Chapter 32

"Mom? Mom! Mama, wake up!" Carol jolted awake when Sophia shook her shoulders. She sat up on the couch quickly her gaze darting around the dark room. Sophia's hair was a mess, and her eyes were tired from sleep, but Carol could tell from the bobbing balls of light flashing past her windows that the others were outside with flashlights, which meant that Daryl and Carl must be returning.

"Stay with Judy and Jenna," Carol urged. Sophia nodded, and Carol pulled on her coat and boots before rushing out the door, grabbing a flashlight on the way out. But as she followed the group with her gaze, she realized they weren't going to the gates. They were going to Tyreese and Sasha's house. Tyreese was backing the group with Noah, which meant they'd left to go back. A realization hit Carol at that moment. Sasha.

She picked up the pace and nearly smacked right into Michonne, who ran out of her house carrying Andre all bundled up in his coat.

"What's going on?"

"I don't know. I think it's Sasha. Take Andre to my house. Sophia's there with Judy and Jenna." Michonne nodded and hurried off, while Carol rushed up the path. Sasha's wails could be heard all through the house, and Tyreese stood frozen like a statue at the bottom of the stairs.

"Tyreese? What happened?" Carol asked softly, the soft light from her flashlight flooding the room.

"She's…she said it's time. I…"

"Ok," Carol murmured. "Ok. Just sit down on the couch." She helped him over, seeing his eyes widen as Sasha cried out in pain. "Ok. Good. Just wait here." She turned to go, but Tyreese reached out, grabbing her wrist. Carol turned to him quickly.

"That's my baby sister, you understand? I can't lose her." He was trembling, and Carol gave his hand a squeeze.

"Breathe, Tyreese. Just…Noah!" Noah and Beth were halfway down the stairs. "Beth. Noah? Can you two please sit with Tyreese?"

"She's hurting real bad," Noah pointed out, nodding toward the stairs. Carol bit her lower lip and nodded, getting up to go to the stairs and up to Sasha.

When she reached the room, Sasha was panting and crying on the mattress, and Carol shut the door giving her some privacy.

"God, it hurts," Sasha cried out.

"I know. I know. Just breathe, ok?"

"You've done this. How did you do it?" Sasha pleaded, gripping the sheets and twisting them in her hands.

"You just breathe through the pain. You focus on that baby. Bob's baby, right?"

"Bob," Sasha cried. "I can't do this without him."

"Yes you can! You can do this. You are strong, Sasha. You've made it this far. You can make it through this. You just have to breathe and focus on this baby. Can you do that for me?" Sasha sobbed but nodded, and Carol moved to wet a cloth in the wash basin by Sasha's bed. She gently patted down the girl's forehead, cooling her off.

"Have you ever done this before?" Sasha asked, as the contraction subsided.

"No," Carol admitted. "I haven't."

"Well," Sasha panted, "that makes two of us. But at least you've been through this part."

"Oh I have," Carol chuckled. "And I remember every excruciating second." She took Sasha's hand in her own. "And I remember that none of that pain compared to the joy of seeing Sophia's face for the first time." She squeezed her hand. "You'll feel it. That moment where the rest of the world falls away and only that little baby in your arms matters. No pain is bad enough to take that moment away from you."

Sasha winced in pain again, but nodded, letting Carol know she heard her, and then the pain intensified, and she cried out through the contraction.

"It's ok. It's ok," Carol soothed, gently stroking Sasha's hair. "Just breathe through it. That's it." All the while helping Sasha through her labor, Carol couldn't help but feel that unsettling feeling of worry over Daryl and Carl. Where were they? What was taking them so long? What if Sasha was bringing one life into the world while two other lives were—no. She couldn't let herself think like that. She had to keep focused for Sasha and her baby, and when it was all over, she could go back to her own worries. Right now, she had to help this baby into the world.

A chorus of joy rang out behind the door as Sasha's baby cried her first cry. Carol wrapped the little one up and promptly handed her to her mother.

"You have a daughter," she said with a grin, tears glimmering in her eyes as the tears streaked down Sasha's cheeks.

"Oh my God," Sasha whimpered. "It's you. It's you." She helped Carol wipe the baby off, and the little one fussed and let out a loud wail. "Is she ok?" The worry rose in Sasha's eyes, and Carol gave her a little smile.

"She's got healthy lungs." That seemed to appease the new mom for the time being, and she leaned down to kiss her baby's cheek.

"Hi Lily," Sasha murmured. "I'm your mama."

"Lily?" Carol asked gently. Sasha nodded.

"It's what Bob wanted to name the baby if she was a girl." Sasha smiled sadly. "He wanted a little girl so bad." Carol leaned over to gently squeeze Sasha's shoulder. "You did great." She watched the new mom cuddling her baby, and she thought back to Sophia's first moments. Those were happy times, and she could just about remember everything that happened that day. She wondered if it was that way for all mothers, if they could remember every last detail, down to the curtains on the windows in the room.

"You were right," Sasha breathed, holding her baby close. "I feel it. She's…she's everything." Carol smiled and nodded.

"Worth the pain, right?" Carol asked.

"I'd go through it ten times over if I had to, just to see her face." Sasha wiped her own tears away. "I didn't think I could love anybody this much."

After Carol had gotten Sasha cleaned up and covered her with a fresh, clean blanket, the sun began to filter in through the curtains, and Carol took a deep breath, moving to wash her hands in the basin. She peeked out the window, watching the early morning light chase away the shadows. She could see a gathering of walkers at the gates, who were no doubt drawn by Sasha's cries during labor.

Carol sighed heavily and dried her hands off on a clean towel.

"You up for some visitors?"

"Yeah," Sasha said with a sleepy smile, sitting up in the bed a little.

"I'll send Tyreese in first." Carol gave Sasha a smile and headed for the door, pulling her coat on as she went. The second she was in the hallway, she was bombarded by excited hugs and wonderings about Sasha and the baby.

"Tyreese?" Carol said with a beaming smile, "go meet your niece. She's pretty cute!"

"A girl?" Tyreese asked with wide eyes and an even wider smile. "She's ok? Sasha's ok?"

"They're great," Carol assured him. "Go on." Carol gave his arm a pat, and he hurried in to see Sasha and the baby. Carol yawned and stretched as she made her way down the hall.

"Where are you going?" Beth asked gently.

"There's a buildup at the gates. I'm going to go pick some of them off."

"Oh," Beth said softly. "But you've gotta be exhausted." She gave Noah's hand a tug. "We'll help."

"You don't have to do that. It's freezing outside."

"We're helping," Beth insisted with a confident nod.

"I'll get the coats and the knives. We'll meet you by the gates," Noah assured Carol. She nodded and headed out on her own, walking out to a small shed by the gates that housed a few necessary items for walker-picking. She grabbed a small crossbow, one that Daryl had picked up for Sophia on a recent supply run. She felt confident enough in her crossbow skills to use it this time.

She grabbed the arrows and climbed up so she could get a good angle. One by one, she took down about a dozen walkers, before the herd was thinned out enough that she could hop down and open the gates. Noah and Beth came to help, each of them taking out a few walkers at Carol's side.

When they were finished, Carol retrieved her arrows and made a mental note to clean them later, and she was just about to usher Noah and Beth inside and shut the gates when she heard the familiar revving of Daryl's truck engine.

"Is that….?" Beth's voice trailed off.

"Daryl." Carol's heart leapt in her chest, and she found herself standing on her tip toes, peering down the street in the early morning light, trying to spot him. The sound grew louder, and in a couple of moments, the truck came into view, speeding down the icy street.

"They're comin' fast. They're gonna crash right into the gate," Noah murmured, grabbing Beth's hand and pulling her out of the way. Carol moved with them, and as the truck grew closer, she could hear the brakes squeal as the truck swerved and spun on the ice, finally coming to a shuddering stop about ten feet from the gates.

Carol took off running toward the truck as Carl hopped out of the back, eyes wide, hands covered with blood.

"Oh God!" she cried out. She saw the tears in his eyes, and that was when she saw Daryl lying unconscious in the back of the truck.

"He came out of nowhere," Carl sobbed. "Daryl's alive. He's alive. But he won't wake up." The boy brushed his own tears away, sniffling and trying to be strong as he ran to Carol and clung to her in a desperate hug. Carol felt like the breath was knocked out of her, and she gasped as the world spun around her.

The truck door swung open, and a familiar face hopped out.

"Hershel?!" Carol choked out, gasping as she covered her mouth with her hand.

"Got knocked out," Hershel murmured rushing over to the truck. "Feral dog came outta nowhere. Knocked him off his feet. Hit his head on a patch of ice. He's been out since."

"Oh God," Carol cried out. "He's ok? He'll be ok?"

"Let's get him inside. Don't look too serious, but he's weak from exhaustion and hunger. Gonna need to warm him up. Maybe that'll get him woke."

Carol pulled herself into the back of the truck, gently lifting Daryl's head. He moaned softly in his sleep, and she buried her face against his neck.

"You're alive," she whispered. "Thank God. Thank God." She sniffled and pressed a kiss to his forehead, a relief watching over her at seeing him, but a new fear creeping into her heart as she watched his head loll to the side. "Please wake up. Please."

"Daddy!" Beth cried out, moving in to wrap her arms around his neck. He held her close, and he kissed her cheek, and he rocked her back and forth gently like she was still a little girl. "I thought…I thought…"

"I know," he choked out. "Me too, Bethy. But you're alright. You're ok." He held her tight for a few moments before looking around, eyes filled with worry. "Are they here?"

"Who?" Carol sniffled.

"My Maggie. Glenn."

"They're alive? Oh God." She let out a little sob. "Thank God."

"We were together," Hershel explained. "The three of us in the woods when we saw what happened to Daryl. I took off ahead, and then…when I looked back, they were gone. I need to go back. I just wanted to get him here." He sighed heavily and ran his hand through his white hair. "I left them. I left them behind."

"It's ok, Daddy," Beth offered gently, squeezing his arm. "We'll find them. We will."