As Beth clutches the bowl of the toilet and empties her gut for the seventh day in a row, Rick's frown deepens. Seventh morning – by eleven her stomach has settled itself. It's the darndest thing Beth says. Of that Rick isn't so convinced. Propelling himself forwards with a deep breath, he crosses the bathroom to where Daryl is kneeling beside Beth, gently rubbing her back. She flushes the toilet before sitting up and giving him an apologetic look. There's no need; Beth could throw up on Daryl and he'd still look at her like she hung the moon in the sky.

Leaning on the edge of the sink, Rick runs the water for a moment before filling a glass and passing it to Daryl, who offers it to Beth. She smiles gratefully and takes a cautious sip.

The sound of Rick clearing his throat draws four blue eyes upwards.

"Beth, sweetheart, I think you ought to take a pregnancy test just to rule it out," He says, hand coming up to rub his jaw as he watches white widen around blue. Beth's mouth falls open and Daryl's attention swings to her instantly, hand returning to her back and reaching out to take the glass from her hands.

"It's really unlikely because we always pull out, or use a rubber, but nothing is 100%" Rick continues, opening the medicine cabinet and pulling out a pregnancy test hidden behind his razor on the top shelf. He'd taken one from the infirmary on day five of Beth's "stomach bug", but it had taken him a further two days to make the suggestion. In truth, he didn't want to spook Daryl. He didn't want to burst the happy little bubble the three of them are existing within by introducing Daryl to the idea that pleasure can have consequences. Relaxing doesn't come easily to him as it is, without being given due cause to worry.

In the corner of his eye he sees Beth and Daryl exchange a look.

Turning to face them with the box in hand, his eyes narrow as he looks from Beth to Daryl and sees the same furtive expression on both of their faces.

"What?" He asks, brow creasing as his eyes dart between them.

Beth's lips pull into a tight line and she inhales deeply before forcibly dragging her eyes away from Daryl and up to Rick.

"Well, not always," She says.

"What do you mean?" He directs his question to Beth but his eyes drift to Daryl's deeply bowed head and the way his jaw is working where his chin is pressed uncomfortably against his collar bone.

"When I was on my period we didn't," Beth answers quietly.

Rick's attention snaps back to her so sharply her eyes flare.

"Daryl came inside you?" He asks. His mouth hangs open with bare faced astonishment and, he hates to admit it, a touch of jealousy.

Daryl's gaze is glued to the floor, jaw tensed and hand withdrawn from Beth's back. Her eyes flick to him, bleeding concern before swinging back up to Rick's.

"Yeah, but you can't get pregnant when you're on your period," She says, her tone reassuring. Whether for his benefit, Daryl's or her own, he isn't sure.

"You're less likely to get pregnant," Rick corrects, brows furrowing deeper, "If it was just once then there is still a small possibility-"

He stops when Beth and Daryl exchange another look.

"What now?" He asks flatly.

"Twice," Beth says, cheeks growing rosy as she swallows with an audible click.

"An' in the shower," Daryl rumbles, looking up at her through his hair.

"Oh yeah. We did it in the shower as well," She says, a smile lighting up her face as she meets Daryl's eyes, causing the corner of Daryl's mouth to tug upwards in response.

"Then it was three times," Beth nods definitively.

"Three times," Rick repeats, staring.

Three times? He doesn't know whether to be turned on or horrified.

"Where the hell was I?" He asks, frowning and folding his arms over his chest.

"Out keepin' the peace," Daryl says, and unable to help it apparently, he smirks. Just the hint of a smirk but Rick catches it.

Rubbing his temples, Rick screws his eyes shut and inhales deeply. Lord give me strength.

When he opens them Beth is gently pulling Daryl's hand from his mouth where he's gnawing past the quick of his fingernails.

She laces her fingers with his and he glares down at their hands but doesn't pull his away.

"M'sorry," He croaks, sounding so broken Rick flinches.

"It's not your fault, we didn't know," Beth says soothingly, bringing her other hand to cover his scarred knuckles.

"It is, an' now you're in trouble 'cause a me," He argues in a pained whisper.

"Hey, let's not get ahead of ourselves," Rick says in his own attempt at soothing.

"You think I wouldn' wanna have your baby?" Beth asks, sounding almost hurt as the realisation dawns on her.

Rick freezes. The room is suddenly filled with heavy silence as nobody moves and nobody breathes.

Daryl looks up at her through his hair, eyes bleeding blue. He doesn't speak but his face says everything.

Of course not. Why the hell would you?

"I always wanted a child," Beth says, mouth pulling into a small smile, "An' I love you," Her voice cracks as her hand tightens around his.

Rick hears Daryl's breath hitch, sees his jaw tremble at the impact of her words.

"Both of you," She adds, turning her eyes up to Rick and he feels his own breath snag in his lungs.

Crouching down, he reaches out and covers their linked hands with his.

"It's gonna be okay. We'll take the test and go from there," Rick tells the two pairs of blue eyes that are shining back at him.