Chapter Two: A Promise Kept
Beth felt like she had been in labor for days but in reality it had only been a little over fourteen hours. It had started early that morning when she awoke to sharp, stabbing pains that went all the way through to her back. She felt like she was going to be sick. "Daryl." Beth said as she prodded his side. "Daryl get up." she said. Daryl blearily opened his eyes but immediately perked up when he saw how pale Beth looked. "What's wrong?" Daryl asked frantically as his hand went to her swollen belly. "Is it tha baby?" Beth nodded her head. "I think it's almost time." she panted as another sharp pain hit. "I gotta go to the bathroom." she slowly breathed out. Daryl was on his feet in a flash helping her gingerly raise herself up from the bed. Once she was on her feet she leaned her head against his chest long enough to get her balance. Daryl kept his arms around her as he slowly helped her to the bathroom.
All of the sudden a warm gush of fluid started trickling down Beth's legs. This was it. She knew she was in labor. "Daryl..." she breathed out heavily. "My water just broke. Get Maggie...we've gotta get to the clinic." Daryl didn't say anything but his blood was frozen in terror. Instead of expressing his fear, he helped Beth lower herself into a chair in the corner. "I'll be back." he told her kissing her lips. She gave him a watery smile as he pushed her sweaty hair from her face. He knew she was in pain and his heart was in turmoil over what lie ahead of them. He began silently praying to God for Beth and the baby's survival. He didn't know what he would do if either of them died.
Within minutes, Daryl was back with Maggie. They both took hold of Beth's arms as they helped hoist her up from the chair. Another contraction rippled through her and she cried out as her knees buckled. Daryl caught her before she could hit the floor swooping her up in his arms to carry her to the clinic. She was in no condition to be walking. Beth locked her arms tightly around him as she whimpered into his neck. Tears were slipping down her face as her body trembled each time a contraction hit. Daryl kissed her temple. "You're gonna be alright sweetheart. You're strong...you'll get through this." Beth just nodded her head. She knew she was strong and she was ready to put up one Hell of a fight to ensure Daryl would be a father. But she was also realistic and knew there was a very good chance the delivery could kill her. She only hoped Rick would keep his promise to her and look after Daryl.
Now, hours later, Daryl sat by her bedside in the clinic and watched helplessly as Beth drew herself up and suffered through another contraction. Her contractions had only increased in length and severity as time went on. Beth felt like they were almost unbearable now. Finally after what felt like ages, her contraction eased up and she let out a ragged breath as she uncurled her body. Daryl's concerned gaze never left her form. As Beth continued to breath heavily, he took her hand that he'd been holding ever since they arrived and gently kissed it. "You're doing so good sweetheart." he whispered. Beth turned to look at him. She was pale with dark circles under her eyes and her whole body was drenched in sweat. "I'm so tired Daryl..." she murmured. "Ssshhh. I know sweetheart. But you're almost there. Ya can do this." he told her as he kissed her hand again.
About that time the doctor walked in with Rosita in tow. "Alright let's cross our fingers for 10 centimeters huh?" Daryl never took his eyes off Beth as she tiredly nodded at the doctor. She winced as he checked to see how far dilated she was. He gave her a wide smile. "10 centimeters. You're ready to start pushing." Beth and Daryl exchanged an anxious glance as Rosita helped Beth into position. Daryl got behind her on the bed holding both her hands as she leaned back into his chest. "I've gotcha sweetheart. You're gonna be alright." he whispered in her ear as she prepared herself to push.
With the next contraction, she was pushing as hard as she could. The pain was excruciating. She felt a searing burn that went all the way through her and she felt like she was being ripped in half. She screamed out in agony as she continued to push. "Keep going Beth! She's coming!" Rosita urged. Daryl was on the verge of tears himself. His heart broke when he heard Beth's cry of agony. He hated himself for doing this to her. Beth flopped back down into Daryl's chest. "I'm sorry I can't!" she cried as tears ran down her face. "Hey! Hey! Yes you can! Beth you're the strongest girl I know and ya made me a promise that ya could do this. Come on now and keep that promise to me sweetheart." Daryl begged as his voice began to quiver. And with that she leaned up and kissed him. "I love you Daryl...so much." she breathed out. Daryl had to blink back the tears as she began pushing again with a renewed vigor. She was screaming out in pain with each push but slowly she was making progress.
Beth had been pushing for over two hours now. The baby's head was almost out and so were her shoulders. Beth's entire body ached. Her legs were starting to cramp from being propped up for so long and she was fighting to keep her eyes open. "Daryl..." she panted. "I'm right here sweetheart. I'm right here. Come on now. You're almost there." he assured her. Rosita came and gently dabbed a cold cloth across Beth's forehead. "She's almost here Beth. Just a little bit more to get her shoulders out and then she'll slip on down." Beth weakly nodded as she drew her legs back once more. When the next contraction hit, she pushed with everything she had in her. She felt the tearing sensation again and she thought for a moment she was going to pass out. But she kept pushing and suddenly the intense pressure in her lower-body, which had caused her such torture for roughly the last seventeen hours, was relieved. She heavily exhaled as she tiredly sunk back into Daryl's chest. She looked up to Daryl's red-rimmed eyes as he looked down at her with such adoration she thought her heart would burst.
And then they both heard it. The shrill cries of their newborn daughter. They both looked up to the squirming infant Rosita now held in her arms. "Here's your girl." Rosita smiled warmly at them as she went to pass the baby to Beth. "Daryl...give her to Daryl." Beth whispered. She wanted Daryl to be the first to hold her. After all, she was already well acquainted with the little angel after carrying her in her womb for the last nine months. It was Daryl's turn to finally meet his daughter that she had worked so desperately to give him.
Daryl leaned down and kissed Beth on the lips. He gently extracted himself from behind Beth to scoot to her side. Rosita carefully placed her into his arms. He couldn't take his eyes off the little blonde-haired baby. She was the spitting image of Beth. His breathing hitched and the tears freely flowed. "Hey darlin." Daryl cooed. "I'm your Daddy." Beth's heart was brimming with love. She flashed back to when Daryl gave Judith her first bottle surprising them all at the tender display. Beth had realized in that moment that there was a lot more to Daryl Dixon than meets the eye. As Daryl cradled their daughter, he lowered his head to rest his forehead on Beth's chest. "Thank you...thank you." he sobbed into her chest. Beth gave a tearful smile and weakly drew her arms up around his shoulders but she sucked in a sharp breath when more pain suddenly hit.
The doctor, who had been cleaning her up, yelled out for Rosita. "It's a placental abruption. She's hemorrhaging fast!" Daryl's heart stopped. Beth was going limp and Daryl could see her fading away right before his eyes. "Beth! Beth sweetheart!" he frantically yelled. Rosita came and took their daughter from his arms as Daryl went into panic mode. "Daryl you're gonna have to leave. Let him work." "Like Hell I'm leaving her!" Daryl roared. Suddenly Beth whispered his name "Daryl...I love you...I love you...take care of her...please..." she whispered. And with that her eyes rolled back into her head and she went still. "No! No! Beth don't you dare!" Daryl was hysterical. Suddenly the doctor was on him "Mr. Dixon I'm doing everything I can to save your wife but you're gonna have to leave. I need the room. Go show the others outside your daughter." Daryl was sobbing and trembling. "Beth please..." he sobbed. Rosita gently took his arm and he reluctantly let her lead him out.
As soon as Daryl stepped out, Rick knew something was wrong. "Daryl..." Rick approached him tentatively with Maggie and the others behind him. "Is she..." Maggie cried. "She's bleedin awful bad." Daryl muttered with his head still down. Maggie was sobbing into Glenn's chest as Rick wrapped his arms around Daryl. "She'll make it brother. She's a fighter. She'll make it." Daryl didn't respond. He couldn't. This was his own fault. He should've been more careful. If she dies...Daryl couldn't even finish the thought. All he could do now was pray.
An hour later he found himself alone slumped on the clinic floor. He hadn't moved since he'd collapsed there after the shock was too much for him. Rick and the others were just in the other room to give him some space. The tears slipped silently down his cheeks. He choked on a sob and began whispering to himself. "Please...please God I'll do anything. Anything just...please don't take her. I ain't never had nothin in my shit life until her. And I can't...I can't live without her. So please...please don't take her." Daryl squeezed his eyes shut as more tears fell.
Suddenly the doctor burst into the room. "Mr. Dixon!" Daryl's head jerked up and he was on his feet in an instant. "How is she?" Daryl hesitantly asked too afraid of the answer. The doctor gave him a smile. "She's gonna be fine. She lost a lot of blood but we gave her a transfusion. Thank God we had her blood type or else she would've bled to death." Daryl let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "What the Hell happened to her?" he demanded. "The placenta was attached in the wrong spot. When it detached it ruptured which caused the hemorrhaging. Her oxygen levels and heart rate began to drop and that's why she passed out. But I managed to repair the rupture. She should make a full recovery and be able to have more children." Daryl's stomach clenched. No way was he letting Beth go through this again. As much as he loved his newborn daughter, Beth's difficult pregnancy coupled with the traumatic birth was too much for him. His heart couldn't take it. "Can I see her?" Daryl asked. "Absolutely. She's asleep right now and she's on oxygen to bring her levels back up but she's gonna be fine."
Daryl was lead to her bedside. His breathing hitched when he saw her. She was still incredibly pale and she looked so fragile now that her stomach was flat again. The oxygen mask on her face made it look worse than what it was. Daryl leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. He took her hand in his, careful of her IV, as he sat down. "Hey sweetheart. I'm right here and our lil girl's fine. She's getting to know her aunts and uncles right now." he chuckled to himself. He knew his daughter along with Lil Asskicker, who was already the apple of everyone's eye, were going to be two of the most spoiled little girls ever. Maggie, Rick, Michonne, Glenn...she had them all wrapped around her finger the minute they first laid eyes on her when Rosita brought her out.
Beth's hand twitched in Daryl's and her eyes fluttered open. "Beth?" Daryl asked. Beth's other hand came up to slide the oxygen mask off her face. Daryl caught her hand before she could succeed. "Nah. Leave it on sweetheart. Ya ain't breathin too good without it." Daryl told her. Beth shook her head impatiently and removed the mask anyway. "Daryl..." she breathed out smiling up at him. Daryl choked on a sob as his head fell to her chest. He nuzzled his face further into her as he cried in relief. Beth ran her hands through his hair and gently stroked his back. "Thank God" she heard Daryl mutter. He lifted his head to kiss her passionately and Beth could feel his tears mixing with her own. He finally pulled away and Beth assured him she was fine saying "I'm ok. I'm tired and sore but I'm ok."
Daryl quickly told Beth what had happened. There was a heavy weight in his chest just thinking about how close he'd come to loosing her. "Ya almost left me Beth." he said quietly looking down. Beth just smirked at him. "I already told you Daryl Dixon. I made you a promise that I'd make it and I always keep my promises." Daryl couldn't help the smile and breathy chuckle he released as he tenderly stroked Beth's head. "She ain't got a name yet." Daryl told her. "I was waiting for ya." he said sheepishly. Without hesitation Beth replied "Hope...Hope Dixon." Daryl chewed on his lip as he nodded his head. "It's perfect." he said being overcome with emotion again.
Beth's brow furrowed and Daryl knew she was hurting again. "Ya alright?" he asked with concern. Beth gave a slight nod. "Yeah. I want to see Hope though." Daryl nodded his head. "Alright. She's with Maggie and all the others right now. You just rest. They'll bring her in soon enough." Beth opened her mouth to argue but Daryl cut her off saying "Please rest sweetheart. Ya need it. Hope's in good hands. You'll see her when you're feelin better." Beth gave him a tired smile. She was exhausted and knew he was right. Daryl gently slipped the oxygen mask back onto Beth's nose and mouth. She squeezed his hand as she closed her eyes and gave in to his pleas. Daryl kissed her forehead again as he continued to hold her hand and stroke her hair. He was filled with love, happiness, and hope. Hope...like his newborn daughter's namesake. Beth was responsible for that. "I love ya Beth. More than anythin." he whispered to her. He laid his head down on the bed snuggling into Beth's side with her hand still in his. He then found himself also breathing out the words "Thank you" to her again because Beth Greene had been his salvation and for that he was truly thankful.