Never Give Up
This is something that I've been playing around with. I feel I need to start prior to Season 1 to establish the relationships, however, I don't want this to be a retelling of the TV Show. If you're reading this, you've seen the show and you know what happens. But I would like for the bulk of the story to happen once our fearless group makes it to Alexandria.
I do not own anything related to The Walking Dead (no matter how much I wish I did).
Introduction
Pre-Apocalypse
"Daryl, babe," Stella gently shook her husband trying to wake him up without startling him. The only response she received was a slightly louder snore.
"Daryl, wake up," she said a little louder, shaking a little harder.
"Huh? What?" a groggy Daryl sat up rubbing his eyes. "What's wrong?"
"Babe, it's time," Stella said.
"Oh, shit!" That got Daryl up and moving.
He quickly began getting dress while helping his wife get ready. He grabbed the duffle bag that had been packed, sitting in their closet for the past week. He laced up his boots and grabbed Stella's hand, putting one arm around her.
"You doin' ok?" he asked, a slight panic in his voice, as they made their way down the hall towards the front door.
"Uh huh," she managed to get out. At that moment a contraction hit her hard. "Holy fuck!" Stella screamed as she bent over grabbing her belly. "Sonovabitch!"
Daryl walked her to the passenger side of his truck, opened the door and helped her in. He climbed into the driver's side and fumbled with the keys for a second before starting the engine.
"We'll be at the hospital in 10 minutes," he tried to reassure her.
Stella's face was scrunched up and her breathing was coming in quick short breaths.
"Just hurry!"
As Daryl drove like a bat out of hell through the empty streets of Atlanta, he called the hospital to let them know they were on the way. He then called the only family he had left, his brother, Merle and prayed he wasn't holed up with some bar floosy drunk as a skunk.
"Merle, me an' Stella are on our way to the hospital. Yeah, yeah, e'vrything's fine. She's goin' inta labor," was all Daryl got out before Stella let out another howl.
"I swear, it's going to be a cold day in hell before I EVER let you touch me again!" Stella hollered, making Daryl wince.
He had heard horror stories from the men at the garage he worked at about how their wives turned into full fledge demons when they went into labor. He knew she didn't mean what she'd said; she was just in pain…a lot of pain.
They finally arrived at the hospital. Daryl quickly jumped out of the truck and ran over to help Stella out. An orderly was already there with a wheelchair to escort them to the maternity ward.
"So how are we doing Mrs. Dixon," the doctor said when he entered the room. The nurses had already gotten Stella settled in a room and had the heart monitor strapped around her belly.
"How do you think I'm doing, doctor? I have a human being trying to rips it's way out of me through a small hole that nothing that size should physically be able to get through!" Her voice got louder with each word. "Now where is my epidural?"
The doctor quickly got the nurse back in to administer the drug. As soon as the needle left her back, Stella instantly began to relax. Within 20 minutes, she was high as a kite.
"Daryl," she slurred. "I can't feel my legs. Are they still there?" she asked.
"Yeah baby, there still there," he said as he tried to stifle a laugh.
"Where's my favorite sister-in-law?" boomed a loud voice towards the door.
"Merle!" Stella exclaimed. "Get over here and give me a hug." She reached out her arms, motioning for Daryl's brother to come to her. "I love you, Merle," she said as she wrapped her arms around the older Dixon's neck.
"Whew-whee, darlin'" Merle began. "I do believe you're three sheets to the wind."
The doctor came in to check to see how Stella was doing. When he said it was time to start pushing, Merle quickly excused himself. "Don't want ta be seein' all that," he said, waggling his eyebrows at Daryl as he left the room.
It had been a long 12 hours. Twelve hours of Stella pushing, cursing, threatening Daryl and his man parts, but after those 12 hours, Daryl was standing there with this little bundled in his arms. He couldn't believe there was anything else on this earth that he could love as much as Stella, but here was little Maddie, wrapped up a pink blanket with a pink cap on her head. He tried to blink away the tears forming in his eyes, but one managed to escape and fall down his cheek.
"How is she?" Stella asked, her voice hoarse from screaming her obscenities and from pure exhaustion.
"She's beautiful, just like her mother," Daryl said as he bent down and kissed his wife.