KAIYA'S POV:

Daryl seemed to have let go of the whole "Miguel" thing, but I knew better. It was killing him. And I hated doing it. But I couldn't just take back what I had said. I had meant every word of it.

It had only been two days since that argument, but he was still managing to keep it from being the topic of every discussion we had.

I sighed, standing from the couch and heading to the bathroom for the fifth time that day. Pregnancy must have shrunk my bladder.

Before I could reach the door, however, I heard someone pulling up the driveway. My head wasn't the only one to raise in alarm. A silent moment of stillness passed before Lori, Carol, and I rushed to the doors, the mothers telling their children to get down and stay quiet.

I opened the door with Carol to see the men of the camp (as well as Maggie and Andrea) leveling weapons at the approacing vehicle. Just one beat up Ford Escort with a sputtering engine.

We all watched with mounting anxiety as the driver slowly got out of the car. "Help," he croaked, slumping forward and using the car as a stationary crutch to limp closer. "Please."

No one showed signs of helping the man or even lowering their guns.

I stared around at my companions in disbelief. When did we become so cold? I took a risk and stepped out into the line of fire, striding aggitatedly toward the Escort.

"Kaiya, what're ya doin'?" Daryl barked.

Instead of answering, I wrapped the man's arm around my shoulders, helping support him, as I looked into the eyes of the campers, now warily beginning to ease up on their trigger fingers. Leaving them all in silence, I helped the man into the house.

Andrea was the first one in after me, helping me to lower him into a sitting position on the couch. The rest followed slowly after us.

Daryl grabbed me by the elbow and tugged me over to the only unoccupied corner in the room. "What were ya thinkin'?" he growled, glancing over his shoulder at the dark man lying on the couch.

I glared up at him, disbelieving. "I was thinking that he was starved and dehydrated and the only living person outside our group that we've seen in a while. Think about all the people who gave us chances-"

"Yeah, and look where every one of them ended up," Daryl interrupted.

I looked away from him, fuming.

He sighed. "Look I ain't sayin' what ya did wasn't the right thing to do... At least not morally, but practically... He could be bit for all we know. Ya just gonna let him hamstring us?"

I ignored the use of a term he didn't know I had heard him use when speaking of Amy's dead body what seemed like years ago. I turned even further away from him, but he knew me too well and was anticipating my denial of his logic.

He put his hands gently on my shoulders, trying to get me to look into his eyes. His voice dropped even farther. "Think about the baby."

I sighed, my shoulders drooping. Maybe he was right. Why had I gone to the aid of a man I didn't even know? I decided it was probably the pregnancy hormones already kicking in. "Alright," I nodded. "I'll go check him for bites."

He held a hand up and stepped into my path, blocking my way. "I didn't say that."

"I'm the only one of us who is immune."

"You're pregnant."

"I made this mistake, let me fix it-"

"So you're going to let our unborn kid pay for it? Let me do this."

The fighting continued on for a few minutes until Andrea walked over. "Only a week since you found out you were pregnant and already you two are arguing like a married couple. I already checked him. He's clean except for a few scratches, but it's not from walkers."

The sudden interruption caught Daryl and I off guard, effectively ceasing the intense conversation we had been engaged in.

"Thank you," I said finally.

She nodded and walked away.

In the silence that followed, I was left to think about a few things.

I realized that I had just endangered everyone, including myself and my unborn child, for the sake of a man I didn't even know, but my mind was preoccupied with what Andrea had said.

"Only a week since you found out you were pregnant and already you two are arguing like a married couple."

I realized with sudden severity just how badly I craved marriage. A glance at Daryl, though, and I knew it was a lost cause. Daryl Dixon wasn't the kind to get married, have kids, and settle down. Especially not after the world ended.

So I pushed the thoughts of white dresses and ceremony out of my head and followed Daryl over to the man on the couch.

Now that things were a bit less tense, I could look the newcomer over better. He had dark brown hair, grays streaking it here and there, and he wore a sweat- and blood-stained shirt. He couldn't have been more than 30.

Rick entered the room, about to begin his inspection of this new guy, when I stopped him. "Let him rest. Andrea checked him over already. We're safe."

Rick, ever the stubborn and responsible leader, went forward anyway, "Just to make sure."

I got the distinct feeling he was disappointed in me and I was surprised at how like a father I hadn't even noticed Rick had become to me.

Oo0oO

When the mystery man woke up, most of the group was surrounding him. Dale was outside, standing guard, Carol and the kids were in the other room playing cards, and T-dog was napping, but the rest of us were stationed around the room, pacing worriedly, chewing on our nails, or (in Daryl's case) glaring silently and motionlessly at everything.

I had just gotten a firm talk with most of the men of the camp about the dangers of being too trusting, but they hadn't lain it on too thick, probably due to my fragile emotonal state.

Finally, his eyelids fluttered open and he let out a sigh. His eyes were a deep green, complimented nicely by a dark rim of lashes. He froze when he noticed the crowd.

I, being his savior, was the first to walk forward. "It's okay," I said quietly, so as not to startle him further. "Nobody is going to hurt you."

I noticed his eyes shift over my shoulder to where I knew Daryl would be standing, crossbow in hand, and a death glare trained on him.

I took a step closer. "No one."

He didn't relax any. I couldn't blame him.

"What's your name?"

He opened his mouth, and then glanced around, before finally meeting my eyes again and saying raspily, "Kevin Land."

I smiled at him, hoping the expression lent him some comfort. "I'm Kaiya Caston."

"You're the one who saved me from-" he broke off, staring around at the other people in the room. "Them."

I shook my head, grimacing. "Excuse them. They've kind of been desensitized to compassion."

"I don't blame you," he said, addressing the other campers. He was clearly anxious to make a good first impression. "I understand it if you turn me away, but please... I have nowhere else to go. I'm a doctor. Maybe I can help you."

I glanced up at Daryl, startled. This had been one of our main concerns about my pregnancy; there was no one experienced enough to deliver a baby. And one just shows up on our doorstep?

Daryl's eyes betrayed nothing; he simply nodded to Rick and left the room, steps sure as he strode out the door.

I stood, beginning to follow him as the others converged on Kevin, questioning him over his field of expertise. I hesitated at the door, glancing back. Kevin's eyes were on me, quizzical, but also a bit scared. I was leaving him to the people who had initially tried to kill him. I gave him an encouraging nod and exited the room.

It was a nice day outside, one of the best Georgia had seen in a while. The sun was warm, but a nice breeze blew through, and, thanks to our distance from towns, was free of the stink of death and rot. I took a moment to look up at the bright blue sky, the puffy white clouds, and remember a time when Glenn and I used to lay on vibrant green grass and watch the sky all day.

"So he's a doctor," I heard his southern drawl.

I turned to see Daryl sprawled out in a lawn chair, eyes closed, head tipped back. I smiled faintly at the sight of his top button undone, exposing just a little of that tanned, glistening chest.

"Strange that things seem to be going right for us for once," I mumbled, sitting down across his lap.

He peeked one eye open and gave me the tiniest hint of a smirk.

I couldn't resist him. I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his. He slid his fingers back through my loose hair, just like he had done the first time we had kissed. That seemed like a lifetime ago.

Living beside a quarry just outside Atlanta, I had been a sixteen year old girl with a giant crush on the world's hottest hillbilly. And now, I was a seventeen year old who was about to be a mother to the child of that hillbilly.

I pulled my mouth away and rested my forehead against his. "I love you, Daryl," I whispered.

His blue eyes lifted to meet mine. "I love ya, too."

I smiled and for the first time in a while, my world was completely and utterly perfect.

Naturally, it didn't stay that way for long.

I'm so sorry for the infrequent updates! Hopefully you guys don't hate me :P Anyway, thank you for those of you who stuck around. Leave me a review! :D