Megan Grimes, thirty two years old and pregnant with her first child. It should be a happy time for her but instead she's fighting to survive with her sister in law and nephew. What happens when Daryl becomes overly protective of the mother to be?
Definition of BASTARD before anyone gets on my case about using it: a person born of unmarried parents; an illegitimate child.
-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-
A few days after the birth of Matthew and the happiness of having him there had died down for Megan.
She was sore and exhausted from giving birth to him, she was feeding him herself with no use of formula which helped a lot. It meant they wouldn't have to go on regular supply runs for formula and there would be plenty for Lori and her baby if she wasn't able to breast feed. The only problem was it meant no one could take over and feed Matthew during the night.
By the fifth day she had, had enough. Matthew was crying hysterically even after she had fed, burped and changed his diaper. She tried to sooth him by rocking and singing to him but nothing would work.
She didn't know why she did it but she laid Matthew down in the make shift cot walked out of the cell and left him to cry.
She could hear people calling after her but she ignored them as she headed down the tombs. No matter how far she went she could still hear the cries coming from Matthew. She didn't know if it was all in her head or if his screams really did travel all the way to the other side of the prison.
"Shut up!" She shouted into the empty corridor.
She began pacing up and down trying to get rid of the noise but it wouldn't go away.
She didn't hear the sound of footsteps approaching or someone calling her name. She only realised someone was there when she walked into a warm body.
She screamed and jumped back.
"What do you want?" She snapped at Daryl who was looking down at her.
"Came to see how you were." He replied as he steadied her on her feet.
"I'm fine now leave me alone." She ordered.
"I don't think so!" He suddenly snapped. "What do you think you were playing at just leaving Matthew in your cell on his own?" He asked.
"He wouldn't stop crying. No matter what I did he wouldn't stop! I'm no good at this, I'm failing." She said sadly.
Tears were burning her eyes but she refused to let them show. She turned her back to Daryl and began walking away again.
"Matthews fine now. He quietened down when I held him. Ricks got him now."
"Whatever." She muttered before walking away again.
She didn't hear Daryl following her thankfully. She walked past cells which still had walkers locked inside. She took her anger out on them along with any strays that had made it into the tombs. They had cleared them out but she had gone further than the others had.
She continued her path down the corridors. She could hear the groans of the walkers getting closer and the shuffling of their feet. She approached with her hatchet ready until she could see them come around the corner.
There was more than she had anticipated, fifteen from what she could count.
"Shit." She muttered before running back the way she came. She forgot which way she had come, the corridors became and maze and the groans of the walkers were drowning out her thoughts, making her forget which way she came and which way was a dead end.
She ran down a long corridor, one she recognised. She sighed in relief when she saw the sign for the library indicating she was close to the cell block until she felt arms wrap around her body. She was being dragged backwards. Before she had the chance to scream she was pressed up against a metal door face to face with Daryl.
He didn't look happy at all.
"What the hell were you playing at?" He hissed.
He was so close she could feel his breath in her face. She was panting from running down the corridors, she didn't know what to say to him. Instead she pushed him away and slid her back down the door until she was sat on the cold dusty floor.
"You've honestly not got anything to say?" He asked. "You left you kid alone which was stupid enough. Then you decide to go down a bunch of unknown corridors trying to get yourself killed!" He snapped.
"Nothing to say." She spat back.
He huffed and turned his back to her. "You don't care about your own kid then?" He asked.
"He isn't mine."
"W-what?!" He asked confused. "Of course he's yours! Are you going mad?" He asked.
"He's not just mine though is he." She said standing up. "H-he looks like him already, like that asshole that left me to do this by myself." She shouted angrily.
"A walker got him right? It isn't his fault. I may not have known him but any man would be mad to desert a women like you, especially while pregnant! I know most of the story and it was an accident. It couldn't have been stopped. More people have died than survived Megan!" Daryl snapped.
"Just shut up! Just shut up!" She screamed. "You know nothing about me, my husband or my child!" She snapped.
"I know that your self pity is going to get yourself killed, I know that if you continue to abandon your son he will either die or be raised by someone else!" He snapped.
She laughed. "Like you?" She mocked.
"Yeah like me, at least I care about him! Dammit even Merle cares about that little boy!" He snapped.
"Well you have him! You take off with him and don't bring him near me! I can't look at him and be reminded of Matthew constantly! I thought it would be okay but it's not! I thought I was moving on.." She finally let the tears fall as she fell to the floor once again.
Daryl crouched down in front of her looking angry but upset. He grabbed her shoulders and forced her to look at him. "He needs his mother, he needs you. Matthew is gone and I have no idea how that must have felt, or how it feels seeing him in your son but all this that you are doing isn't good for either of you. You need to pull yourself together and be a mother."
"I can't do it Daryl." She cried.
He hesitated slightly before pulling her to his chest. She wrapped her arms around his waist as she cried.
"You can Megan, me, Rick, Carol even Merle will all be there to help you. I'm not going to let you do this on your own. I promise."
Megan said nothing in return. She just cried until finally moving back to compose herself.
"You going back, to the cells I mean, to your son?" He asked.
She nodded.
"Let me go first make sure you didn't bring any walkers down with you."
She looked down a the floor embarrassed and ashamed by her behaviour.
Daryl kept his guard up while walking back to the cell block. He didn't say anything until they arrived.
They walked into the cell block and all eyes were on them.
Rick gasped at the sight of Megan. She as covered in walker blood and her face was still stained with tears.
No one said anything as she walked to her cell. When she came back she had changed her clothes and wiped majority of the blood if her hands and face.
She ignored the stares as she headed towards Beth who was holding Matthew.
Beth looked at Rick as if seeking permission to hand Matthew over to Megan.
He nodded and Beth handed Matthew to Megan.
She cradled him in her arms before walking back to her cell again saying nothing.
When they heard the cell door close Rick looked at Daryl who was stood awkwardly by the door.
"What happened? You've been gone ages."
"Think she's depressed or some shit." Daryl answered running the back of his neck.. "She said she doesn't feel like his Mom and can see Matthew in him."
Rick frowned.
"She um..she's mad at Matthew for dying and leaving her alone with a baby."
"She said that?" He asked.
"More or less." Daryl replied.
"If she's depressed it will only get worse if she doesn't get treatment." Carol spoke up. "After I had Sophia I.. I had to take some pills, doesn't matter who you are you can still become depressed."
Rick nodded. "I'll sort it."
"Great another run for no reasons.." Lori muttered.
"What did you just say?" Daryl snapped stepping towards her. "There's a damn good reason for every run we do. We wouldn't risk our lives unless! Just remember we will be risking our lives for your bastard baby that was conceived after the outbreak began because you were "struggling to cope with the loss of your husband" so you had it off with his best friend!" Daryl snapped angrily.
You could have heard a pin drop from the silence in the room.
"I think that's enough now Daryl." Rick said calmly after the shock wore off.
Daryl said nothing as he headed off up the metal stair case and towards Megan's cell.
Megan was sat on her bed rocking Matthew gentle. She wasn't looking at him though she was staring at the all ahead.
"Can I come in?" Daryl asked.
"Of course." She replied.
He entered the cell and sat down beside her.
"You're going to be okay now ain't you? No more risking your life down in the tombs?" He asked.
"No, I'm good." She replied.
He nodded. "Good."
"Daryl..." She began.
He looked at her. "Yeah?" He asked.
"Y-you know after I had Matthew, like right after?" She asked.
He nodded knowing where this was going.
"Did you tell me you loved me? Or did I imagine it?" She asked.
She knew she didn't love Daryl, maybe not yet but she knew she felt for him more than a friend. She still loved her husband and to her it felt like she as almost cheating on him even though he was dead. Maybe if Daryl did feel that way it could be a new start for her, having Matthew had brought back all the grief for Matthew once again but being with Daryl, being comforted by Daryl was something else, something she couldn't explain.
"Yes, no...I mean I said it but I don't know why..." He trailed off. "Maybe it's because of all those shitty drama shows I was made to watch before the outbreak, you know where they have a little baby and then everything's all happy and everyone's in love." He chuckled nervously.
"So you don't love me?" She asked.
"No..yes..your my friend..so you know I love you like a friend I guess." He replied although he sounded unsure.
"Like a friend..." She repeated without the enthusiasm.
"Yeah.." He replied in the same tone. "Like a friend." He repeated.
~•~•~•~•~•~•~
Depressions a bitch, I know..
Anyway, shit chapter sorry..hopefully the next one will be better.
next chapter up tomorrow morning.
Thank you fur reading.
Frankie.