What Do We Do?

Part Six

Seven Months Pregnant

It's been seven months since the group got to the Center. Everyone has been getting along and have stopped giving Beth and Daryl a hard time. Beth has slowly but surely gaining weight and has started becoming irritable with the fact of having to be a sitting duck. Daryl on the other hand has been more than comfortable knowing Beth's okay. He doesn't worry as much any more now that they have a safe place and he can be overt in his relationship with Beth.

The days have become shorter as winter comes quicker. Rick and Michone have been gathering more winter supplies for everyone. They fear that they'll all freeze to death. Beth barely leaves under the covers. She's also more persistent in keeping Daryl next to her, for both warmth and to keep an eye on him and Carol. She can't help but feel her hormones making her hate Carol. Normally she wouldn't hate Carol, let alone anyone in the group, but she hates Carol almost with a burning passion.

"Baby, you ok?" Daryl comes back to their room with breakfast for Beth. She hasn't been out of bed all day, which isn't normal for her.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She plays with the bottom of her shirt, exposing her stomach.

"Somethin's wrong. So what is it?"

"I, I don't know. I just feel, empty." She starts to cry and Daryl doesn't know what to do. He sets the food down by Judith's crib.

"What do you mean?" He walks closer and holds her face. Looking into her crying eyes, he becomes more scared. "Beth, honey, what do you mean you feel empty?"

"I.... I don't feel him any more. I don't feel the baby any more." She cries harder. Daryl becomes ashen. "What do I do? Everyone's infected and if we lost the baby it'll become a walker inside me and I'll die. I don't know what to do."

"Maybe it's just, I don't know, sleeping." He shakes his he's of the thought of it hurting Beth.

"Daryl we gotta get it out! We have ta!"

"Beth! We're not doing anything. I wouldn't even know what to do! Beth, I jus', I don't know what to do."

"Daryl." She squinches up her face. All of a sudden she feels something deep inside her.

"Beth what's wrong? What's happening?" She throws her feet over the bed and goes to get up. Daryl backs up a few feet and watches her closely. Soon a watery muchous liquid falls from between Beth's legs. He looks at her and his eyes widen. He doesn't know what to do. Rick and everyone is out on a sweep and run. Daryl didn't go, cause he knows Beth's not feeling well.

Beth bends forward and holds her stomach. Daryl grabs her back and tries to get her to sit back down, she instead crouches down, and Judith, who is in her crib, starts crying.

Beth feels a pressure inside her, burning like a fire inside her lower half of the body. She bears down, blocking everything out. Daryl gets I front of her and she holds on his knees. Suddenly a scream comes from her. She can't hold it back any more. She feels everything!

"Ahhhhh!!" She stands up again and spreads her legs. Daryl places his hands on her hips and she has hers on his shoulders. "Pull, pull down my pants!"

He doesn't think, he just reacts to what she says. Honestly, they both just let natural instincts take over. Beth bears down more and grunts as she speeds her legs farther apart while still standing. She pushes and pushes. Daryl doesn't know how long she's been in the cycle of pushing and breathing, then pushing, and breathing. He just holds her hips in place and lightly massages her hips.

"Ughhhhh!" She pushes down harder and soon feels a brief release of pressure. Daryl raises his hands up and cups the small head between Beth's legs. She pushes again with searing pain. "ahhhrghhhh!"

Soon the baby's all the way out, but Beth still feels a pang of pain. Daryl places the baby on the bed and looks back at Beth, who's face is twisted up.

"What?"

"Ahhh! I don't think! Ohhh, it's not.... done!" She screams through gritted teeth. Daryl just looks at her and can see something else. She pushes, again starting the cycle. She keeps up screaming and suddenly, Let's one big scream out and pushes with all the power she has left. "Ahhhhhhhhhhhh"

Daryl feels Beth's push trough her hips. Momentarily letting go, Daryl grabs the second baby.

Beth releases a breath she's been holding during the scream. Daryl lays the baby down and helps Beth deliver the placenta. He helps Beth sit on the bed as he cuts the umbilical chords, cleans them up and hands them to their mother.

"Beth, you did it. A beautiful girl and a handsome baby boy! Beth, did it." He kisses her forehead and she just stares at them, relieved, in shock, and in pain.

"We did it." She kisses each baby and looks back at Daryl. "Daryl they're so tiny! They're three month's early." She's so scared she doesn't notice how beautiful they are.

"It's ok, honey. It's alright." She looks at him with hopeful eyes. She knows he's not gonna leave anything up to chance. He brushes her sweaty hair back. "Why'd you do it standing up?"

"I once saw a video only, and this woman did it. It seemed quick, so I did it. And look, didn't take too long." She smiles and then looks down at her babies. "Daryl, they're identical! We have beautiful twins!" She snuggles them both.

"What's their names?"

"Why don't you tell me."

"I was thinkin' Rebecca Lynn and Hunter Jackson?" He rubs the back of his neck. "But wah' do I know."

"No those are adorable. I like 'em." she Looks down at them both. "What do you think, Rebecca? Hunter?" She kisses them both. "I bet they're hungry, I better, ya know, feed em." She slips her tee-shirt off and her maternity bra. "I don't really know what I'm doin. Can you take Hunter?"

"Yeah." He takes the small boy an decides to put a diaper on him. He's glad he grabbed some boy clothes for him. He slips on a small blue onesie with a little red car on it. He looks back at Beth and sees the baby suckling her nipple.

"This ain't that hard. I thought it's be worse." The baby stops feeding and Beth burps her. She feels like she does when she takes care of Judith. "Can I have Hunter now?" Daryl takes Rebecca and then places her on the bed and places Hunter in Beth's hands.

"You're good at this. Me, not so much." Daryl dresses Rebecca in a pink onesie and rocks her back and forth with his body.

"Yer doin' fine, Daryl. I believe in you."