Alright, this moment with Daryl in 'Say the Word' is totally worth writing about… That's all I'm gonna say…
The little baby girl was crying louder than ever in the last twelve hours or so since she had been born. And the helpless sound made him move faster through the prison hallways with Maggie in tow behind him. He was ever grateful their trip for baby necessities went without incident…
At last, they reached Cell Block B, with Carl holding his new baby sister in his protective arms, trying his best to be a good big brother. Daryl felt his heart strangely go out to the boy for making the effort, something his own brother never seemed to do much.
But Daryl had no time to think about that. They had to get that baby quiet and fed before she exhausted herself. He had no idea why he felt so damn determined to get the supplies for this puny waif, but he knew that it was nothing more than instinct for him to get whatever any member of the group needed.
Carl looked up at him as Daryl came closer to the boy, holding a bottle of formula in one hand. The redneck held out his arms to take the baby in his hold without so much as even thinking about what the hell he was doing. He couldn't even remember if he had even held a baby before.
She began to calm down with her wailing as he adjusted her to his chest and kept a gentle grip with one arm, using his other one to hold the bottle to her mouth. At last, the little one's lips closed around the bottle nipple and she ate hungrily. He couldn't help but smile down at this innocent creature, or even believe that he was holding something so vulnerable and tiny. He himself was the opposite of all those things…
Carl began suggesting names for her, naming all of the female members of the group they had lost, listing all their names in a monotone voice. Daryl kept his eyes on the baby's face as she continued to feed, and he could see her trying to open her squinty eyes. Trying to see into this dark prison that was now her home...
"Ya like that?" He asked her softly, his voice sounding foreign to even his own ears. "You little ass-kicker?" A rare smile lit up his face as everyone around him laughed along at his little joke. "Yeah? You like that, sweetheart?"
She opened her eyes and looked right up at him, the indestructible hunter, Daryl Dixon. But to her, he's just a man doing a kindness by taking it upon himself to care for her in this spare moment of silence and peace.
"Watcha lookin' at, huh?" His voice still held that strange gentleness, something he didn't even recognize. But even that fact failed to scare him. Daryl wasn't afraid that he had changed over the last several months around this group. He knew he was a different man now than he was a year ago. He cared about everyone in the group, would lay down his life for them, including the newest member whom he now held in his strong arms. "None of us are gonna let nothin' happen to you, lil' one. You can be damn sure of that." The baby closed her eyes again and fell asleep, feeling warm and safe at last, however temporary it stood for her.