AUTHOR'S NOTES: Thank you guys for your comments really appreciate them a lot and the views. Next chapter is up =)

Mixed feelings about the return of TWD tomorrow, you guys in the US get it tonight ... Beth :'(

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Walking Dead or its characters

Apologies in advance for any spelling and grammatical errors.

Anything in Italics are thoughts

WARNINGS:

· Mention of being unable to conceive – it's mentioned in one of the paragraphs near the start of this chapter for part of background history for two characters.

· Animal birth - Difficult birth of a calf.

Loved Back to Life

Chapter 14

Beth and Jimmy rush into the barn and roll out hay to provide bedding in one of the larger spacious stalls. All four of them with great difficulty manage to get the heifer into the stall safely making her as comfortable as possible and then step back to give her space to do what nature intends her to do. Beth, however, sits close by on a bale of hay keeping watch in case the animal needed help and the others collapse close by regaining their energy. They had all been out in the pouring rain for hours and the impending birth was the focus on their minds, they were unconcerned about their own health at this point until Otis starts a small fire in the centre of the barn to get their body temperatures up, they needed to get warm quick before they all caught Hypothermia.

"Beth - sweetheart, go inside, get changed and rest, it's been a long day, you're supposed to be on bed rest and you've been out here all afternoon, your dad's gonna be real upset when he finds out" Otis says crouching down next to her.

"What daddy doesn't know won't hurt" Beth replied not taking her eyes off the cow sprawled a little distance in front of her.

Otis tried to put up a fight but Beth wouldn't budge saying she was fine so Otis reluctantly let her be wrapping a large shawl he kept in the barn over her shoulders and handing her his flask containing hot sweet tea. Beth thankfully accepts the still hot beverage giving him an apologetic smile. Otis pulls her nose and she pushes his hand away laughing.

It didn't matter how old Beth got, Otis dotted on her as if she was still the little girl who used to spend her holidays and free time after school hanging around the farm helping him with chores when she wasn't following Maggie and Shawn around or her momma who was always cooking, giving piano lessons or helping out at the church drives. She was the little angel who could turn a bad day into a better day just with her smile and that angelic singing voice she inherited from her mother.

Otis and his wife, Patricia, in the 20 years they've been married were unable to conceive children of their own, their failed attempts at IVF left them heartbroken but Maggie, Shawn and Beth, to a degree mended their broken hearts when Otis joined Herschel's farm as their foreman, Patricia as Hershel's assistant at his Veterinary Clinic and they moved into the Foreman's Cottage right on their farm. They had become a close-knit family and Patricia had willingly taken a motherly role and became an elder sister to The Greene siblings when Annette died 6 years ago and Otis was never too far behind lending a helping ear and advice to the kids when they needed it and couldn't get it from their father who had fallen into a depression for a while.

Rick opens his eyes and looks up from his sitting position from the floor hearing Beth's laugh to see her smiling and playfully pushing Otis away thanking him for the shawl and flask. He watches Otis backing away slowly not fully satisfied with the outcome of him trying to get her to take rest and watches as he comes over.

"She's tough as old boots that one when she has her heart set, just like her father" Otis remarks shaking his head taking a seat beside Rick.

Rick eyes meet Otis's and he smiles in agreement that Beth had proved time and time again she was tougher than she looked and resilient when she wanted to be, she'd even cut him off and given him a verbal telling off earlier and showed she was mad at him and wanted him to know it, it was what he had needed but he'd only met Herschel twice. Once at Zach's funeral, the elder man was emotional and had embraced him with full force for taking care of Beth at such a fragile time and the second time at Beth's leaving party before she went away on her aid work. He was sad but had put on a brave face for his daughter. Herschel was welcoming on both occasions to him and all the guests and when he gave his sending off speech, everyone stopped and listened to his wise words with hidden messages that his children understood without further explanation.

Rick gets lost in his thoughts. He remembered watching Herschel interacting with everyone, he reminded him of his own father, the quality of his words which reached your heart and meant a great deal. It was probably the reason why he had become emotional when Herschel had spoken to him so kindly at the funeral "I know you're going to say this was your duty but you did over and above what your duty required, this world needs more people like you!" that had touched him in so many ways after the funeral. He himself had been battling his own demons at that time and had felt worthless to those around him. Watching Herschel with Beth reminded him that your children's happiness and welfare was what mattered most and helped him in his decision to walk away from Lori and just focus his love on Carl who needed it more, not the everyday heartache their marriage brought them all. Both times, he found Herschel friendly, wise and a devoted family man so he was yet to see the tough as old boots man Otis was talking about.

Rick's eyes go back to Beth, she was sitting hugging the shawl around her and he could see she was trying to keep her eyes open as she jerked back and shivered, Rick's concentration on Beth was interrupted as Otis offers him his little silver flask and Rick smirked as he could only imagine what was in it throwing back his head taking a swig and sitting up straight grimacing when he tastes the cold brown whiskey pour down his throat and feel that the liquid had light itself on fire as it travelled down into his stomach.

"WOW!" Rick mouths and screws his face, he wasn't much of a hard liquor man more of a chilled beer guy but right now this was what he needed and before he could say anything, Otis beat him to the punch-

"For medicinal reasons" Otis lifts up the flask in a manner of a toast grinning and pours it down not flinching like Rick had and offers it back. Rick accepts gratefully taking another generous swig. It was going to be the only thing keeping him warm right now, he had planned to go over to Beth when the others weren't around and if she'd let him, wrap her up into a cuddle so their body on body contact would keep them both warm and get their blood pumping through their veins as he remembered Beth's heart rate and temperature had shot up as his own had when their skin connected, he'd touched her cheek and put an arm around her bare hips before they broke away when they were interrupted by Jimmy.

"For medicinal reasons" Rick repeats wishing he could replace the whiskey for Beth, if he was goin' to get warm and fuzzily drunk right now which would probably happen if he carried on drinking, he would rather get drunk from Beth's natural heat which maybe he shouldn't be wishing and pulls another face as the whiskey reaches its destination.

"Ahhhh Jesus! sure does have a kick but its doin' the job" Rick breathes out squeezing his eyes together and laughs blowing out the invisible steam.

Otis laughs "Don't mention whiskey and Jesus in the same sentence around here and don't let Herschel hear you say that. If Herschel finds out - it's for medicinal reasons. There's a strict no alcohol policy here, Herschel only allows me to keep this and one bottle for emergencies only and I'm real glad I got this, this is an emergency!" he holds up the silver flask screwing the lid back on putting it back into his pocket patting it one last time to make sure it's secure, tonight was the most out of the ordinary thing he's done in years and he needed the whiskey to calm his nerves.

Rick listens and nods in agreement that this would be kept between the two of them and looks at Beth and realised in all the times he'd seen her out or joined her for dinner, she'd never drink but the occasional beer or red wine with a meal but that was very rare, she'd always go for a soft drink or sparkling water. Her favourite afternoon beverage as a reward was hot chocolate after school and a cappuccino in the morning he recalled. Maybe it was because Herschel had a past drinking problem, Beth was the legal age to being drinking, maybe she didn't like it but he was probably right with his first guess? Whatever the reason, Rick would respect Herschel's rules and his privacy.

Jimmy comes over and looks glum taking a seat taking off his cowboy hat slumping down next to them. He looked around the same age as Beth in his early twenties but his demeanour seemed younger. Beth was young but had the grace and mind of an older soul at times, it was maybe why his soul was gravitating towards her all the time. He never really paid attention to other women especially a woman who was Beth's age until she came along.

"I tried to get Beth to go in but she won't listen, I can see she's shivering, I'm getting worried." Jimmy says and stares back over.

Rick catches the looks Jimmy is giving to Beth, they were longing looks and Rick wondered for a moment looking up at Beth and then back at Jimmy again. He could see the younger man clearly had feelings for her and wondered whether there could be or was something between them but Beth never paid the attention Jimmy was seeking only concern in a friendship kind of way towards him. Rick lets out a sigh, there was for some reason a lurching feeling in his stomach, maybe it was the whiskey not sitting well with him or maybe the self-doubts of his growing affections that he didn't have a chance. He leans his head back and assesses Jimmy. He was tall, dark and handsome but there was an adolescence vibe coming off of him. Rick tilts his head and thinks, if Jimmy composed himself in a more dignified way, he'd present a desirable man and maybe even catch Beth's eye and he was embarrassed to think it was jealousy towards a twenty-two year old guy, a decade younger than him bringing on these sudden insecurities within himself, weighing himself against the younger man. He looks away but he realises that Jimmy was a sweet, decent guy and his concerns were the same as his own, Beth. Nobody was able to persuade Beth to go and take rest and Rick has to see if he can, taking a chance getting up ready to be shooed away by her like the others had, he straightens his damp shirt and readies himself.

"I'll try and convince her." Rick clasps Jimmy on the back and makes his way over to Beth.

Beth looks up as she feels a strong yet gentle hand rub on her shoulder and then Rick is taking a seat beside her, his thigh pressing next to hers. Rick notices she looks exhausted and her bandage on her forehead needs changing. He reaches up and fixes it and strokes her hair away from her face. He could feel her hair was still damp, his hand goes to check her forehead for a temperature, thankfully she wasn't burning up but still that could change at any given moment if she remained as she was.

"Beth, you should go in and take some rest, you need to get out of your wet clothes and into dry ones otherwise you're gonna get ill." He says tenderly to her stroking her cheek.

Beth goes to open her mouth to protest like she did with the others but Rick leans down on his elbows onto his knees tilting his head to the side up at her and gives her a pleading look. Beth could see his worry and she didn't want to add more than he already had and it was enough for her resolve to break and back down and she sighs nodding her head in agreement.

"But you promise you'll come get me when-" she stops as Rick cuts her off

"I promise if you're still awake I'll come get you but if you're asleep, I'm gonna let you sleep" Rick answers.

Beth's brows furrow at Rick and he stands his ground staring back at her without blinking meaning he was dead serious and nothing she would say or do would change his mind. He reaches her hand and holds it pressing down lightly on her wrist with his thumb rubbing circles there as she watches him. His concentration to keep her pulse pumping heat to the rest of her body and he looks back up to her waiting for her to reply. Beth stands up and looks down at Rick, his gaze remained the same with that undying concern but the corners of his lips turn up the slightest to her compliance and she shyly smiles back. He reluctantly lets go of her wrist and lets her by, her knees brush past his as she moves past. She makes it to the barn door, Rick listens as her boots tap along the floor and Beth looks back at Rick and he just nods and watches her as she leaves.

Otis and Jimmy come over to Rick and look down at him in disbelief, he had done what they couldn't and they'd known Beth near enough all their lives.

"How did you get her to change her mind?" Jimmy asks stunned

"Lets just say - I'm good at persuasion" Rick replies smiling down away from their observant eyes not wanting them to see anything more than a concerned friend.

"You'll have to teach us," Otis laughs shaking Rick's shoulder pleased "You go on into the house deputy and get cleaned up and take rest as well, there's nothing else to be done, it's now down to Mother Nature. If and when she needs help, Jimmy and I are here but if she needs help pulling the calf out, we might need your help and we'll holler out to you. The Guest Room is on the ground floor next to the Study" Otis says standing next to Rick.

"Better I stay here, I promised Beth" he replies and both men accept his answer and don't fight.

Jimmy takes a glance over his shoulder at Rick who's watching the cow like Beth had moments ago and couldn't shake off what he may have interrupted earlier in the barn as he follows Otis and can't help but think the deputy was probably fond of Beth? He wondered whether Otis had picked up on this gazes and the stolen looks the deputy had given Beth and he wondered if Beth reciprocated the feelings that the deputy held for her?

"You ok Jimmy?" Otis asks

"Yeah, I'll be ok, tonight's just been an eye opening experience, not what I had expected!" Jimmy replies crestfallen meaning something different to what Otis had understood.

"That it has been, we still got the rest of the night to go, God only knows what will happen…whatever happens, it's gotta to be the start of something good…c'mon grab the other end"

Jimmy swallows hard and pushes away the thoughts clouding his mind and concentrates on the task in hand.

Beth pulls her damp clothes off her body, dancing out of her skinny jeans which had clung on to her thighs. She stands there in her bedroom completely naked. She reaches for the towel and then catches a glimpse of herself in the full length mirror and walks up to it holding the towel in front of her. She drops the towel and then runs her eyes over her reflection turning around looking at her front, back and sides. She was never happy with the way she looked, and she had always been skinny but she had lost 14lbs since Zach's death and she felt she could see the effects of those lost lbs. To her mind, she thought she looked too skinny, there was more bone than flesh and her breasts were just enough for a small handful compared to Maggie and Amy's enormous fistfuls. Her hips were narrow compared to the others who had more womanly shapely hips, men liked something to hold on to, everyone would say. She grabbed at her flesh and just got a handful but not nearly enough. Everyone had admired Maggie and Amy's bodies and never really batted an eye at her until she put on a little bit of weight and Zach had fallen at her feet but that was gone and she wonders what anyone would see or want from her tiny form, feeling embarrassed with what she could offer to a fully grown man who'd probably want anything but hers, she grabs the towel from the floor wiping herself down and throwing on layers as fast as she possibly could and quickly runs a hair-dryer through her long golden locks pulling it up into a ponytail.

She knows inner beauty is what counts and if you have the outer beauty it was a bonus but sometimes every girl has insecurities no matter how confident they are. The possible thought somebody may be interested and later be disappointed played heavily on her mind but she hoped her perception of love and beauty wins over the thoughts that sometimes sneak their way into her mind when she hears conversations between the opposite sex.

She goes into Shawn's and her father's room and grabs clothes for each men. Grabbing an umbrella, she shuts the door and runs back to the barn.

Chaos had erupted in the 10 minutes she was gone, the heifer was sprawled on her side and she was pushing for all she was worth, she was cocking her tail out from her body, she was trying to stand up but had to lie back down because of her sprained ankle and she began to kick at her side as the contractions strengthened.

Beth raced over as all men stood around on nerves hoping the heifer could push the calf out on her own. Beth stood beside Rick grabbing hold of his hand and he looks down to her, he happy to see her but was disappointed she'd come back having sent her to go rest but he had to let it go, he'll deal with her later, the noises coming from the cow was deafening and had all his attention focused on her right now.

Beth bends down and can see the front feet and a nose protruding from the heifer, the birth would be within minutes now if all went well. The front feet appear followed by the head cradled between their front knees but it seemed the hips of the calf may have become stuck inside the pelvis and she pushes hard but no further movement, she falls back panting on the hay.

"The calf is hip-locked!" Beth shouts out "she needs help!" It wasn't going to be an easy birth.

Rick watches as Beth rushes over and Otis follows pursuit and so does Rick worried watching Beth not thinking of her own safety climbing over the cow trying not to fall on it but to get in place to help. Jimmy stands back giving them space.

"Shusshhh girl, we're gonna help get your babe out" Beth whispers into the heifer's ears caressing its face and she lets out a low "moo" Beth turns around looking at Rick and Otis remembering she's seen this before when she was a little girl, her daddy and Patricia had successfully delivered the calf, similar scenario.

"We need to rotate the calf a bit to the side, freeing the largest part of the hips from the interior pelvic opening. She can't roll over properly because of her ankle" Beth points seeing the heifer trying to roll from her belly to her side "We're goin' to have to help her" she warns them.

Beth, Rick and Otis rub and push gently and the heifer allows them to help her. Otis feels for the hip and can feel it loosen and move.

"It's ready to come, you ready to pull it out?" Otis yells over the heifer's moans.

Rick and Beth both get into place and grab limbs in the right places.

"Ready? we go on your count?" Rick looks to Beth and she nods a yes. She's frightened but she could see Rick's faith in her, it's enough to give her courage and follow through on what she'd proposed they do hoping she wasn't wrong and watching her father all these years will finally come in handy.

"on my three…ONE…TWO…THREE!

Rick and Beth dig there feet into the ground and pull the calf out successfully as is slips out all sticky and lands on the hay in front of its mother. Beth falls back into Rick's arms and he holds her tight against him as they watch together seeing the calf move. Rick presses a long kiss onto her head in happiness and continues to embrace her and she gladly holds on. They watch as the cow moves over calling a low "moo" to her calf encouraging it to move and she continues to lick it all over to clean the membranes off. They watch in amazement minutes later as the calf gets up on wobbly knees and heads towards its mother looking for milk.

"I'm just a guessing man but I'd say she's a healthy 85lbs!" Otis says sitting on his backside, legs spread out from exhaustion.

Beth happily leans back into Rick, pulling his arms crossing them over her so she is trapped in his embrace. She sneaks a peep up to see his face and he looked amazed at what they'd been a part of, he was speechless to just watching mother and baby together. She doesn't realise when she lets out a content sigh it reaches Rick's ears, he looks down at her and seeing her relieved and happy as he was that they'd all made it through the birth, leans his chin on to her head and breathes heavily into her hair.

"I'm glad I came out to here to see you!" he whispers squeezing her closer wanting to remain like this for how ever long they could and Beth felt the same even if they were cold, wet and slimy.

"I'm glad you came too!" She whispers back.

I asked a friend to briefly describe a birth of a calf as she used to live on a farm, from her description, hopefully I got it down right.

Next Chapter – Rick has to spend the night at the Farm as the storm continues and the road is blocked off by fallen trees.