabbed her hand, brushing some hair out of her face. "You're gonna be alright. You can do this."

She nodded, biting down on her tongue as another contraction started. Hershel furrowed his eyebrows.

"Your contractions shouldn't be this close together." He said. "It looks like you're not only going into labor premature... but you're going into precipitous labor."

"What the hell is that?" She said through clenched teeth.

"Rapid Labor."

Alicia groaned, her head falling back on the pillow. "That's lovely."

Hershel chuckled. "I'm gonna get you through this. Daryl and I have got you."

"Glad to know I'm in good hands."
—————
An hour later and Alicia was fully dilated. She practically freaked out when she could literally feel the baby slide into the birth canal. This shit was crazy.

"It's time to push." Hershel said, bringing her back to reality.

She nodded, taking long deep breaths. "Ok." She said. "Ok."

Daryl stood beside her, his grip on her hand tight. "You're ok." He nodded in reassurance.

"When I say, I want you to push as hard as you can." Hershel told her. She nodded, closing her eyes. "Now."

Alicia squeezed Daryl's hand as she did, using the pain to keep her going. "Damn it." She breathed, already exhausted.

"You gotta do it again, cmon." Hershel said. "Now."

She pushed again, her knuckles turning red as she did so. Daryl was practically shaking beside her. "Oh my God." He breathed.

"What?" She asked panicked. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing... I can see the top of their head."

This made Alicia even more determined. With two more excruciating pushed, she heard the sound of a loud bang cry.

Her heart swelled and tears started to flow down her face. Daryl dropped her hand, rushing to Hershel's side. She watched as he grabbed the baby, cleaning it off with a small rag.

It seemed like hours before anyone let her see her baby. She watched as Hershel and Daryl worked to make sure it was ok, cleaning it off and checking over it.

Finally Daryl turned to her, a little bundle in his arms. He had a huge smile on his face as he kneeled down beside her bed.

"It's a girl." He said.

Alicia laughed, her body completely exhausted. She weakly smiled as Daryl placed their daughter in her arms.

She looked at her baby for the first, a strong surge of emotions coming over her. "Jordan." She breathed.

Daryl sat down on the bed, gently rubbing his wife's arm. The couple stared down at the sleeping baby, their hearts soaring.

Alicia had never been prouder. Her daughter was beautiful. She looked like Daryl, and it made her so so happy.

She leaned down to kiss Jordan's head, smiling as she snuggled into her mother's touch. "What's her name?"

Alicia looked up to see Glenn at the entrance of the cell. "Jordan."

"What's her middle name?" He asked, walking closer.

Alicia looked up at Daryl, raising her eyebrows. He smiled, looking down at his daughter. "Marie... just like Alicia and her mom."

Glenn looked to her. "Your middle name is Marie?"

She nodded. "Alicia Marie. My mom's name was Marie, I was named after her."

"It's a beautiful name." Hershel smiled. He looked to Glenn. "Let's give them some privacy. I'll be back to check on her later, we'll need to be extra careful since she is premature."

They left the room, leaving the couple with their newborn. Alicia looked up at her husband, her eyes drooping. "She's perfect."

He nodded. "Perfect."