Katelyn was so still that Daryl was afraid to blink lest she slip away. She'd lost a considerable amount of blood and had to be transfused. Daryl's arms were folded, leaning on the bed next to Katelyn's head. His head lay with his temple pressed to his arms, watching her as she slept.
Tiffany made a nursery out of the office that connected to the room. A large glass window allowed her see both patients at once. She smiled sadly as she watched Daryl stand vigil at Kate's bed the last two days and hoped that she'd be all right.
Carol quietly entered the room, picking up a blanket that lay stacked in a pile. Shaking it out, she draped it over Daryl's shoulders, kissing him on the top of the head. He didn't move, merely looked up at her with eyes filled with worry.
"How's mama?" She asked gently.
His eyes filled with tears for a moment. Using the back of his hand, he wiped them clear.
"She's still unconscious." He said softly, picking up her hand again to lay his cheek against it.
Carol put her hands on his shoulders and laid her head on top of his.
"This is my fault." Daryl said, choking on the words.
"Oh, Daryl. This isn't your fault. Grace said that the attack probably caused permanent damage to her. There was no way of knowing with the equipment that they had." Carol explained, trying to make him feel better.
"But I should have been here." He cried out, tears now freely falling from his eyes.
"There was nothing you could have done that would have made this easier." Carol said, watching as he let his head fall forward into his folded arms and began to cry.
She watched his shoulders shake with the sobs and slid her arms around him, hugging him tightly as she would comfort a small child.
"She's gonna be okay." Carol comforted, "You'll see."
Carol kissed the top of his head and pulled away, looking toward the nursery.
Walking into the room, Carol looked down at the beautiful baby and smiled. She was on the small side, dainty and sweet. She didn't cry much, merely content with watching the world curiously and sleeping.
"May I?" Carol asked Tiffany who picked her up and placed her in her arms.
"Do you want to feed her? It's time." Tiffany asked, grabbing the bottle from the table.
Carol nodded, smiling through a sheen of tears as she looked down at the little miracle in her arms.
Daryl lay quietly, his head still tucked into his folded arms, when he felt a hand weave its fingers through his hair gently. Immediately, his head popped up and he saw Katelyn's eyes locked on his own. Stunned, he merely stared for a moment, not knowing what to say.
"Hi." He said softly, finally remembering how to speak.
"Hi yourself." Katelyn whispered back to him.
Tears of joy sprang to his eyes and he silently thanked god for saving her.
"I love you more than anything." He hurried to tell her as thoughts of never getting to tell her that had plagued him over the past two days.
Katelyn smiled lovingly at him but her face fell immediately as she realized that she wasn't pregnant anymore. Panic hit her and her eyes grew frantic.
"The baby…where's the baby?" She struggled, trying to sit up to look around.
Daryl grabbed her shoulders, pushing her back into the bed.
"Woah…woah…she's fine. She's okay. She's with Tiffany and Carol." He said gently, trying to calm her back down.
Katelyn laid back down but her eyes moved around the room hectically, searching for her baby.
"It's a she?" It suddenly dawned on her as tears sprang to her eyes.
Daryl smiled softly.
"Yeah. It's a she." He said, nuzzling her hand.
Katelyn began to laugh through her tears.
Carol must have heard them because she moved toward the bed, holding the precious bundle in her arms. Smiling brightly at Katelyn, she stood beside the bed. Daryl quickly moved the gurney into a slant and propped pillows up behind her so she could hold their little girl. She was impatient and reaching out so quickly, she nearly fell out of bed.
"Hold on a sec. You…relax. I'll hand her to you." Daryl said, reaching out to take the newborn from Carol.
Kissing her on the cheek, he smiled as he watched her eyes fall straight on his face.
"Here ya go." He said gently, easing their daughter into her waiting arms. She was still weak so her arms shook a little, so Daryl scooted in behind Kate so he could wrap his arms around both of them.
"Look at her." Katelyn's eyes filled with tears of wonder as she gazed down at their little miracle. Easing her finger into the baby's hand, she gently stroked the tiny digits, kissing each one.
"She's so beautiful." She said almost reverently, never having seen anything so amazing in her life.
Her arms were already tired, however, so Daryl slipped his under her own to help support her weight.
"Doc says that you're gonna be exhausted for a while. You lost a lot of blood and the C-Sections are harder to recuperate from." Daryl told her, noticing the trembling of her arms.
"Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?" Kate asked, looking up at Daryl who was gazing down into her eyes.
"No. You two are the most precious things in the world to me." He whispered, kissing Katelyn on the mouth before settling back against the bed so they could be comfortable.
"What should we name her?" He asked, watching her face.
She studied their daughter's face and immediately knew.
"Hope." She said simply, smiling when the baby looked at her.
"Hope Sophia Dixon" She added, looking at Carol who stood across the room with tears in her eyes.
Tiffany called out across the room to them from the doorway.
"You guys have visitors if you're up for it." She said, looking at Kate and Daryl for approval.
They both smiled, nodding at her.
Tiffany opened the door and gestured for everyone to come in.
Before too long, the room was filled with their family. Each and every member that had survived the world they lived in had become just that; family. Joy filled the entire group for once as they gazed on.
Rick stood by Carol with his hands resting on her shoulders, Andrea stood by Glenn and Maggie who were grinning at them, even Michonne stood there with an "almost-smile", Hershel, Tyreese…even Merle and Jackson, the guardian angel that brought Daryl home to her. They'd all slept in the hallway outside for two days, praying that for once, since the dead began walking, that today would be a day of miracles…
…and of hope.
Authors Note: I really hope you guys enjoyed Katelyn and Daryl's story. It was a lot of fun to write. If anyone has any requests, shoot me a message and I'll get started on my next story. Thank you for all your support!