Prison
Daryl walks slightly ahead of Rick along the railroad tracks. He's seeing some sign that he's thinking about launching a full hunt for if they can spare the time. The herds they've tried to get around the past few months have made looking for larger game a joke. And then he sees it. As Rick does. But where he sees something to avoid Rick sees potential.
And so they take a look and Rick has a plan. Of course he does. Daryl looks at the prison and thinks maybe he's right but he's not convinced yet. But still he goes along with it. Holding to Rick's plan, Lori opens the gate, closing it behind him and latching it, she then goes and starts picking off what Walkers she can. Whey the take the yard and they're all walking into it for the first time, their arms slide over each other as Lori passes through in front of Daryl. He smiles as he thinks of their past months together.
They'd been normal for the most part. And when summer had arrived again they'd discussed it and stopped sleeping together not ready for others to know. He knew she'd wear it happily but he wasn't sure yet. Didn't know how the fuck Rick would react so was leaving it until bump was born.
Bump, who the fuck would've thought that he'd be calling an unborn child bump and wanting to plant more of his own bumps in the woman carrying it? He didn't. Had never thought that the hard on he had for a pissy personality and long legs would develop into anything beyond a mild obsession.
Later that evening she tries to talk to Rick. Daryl watches her as he thinks of what Carol had asked. Had he and Lori truly hidden their relationship? As he rolls over on his side he sees Lori looking at him. Its summer, she's not cold. She doesn't need him to keep her warm. But she needs him. He can tell. And he needs her. Jerking his chin at her he watches that one in a million smile flash on and off her face before she mouths one word at him. Only one. But it makes him grin. Popeye. He finds himself mouthing back Olive. They close their eyes and sleep.
##########
A few days later Lori watches Rick walk away. She rubs her face against the flannel shirt she continues to wear. It doesn't smell anything like Daryl anymore but she still thinks of it as his. They'd shared it several times during the winter. It had taken a few weeks for him to admit he liked having her smell on him. She had no compunction about admitting the same thing to him. She missed sleeping with him. She missed being with him.
Tears prick her eyes. Tears of sorrow yes, but tears of relief as well, of joy. Because she is free. Looking down at her fingers Lori slides her wedding and engagement rings off as she stands there looking down at the sight in the yard. It's a sight she hopes to see every day for the rest of whatever life she has left. Taking her locket off, she opens it and slides the rings on and then puts it back around her neck. That will do for now.
Later that evening as the sun sets she walks out along the fence line with dinner for Daryl. He takes it from her and eats as he looks out at the forest. "We're through." Lori says simply. Though she immediately realises what a complete and utter cock-up she's just made of things. "Rick, Rick and I." She amends quickly.
Daryl surprises her by huffing a laugh around the food in his mouth. "I figured when I saw you take your rings off up on the walkway." He stopped and looked at her as he licked his fingers clean. Lori had stopped bothering with utensils when he was on watch or out and about when she brought him food. He'd never said anything but she knew he was amused that Carol still did it as did Beth when she brought him his dinner.
"You ready for people to know then?" He asks quietly as he continues to eat. Lori nods.
"I've been ready, it's when you're ready Daryl." She answers softly so her voice doesn't carry in the quiet of the night.
"You don't want to wait until bump's born then?"
Lori shrugs. "No, but if you do that's fine. She's yours now, not Shane's so it's your choice." She looks uncertain now. "Unless you've changed your mind?" She questions him.
Daryl simply reaches out his greasy hand and yanks on her braid pulling her in close, or as close as they can with a baby literally between them. "Don't be fucking stupid." He says before his mouth covers hers. Lori winds her arms around his neck and kisses him back.
She feels his greasy hand move around to hold the back of her neck and she doesn't care. He was hers and she was his, grease stains and all. Daryl pulls away as he hears footsteps and Lori sucks gently on his thumb as he cups the side of her face briefly resting his thumb on her lips. His very faint groan was music to her ears. She smiled as he pulled back and handed her his now empty plate.
##########
A few days later it is Lori outside as dusk falls. She lets the night slide over her as she smells nothing but blood. God, Herschel had nearly died today. He'd nearly been taken. And now, how was he going to help her? Her heart quaked at the thought she wouldn't survive the birth of bump. God, she had something more to live for, she did, something beautiful.
The night wraps around her much like the arms sliding around her waist. He pulls her back, cupping her stomach lovingly as he does so. She never thought she'd think of the word love and Daryl in the same sentence but here she was, doing just that. And he was loving, irritated, sarcastic, standoffish, mutinous, dangerous, funny, sly and still loving.
She loved him and she'd take him for however long she had left. Ignoring the tears wanting to burst forth Lori turns in Daryl's arms and heedless of anyone who could see she hugged him for all she was worth.
##########
"Maggie, you have to." Lori speaks through clenched teeth.
"No Lori, I'm not, I'll kill you." Maggie obstinately refuses. "You hang on, we'll get you back to Daddy, he'll get this baby out of you and keep you alive." She looks at Lori and Lori see's the desperation. She can't force Maggie, she knows it.
The pain tries to rip her apart again. She knows it's not going right, she can feel it. She looks at Carl. He is crying. "Baby, don't cry. I'll be okay." He hugs her and she hugs him back despite the pain of another contraction pushing through her.
"Mum!" He is almost in pain as she is at the thought he may lose her.
Suddenly Maggie is around the room like a wraith on a mission. She is back minutes later as Lori labours through a contraction again. "Carl. Let's go, we gotta kill what's out there so we can get your mother back to Daddy, no prisoners okay?" She questions firmly.
Carl stands and nods through his tears. Maggie hands him a hammer while she keeps a wrench for herself in one hand and a chisel in the other. Carl looks at her and in his other hand he takes his knife. He nods at Maggie and she nods back.
Lori can no more stop them than fly. She moans as quiet as she can through another contraction and watches them leave. Five more contractions pass before they're back, both covered in blood and flesh. Neither bitten.
Carl takes point as Maggie supports her as best she can. And they make their slow torturous way back to the main part of the prison. They have to stop frequently for Lori's contractions.
##########
Daryl's heart is knocking against his ribs. Lori, he couldn't find Lori. They'd shut off the alarms. But Lori was missing. A scream suddenly echo's and he feels his bowls turn to water. Herschel swings past him faster than he thought he could ever move, never mind that he was on crutches. Carl flies out of a doorway calling for Herschel and he grabs him as he and Herschel follow him back.
She is in labour and it's not going well. Following Herschel's instructions Daryl picks her up, nearly dropping her as a contraction contorts her frame. He ignores Herschel's words to her as he looks down at her. "Gonna be fine Lori, Vet here is gonna fix you right on up. Hold on now." He watches her blind eyes focus on him and recognise him.
"Popeye." She says. Just the one word but Daryl smiles.
"She's incoherent." Herschel sounds worried.
"No, its what she calls me, she's fine." Daryl answers. Herschel nods.
They settle her on a table out in the open so Herschel can move around her without any trouble. Beth had disinfected it. And then before Daryl can turn away she has grabbed his hand. "Don't leave me."
Stroking her hair back from her face he stands beside her. And then in front of everyone he leans over and kisses her on the lips. "Ain't goin' anywhere." He says no more, he doesn't have to. Lori reaches her other hand for him and Daryl grasps it too. He smiles when he sees her empty finger and leans down and kisses it.
He thought he'd seen a lot but seeing Herschel cut Lori open nearly killed him. Daryl tucked the baby girl in his arms as she bawled. He jiggled her like he'd done with relatives children over the years and sucked his pinky finger clean, digging his teeth under the nail before he dipped it into her open mouth. "Sure got a set of lungs on you don't you my baby asskicker?" He asked her with a smile.
Lori had passed out when Herschel had cut her open but she was still there. He watched as Herschel stitched her up and Beth and Carol cleaned up the rest of her. She'd come through, he knew it. She was strong, his woman.
He realises Rick is standing beside him with Carl. "Can we see her?" Carl asks. Daryl hands her to Carl as he looks at Rick.
"Congratulations." Rick says as he strokes a finger down the baby's cheek. He smiles and looks at Daryl again. "Congratulations." He puts his hand out and Daryl shakes it. They say no more. They don't need to.
"Daryl?" Herschel finally looks up having finished stitching. He lets Carol and Beth bind Lori's wound.
"Yeah?" Daryl moves to Lori immediately.
"It's okay, she's fine, we've got antibiotics to make sure there isn't any infection. Barring anything more complicated she should be just fine, though she won't want to laugh for a while yet." Herschel motions to the baby who is still crying. "You need to get her fed." Daryl frowns.
Herschel looks at Daryl, "You and Lori are together, you should be the one to feed the baby, with Lori's milk." He says.
Daryl nods. Turning he takes the baby from Carl and brings it to the table where they're going to keep Lori for the night so Herschel can check her easily. He sits on one of the cemented in stools and lifts the sheet exposing Lori's breasts. She's still small despite them being full of milk. Beth leaned over and pushed on Lori's other shoulder raising her and moving her breast so Daryl could move the baby's mouth over the nipple.
It took several tries before they succeeded but when they did, the silence was absolute in the evening of the prison. Just the wind in the trees, not even any Walkers could be heard in that moment.
And Daryl knew perfection.
##########
"There we go, bet this is gonna feel good." Daryl sits Lori in the plastic chair he'd put in the shower block. He turned on the water, just a drizzle and let it seep down over Lori's head and body.
"Oh God, that feels amazing. Though I do wish it was warmer, but beggars can't be choosers." Lori answers as she tilts her head back letting the water stream over her greasy and tangled hair.
Herschel hadn't let her move for some time afraid of her tearing her stitches. And then he wouldn't let her bathe. Lori knew she smelled like a Walker herself now, just as she knew Daryl didn't care. And she knew she couldn't put a price on that.
Daryl having stripped himself down now, lets her hair get wet and then steps into the spray letting it out a little more so it splatters down on Lori and bounces off her onto him now. He takes up the shampoo Carol had put out for them and squeezes a liberal amount on her head before he begins to massage it in. He grins and feels his cock jerk as Lori moans at his scratching her scalp.
"Cool it Olive, gonna make 'em think I'm fucking you." He says with a laugh. And he flinches at the slap she gives his thigh, high on his thigh. "Careful now, don't want to damage your favourite part of me."
"It's not my favourite part of you Popeye, not even close." Lori answers as she uses the soap trailing down her body to scrub her face and neck and then her arms. She takes the cake of soap Daryl hands her as he rinses her hair and then shampoos it again.
"Yeah?" What is then?" He asks. Lori smiles and stays silent. Daryl doesn't pester her for an answer. He knows she'll tell him sooner or later.
He finishes washing her, scrubbing her down being careful of her torso. He stands her up and washes between her legs last and then he lets her stand and hold onto his shoulders as he rinses her off in full. She refuses to sit again when he steps back to wash himself. Standing she reaches for the shampoo.
"Think I'm going to let you get away without washing that mop think again." She says firmly. So Daryl holds her while she shampoos his hair as well. As he rinses off he looks at her from under his lashes. It's a sexy look, he wants her even though he knows he can't have her. But she should still know that he wants her.
"Your mouth." She finally answers what her favourite part of him is.
And Daryl smiles at her with that mouth before he uses it on her. Lori's moans echo off the shower walls by the time he's finished. Rising Daryl leans in and kisses her, Lori tastes herself on him and she moans. "God, Daryl, I will never get enough of you." She wraps her arms around his wide shoulders, sliding them up to his neck and into his hair.
"Same goes Olive, same goes. Now lets get you back to bed. Herschel told me I couldn't take too long. He's liable to come looking." Lori snuffs a laugh but still hisses in pain. Laughing is going to hurt for some time.
"Yes, I've got a baby to feed and you've got a family to feed." Lori answers. She lets Daryl dry her and help her dress. And then she just watches as he dries himself and dresses. "I can't wait to have sex with you again, I want you inside me so bad." She says out of nowhere and flushes as she sees Daryl's cock jerk at her words.
"I want to be there, fuck you, make you come, watch you as I come inside you." Lori feels herself moisten at Daryl's words.
"You still want more kids with me Daryl?" She asks as he slides an arm around her, letting her walk back this time, but slow.
"Yeah Olive, as many as Herschel says you can have. He's already said you can have more." He stops and looks at her. "Unless you've changed your mind?"
Lori shakes her head, "No, I want kids with you Daryl, as many as I can have too. Carl and Judith need siblings, this world needs people to survive."
Daryl laughs. "So you're gonna be a broodmare then huh? Fucking sexy one you are too woman." He laughs louder at Lori's pathetic punch, sobering when she winces due to the pull on her muscles.
"We need to get you strong and fit, fighting fit. You still wanting that?" Daryl asks as they walk slowly.
"Yes, I still want that, let's see what Herschel says."
"Sounds good to me Olive, sounds good to me." They walk back their cell block and their room. Carl is lying down with Judith between him and the wall of their cot.
They both smile at the sight. He wakes and leaves them with her.
Their baby.