AN: Here we are, another chapter here. The next one (which will be the last one) will be a bit of an epilogue.
I hope you enjoy! Please don't forget to let me know what you think!
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Aurora Grace Dixon was declared perfectly healthy by Siddiq, and she was declared perfect in every other way by her mama and daddy.
Mama, Siddiq assured Daryl, was doing just as well as her daughter. With a little rest, which any woman having just been through what she'd been through required, she would be as good as new and running the whole community while still managing her newborn.
Siddiq left with Enid tagging along with him to make sure that everyone knew that the baby was here, leaving them with orders that they should enjoy the baby, rest as much as possible, and let him know if there were any problems before his next visit. As soon as they were gone, Michonne let the children in the room to see the baby. R.J. had very little interest in Aurora, but Judith immediately crawled in next to Carol—something that had nearly caused Daryl a heart attack because she didn't always keep track of where elbows and knees went, and he didn't want her hurting Carol or the baby by accident.
Carol got her easily situated, and when Judith immediately asked to hold the baby, Carol wrapped an arm around her so that she could hold both of them while Judith cradled Aurora.
"I'm really good with babies, you know," Judith offered. "I could watch her for you any time you wanted. Mama—aren't I good with babies? I help take care of R.J. all the time."
"You're very good with babies," Michonne offered from her perch leaning against the windowsill. "And you've always been wonderful with R.J."
"You look sleepy. I could even watch her now, if you want."
"Maybe we ought to let Aunt Carol have her baby for a few hours before we try to take it away," Michonne said, sounding tired herself.
Judith looked a little disappointed.
"You can help me with her all the time," Carol said. "But—right now? She's very, very new. She hasn't even decided she's ready to have anything to eat yet. And I think she might like to stay close to me for just a little while longer."
Judith mustered up as much understanding as she could around her disappointment.
"I understand," she said. "But—I really can take good care of her if you let me."
"I know you can," Carol assured her, kissing her head. "And I'm going to appreciate your help so much."
When the bedroom door opened to allow passage to the final arrivals, Dog nosed his way through first.
Daryl blocked Dog's passage with his body to slow him down, and he allowed the animal to ease his way toward the bed and toward Carol. Carol invited him to smell her, offering her hand first. Dog was fond of Carol, but Daryl didn't know how much dogs could really smell, so it was possible that his tentative movements were because he could smell the ordeal that she'd just been through.
After Carol scratched Dog's head and his tail had begun to lazily wag back and forth with the reassurance that all was well, Daryl allowed him to push his way all the way through to the bed, and Carol patted the mattress. Dog's front paws came down delicately beside her, and he sniffed the air around her while she patted him.
"He's going to hurt the baby," Judith suggested.
"He's not going to hurt her," Carol said. Her hand, though, put up a barrier to keep accidents from happening. She allowed Dog plenty of room to sniff at the infant without coming into contact with her face or delicate skin. After he nosed around a moment, Dog seemed satisfied if not a little disappointed. His brand-new little human wasn't nearly as exciting as he'd thought she might be, and he left of his own volition to circle around, hop up on the bed, and lie with his head on top of the blanket—just where it covered one of Carol's feet. Daryl patted the dog's head and watched as Henry made his way over with just about the same general tentative nature that Dog had shown.
The look of tenderness that Carol gave her son was so warm that Daryl felt his own temperature rise in response to simply seeing it.
"Mom?" Henry asked. He didn't elaborate, but Carol's look of tenderness said that he didn't need to.
"You came to see your little sister?" Carol asked. She readjusted, taking the baby back fully from Judith and moving the infant's body entirely into her arms again.
"Are you OK?" Henry asked. It was immediately clear that his interest in the baby was only secondary to his interest in his mother. Carol reached her hand toward him and he sat down on the side of the bed. She touched his face and he held her hand.
"I'm fine," she assured him. "Don't you worry about me."
"Promise?" Henry asked.
Carol laughed quietly.
"Promise," she said. "I'm tired. I am. But—it's a good tired."
"And just as soon as everybody meets Aurora," Daryl said, "we're gonna get'cha some rest." From his spot at the foot of the bed, Daryl patted Carol's leg.
"Aurora?" Henry asked.
"Here," Carol said, offering him the baby. She helped Henry get her adjusted, her hands trailing after Aurora until she was satisfied with Henry's position. "Hold her head like that. Be careful with her neck. Daryl picked her name, and I think he did a wonderful job."
"Aurora is a very regal name," Ezekiel offered. He'd slipped into the room, but he was keeping close to the door, and near where Michonne had chosen to stay to keep from overcrowding Carol and the baby.
"I picked it because she was the beginnin' of…all this," Daryl said. "The start of…us…and of us really building our life together. Our family together."
Immediately, Daryl felt a little uncomfortable. The start of this was, in actuality, the end of the relationship between Carol and Ezekiel—whatever it had been. When Daryl looked at Ezekiel, though, he looked pleased rather than angry. A few months had started to change things and, from the looks of it, endings just gave way to new beginnings. It was a tale as old as time, really.
And Daryl didn't miss that, hunkered tightly into a corner, Michonne's hand rested naturally in Ezekiel's.
"And I gave her Grace," Carol said. "Just because…it feels like she was a gift to me."
"To all of us," Daryl said quickly. Carol smiled at him, and he could see tears welling in her eyes. He knew she was thinking a great deal about Sophia. He'd expected it to come, and he expected that it would keep coming for some time as they watched Aurora grow.
"She is a gift," Michonne said, straightening up and coming over to Henry with her arms out. "Now—let me see this baby. I haven't gotten to really see her. Not since she's been cleaned up."
Henry looked a little relieved to relinquish her to Michonne, and Michonne nuzzled her forehead. Aurora was tired and sleeping well through her passing around, for the most part, but she did start to fuss a little—one of the first signs that she might soon tell their guests that it was time to go.
"She's so beautiful. Oh—this makes me want another one," Michonne admitted.
"Stranger things have happened," Ezekiel offered from the corner with a laugh.
Michonne carried the baby over to him, and Daryl watched the transfer as he took the little girl into his arms. He held her carefully, and smiled at her.
"Such a blessing," Ezekiel mused. "On all our kingdoms." When Aurora, finally tired of being passed around or, perhaps, finally wanting her first meal in the world, began to fuss, Ezekiel tried to gently rock her and soothe her, but she wasn't feeling receptive of his efforts. He started back toward the bed with her. "I believe the little Aurora misses her mother and tires of my company," he teased, easing her into Carol's arms.
"Is it bad to say that—I was starting to miss my baby?" Carol responded.
"She's beautiful," Ezekiel said. "And I'm pleased that you are so well."
He placed a soft kiss on Carol's forehead. A small piece of Daryl rose up inside him at the gesture, but another piece calmed him quickly. Daryl realized that the kiss, as it was, had been nothing more than the same kind of gesture that Michonne sometimes gave Carol these days when he spied a quick kiss to a cheek. It meant nothing more than the loving squeeze that Carol gave to Ezekiel's hand as she caught it when he started to pull away.
This was a world where loss was common and expected. Love and connection needed to be honored, celebrated, and cherished.
Ezekiel straightened up, offered his congratulations to Daryl, and made a gesture toward Michonne that she clearly understood without any problem.
"I believe Aurora getting tired of everyone's company," Michonne said. As though she heard her and wished to support her declaration, Aurora began to raise her voice in a loud protest of everything she deemed wrong with the world. Michonne crossed the room to rouse Judith and, under Michonne's instructions, Judith placed a kiss of her own on Carol's cheek before kissing the top of the baby's head—a baby who was very much working herself into a tizzy and leaving all her guests with the memory of just how loud she could be if they dared to inconvenience her too long.
The baby's misery was so pathetic that the last of the goodbyes and congratulations were quick and tossed back at Carol and Daryl as everyone escaped the room, declaring that they could let themselves out of the house. Aurora's cries were so loud and disgruntled, in fact, that Dog followed their guests out of the room and down the stairs.
Left alone, the baby's cries hushed almost immediately as her mother introduced her, for the first time, to her breast and helped her get situated so that she could feed. She sucked much more ravenously than Daryl had expected, and he moved closer to Carol on the bed and leaned somewhat over the love of his life and his child, marveling at such beautiful details as the delicate tears suspended on Aurora's closed lashes.
Daryl let his eyes drift up to Carol's face and, for just a moment, he was certain that nothing else existed in the whole world. She was, for that moment, entirely lost in the baby in her arms.
Their baby.
Daryl was almost surprised when Carol's eyes met his and she smiled.
"What?" She asked quietly.
"I'm just thinking what a lucky ass man I am," Daryl said. She smiled.
"I'm a lucky woman," Carol said.
"I mean it," Daryl said. "I'm just thinkin'—I'm so glad I'm here right now. With you. And you're OK, and she's OK. And this is my life. My real…my real life. And I'm just glad my dumb ass didn't miss it."
Carol laughed quietly.
"So—you're saying you're glad I dragged the Wildman out of the woods?" She asked winking at him.
Daryl's face grew warm, but he mirrored her wink and her smile.
"I'm glad you let me topple the queen off her throne," Daryl said.
"I fall for you a little more every day," Carol said.
Daryl reached and gently brushed his fingertips against the top of Aurora's head. Then, he let his fingers find Carol's hand. He held it, and brought it, finally, to his lips where he pressed a kiss.
"That's fine, woman. Just know—I'm already all the way down here. So, I'll always be here to break your fall."
