I do not own any of TWD characters. This chapter is not a platform for a vaccination/anti-vaccination debate – don't do it.

Em Meets Sam

"She's so tiny" Kelly smiled down at baby Emily. "Beth, she's just beautiful." Daryl's assistant had come by the hospital the next morning to run some papers by for Daryl to look at. Kelly walked around the room, ever so gently swaying back and forth to soothe the baby.

"Thank you" Beth was impressed at Kelly's apparent confidence with babies. "Who knew you were such a good manny?" Beth teased Kelly.

"Oh, I love babies" he admitted proudly. "My sisters keep us all hopping. I have seven nieces and nephews."

"I bet they love their Uncle Kelly" Beth gushed.

"I'd like to think so" Kelly laughed. "Beth, you feeling okay? Everyone at the office is talking about what a long labor you had?"

"I'm good" Beth said. "Honestly, though" she looked over at Daryl to make sure he was still absorbed in the paperwork Kelly had brought him. "I don't think I could've lasted much longer. I sure don't wanta have to do it again anytime soon."

Kelly laughed out loud at that. "I should say not!" Kelly then turned to talk some kind of foreign language baby talk to the little pink bundle he didn't want to let go of.

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The following day saw them being dismissed from the hospital and Daryl making the drive out to Negan and Lucille's with his newly expanded family. To say that he was nervous as hell in rush hour traffic would have been an understatement. Beth sat in the back with Emily just in case, well, they didn't know what, but Daryl and Beth both agreed that at least one of them should be back there with her.

Negan and Lucille must have been watching out the front window for them because as soon as Daryl pulled up in the circular drive, they were both out the front door to help get the threesome into the house. Morgan joined them quickly to assist in carrying in the few flower arrangements that he and Annette hadn't already transported from the hospital.

Beth pulled Emily out of the car seat and opted to carry her into the house with Lucille trailing behind. Annette was holding the front door open for everyone. It was a very exciting moment for sure. They all wanted to talk and hug and squeeze and kiss at the same time, but they didn't want to over stimulate a brand new baby, an exhausted mommy, and a stressed out daddy.

"Ya give Sam Em's blanket?" Daryl asked Negan.

Negan flashed his signature grin. "That dog of yours hasn't let go of that blanket since we brought it home. He sleeps with it, drags it around the house, brings it to the food bowl at meal time."

Daryl looked extremely nervous. "Sure hope he's gonna take to Emily" Daryl sighed. "Don't know what I'll do if they don't get along."

"My guess is that Lucy and I will hang on to Emily for you until she gets a little bigger" Negan winked and elbowed an unamused Daryl.

Annette had picked up on the conversation. "Oh now, Daryl" she told her son in law "don't go borrowin' trouble. That's the kindest, gentlest dog I've ever been around and that baby is an angel."

"Yeh, well" Daryl smirked "ya'll hadn't seen her when she gets all riled up – damn near cleared out our wing of the hospital last night."

Beth looked at everyone in the room and shook her head. "It wasn't that bad. Stop exaggerating Daryl." Beth was laughing though and having a hard time forming her words. "It really wasn't all that bad" she restated. Beth's giggles were telling another story though.

"Pffft" Daryl huffed out. "Between that toxic and fully loaded diaper and then her howlin at the moon come midnight, well I think I heard the call go out for a priest to come up from the chapel."

"That's not true at all" now Beth was full out laughing.

Lucille was laughing. "Daryl, surely it wasn't that bad."

"It was pretty bad" Daryl admitted. "I found a box of them surgical gloves and brought em home. I'm not changin any more diapers without em. Think I got some kind of chemical burn on my wrist from that diaper."

Annette had an amused look on her face as she cut her eyes to Lucille who was trying not to laugh. Morgan just plain looked scared to death.

"Yeh, I was never very good when it came to diapers" Morgan reminisced sadly. "Jenny took pity on me and never fussed too much at my lack of effort in that department.

Annette rubbed Morgan's arm affectionately before leaving for the kitchen. "I've got bread in the oven."

Negan rubbed his belly. "I've put on ten pounds since you two have been out here" he looked between Daryl and Beth. "I think Annette intends to finish me off."

"The woman can cook" Daryl agreed.

"Yep" Morgan threw in as an endorsement.

Emily chose that time to make her presence known as she began to squirm in Beth's arms. The increasing urgency of her whimpers alerted everyone to the fact that Emily was hungry and not a patient child. Beth quickly exited the living room and made her way to her and Daryl's room, taking a seat in a comfortable arm chair. Just as Beth began to feed her fussy daughter, Sam came into the room to investigate the new energy he'd sensed in the house – dragging that baby blanket along with him.

Daryl stood at the door and watched in anticipation at what would happen when Sam saw his new human sister for the first time.

"Sam" Daryl talked into the dog's ear and rubbed his belly. "We brought someone home with us from the hospital and I sure hope you love her as much as we do."

Emily had finished feeding and Beth had coaxed a not so tiny burp out of the baby girl. Beth held Emily out in front of her so that the baby was kicking her legs up at Beth.

"Come on over here Sam" Daryl told Sam as he gently pulled the dog towards Beth and Emily.

Before Sam joined Daryl next to Beth and the baby, he bent his head down to pick up the blanket. Sam then walked right over to his family, Beth and the baby in the arm chair and Daryl on the floor next to them. Sam placed Emily's blanket over the top of her and with his nose attempted to tuck the blanket around the baby. Emily's tiny little hand reached out and touched Sam's nose. Sam took in a good long sniff of his human baby sister, nuzzling her hand while doing so.

"Awwww, Daryl" Beth exclaimed with tears in her eyes. "They like each other." Daryl couldn't explain the relief he felt at that moment. Sam decided to plop himself down right there at Beth's feet as if he were telling everyone in the house that they weren't permitted to get near his baby unless he granted them permission.

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Oh, Daryl was trying to act like he had it all together, but deep down, he was scared shitless. He was grateful and humbled by this little bitty baby that they'd been blessed with. She was healthy and beautiful and tiny and pink. Daryl just didn't realize how tiny a newborn baby was going to be. Daryl worried about everything – was Beth getting enough rest, did he do a good enough job on that last diaper change, was she still breathing, crazy stuff like that.

On their third day home from the hospital, Beth had all but begged Daryl to go into work the next day. "Please Daryl" she nearly pleaded "I know there are things you need to check on. I know Kelly doesn't mind driving items out here to you 'cause that's how he gets his baby fix, but you've got to get out of this house."

"I can't just up and leave you and the baby, Beth" Daryl countered. "What kind of Daddy would that make me?"

"One that knows he needs to provide for his family by going to work and taking care of some business" Beth answered quickly. "You know there's plenty of help here. Momma and Morgan are going to be here for another week. Lucille and Negan are here – by the way, take Negan to work with you" Beth laughed. "You're both driving me insane."

So, that was that. Beth and Lucille sent the boys on their way to work the next morning with homemade lunches left over from last night's supper, courtesy of Annette Greene. "I promise we'll call if we need ya'll" Beth told them. Then she quickly closed the kitchen door and locked it.

Negan and Daryl looked at each other. "Well damn" Negan laughed. Before they made it home for an early supper, by the way, Daryl had called twice and face timed once. Negan had face timed off and on all damn day. Beth quit answering the phone the fifth time he tried to call in.

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Annette and Morgan decide that after two weeks, they'd go on back to their respective homes. Annette back to Georgia and Morgan to Florida – or so that's what they told everyone anyway. Beth wasn't buying it, but she wasn't upset over it either.

Daryl and Beth's apartment in the city was ready and waiting for them. Daryl and Negan had slowly been taking personal items into the city with them every few days and they'd stop by after work to drop them at the apartment. Both Daryl and Negan had a major meeting with an international client that afternoon that neither felt comfortable handing off to someone else. Lucille had come down with a summer cold and had sequestered herself to the upstairs for the past several days. That left Beth to get Emily to the doctor on her own – it was time for her one month check-up. Well, not exactly on her own. Dwight was going to drive her.

Beth didn't realize how nervous she was about traveling with and taking the baby for this appointment on her own until they were well on their way to the medical plaza where Emily's pediatrician was located.

"Uhm, Dwight" Beth worked up the nerve to get the man's attention.

"Yeh" Dwight looked in the rearview mirror to catch Beth's eye. "Everything okay back there?"

"Yes" Beth smiled at her driver, someone she'd come to consider more of a friend than just an errand boy. "I really hate to ask this of you" she hesitated.

"What is it Ms. Beth?" Dwight looked concerned.

"Will you come in with Emily and me?" she finally asked. "I just don't think I can juggle it all. The baby, checking in, taking care of the insurance stuff. I thought I had it under control, but I don't know" she said hesitantly, with a hint of nervousness in her voice.

"Want me to call Mr. Dixon to meet us there?" Dwight offered. He really didn't feel comfortable going into that doctor's office with Mrs. Dixon. After all, what would people think?

"No" Beth blurted out. "I told him I could handle it and now I can't. I feel so silly. He's in a meeting anyway. Never mind Dwight. We'll be okay."

Well, that's all it took. The defeated sound in Beth Dixon's voice just about did that rough neck in.

"Now Ms. Beth" Dwight managed to say with confidence. "I'll be happy to go in with ya'll. Just didn't think Mr. Dixon would think too much of it – don't want to overstep."

"Don't be silly Dwight" Beth reassured him. "I need help and both Negan and Daryl have told you to do whatever I ask you to do."

They were both quiet for a few seconds. "Did they not tell you that? Cause I'm pretty sure Negan said you were to do anything I asked you to." Beth wasn't being bossy or condescending. She was just trying to let Dwight how important he'd become to their family.

"Yes Mam, they did" Dwight finally answered her. "I'll go in – everything'll be fine. You'll see."

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An hour later found Beth trying to console both Emily and Dwight – she wasn't sure who was more upset over the Hep B vaccination little Emily had gotten.

"She'll be fine Dwight" Beth told them as they loaded Emily into the car seat. "See" Beth smiled at Dwight. "Em's already stopped crying." Beth wished she could say the same for Dwight as she saw him wipe a tear out away from his cheek.

"I believe that's the worst thing I've ever been through" Dwight admitted as he buckled up. "No lie – that was god awful."

"I'm sorry I made you go through that Dwight" Beth honestly told the man. She wasn't being sarcastic either. The poor man was devastated. "I'll make Daryl go next time."

"Yeh, don't imagine he'll take it any better than I did" Dwight informed Beth.

Beth figured that Dwight was probably one hundred percent right about that.

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Dwight delivered Beth and Emily to their newly remodeling apartment and made sure they were all settled before leaving for the day. Emily went right down for a nap and Beth spent the quiet time wandering around her new home. It was beautiful and she'd been looking forward to being able to be there with just her brand new little family for a long time now.

Oh, she loved Negan and Lucille dearly, but it was time for them to try this parenting thing on their own. She heard the rattle of some keys in the front door and then the distinctive cllckety click of doggy toenails on the hardwood floor.

"Beth" Noah called out. "It's me. I've brought Sam back!"

"Hey Noah" Beth smiled at the young man and dropped to the floor to give Sam some loving. "You're our first house guest!"

"I'm honored" Noah teased. "Can I have a tour?"

"You sure can" Beth giggled. "Let's peek in the nursery to check on Em – that's my favorite room I think."