Chapter 29

Teddy had a weird beeping noise in her ear and her whole head felt like it was made out of cotton candy. Everything was fuzzy and sticky and bile started to rise in her throat. She had the weird sensation of not even being in her own body anymore, it was like she was standing next to the exam table and was watching the whole scene as an anxious spectator.

Dr. Hainesworth turned the screen back so she could continue examining Teddy. She pressed a couple of keys and moved the probe slightly. "Congratulations, Dr. Dixon. You are most certainly pregnant. And it looks like you've been for a while. The fetus is measuring 10 weeks and 2 days."

"11 weeks..."

"Yes, almost done with your first trimester." the doctor smiled, while she continued to check out Teddy's cervix, uterus and left ovary for anomalies.

"How did we miss that the last time?" Teddy didn't recognize her own voice. It was hollow and disconnected. She was absolutely shocked.

"We didn't do an internal ultrasound, just external. If I'm correct you had just completed week number six. In some mothers I barely see anything during an internal ultrasound at that stage, so the chances of detecting this externally were slim to none. Also we weren't exactly looking for that."

"Of course." Stupid question, Teddy thought to herself. She just wasn't able to wrap her mind around it. She tried to calculate in her head, but it was of no use. The numbers just kept getting scrambled up and she kept getting stuck and more and more frustrated by the minute.

"Okay, the good news is, that everything is just the way it is supposed to be. No growths or shadows or other cysts, just the one on your right ovary. I'll take another look at the fetus now."

"There's no way it's healthy. I've had alcohol, I've had tons of pain meds, I'm not the healthiest eater by nature, I've had tons of caffeine as well..." Teddy rambled, while she stared at the ceiling.

"Your baby seems to be developing just as it should be. Everything looks good. Nice strong heartbeat. A little fast, but I'm guessing that's because yours is a little faster than usual right now, isn't it?"

"There's just no way. It can't be healthy..."

"We both know that it IS possible, Dr. Dixon. Some mothers drink and smoke excessively during pregnancy, take drugs even, and still give birth to perfectly healthy children. When I had my third child, I didn't know I was pregnant, either and I took Nyquil every 4 hours and Ibuprofen every 6 hours for 8 weeks straight, because I was sick, and my son was absolutely fine. Of course we will keep a close eye on your baby's development in the coming weeks, but right now, everything looks just perfect." She printed out a picture for Teddy and removed the ultrasound probe with a little chuckle. "And another man who will think he has bionic little swimmers."

"Well, you can bet your ass he secretly cheered those little fuckers on." Teddy mumbled humorlessly, making the other doctor's smile falter a little.

"I have a theory here. Jump in any time when you disagree." Dr. Hainesworth said, while Teddy pushed her skirt back down to cover herself.

"Alright, go ahead."

"Obviously late last year, you're birth control pills were ineffective. You did have an ovulation, which caused the cyst. You got pregnant and all your symptoms are for the most part pregnancy related. Fatigue, nausea, dizzy spells, all completely normal. The pains were probably a mix of cyst and the usual stretching pains and the growing uterus probably put some more pressure on that cyst. I would like to do the usual battery of tests now, urine sample, take some blood samples for a full blood screen, and I'd like to do a quick hemoglobin test to check your base iron level. I'm thinking that with the progression of the pregnancy, your iron level dropped. As you know a low iron level also causes fatigue, inability to concentrate, dizzy spells and nausea. It would explain why your symptoms exacerbated in the past week and why you are so pale."

"Yeah, it all makes perfect sense." Teddy agreed with a sigh. "It's like double the symptoms."

"Exactly. With the finger prick test we will know in a couple of minutes and we can start treating the iron deficiency right away. As soon as that level goes back up you should be feeling better and in about two weeks when you enter your second trimester, you should be as good as new." Dr. Hainesworth smiled and gently patted Teddy's hand, where it gripped the exam table in a death grip.

"I know. It was like that in my first pregnancy. As soon as the second trimester rolled around, boom, no more morning sickness, no fatigue, but a round belly and bigger boobs and tons of energy." Teddy told her doctor, while the older woman gathered everything she would need for taking Teddy's blood and do the hemoglobin test. "I can't believe I've been so stupid. I should have known. It was almost exactly the way I felt back then, but the thought that I could be pregnant never crossed my mind. Not in a million years. I was on birth control and I had my period. Of course now I realize it was just implantation bleeding. I was just spotting,... I should have known."

"Like you said, you were on birth control, you thought everything was in working order." Dr. Hainesworth tried to keep Teddy from beating herself up, and reached for her right hand. She wiped the ring finger with an alcohol wipe and shortly after she plunged the lancet into Teddy's finger, making the younger woman wince. Those damn finger pricks could hurt like hell. The doctor wiped the first drop of blood away with a sterile gauze pad, so tissue fluid wouldn't dilute the sample, then she gently squeezed the finger to make another drop of blood emerge. She collected it with the collection device and checked the little tube for air bubbles, before dropping it into the testing device and setting it aside.

"So that cyst didn't cause the symptoms, which means it should be harmless and can stay where it is."

"Yes." Dr. Hainesworth confirmed, while she proceeded to take the blood samples she needed. "We will wait another month, see if it disappears or gets smaller. If it grows and causes more pain, we should think about removing it."

"Aweseome." Teddy sighed unhappily.

"Dr. Dixon,... I know that you know all this, but it's still my job to bring it up and inform you about other options..." Dr. Hainesworth always hated bringing that part up with her patients, but it was part of her job, and frankly, she didn't get the impression that Teddy was overly excited about being pregnant.

"I know. I shouldn't wait too long to make a decision,... My firstborn died of SIDS when he was 8 weeks. I don't know if I can handle having this baby." Teddy explained emotionless. She seemed completely disconnected from what was happening.

"I'm very sorry to hear about your son. Well, you know what you have to do." She was finished with the blood samples and asked Teddy to go to the restroom for a urine sample. When Teddy came back, she had the result of the hemoglobin test. "Like I suspected. Your iron level is very low, just 7 g/dl. You know, that we should get that up to about 12 or higher for now."

"I'll adjust my diet."

"Don't want me to prescribe iron pills?"

"No, they make me constipated like nobody's business. Don't really need that. Let's see what I can do by eating the right stuff first." Teddy rubbed her face, tired of dealing with this crap already.

"Alright. Maybe you should pick up some prenatal vitamins, too. They will help making you feel better by supplying your body with what it needs. I will call you with the results of the blood test. That will show us for sure if we have anything else to worry about. I'm thinking that maybe you should come back in in two weeks, instead of next month. I'd like to monitor your baby more closely, should you decide to carry it to term."

"Yeah fine. We done for now?" Teddy was anxious to get out of there, she really could use some fresh air.

"Yes. That's it for now. Take good care of yourself." Dr. Hainesworth got up from her chair, and shook Teddy's hand, before the younger woman all but bolted from the room.

Outside the room, Bernadette jumped up from her chair, when Teddy finally re-appeared.

"Oh honey, you had me worried, that took so long! What's going on? Any news?" she was gripping her daughter's arms lightly, studying her tense features.

"I'm fine. Nothing to worry about. It's not cancer. The cyst is harmless, turns out I look and feel so bad because I'm anemic. I just have to boost my iron level and everything will be okay." Teddy forced a smile.

"That's great news. Ha, I told your father you were gonna be fine. You know how he worries. Such a pessimist." Bernadette joked, trying to hide her huge relief at the good news. She didn't want Teddy to know just how worried she had been, that her daughter might be very sick.

"Let's get back. This took longer than expected and I have patients waiting." Teddy quickly turned towards the exit and walked ahead at a brisk pace, she couldn't stand being in that hospital even a minute longer. Bernadette didn't think much of Teddy' demeanor, she assumed that she was just exhausted and trying to hold it together.

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As soon as she was back in the office Teddy left a message for Daryl with his boss, before she saw her first patient after the break. His cellphone was no longer working after it smashed into the wall, and they had to get him a new one on the weekend. As soon as a couple of patients had been dealt with and the first rush had died down, Gerald came in to inquire about news from the hospital. He looked at her with concerned curiosity, while he shut the door behind him.

"So? Did you have Dr. Hainesworth do the internal ultrasound?"

Teddy had been able to keep it together, but as soon as she saw her father, she was done. She burst into tears and practically launched herself into her father's arms. This time it was Gerald whose stomach dropped, fearing that his worst fears were coming true. He wrapped his arms around his daughter and soothingly rubbed her back, feeling sobs wracking her small shoulders.

"Oh sweetheart, please don't tell me I was right." he muttered fearfully.

"You weren't. It's not cancer. Actually everything is perfectly normal." Teddy cried desperately, trying to get the words out as clearly as possible through the sobbing and hiccuping. "I'm pregnant, Daddy."

Gerald's eyes were as big as saucers, as his jaw dropped. "Pregnant? Oh my, Teddy. That's wonderful."

"No, it's not. I can't do this. I don't want this. Not like this. I already fucked up. I took ibuprofen and fioricet... there is just no way this would ever end well." Teddy sobbed while she clung to her father, like she had last done when she had been 12 years old.

"You know, that ibuprofen is not very likely to be harmful during the first trimester, Teddy. Fioricet is more cause for concern. You didn't take that many, did you?"

"Four in the last 8 days." she replied and let herself be guided towards her desk, so Gerald would be able to grab a tissue for her. "What am I even worried about? Might not even matter anyway."

That made Gerald stop in his tracks in shock and he pushed Teddy slightly away from him, to be able to look at her face. "Theodora, you are not thinking about doing anything stupid, are you?"

"I can't do this. I can't have another child. Especially not under these circumstances, with the risk level already elevated."

"What did Dr. Hainesworth say? How far along are you anyway?"

"11 weeks. She said everything looks completely normal. Strong heartbeat." Teddy sat down in one of the chairs in front of her desk and blew her nose.

"That sounds good, the critical phase is almost over and if it appears to be healthy, then it might end well after all."

"You know that bad things can always happen, not just during the first 12 weeks."

"And you are just looking for arguments to justify your thinking about an abortion, Teddy." Gerald sat in the other chair and took a deep breath. "I know you are very scared. Everybody would be after what happened to Milo, but you can do this, Teddy. You are strong. And maybe you should just consider therapy again for the course of the pregnancy, you know, to help you through this alright. And you have a big support system around this time. Last time you were alone in Seattle, but this time you have a great husband and your whole family is here to have your back. We can help you."

"Daddy, you can't tell anyone. Especially not Billy. And not Mom, either. She's gonna tell Billy, no matter how much she promises you not to."

"You didn't tell your mother? But she was with you, she was worried."

"I'm pregnant and anemic, but I just told her about the anemic part and that the cyst is harmless. Please, don't tell them. I don't want them to know until I can't hide it anymore or maybe they will never have to know." Teddy begged with her father. Billy's jealousy about the rings was still fresh in her mind, even after almost two months.

"Honey, you ARE gonna tell Daryl, right?" Gerald was scared that she wanted to keep this completely under wraps. "It's his child, too. He has a say in this-"

"Of course I'm gonna tell, Daryl. I'm not that much of a monster. I'll talk to him later at home. I just don't know what to do. I'm scared and I'm already worried as hell, I can't do this for another thirty weeks. It's gonna drive me insane." Teddy's lost look broke her father's heart. He was scared that she would rush into making a stupid decision just because she THOUGHT she wouldn't be able to handle this.

"You are gonna be fine, Teddy. We are all here for you. I'm here for you everyday, I will reassure you every day if I have to. We got the ultrasound machine right here, if I have to, I will check on that little squirt's health every single day. We got everything we need right here, as soon as you think that something isn't right, we can check it out immediately. You'll have much better care and monitoring than every other mother-to-be out there. You don't have to worry so much, sweetheart. So you wanna know what to do? I'll tell you what to do. You are gonna dry your tears and splash some water in your face, then you are going to see your other patients and tonight you will go home and talk this through with Daryl. See what he has to say." Gerald handed her another tissue and gently patted her arm.

"I already know what he will say. He wanted a child all along." Teddy sighed darkly, while she cleaned her face.

"That's great." Gerald smiled proudly and a little surprised. He hadn't been sure that Daryl would be happy about the news, and much less he would have thought that Daryl actually wanted a child. He had never been overly excited about Maggie's pregnancy and had never participated when everybody had been uuuhing and aaahing over her growing belly.

"Yeah, guess it could be worse." Teddy agreed.

"Well, I'm happy about having a second grandchild soon, hopefully. And I'm glad that it explains the cyst and all your symptoms. We can rest assured now."

"Yeah. The blood test will show if there is anything to be worried about for sure, but I think it will be fine. The pregnancy plus the anemia is the perfectly logical explanation for all this. Just have to boost my level and power through the next two weeks and hopefully this sickness will stop then."

"I'm sure it will."

"How do I look? Presentable again?" Teddy asked while she straightened her coat.

"Yes." he hugged her once more, enjoying having her this close again after all those years. "Now let's get these patients taken care of, so you don't get out of here too late."

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"Dixon, your girlfriend called. Got a message for you." Mike announced as he walked towards his employee, who was bent over an engine.

"Ain't got no girlfriend. She's ma wife now." Daryl corrected him, while he straightened and wiped his greasy hands on a dirty rag.

"Whatever. You wanna know what she said or not?"

"Yeah. She okay?" Daryl inquired and tossed the rag back towards the raised hood of the car.

"She said that they found out what's wrong and that she'll be fine and that she'll explain when you're home." Mike recited the message to Daryl, who shifted his weight in agitation and started chewing on the cuticle of his right thumb.

"That's it? She didn't say nothing else? Something's wrong, but she didn't tell ya what?"

"Nope, that's all she said. Guess you'll find out what's going on in a couple of hours." Mike had already turned around and was walking towards his office, leaving Daryl even more agitated than before.

He wished he hadn't smashed his phone and could text her or call her real quick. She'd said she'll be fine, but she had said that all along, when she clearly hadn't been fine. So that message really was pretty useless to him. All he could do now was wait. Of course the rest of the workday went by agonizingly slow, but as soon as it was time to punch out, he and Roxy hightailed it out of there. Now it was another 60 to 90 minutes of waiting until Teddy would be home and he would finally get some answers. At home he took a quick shower, because he'd gotten extremely greasy and grimy at work today. He would have loved to keep himself busy by starting dinner, but there wasn't much to prepare. It was just steak and baked potatoes with sour cream today.

He chain-smoked by the open kitchen window, having to fight off Snoopy's attempts to climb out of it the whole time, until he finally heard the apartment door opening and closing. He almost burned himself by putting his smoke out in the ashtray, then he slammed the window shut and rushed to meet her in the living room.

"Hey." he cradled her face in his hands and kissed her gently on the lips. "Yer message didn't say shit. What's going on?"

"I will tell you in a minute, please just let me get changed first, okay?" Teddy just wanted her comfy sweatpants and an old shirt and to curl up under the soft, warm microfleece blanket on the couch. She was freezing, she always was when she was tired or scared. Right now she was exhausted and downright panicking on the inside.

"Yeah, fine. Want something to drink?"

"Yes." she nodded and opened her purse, handing him a little box she had taken from the practice's little kitchen. "Can you make me some of this please?"

Daryl looked at the box. It said rooibos tea and he had no idea how to even pronounce it. Since when did she drink tea? "Sure. Want a whole thermos or just a cup?"

"Thermos would probably be a good idea. Thanks, baby." Teddy gave him another kiss, before she went to get changed and freshen up a bit, while Daryl went to work on making the tea. He was going out of his mind. Why couldn't she just tell him what was happening? Once the tea was done, he poured some in her favorite mug and took it back to the living room, where she was curling up into her favorite corner of the couch, with the blanket over her legs.

"So? What is it? That thing smaller now or what?" he asked anxiously while he sat down next to her and set the still too hot mug down on the coffee table.

"It's not smaller." Teddy said and took a deep breath, quickly cutting him off, before he got a chance to rant. "But it's harmless, okay? I am not sick and I am not dying. It's not cancer or anything." She had to take another deep breath. Her fingers were cold and clammy and were starting to shake. "The symptoms I had weren't caused by the cyst at all, actually."

Daryl released a deep breath in relief, but he was still confused. "So something else is wrong? I mean, you're most definitely sick with something..."

"I'm anemic. My iron level is extremely low and that causes headaches and dizziness and fatigue. It's also why I look so shitty and pale."

"But that ain't bad, right? Ya can just take some pills and be alright again?"

"Yeah, I could, but I prefer to boost the level by adjusting my diet. However... the reason why the symptoms got so bad is, because there's yet another thing going on." Teddy tried to keep her voice steady, but it was to no avail. It wavered and she wrung her hands frantically, trying to get at least some warmth into her freezing digits.

"Jesus fucking Christ, what is it? Just spit it out!" Daryl was losing his temper. Why on earth did she have to make this so difficult? He just wanted to know what on earth was wrong with her and how they could fix it. Teddy was panicking. She held her breath for a moment, then started hyperventilating a little, then she took another deep breath, trying to keep it together.

"I'm pregnant." she finally got the words out, miraculously loud and clear. No chance of being misheard or misunderstood.

Daryl frowned at first, his brain not really registering what she had said, but it quickly caught up, rendering him utterly speechless. If Teddy would have been in the mood, she would have laughed her ass off at his stunned and shocked expression. Mouth agape, eyes wide, every feature just going slack, while he stared at her completely perplexed.

'I'm pregnant. I'm pregnant. I'm pregnant.' the words kept echoing inside his head. Slowly his brain started coming out of shock and his thought process got a kick-start. 'She's pregnant. She's pregnant. We're gon' have a baby. Holy fuck, Imma be a daddy.'

A smile started to tug at the corners of his lips and he shook his head in disbelief when his gaze dropped towards her stomach. "Holy shit, woman. I knocked ya up? Ain't no way." he muttered with amazement evident in his voice.

"Oh trust me, there is a way. That's why I've been feeling so crappy. There's no doubt about it." Teddy said, her own voice sounding dull and almost robotic. A fact that made Daryl frown again.

"Ya don't want it." he stated matter-of-factly, his expression turning to stone.

"You know it's not as simple as that, Daryl. I do want it, I just don't think I can do it." Teddy said. Daryl closed his eyes and buried his face in his hands for a full minute. It took everything he had not to explode and unleash misguided anger on her. He knew if he went ballistic now, things would get ugly very quickly. She wanted the baby, he kept telling himself. She wanted it, she just didn't know if she could handle it. She needed support and reassurance and not a husband who would let his frustrations and anger out on her. When he felt like he got his emotions under control, he spoke slowly, carefully choosing his words.

"I know you're scared, darlin',... I know you worry,... I understand, but we can deal with that."

"I already put it in danger, Daryl. I might have a miscarriage, it could suffer from poor development, because of the meds I took. I had alcohol, I had tons of caffeine. This baby is already fucked. I don't want it to suffer from anything, just because I didn't know and wasn't careful."

"So ya wanna kill it without givin' it a chance first? Ya know that it don't make sense, right? Ya wanna kill our kid, so it don't get taken away from us?" his attempts to stay calm had been in vain. He ended up yelling at her anyway. He got up from the couch and started pacing like a caged tiger while he kept shouting at her. "You think you'd be able ta live with yerself after that? I know you, woman. You couldn't. You said you already wonder how yer son would look like these days? What he'd be interested in? What he'd be like? How do ya think you'd feel about this one? The one you'd kill on purpose? The one you'd never meet? You'd never know if it was a boy or a girl. You'd never know what it looked like. You'd never be able to imagine what it could look like at 5 years old. It would eat ya up alive. It would eat ME up alive. One day I'd come home and find ya dead in a pool of blood 'cause ya cut yer wrists or shit like that. And then? All that would be left for me to do would be to put a fucking bullet in my head, 'cause I can't live a fucking day without ya. That what ya want, Teddy? For the three of us to check out? Cause that's exactly what's gon' happen, if ya get rid of it. And that's if I would even be able to keep livin' with ya. Don't know if I could stand to even look at ya anymore... What? Ya ain't even gonna say anything? Just sit there and be a fucking blubberin' mess? That ain't helpin' anything, woman." Her tears enraged him even more in that moment. How dare she be the one crying, when she was the one who was entertaining the thought of getting an abortion. All notions of being a supportive husband had gone right out the window. He understood she was scared, he really got that, but how could she even think about something like that? It was okay to say no to not ever trying to get pregnant, but now she was and instead of trying she just wanted to give up? Dixons weren't quitters. That was just a no-go.

"Ya might not want it, but I do." he went on, his voice now quieter again. "If ya can't deal with another kid in your life, then at least let me have it. I'll raise it on my own. I'll be there for ya all the way through the next couple of months and as soon as ya give birth to it, we'll be out of your life. You know I want this and if ya really love me, you won't take this away from me."

Teddy wasn't saying anything, just sobbing quietly. Unfortunately her ability to concentrate really wasn't the best due to her condition and she wasn't able to form a coherent thought in her head, she was completely overwhelmed.

Daryl felt calmer, ranting and letting it all out had been good for him. All the tension of the past month had finally gotten out of his system. He knew that it had been the wrong way to go, though. Time for the second try, he thought and sat back down next to his crying wife. He carefully pulled her into his warm embrace and kissed her forehead, wiping some of her tears away with his thumb.

"Babe, you know I don't believe in this destiny shit, but this baby was s'pposed ta happen, can't you see that? You were on birth control, ya were real careful after last time ya missed one. What were the chances of this happenin'? And like ya said, ya had pain meds, coffee and alcohol and all that shit. All things that are bad for it, but see? It's still here, Teddy. It's strong, it wants ta live.

"The doctor said it had a good, strong heartbeat." Teddy finally mumbled in a hoarse voice.

"Yeah?" Daryl smiled proudly. "What else she say? Is it okay?"

"Yeah, so far so good. She said it looks to be developing just like it should be. It's taking all my iron and other stuff from my body, so that's why my condition hasn't been so good in the past weeks." Teddy explained, while she wiped at her tears with her fingers.

"It's making you sick?" Daryl frowned, yet again. "Are you at risk if ya keep it?"

"No. I'll be fine. These are just the normal symptoms that got worse because of the anemia. I got prenatal vitamins and I gotta eat right, that alone should help me feel better. The first three months are over in about two weeks, and most of the time the symptoms disappear by then."

"The first three months? You're that far along already? We already missed that much?" he was shocked, he'd thought that it had to have started when she had first come home in pain about a month ago.

"Not much to miss, was there?" she chuckled quietly. "I wish I would have missed out on all the symptoms. Hand me my purse, please?"

Daryl handed her the purse and watched what she got out. He perked up and scooted even closer when he realized that it was an ultrasound picture. "That our baby?"

"Yeah. Head. Arms. Legs." she pointed out. She looked up to see his expression, and her heart melted when she saw his huge smile and the unshed tears shining in his eyes. He was so happy, how could she even consider taking this from him? But she was SO freaked out and scared.

Daryl couldn't even describe the feeling that was tightening his chest in such a pleasant way. He was almost breathless. It was love, but it was much different from what he felt for Teddy, not any less or any more intense, though. Admittedly, the baby looked like somebody put a turtle with a gigantic head on a glass table and then photographed it from underneath the table, but it was their little turtle. Little turtle Dixon. Their miracle baby.

"Can we frame this?" he asked smilingly. "I wanna put this somewhere, where we can see it all the time. At least for as long as we can't see the baby for real."

"You are so darn cute, Daryl Dixon." Teddy was crying again, but this time because her husband's happiness was touching her deeply. "I sure did the right thing marrying you."

"You want it, too. Don't you?" He looked at her seriously again. "I know you do. I remember. When we cleaned out your closet a couple months back, ya said ya wanted a child with me. That the only thing holding you back is 'cause you're scared. We talked about this a dozen times. I understood that you were too scared ta even try, but we didn't try and it still happened. If that ain't a sign, then I don't know what is."

"I'm just freaking out so much. I am so damn scared, that I don't know how to deal with it. I can't think straight. I should have known. I should have recognized the signs. I freaking treat pregnant women all the time, with the same symptoms, but where my own problems were concerned, I didn't see the forest for the trees and now I'm scared that I already hurt the little one."

"Ya didn't. 'specially not on purpose. The doc said it looked fine, right?"

"Yes, but things can change."

"They can change for everybody, not just you. I mean it, girl. We gotta give the little turtle a chance. It's in there now and we both want it and it survived you popping all those pills and that bottle of champagne we had on New Years. It's resilient. It's a Dixon already. We can do this, darlin'. You ain't really thinkin' about getting rid of it, are ya?"

"No." Teddy admitted with a deep sigh. "You were right. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did that."

"But that ain't the only reason why you're gon' keep it, is it? You want it too, admit it. It ain't just me."

"It's not just you. I want it. I do, but I don't know how to work through all this anxiety and fear. That alone could harm the baby."

"We can work on that. I'm here for ya, you know that. I can talk ta Mike, tell him what's going on, so you can call me whenever ya need me to calm you down or something. You got all those fancy machines around ya all day. Yer daddy can help ya check things out when you're worried. Ya ain't alone." Daryl was already in planning mode. They were gonna do this, they were having a baby and he would do everything he could to help Teddy get through it okay.

"You sound just like my Dad. He knows. Sorry, I told him before I told you, I was just so beside myself, I couldn't help it. I didn't tell my Mom, though. All I told her is that I'm anemic. We're not gonna tell anyone, okay? I don't want Billy to know for a long time. At least until I really can't hide it anymore."

"I can't tell Merle?"

"Can Merle keep a secret?"

"This? Not likely, I guess."

"Then you can't tell him. I'm sorry, I just don't want to have to deal with Billy's rage right now."

"It's okay. I get it. I'd kill the little punk this time. So no telling Mike?"

"Better not. I'll have to rely on Dad during workdays. Better safe than sorry."

Daryl nodded in agreement and looked at the ultrasound picture again, a proud grin on his face. "Fucking excited..." he murmured, making Teddy laugh.

"I don't think I've ever heard you say that. I knew when you were excited about things, but to actually hear you say it... It's adorable."

"It's good ta see ya laugh again." he smiled affectionately, before he lowered his head to kiss her. "Been way too long. Come here." he pulled her to him again, pushing his tongue into her mouth and kissing her deeply and passionately.

"How you feelin'?" he breathed between kisses, barely giving her the chance to answer, before he attacked her lips again.

"Still like shit unfortunately. And I'm hungry." she smiled sheepishly. Daryl sobered up immediately, albeit with a little pang of disappointment. He really missed being with her in the biblical sense, but of course her well-being was more important than his urges.

"Alright. Drink yer tea, I'm gon' get your computer real quick."

"What for?"

"Need ya to make ma a list. Ya said that iron level thing can be fixed by food?"

"Yeah."

"Right, I need ya to make me a list of stuff that's good for that. And there's stuff ya ain't allowed ta eat now, ain't there?"

"Yup."

"Make a list for that, too. We'll print it out and stick it on the fridge, so I know what to make for ya." he left the room to get her laptop from her office, leaving Teddy behind, who giggled a little. She had the cutest husband in the world. He was so happy and already getting on top of things. If anyone would be able to help her through her problems with this pregnancy, it sure as hell would be him.

"When's it due anyway?" he asked when he handed her the laptop.

"I don't even know yet. I tried to do the math, but my brains a little fucked from the anemia. Good thing I have a calendar on this thing."

"Can ya tell when it happened?"

"Yeah, let me just check." she booted her laptop and opened the calendar, going back to the date of her last "real" period. "Okay, that was on the 28th of November, so that was the first day, so hm, hm, hm, you got me pregnant right around that weekend, which would be the weekend you proposed."

"That ain't right, girl. That wasn't even two months ago, ya said ya were almost three months along." Daryl frowned, thinking that she had confused her math again.

"Yeah, I know that's confusing, but we don't start counting the weeks on the day of conception. We start counting on the first day of the last period, so the actual getting pregnant part happens in week number three."

"Well that's stupid."

"I know, but it's how it works. So let's see about the due date." She clicked a couple of things and typed the day of her last period into a due date calculator. "And we're looking at September 4th 2015."

"Shit, that's still a long ways to go." he sighed.

"Yeah, lots of waiting, but trust me, it'll pass faster than you think."

"Let's hope so. Alright, I'll get started on dinner and you get started on the lists." he got up to get his ass into the kitchen, but before he went he leaned down once more and kissed her hard. "Fuckin' love ya, girl. We can do this. We gon' have our little turtle."

"Why do you keep calling it turtle?"

"Look at it." was all he said before he left the room.

"Yeah. Guess you're right." she smiled, which faltered a little when he walked away. She wished she could be as happy about it as him, but she was still more in panic mode than she was in happy mode. Before she started making the lists for Daryl, she opened her internet browser and looked for a good therapist outside of Jasper, but still in the area. Her father was right, it might be a really good idea to have professional help in the next couple of months up until that critical 8-week-mark, when Milo had passed away.

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Thank you for reading and your support. Think Teddy will be okay or will she relapse into doubting her ability to do this? That therapist might make a fortune off of her.

Thank you and much much love to the lovely reviewers:

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