Chapter 51: Name Game
Daryl cursed under his breath as he knelt down by the rear of the pickup truck. He'd made it all the way up the hill, got no answer on the walkie and then headed back down to head home to Carol and the kids when he saw the tire was flat. He quickly found the issue. There were some rusty old nails down in the gravel, and one had punctured his tire just enough to flatten it in less than a half hour.
"God damn it," Daryl grunted, struggling with the tire iron as the old lug nuts finally started to turn. "Piece of shit. Next time I'm takin' a horse." He knew he should've taken the bike. Now he was going to be late getting back to Carol, and being his luck, she was going into labor and he was going to miss his kid's birth, because he ran over a fucking rusty nail that had probably been there for the past twenty years judging by the amount of rust on the damn thing.
The wind started picking up, and snow flurries began to swirl around. Daryl grimaced and worked through the next few lug nuts, huffing and puffing under his breath, cursing whoever invented the fucking lug nut in the first place. And as he did, the temperature began to drop. With a groan of frustration, he lifted the spare tire out of the back of the truck, tossed it toward the front and hurried to catch it before it rolled away.
It didn't take him long to change the tire once he finally got started, but by the time he was finished, the snow was coming down heavily, and there was already a good dusting on the road. Flecks of ice stuck to the ends of his hair, and he knew the roads were going to be shitty.
The wind was howling by the time he tightened the last lug nut and tossed the flat tire to the wayside, and when he heard the squeal of brakes cut through the howling wind, he turned to see a Jerry emerge from behind the wheel of a tiny old VW Beetle. He held his hands up over his eyes to block the snow from coming in, and Jerry waved his arms, shouting something Daryl couldn't hear through the howling wind.
"What?!" Daryl yelled. Jerry shouted again, but Daryl still couldn't hear him. The closer Jerry got, the wider his smile got. Daryl's face went pale, and he felt his heart start to pound.
"Denise sent me. It's all systems go!"
"What?" Daryl asked, peering at the man like he'd grown another head.
"Dude! You're about to be a daddy again!" Jerry went to shake Daryl's hand, but Daryl took a step back, and his heel caught a slick rock, sending him flying onto his back. Jerry's eyes went wide when Daryl went down. For a moment, Daryl couldn't breathe, and Jerry knelt down next to him, thumping him on the chest.
"Dude, you ok?"
"Fuck," Daryl growled when he found his breath. He rubbed the back of his head. Jerry held up three fingers.
"How many fingers do you see?" Daryl swatted his hand away and sat up quickly.
"Carol's in labor?"
"Yeah, and Denise says you better hurry. I guess that means it's coming fast. I wouldn't know. My kids weren't in any hurry. Poor Nabila." He shook his head. Daryl groaned then, rubbing the tender spot where his head had whacked the ground, and Jerry put his hand on his shoulder. "Okay, you better sit for a minute. I'll pull my car up. You can ride with me."
"Nah, I'm fine. Just need a minute," he panted. He closed his eyes as the pain throbbed in his head. He knew he was ok. He'd had worse injuries. But now he was dizzy with exhilaration. And then panic set in. His kid was coming, and if he didn't hurry, he was going to miss it. "Carol's…having the baby."
"Yeah, that's what I said. Man, you must've hit your head hard."
"We gotta go."
"Yeah, that's what I'm saying! Hang on. Let me pull the car up, and we'll just…" Jerry turned then and saw headlights coming up the road. "Somebody's coming."
"One of our people?"
"I don't think so. Unless we have an RV I don't know about."
"RV?" Daryl asked, grunting as he pulled himself to his feet. He peered through the snow to see the headlights get brighter as the vehicle approached. Another vehicle, what appeared to be a large box truck, followed closely after.
The RV screeched to a halt the second Daryl and Jerry stepped out toward the road. All was quiet aside from the howling wind for a moment, before the RV door opened, and a cloaked figure stepped out. Daryl and Jerry glanced at each other for a moment before the figure pulled the hood over his head.
"You assholes need a ride?" A grin spread across his face, and Daryl stared incredulously at the face in front of him.
"Dude, where you been?" Jerry asked with a laugh.
"Everywhere. Where you heading?"
"Home," Jerry explained. "Daryl's about to be a daddy again."
"No shit? Well, let's get you home before you miss the show." He nodded to the truck, and a mix of emotions flooded Daryl's face. He finally settled on relief and followed him onto the RV.
"The truck."
"That piece of shit still runs? Leave it. We'll get it after the snow, providing the wind doesn't blow it apart." He pointed to the driver's seat. "You wanna do the honors?"
"You think you can remember the way home?"
"I deserve that," he said with a nod. "But I'm back. And I brought friends." Daryl's eyes adjusted to the blue haze that settled through the RV as the snow began coming down faster and heavier outside. A few familiar faces stuck out in the small crowd. Glenn. Rosita. Aaron. And then a few faces he didn't know. There were several children, and everyone looked extremely exhausted. Rosita was sleeping with her head on Glenn's shoulder, while Glenn held a little girl in one arm and sat with his arm wrapped around a little boy that was his spitting image.
"Negan," Daryl choked out. "What the hell happened?"
"Long story. You wanna hear it now, or you wanna go watch your kid get born?" Daryl looked back to the weary travelers in the back of the RV and then back to Jerry. Jerry quickly took a seat behind Negan, while Daryl climbed into the passenger's seat. Negan chuckled and started the engine. "Where's my brother?"
"Right behind me. We brought the whole crew. Hope you've still got those spare rooms." He stepped on the gas, and Daryl leaned his head back against the seat, feeling his head start to swim. His eyes fluttered closed, and he felt a hand shake his shoulder. "Hey. Save the passing out for the delivery room. Hang in there, buddy. Let's get you home to your girl."
...
Daryl took the stairs two at a time when he got home, finding the house quiet and empty. When he got upstairs, Denise and Andrea were both sitting with Carol, who had her hair pulled up and back. She was red-faced and puffy-eyed, but she was still very pregnant.
"He made it," Andrea sighed with relief.
"I got here as soon as I could."
"Daryl," she breathed, letting out a choked sob and smiling through her tears when Daryl crossed the room to greet her with a kiss and a hug.
"You ok?"
"It's coming fast," Carol panted, bearing down as another contraction hit her.
"Yeah, her water broke before I got back from getting Denise. This one's in a hurry."
"You got here just in time, Dad," Denise said with a grin, peeking over the rim of her glasses.
"Yeah, had a little trouble." Carol's eyes widened, and he shook his head. "Everything's fine. I got a lot of people with me who are anxious to see you."
"What?" Carol asked.
"Let's just say, this kid's gonna have a hell of a welcoming party," he murmured, pressing a kiss to the side of her head as she relaxed and unclenched her fists from the sheets. He looked to Denise as Carol pushed. "What can I do?"
"Get ready. You're gonna have a kid in about five minutes." Daryl looked down at his hands. They were filthy from changing the tire, and the last thing he wanted to do was hold his new baby with filthy hands. So, he rushed into the bathroom and scrubbed his hands clean, and when he returned, Carol was sitting up a little. He immediately got behind her on the bed, supporting her back and letting her lean into him.
"This ok?"
"Yeah. Yeah, better," she panted.
"Okay, Carol. Scoot your butt down a little. Good. Perfect. Alright. When the contraction hits, push ha—" Carol cried out before Denise could finish speaking, and she bore down, pushing hard again. "Good. Good girl. You're doing so good. The head's right here. It's right here, Carol. Keep pushing." Daryl let Carol take hold of his hands, and she squeezed him as she bore down. He whispered softly against her ear as she pushed against each contraction, and when she fell back against his chest, he saw a grin spread across Denise's face. "This might be the cutest squished face I've ever seen. I think you've got another little redhead on your hands."
"Oh God," Andrea cooed. "Look at that." She wiped back her tears. "Carol, I think this one looks like you."
"Get the towel ready," Denise instructed Andrea. Andrea sniffled and grabbed the soft towel, holding it out as Denise cleared the baby's nose and mouth. "Okay, Carol, when the next contraction hits, I need you to push. The hard part's over. The head's out, but it's not over yet, ok? I need another big push." Carol panted through the ebbing pain, and when it hit her again, she pushed hard. "Good. Good. Good. Harder. One more. That's it. Good job!" Daryl watched as everything moved so fast. Denise quickly lifted the baby up and into Andrea's waiting hands. She clamped off the cord and cut it before Andrea laid the baby in Carol's waiting arms.
"Oh God," Carol panted.
"Look at that," Daryl murmured, kissing the side of Carol's head. "You did it." A fierce cry pierced the air, and Carol giggled.
"What've we got, Mom and Dad?" Denise asked, working on Carol as the new mom and dad fawned over their new baby. She, of course, already knew the answer, but seeing new parents' surprise was always part of the fun.
"I didn't even look," Carol laughed. She shifted the baby in her arms and took a quick peek, and then she looked up at Daryl with a laugh. "You were right."
"Told you so," he grinned. She kissed him then, and he chuckled against her lips. Andrea gently wiped the baby off with the towel, as Carol rocked gently back and forth in the bed.
"Hi, baby girl," she whispered. "We've been waiting so long for you." She laughed through her tears and kissed the top of the baby's head. "Look at you. Hi!"
"She does look like you," Daryl murmured. "Think she's gonna have your freckles."
"Yeah?" she asked. "I think so, too."
...
"That one's got that Dixon smile," Merle beamed at his new niece.
"She's an hour old," Carol laughed. "How can you tell?"
"A Dixon knows these things. Just you wait. But she's definitely got her mama's eyes and nose. Prettiest little thing I've seen in a minute."
"Hey!" Lydia pouted.
"Hey, you ain't little no more," Merle pointed out. He pulled his arm around Andrea's waist. "Help me out here, darlin'."
"Oh, no. You better explain yourself, mister," she teased. Dylan peeked up at his mother and Merle, and he looked at the baby and then back up at his mother. "What's on your mind, Dyl?"
"Can I have a little sister, too?" he asked. Andrea's jaw dropped, and Merle snickered.
"It's that that simple, son," Andrea laughed.
"I'm almost six, Mommy. I know."
"Oh, you know? Who told you?" Andrea asked.
"Merle did," Dylan said, pointing to the older Dixon. Andrea glared at Merle, and Merle glared at Dylan.
"Now wait a damn minute, boy. You tell your mama exactly what I told you. Get me outta the dog house, why don't ya?" Dylan furrowed his brows and looked up at his mom in all seriousness.
"Merle said moms and dads make babies when they have more love than they know what to do with."
"That's…all he said?" Andrea asked.
"Well, yeah. Why? What else is there?" the boy asked. Andrea, red-faced, let out a laugh and looked at the baby, praying for a distraction. The baby did not disappoint.
"Hey, look at that. She's yawning!" Everybody turned their attention back to the newborn, and Andrea sighed in relief that it was enough of a distraction to get Dylan's curious mind on something else.
"What's her name, Mama?" Luke asked, snuggling up close to Carol in the bed to get a closer look at his baby sister.
"Well, what do you think we should name her?" Carol asked.
"Sophia!" Luke offered. Carol smiled down at her little boy and touched his nose.
"That's very sweet, honey, but you already have a sister named Sophia."
"What about Carol?" Lydia asked.
"Oh goodness. One Carol Dixon is enough for this family." She looked up at Daryl and winkled. "Right?"
"I don't know. Kinda has a nice ring." Carol shot him a look, and he smirked.
"What about Lucy?" a soft, curious voice asked. Daryl turned from where he stood by Carol's bed, and Carol looked up to see Henry standing in the doorway holding onto his father's hand. At the mention of his late wife's name, Negan let out a breathy sigh, and his lower lip trembled through the smile at his son's suggestion.
Carol gasped softly and looked up at Daryl. Her eyes welled with tears, and she looked down at the baby.
"I don't know. What do you think, little one? Lucy Dixon."
"Lyddie, Luke and Lucy," Lydia chirped. Carol looked up at Daryl, who couldn't help the smile on his face at the perfect suggestion, and then she looked to Negan.
"You're as much as part of this family as Henry. What do you think?" He cleared his throat and stepped into the room, picking up his son so the boy could get a better look at the baby.
"Lucy," Negan said with a little nod. "I think that's about the best name I ever heard."
Author's Note: I changed my mind over and over again with how this chapter was going to go. And I think I re-wrote a couple of scenes about three times along the way. I hope you enjoyed it, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on this chapter! More coming soon! Thanks so much for reading!