𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐀𝐄𝐓𝐇 || ᵈ.ᵈⁱˣᵒⁿ

XXXVII

—/<3/—

"We're going, get the fence. Too many pile up and we got ourselves a problem," Daryl said as he slung his crossbow over his shoulder. "Rory, Glenn, Maggie, let's go!"

"Get the gate," Daryl called to Archie as he began walking to the cars. Rory followed behind. She'd changed shirts and scrubbed her arms of Lori's blood, as had Maggie. "C'mon or we're gon' lose the light!" Daryl yelled to Glenn and Maggie.

"Is there any place that hasn't been looted?" Daryl asked as he jogged towards his bike, Rory at his side.

"There's a shopping centre just north of here," Glenn said.

"No there's too much debris on the road, a car won't get through there." Maggie pointed out as she threw her backpack into the back seat of the car.

"I can take one of you," Daryl offered.

"I'll go," Maggie said.

"No, Maggie, after everything you've been through, I'll go." Glenn shook his head.

Rory rolled her eyes. "I'll save you two the argument. You stay together, I'll go with Daryl."

"Are you sure?" Glenn asked.

"Yeah, you two check the other places, Daryl and I will go to the shopping centre and meet you back here."

"Sounds like a plan." Daryl climbed onto his bike and then helped Rory do the same.

"Okay, remember what we need. Newborn diapers, clothes, bottles and formula. Those are the most important. If you can find it, get baby meds too." Maggie flashed Rory a grateful smile and climbed into the car with Glenn.

Daryl started his bike and signalled for Archie to open the gates. "Hold on tight, don't need you flyin' off the back. We've already had too many casualties today." Rory nodded and secured her arms around his waist. Daryl sped through the gates and Maggie and Glenn followed behind in their car.

—/<3/—

"Looks clear," Daryl said quietly as he peered through the window. Rory took that as her signal to inch open the door, the hinges creaking after not being used for months.

Rory crept down the hall and into what looked like a baby changing room. She checked in the cupboards under the table and almost cheered at the sight of the fully stocked shelves. She sifted through the different sizes until she got to the newborn ones, then she shoved them into her pack, throwing in a bottle of baby powder too just in case the baby got diaper rash.

"You got anythin'?" Daryl asked as he walked in.

"Diapers, you?"

"Got some clothes."

Rory nodded and slipped past him, heading to the last door.

"Hey, you okay?" Daryl furrowed his eyebrows, following after her. Rory began searching the room, digging through the hampers by the door. She pulled out a swaddle and handed it to Daryl.

"M'fine," Rory said quietly. Daryl raised his crossbow when they heard a noise in the closet and inched forward. He nodded to Rory and she threw open the door, breathing a sigh of relief when it was just a possum. Daryl shot it down and grabbed it. Rory stopped him before he could shove the animal in his pack, taking the clean baby clothes out and placing them in her own bag.

"You're lyin'," Daryl said. He took the bottles from the shelf in the closet whilst Rory grabbed the formula from the cabinets on the other side of the room. "You've gone quiet again."

"I was elbow deep in a dead woman's uterus an hour ago, of course I'm gonna be quiet, but that doesn't mean I'm not okay."

Daryl wasn't very good at comforting people, so he didn't know what to do or say in this situation. Daryl liked Rory, she and Carol and Rick were his closest friends, but now Carol was dead and Rick wasn't coping with the loss of Lori very well, so Rory was all he had left, and he didn't want her drifting away from him too, no matter how much he didn't want to admit it. So he hesitantly reached out and placed his hand on her shoulders, spinning her around to face him.

He was embarrassed, so he didn't look at her, instead choosing to stare off to the side to avoid Rory's curious gaze. He gently pulled her towards him and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He immediately regretted it when he felt her tense up against his torso and was about to pull away when she softened up and sank further into his chest.

Rory lifted her arms and wrapped them around his waist, letting out an inaudible sigh. "Thanks Daryl," she said. Daryl grunted in response. He was still embarrassed, but the hug felt kind of nice, comforting, in fact.

Daryl pulled away after another few seconds and cleared his throat. "Grab the rest of that formula and let's go back to the prison."

—/<3/—

The pair rushed back into the prison with the bags in hand, following the cries of the screaming baby as they made it to their cell block. Maggie and Glenn were already back, and unsuccessful in finding any food, though with the way the baby was dressed, they'd found her a few onesies.

Rory tossed her bag to Maggie, who took it to Beth. The two sisters worked fast in making up a bottle whilst Daryl took the baby from Carl, shushing her gently. Her cries ceased when Daryl slid the bottle past her lips and she drank greedily. Rory felt guilt rolling around in her gut, wishing they'd been faster so the infant didn't have to go hungry.

Daryl let a small smile slip as he gently rocked the baby girl, looking to Rory, then Hershel and then Carl. "She gotta a name yet?" He asked quietly.

"Not yet," Carl answered. "I was thinking, maybe, Sophia? Then there's Carol too, Andrea, Amy... Lori. I don't know." Carl's face fell as he listed their fallen.

Daryl swallowed heavily and then turned back to the baby in his arms. "You like that, huh? Little ass kicker?" Daryl looked up when a few chuckles echoed through the room, his smile widening, "Right? That's a good name, right? You like that sweetheart?" He cooed. Rory had never seen him so soft and happy before and she couldn't help but smile at the sight.

The baby started to get fussy after a few more gulps, moving her head away from the bottle.

"Is she full?" Carl asked, standing on his tiptoes to get a better look at his sister.

"She probably needs burping," Rory said.

"Burping? They can't do that on their own?" Carl frowned. Rory shock her head and guided him to one of the chairs. She beckoned Daryl and the baby over and helped him get Carl situated with the baby. Rory placed a cloth over Carl's hand and moved it so that he was holding his sister's chin, the other hand hovering over her back.

"Now rub and pat her back gently until she burps, and then she should be good to finish her bottle." Rory knelt on the ground next to the young boy, watching over him just in case something went wrong.

"Like this?" Carl asked as he followed Rory's instructions.

"Exactly right, Carl, you're doing a great job." Hershel complimented, smiling fondly. Carl smiled back.

"What's the cloth for—" Carl was cut off as the baby burped as a small amount of milk came up with it. "Oh."

"Baby vomit ain't the worst thing we've had on us over the few months." Daryl commented.

—/<3/—