A/N Last chapter. Hope you liked the story. I actually met someone who gave birth in the USSR years ago and was given ether, so I imagined that in a world where medicine was scarce, maybe someone would use it to help with the pain of a c-section if they could find it.

Ch. 33

'The right time' ended up being on the evening of the next full moon. It also happened to be the day that Daryl reached exactly eight months pregnant.

Carol had come to see him that evening, as she always did, and they'd made love. It was somewhat uncomfortable for Daryl still, but the feeling of being so close to Carol, so connected to her, trumped any feelings of insecurity.

It was a beautiful evening. There were cicadas making sounds in the distance and the moon looked huge. Summer was coming to an end, but the weather was still comfortably warm.

After cleaning herself up, Carol came back to Daryl's bed to lay with him. Being as big as he was, this was a difficult task, but she managed to squeeze next to him. As she rested her head on his chest, he sighed.

"You alright?" Carol asked.

"More than alright."

Carol smiled.

"It's a beautiful night, isn't it?"

"Gorgeous. Perfect, you might say."

Carol considered this.

"I could agree with that."

There was a quiet as the two rested together. While Carol simply enjoyed the time spent with her lover, Daryl was trying not to panic.

Tonight was the night. He'd specifically chosen this evening, just because it seemed like the right time. Something told him that it was the right time. Yet he was terrified. Terrified that he'd fuck it up somehow - ask her the wrong way, or something. Scare her off.

Or maybe the pendant wouldn't be enough. Maybe she'd want something more. Maybe he could convince one of the runners to go steal him a ring - a real, diamond ring - or something.

"Okay, will you please tell me what's wrong?" Carol asked. She could tell when Daryl was upset or worried.

"I...Uh…"

Carol sat up and looked him in the eyes.

"What's wrong?" She asked again.

Daryl reached under the mattress, where he'd been storing the pendant. He pulled it out and forced himself to sit up as well.

"Carol…"

Carol stared at him, eyes wide, wondering what was going on.

Well, it was now or never. Daryl took a deep breath.

"Carol, will you marry me?"

He held out the pendant to her and closed his eyes. He wasn't really sure why he did the latter action. Part of him was afraid to see her reaction, he supposed. If she were horrified it would destroy him.

Suddenly, he felt a hand cup his cheek and Carol's lips met his.

Seconds later, she pulled back.

"Of course I will," she said. "Marry you, that is."

Daryl opened his eyes.

"Really?!"

"Yes, of course! I love you, Daryl. I'd be honored to marry you."

Daryl couldn't help but grin. He slipped the necklace around Carol's neck.

"I'm sorry it's not more, but I made it for you- Amelie taught me how."

Carol picked up the pendant and looked at it.

"I love it. It's non-traditional, just like we are."

Daryl leaned in to kiss her again, but just as their lips met, he felt a sharp, agonizing pain.

"Ooh," he groaned, hand moving straight to his abdomen.

"Did the baby kick again?"

"No… Hurts worse than that," Daryl said, through clenched teeth.

"How much worse?"

Another wave of pain hit before Daryl could answer.

"...Fuck!"

Now he was breathing heavily. He'd never felt so much pain in his life.

Carol suddenly had an idea of what was happening.

"Daryl, I'm going to go get Marco. You just stay here, take some deep breaths, okay?"

Daryl nodded and followed along as Carol quickly showed him how to breath in, hold for a few seconds, then let it out.

"Good job. You keep doing that. I'll be right back, I promise."

Just as she got up to leave, Daryl reached out and grabbed her hand.

"Carol?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think somethin's wrong?"

Carol shook her head.

"I think, Daryl, that the baby's coming."

00

Carol ran as fast as possible to Marco's home. When she arrived, she knocked as loudly as possible and yelled for help. The doctor answered the door wearing nothing but a t-shirt and shorts.

"Carol?" He asked, "What's wrong?"

"Daryl. I think it's time for the c-section."

Marco looked at her as he thought this over, and it was then that Carol realized that she had likely woken him up. His hair was splayed in different directions and he wasn't wearing his glasses, as he usually did while working at the nurse's station.

"Is he in pain?"

"Yeah. I told him to take deep breaths, like they taught me to do in lamaze class."

The doctor nodded, "Alright. I'll come check on him. Let me get dressed. Go back and tell him that I'll be there soon."

00

While Carol ran back to Daryl, Marco dressed and considered the situation at hand.

Daryl's baby was not due for another month. While many children had survived births at eight months, his resources were limited. If there were complications, there might not be much that he could do. Hopefully, it was a false alarm.

00

"Marco's coming," Carol said, as she took her place next to Daryl's bed.

The hunter was covered in sweat and was breathing heavily. Carol took his hand.

"Come on, Daryl. Like I told you. Deep breaths, hold, then let it out."

"It fucking hurts!" He hissed at her. "And it's a goddamn month early!"

"I know, I know," Carol squeezed his hand, "It's going to be alright. You need to try to stay calm, though. Marco will be here any moment."

Carol was right.

It wasn't long before Marco arrived, dressed and ready to work.

"Daryl," He said, motioning for Carol to move over so he could get a look at his patient. Carol complied and stood up, but refused to let go of Daryl's hand. "Carol tells me that you're in pain?"

"Yes…It's horrible!"

"How long has it been bothering you?"

"It's only been this bad for a little while, but it hurt a little bit on and off today."

"I see. Did you tell any of the nurses?"

"No. I'm always - agh-" he flinched as another wave of pain hit, "- always uncomfortable, thought it was just some new symptom."

"Ah. Alright, then. Where exactly does it hurt?"

"Here," Daryl put a hand on his lower stomach, near his pelvis, "And in my back, too."

Suddenly, Daryl's breathing calmed. Marco looked at him.

"Did it stop?"

"Yeah. Sorta. It's not as bad now."

"Alright. I'd very much prefer not to do the c-section now, as the baby still has another month left to go, but if necessary, I'll perform it. I would suggest waiting to see what the next few hours bring. If the pain continues off and on, or if it gets worse, I'll operate. If I had better equipment, I could tell you more, but I'm going off of his symptoms alone."

"Can she - the baby - can she live if she comes early?" Daryl asked, not bothering to hide the nervousness in his voice.

"It's possible," Marco answered, honestly. "It would be better if we had incubators and other support systems in place but I've seen mothers give birth at eight months and have their children survive."

"But you've seen them die, too."

"...Yes," Marco replied. "But you should try to stay calm. If it helps, I'll stay up here with you both. If nothing changes, come morning, when Amelie and the other nurses arrive, we'll reassess everything and see what to do from there."

00

The next few hours were calm. Daryl's pain returned, but it wasn't as bad. It came on and off, in waves, but even Daryl was starting to think that perhaps it was a false alarm. Maybe he or the baby had moved in a strange way.

Then, as the sun rose, the agony returned.

Marco, who had fallen asleep in a chair near Daryl's bed, awoke when he heard Daryl yelling.

"Daryl! Calm down!" The doctor ordered, standing up. Carol was awake now, too, and was again holding Daryl's hand.

"He's right," Carol said, "You need to stay calm. Deep breaths, like I showed you."

Right then there came the sound of footsteps. Amelie and another nurse had arrived for their shifts.

"Perfect timing," Marco said, motioning for the nurses to come over.

"It's time?" Amelie asked.

Marco couldn't help but frown.

"I believe so."

"It's going to be okay," Carol tried to reassure her lover, noticing that his face seemed to have drained of all color. He was obviously scared.

"Please, if it comes to me or the baby, save the baby," he begged Marco.

Marco gave him a sad smile.

"Hopefully, it will not come to that."

"But if it does, please. Promise me."

Marco sighed.

"I promise," he said, softly.

Amelie and the other nurse went to gather whatever supplies they had that might be of help. They returned shortly with a tray of instruments including a scalpel, towels and a small bottle of liquid.

"Make it stop," Daryl hissed, as another wave of pain hit him. "Please, make it stop!"

Daryl was gripping Carol's hand so hard that she thought he might break it, but she didn't complain. If it somehow helped him then it was worth it to her.

"Please make Daryl comfortable," Marco addressed Amelie. "I'm going to wash up."

Daryl watched as Amelie removed the top from the bottle of liquid and poured a small amount onto a towel.

"Daryl, you need to take a deep breath," she instructed, holding the towel over his mouth and nose.

Daryl did as he was told, then repeated it on Amelie's command. Soon, his arms fell limp and his eyes began to close.

"What the hell did you give him?!" Carol asked, angrily. She'd never seen anything like that before.

"Ether. It's the only anesthetic we have," Amelie explained.

"Isn't that going to hurt him? And who the hell makes ether anymore?"

"The other option is holding him down and hoping he doesn't move when Marco operates," the other nurse - a young, black woman, told her.

"Ugh." Carol leaned over and looked at Daryl's face. His eyes were half open, half closed. He seemed to be somewhat awake.

"Daryl, can you hear me?"

"Mmmm," he sighed, in response.

"Alright. You just keep relaxing. Marco's coming right now."

Marco arrived wearing a set of blue plastic gloves.

"The instruments have been sterilized?" He asked the nurses.

"Yes," both answered at once.

"Good. Amelie, I'll need you for cleanup. Sherise, I'll need you to be ready for when I retrieve the child."

Both nurses nodded in agreement and watched as Marco began the procedure.

00

Daryl didn't scream or yell or even really do more than flinch as Marco cut into him. Carol didn't want to look, but she felt that she couldn't turn away, either. Deep inside she prayed that the baby would be alright, that there wouldn't be any complications and that they could all live happily together.

"Oohh," Daryl groaned, as Marco began to remove the infant. "...Hurts…"

Carol frowned, "I know, Daryl. It's almost over."

Carol watched as Marco pulled the baby out entirely. Amelie cut the umbilical cord, but the baby didn't seem to be making any noise.

Carol's heart began to beat faster. Was the kid dead? Was it sick? What was wrong?

While Carol thought up these questions, Marco handed the baby off to Sherise, who simply turned it over and gently smacked it on the back. A second later, the sound of crying filled the room.

Sherise smirked and began to clean the baby off while Amelie worked with Marco to remove the placenta and clean Daryl up.

00

Not long after, Sherise returned with the baby, now clean and wrapped in a white towel. By this point, Marco was almost done stitching Daryl up and the ether was beginning to wear off.

"Fuck, doc, that really hurts!" Daryl said, as Marco continued to stitch him.

But any pain he felt was quickly eclipsed by the sight of the baby in the nurses' arms.

"Is that… that's it?"

Sherise smiled.

"She is a healthy baby girl. A very lucky baby girl, too. She seems fine."

The nurse handed the baby off to Carol, who held her up to show Daryl.

"Look at that! She's got dark hair, like you!"

Daryl looked at his daughter and grinned.

"I knew it," he said, under his breath.

"Knew what?"

"That it was a girl."

"She's very beautiful."

"I wanna hold her."

"You can hold her in a little while, after I've stitched you and you've rested. For now, let Carol keep her," Marco told him.

"Alright," Daryl agreed, to happy to argue. His kid - his daughter- was alive and well and was currently staring at him with her big beautiful eyes.

He couldn't help it. He lifted his hand to touch her. He couldn't help but smile as she reached out and took hold of his thumb.

"She's so tiny," he mumbled.

"She'll grow," Carol replied.

"Do you have a name picked out?" Amelie asked.

Everyone seemed to turn to Daryl right then. It hit Carol that they'd never really discussed naming the baby. She wondered if Daryl had thought about what he would call her.

That question was answered almost instantly.

"Yeah, she's got a name."

"What is it?" Carol asked, her voice nearly a whisper.

"Hope. Her name is Hope."

Carol smiled and kissed him on the cheek.

"That name seems absolutely perfect."