Tragic Coincidence | Daryl Dixon

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Daryl's POV:

I saw red. Everything I was seeing in this moment was red. My fists clenched around the bottle of whiskey as I looked over to Bob who looked both terrified and determined. Michonne, Tyreese, Bob and I went on a run to get medicine for all the sick people back at the prison, and Bob decided that alcohol was more important that that. Emma was back at the prison, deathly ill and that fact just made me all the more pissed. I have no idea if Emma was alive or not right now, but I know time was of the essence. "Are you fucking kidding me?" I asked quietly. I clutched the bottle of liquor so tightly in my hand I thought it would crack under pressure. 

"It's just for when it gets quiet" Bob mumbled softly, looking from my down to the bottle in my hands with both wanting and shame. "Got no meds in your bag, just this?" I asked taking a step closer to him. Bob didn't answer only kept his stoic glance on the bottle in my hands. I shook my head in anger preparing to throw the bottle over the edge of the building, but Bob had other plans. 

I clenched my fists as i watched his hand inch towards his gun. This guy has the gall to try and shoot me over a bottle of alcohol. The fact that this man was keeping me from Emma, keeping me from the woman I love, made me want to kill him. I don't care that I found him alone in the woods and brought him back to safety, I don't care if he was a medic and was a valuable member of our group. I wanted to kill him. But Michonne and Tyreese knew better, and pulled me back before I shoved him over the side of the roof for walker bait. 

"Come on man, he isn't worth it" Tyreese mumbled to me as we made out way around the hoard of walkers. We had the medicine, we had everything we needed. I just hoped we weren't too late, and I silently begged whoever was out there, not to take Emma away from me. Losing Merle was one thing, losing Emma would break me apart in the worst way.  I wouldn't just be losing her, I would be losing my one and only child as well. 

"You're dead to me" I mumbled to Bob before he crawled into the backseat of the mini-van, with Michonne sliding into the drivers seat. I didn't mind her driving, I really wasn't in the right frame of mind to be speeding down the street. Normally I would have fought her for the drivers seat, I loved driving. But not today.

When we got to the prison it was early morning, Something was off though. The fences were broken and there were hundreds of dead walkers laying in the center of the courtyard, with Carl and Rick shoving poles through their skulls. "You're back!" Rick shouted when he saw us drive us into the courtyard. Michonne lept out and ran to help Carl. Bob started running for the cell block with the medicine, while Tyreese and I were too worried about our loved ones. 

"Is Sasha ok?"

"Is Emma ok?" Tyreese and I asked together. 

Rick looked to us solemnly before shrugging his shoulders. "I don't know, I'm sorry" Rick said before walking over to Carl and Michonne. Tyreese and I looked to each other before running in the direction of cell block A. 

I wanted to cry when i got to cell block A. I saw there were several walkers laying around the middle of the room, and bullet holes on the walls. I heard the coughing of the few people who were still alive, and Hershel talking not too far away. But all I could do was frantically look for Emma. She wasnt in the cell she was laying in when I left. "Emma!" I shouted, trying to find her. Maggie popped her head out from a cell at the end and motioned me over. 

I didn't hesitate before running over and stopping in the open cell. Emma was laying on a cot beside Glenn, both of whom were passed out. Emma's body was shaking uncontrollably and her once tanned skin was pale white. She looked terrible, and all I wanted to do was take away her pain. Bob was sitting between the two of them distributing medicine. "She'll be ok Daryl, You guys made it just in time" Hershel said softly as he listened to Emma's heart with his stethoscope.

I nodded quickly before sitting down at the end of her cot, reaching over and grabbing her hand in mine. "She's pregnant" I found myself whispering, wondering if the baby would be alright because she was so sick. None of them seemed surprised by this news though, so I figured Emma told them. 

"I know, I was there when she took the test" Maggie said, her eyes not leaving Glenn. Glenn looked just as bad as Emma, his breathing being the loudest thing in the room. 

"The baby should be fine" Hershel said, moving over to listen to Glenn's breathing. I sighed in relief before squeezing Emma's hand in mine. Bob left to go give the other's medicine, Hershel followed close behind leaving just Maggie in I by ourselves. Well the only conscious ones at least.

"We almost lost her" Maggie said softly looking over at me. My heart dropped hearing her say that, and I looked to Maggie before resting my hand on Emma's cheek. "What happened?" I asked.

"She was trying to help Sasha, but she went down as people started turning left and right. Sasha dragged her into a cell and locked her so she wouldn't get attacked. But by the time we got to her, her heart had stopped. But daddy got her breathing again, that had to have been at least six hours ago" Maggie said, and I felt my breath catching with every word.

My Emma would have been dead and gone had it not been for these people, and I made a vow to always protect them even if they weren't blood. The people in this group had never judged my past, they thought of me as their family. They even fought for me to stay when I was leaving with Merle. I could never leave them. I looked over and gently placed my hand on Emma's slightly growing stomach, and smiled knowing that I would soon enough become a father. 

I never thought I would be the man to become excited over the thought of becoming a father, but I guess things change. Emma and the baby were going to be mine forever, and I would protect them with every breath of me. I loved them both so much, that I would do anything to keep them safe. Even if that meant dying in the process..