The Greatest Sacrifice - Daryl Dixon

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It took Ally a few days to feel something akin to normal again. When she had returned to the factory it had hit her very hard, that sudden and horrifying realisation of what she had done. It was only seeing the people she loved, living and happy that she realised that she had done the right thing. It was a big decision and an even bigger effort for them to move back to Alexandria, they had to clean every house and rebuild sections of the wall before they even dared come back. Finally they were back home and in good time too considering Maggie was only a few weeks away from having her baby. Ally felt like someone else, being able to walk around and do as she pleased without worrying about someone knocking on the gate wanting to kill people. She had kept the baseball bat and now it sat unused in the wardrobe in the room she shared with Daryl, as much as she hated the horrible weapon it had been her father's and so she kept it as a reminder of what she would do and how far she would go for those she loved. She spent hours in the gardens, planting row after row of seeds as Maggie told her what to do from a comfortable chair (Doctor's orders) Glenn was going mad waiting for the baby to arrive, he'd already built a crib found on one of the runs and had painted the nursery a sunny shade of yellow, it looked like something out of a magazine and now all they needed was the baby to come along and make it all complete. As it turned out it would be six weeks before the night Maggie went into labour. The evening was warm but it would be a whole night and day of contractions and cursing before their stubborn little boy would come into the world. Named in memory of Maggie's beloved father, Hershel Thomas Rhee was a gorgeously chubby little child with a shock of dark hair. Maggie was exhausted but holding her sweet child in her arms for the first time was just a truly magical moment. Later on after Maggie and Glenn had a chance to bond with the baby and snatch some much needed sleep, Ally went to go see the happy new family and she had brought gifts. For the new parents she brought a wholesome and meaty stew made from a good sized deer that Daryl had brought down the day before and also she gave them a camera she had found on a run. The camera was brand new and printed the photos instantly, Ally had wanted for Maggie and Glenn to remember all of this newness and it had made Maggie cry to get the gift. For the newest Little Rhee, Ally had brought a stuffed duck toy that had a small blanket attached to it for when he began teething. The atmosphere in the house was just so inviting it was hard for Ally to leave but she knew that they needed time to rest, recuperate and enjoy bonding with their son. It was near dark when Ally headed back to the house, Daryl hadn't come back in from hunting yet and Alexandria were depending heavily on what he brought back until the crops began to flourish. Tomorrow she would be joining Tara and Abraham on their run and she wanted to be ready for anything. It was likely a few remaining saviours were still hidden about the place but news of Negan’s death would have spread to even the furthest outposts and may have forced them into hiding. Daryl wasn't back when Ally rose the next morning but she didn't worry, sometimes he stayed out in the woods when he was close to tracking something good. She and Tara sat in the truck while Abraham rode in the back, ready to shoot down anything stupid enough to get in the way. They hit several stores and managed to get a decent haul of supplies including some baby things to give to Maggie and Glenn. It was when Ally went to go seek out feminine products in the half looted pharmacy that she would pause as her eye caught sight of something on the shelf. Pregnancy tests. She had always been so on time with her monthly visitor but now she wasn't so sure. She and Daryl were having sex whenever they could but they'd not used protection any of those times, who had time to go and literally find a condom that would fit their lover when they were in the mood to get it on? Ally grabbed the tests and stuffed them in her shoulder bag at the very bottom, before she filled her bag with the sanitary items she had come to get in the first place. On the ride back to Alexandria it felt as if the pregnancy tests were blazingly obvious even though they were hidden and nobody and seen her get them. Back inside the gates Ally excused herself to go back to the house where she looked herself in the bathroom and tore open one of the test boxes, frantically reading the incredibly simple instructions. She paced while the test took it's time to read and when that smiley face appeared in the test result window she wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. Daryl had come in a short while later to find her sitting on the bed, the white plastic stick beside her. “You're pregnant?” he said when he saw the smiley face result, Ally could only nod but Daryl was quite excited. “I promise you, this baby will always have everything he or she needs and so will you” he said pulling her into a warm hug. She melted into her husband, inhaling that woodland smell that was always on him. “I love you” she whispered and she heard his reply, muffled by her hair. She lie in his arms, her hands reflexively now cradling her still flat belly where someday a rounded stomach would be and shortly after, a child would lie. She slept peacefully, dreaming of what her child would look like bit she did hope that the baby had Daryl's beautiful eyes. This was it, she finally had her family.