A/N: Not so much Bethyl here, but there's Rickyl and Dichonne and Richonne :)

The Walking Deth - Part IV

Here and Home - Chapter X

Home

Winnie's eyes were warm and wide and bright, filled with innocent wonder and amazement. Austin's eyes were cold, drawn into tight, dark slits, and filled with hatred and anger.

If looks could kill, I would be rotting by now.

I didn't blame him for looking at me like that. I had believed him dead. I had been selfish at that moment when I had entered the bus and seen the lifeless bodies, and listened to Beth's repetitive wail. I had been too gutless to bear facing the grim reality that all the kids were gone. I had focused all my attention on saving the last person I thought I had left. And because of my actions, two young kids had been left alone to fight some god-awful terror in an unknown world.

I could see they had been injured in that crash. With the way that bus had tumbled through the air and crashed over the earth, there was no way they couldn't have been. Winnie's leg was now in a splint and wrapped in white bandages dirty and beginning to fray at the edges. Austin had a noticeable red line running from his eyebrow across his forehead and disappearing into his hairline, and a bandage wrapped around his right hand. Whatever other injuries they had must have been minor, judging by the way they had been skipping over the grass, lunging for the ball and smiling, before they had spotted me.

Winnie was the first of the two to make a move towards us, stepping her stiff splinted leg forward with a wide, right smiling eyes and calling "Momma!" In Beth's Direction.

Austin moved next, snapping his hand out and grabbed Winnie by the arm and then making a hasty retreat dragging the limping girl behind him.

Beth wriggled weakly in my arms, looking as if she was trying to get away from me, but pushing at me with all the force of a new born kitten.

"The kids!" She whimpered looking up to me with pleading eyes like she wanted me to let her go running after them. Only I knew if I let her go she wouldn't be able to run, she wouldn't even be able to stand.

I wanted to run after them myself, or to call after them, tell them to wait, or tell them I was sorry, but all that came out of my mouth was the senseless mutter of "Doctor."

Maggie appeared in my peripheral vision, looking towards the line of two story timber boarded homes, that the kids had ran towards and disappeared in between.

"Follow me." She muttered without moving her eyes form the homes as she stepped to the side, moving down the neat gravel road. "…did you know those kids?"

"Yes." Beth whimpered, clutching on to my shirt. "Take me to them. Please!" She pled turning her dull eyes up to me.

Typical Beth, she was on deaths door and more concerned about the kids.

"They ain't goin' nowhere." I swept her off her trembling legs and up in my arms, tucking her head under my chin and against my shoulder, in a n effort to discourage her from looking for the kids. "Le'me take care of you first."

The medical clinic was simply a single story dwelling, stripped of all furnishings but beds and a few cabinets, cluttered with dusty medical journals, bottles, vials and small boxes.

We were greeted by the familiar face of Jane, the seventeen year old girl we had met back at Terminus, now looking slightly older. The trip from Terminus to here must have wizened her.

"You remember Daryl and Beth?" Maggie asked presenting us with a wave of her arm.

Jane eyed us over in wide eyed amazement, looking as if she wanted to embrace us, but then focusing her attention solely on Beth. Stepping past us, she beckoned for us to follow her into one of the adjoining rooms and hurried to clear a space on a bed.

"Dr Cloyd!" She called towards the hallway, before turning back to us with bright eyes and a smile on her face. "What happened to you two?"

I dropped Beth onto the bed, groaning at the release of tension in my back. "Long story, all you need to worry 'bout now is Beth."

Pouting, Jane nodded and began arranging the pillows around Beth's frail looking body.

A woman with wild and curly red hair, and square rimmed glasses, came striding in, her eyes scanning over the pair of us cautiously and curiously and then resting on Beth, where they opened wide in surprise.

"What's wrong?" The Doctor asked stepping towards Beth and pressing her fingers against her wrist.

"She's been shot." Glenn called, stepping into the tiny room behind me with Heath at his back.

"She's my sister." Maggie added, as she shifted herself on to the side of Beth's bed and dropped a somewhat possessive hand on Beth's thigh.

Dr Cloyd examined the blood stain that had seeped through Beth's rose coloured medical scrubs and then tugged up the top and lifted the waistband of her pants to reveal the bandage with a growing circle of bright red blood. Her eyes shot over to Jane who was hovering by the bed, wringing her hands nervously.

"Get me my surgical kit, a bag of saline, the nitrous oxide and…" Her eyes drifted over the crowd of people and rested on Heath. "Roll up your sleeves; we may be needing more of your blood."

For some reason I didn't quite understand, I felt protective and somehow jealous. Glaring at Heath, almost with hatred, I growled. "I'm an O neg. She can have my blood."

Dr Cloyd, who was now cutting away Beth's bandage, regarded me with a frown on her face.

"Are you her dad?"

I sighed, frustrated that it seemed I was going to be asked that question by every stranger Beth and I met. "No I ain't." I growled.

Dr Cloyd, eyed me up and down carefully and then went back to tending to Beth, setting up her roll of surgical tools on the side of the bed besides Beth's body.

"We prefer not to use the blood of partners. Not for women her age anyway. Heath is our resident blood bank." She smiled warmly and affectionately up at Heath. "He is type O negative too. We know his blood is clean and healthy." She scanned her eyes over me inn a doctorly examination type way. "And you don't look like you're in any state to be giving blood."

"These will need to come down." Dr Cloyd said tugging at Beth's pants.

She called over her shoulder to the people filling ever space in the small room. "If you're not in love with the girl, and you're not assisting me, you need to leave."

Taking the hint, Maggie and Glenn nodded their heads in agreement and backed towards the entry hall. "I'm gonna go tell the others you're here." Maggie said flashing me an excited grin before disappearing.

Dr Cloyd nodded her head over towards a stool pushed up against the wall. "Why don't you take a seat."

My legs started to go all numb and wobble beneath me, as I suddenly remembering how exhausted I was from the one and a half hours of carrying Beth, the fear of losing her, and then the excitement of being reunited with the group.

I hooked the stool with my foot, dragged it close to Beth's bed and dropped down heavily on it, struggling to keep my balance. I took up Beth's ice cold hand in mine and brushed a kiss on the back of her knuckles.

Smiling weakly, Beth gave my hand flutter of a squeeze.

"I'll be okay." She murmured softly, a glimmer of light in her eyes.

"That's the last one." Dr Cloyd said, tugging on the length of nylon thread and tying a small knot that would hold Beth's red and inflamed skin together, and then dropping her tweezers into the nearby plastic tray that contained the .22 bullet and several small shards of bone.

"Is she gonna be okay?" I asked wearily, rubbing my eyes back to focus and then looking over the sleeping Beth. After one breath of the gas she had passed out. The doctor said more from exhaustion than anything else.

"Most of the damage is to her ilium. The hip bone." DR Cloyd clarified. "And the fracture has branched into her pelvis. The bone will take some time to heal. All major organs were missed, thankfully, but it did tear a rather nasty hole through the illacus, and there was some pressure loss in the abdominal cavity, but I expect it won't cause her too many problems." She smiled reassuringly up at me. "It was lucky you left that bullet in. It was holding a major artery. She would have bled out long ago if you removed it."

I glanced down to my damaged hand, for the first time feeling grateful that it had hindered me.

"Will she be okay with walkin'?"

Dr Cloyd frowned. "She may struggle at first. The pain will be the main problem. I'll have to give her some therapy. Lucky I was a podiatrist before the outbreak."

"A…foot doctor?"

"Yeah." She flicked her hand dismissively through the air. "We have to know a lot about the leg as a whole, especially the hip."

I was sure my tightening face revealed my sudden drop of confidence in the doctor.

"Don't worry. I've pulled out dozens of bullets in the past two years. Gunshot wounds, Fractures. Lacerations. Amputations. They're my specialty now." She said with a nonchalant shrug.

"She's a real good doctor." Heath asserted, staring up at the doctor while pressing his hand against the gauze strip held against his donation site.

"She'll be as good as gold, with a bit of love and care." She winked at me and then looked over at Heath. "We're just about out of antibiotics, you'll have to make another run soon."

"No we aren't." Heath replied with a smirk on his face.

"I checked last night all we have left is a few bottles of Amoxylin."

Heath shook his head. "I went out this morning. Me and Glenn. We got a surprise for you and Maggie."

Dr Cloyd quirked an eyebrow. "You know how I feel about surprises. And Maggie's in no state for them either."

"Trust me." Heath said "You'll both like this one."

Dr Cloyd groaned unconvinced, and then glanced down at my three fingered hand gripped onto Beth's at her side.

"Do you want me to take a look at that for you?"

Nodding I held it up to her.

She carefully pulled away the bandage and hummed thoughtfully.

"These stitches are just about ready to come out. Whoever did this did a fine job. I might even be able to make the fingers grow back."

I squinted at her, my face contorted in suspicion. "What?"

She giggled. "I'm just kidding. They're never coming back. But you'll find you'll get along just fine without them."

I thought back the urge to cuss at her and mumbled agreement under my breath. I had done alright using just the three good fingers on my hand, but I would have to start practicing using my left hand if I ever wanted to have the skills I had before.

"Why don't you take him to see Douglas?" Dr Cloyd asked turning to Heath. "He'll be wanting to talk to him, and they'll be needing a place to stay."

I shook my head. "Nah, I'll stay here, with Beth. That stuff can wait."

"She won't be doing anything but sleeping I assure you." Dr Cloyd said. "I need to watch her for a few more hours. So why don't you go see about finding her a bed for me to discharge her to when she wakes up?"

Groaning and stretching, Heath stood and gently tapped on my shoulder as he pushed past me heading towards the entry hall. "C'mon. No point arguin' with the doc. You won't win."

I looked up at Dr Cloyd, with her arms crossed and her jaw set firm and commanding. Seeing logic in checking out the place, finding out if the leader was in anyway insane, and looking for the rest of our people, I decided not to challenge her.

I bent over Beth's fragile sleeping body and murmured promises against her forehead that I would be back soon.

"Thanks Doc." I managed a smile for the woman with bad doctor humour who had saved Beth's life, before following Heath through the door into the main hall.

The hall had filled with several new bodies in the hours that Dr Cloyd had been working on Beth. Jane was walking between them, talking to them and taking down notes, looking very nurse like.

One of the patients that looked healthier than the rest stared up at me with wide eyed wonder as I walked past the row of sick bodies. He was wearing a policeman's uniform, sky blue shirt with navy slacks, a black utility belt wrapped around his waist, and a gleaming badge on his breast pocket. His face was clean shaven and his curly dark hair was cropped short.

I cleared my suddenly tight throat and forced out his name. "Rick?"

Grinning, Rick took a single step toward me and tugged me in for a hug, wrapping an arm around my waist and another over my shoulder. I held my body in tension at first, feeling awkward and uncomfortable being held by someone who wasn't smaller and softer than me.

I had never been hugged by a man before. My dad would never have even thought of it, and Merle would've called me a pansy if I ever tried hugging him. But Rick had always been a better brother than Merle, and it felt kind of nice, like he was sharing his strength with me.

I hesitantly crossed my arms over his back and gave him a fumbling pat on the back before dropping my arms and waiting for him to let go of me, unsure of the protocol for man hugs.

"How is she?" Rick asked, stepping back to reveal unshed tears glistening in his eyes.

I gave my face a quick rub in an effort to deter any tears that might try to make their way out of my own eyes.

"She's gonna be a'right." I smiled weakly, struggling to show enthusiasm. I was overwhelmed with relief at being reunited with the others, getting Beth to a doctor on time, and seeing the kids again, felt to emotionally drained to do anything but look sullen.

Rick smiled and gave my shoulders a re-assuring squeeze. "Can I see her?"

"She's sleepin' now. Heath was 'bout to take me to see this Douglas guy."

Rick looked to Heath over his shoulder and then waved him away. "I can talk to Douglas."

Looking relieved, Heath waved goodbye to the congregation in the hall and then made his way out the front door.

"You need to come and see 'Chonne." Rick said, sliding a hand into the middle of my back and urging me forward. "She waited for ages, but Judith got restless so she took her on home."

My heart kind of fluttered a little at the thought of seeing that little sweetheart again. "Lil' ass kicker." I murmured under my breath.

Rick pushed open the door and we stepped out on to the porch of the doctor's clinic and down the stairs into the bright midday sunlight. I examined the picture perfect street, the sounds of adult chatter and laughter and the squeals of playing children.

"The others will want to see you too." Rick said, leading the way forward. "They're all out doin' their jobs. We've all got jobs now. Like real jobs. Abe's on the wall crew. Bob and Sasha are runners. Rosita and Maggie help out in supplies. Michonne takes shifts up on the wall and Carl helps out when he's not at school." He tugged at the navy tie that hung down from his neck. "I kinda got my old job as sheriff back." He grinned up at me, eyes gleaming. " I'll be needing a deputy… Until Carl comes of age of course." He cocked an eyebrow as if he was suggesting that I could be a likely candidate for the role.

I couldn't help but scoff at the idea. Me. A lawman?

"Nah." I said with a shake of my head.

He chuckled and patted me lightly on the back. "Not now. Not today. Once you're settled."

"I ain't no cop, Rick. I ain't even good at followin' the law. I ain't never even had a proper job my whole life."

"Well." Rick placed an authoritatively firm hand down on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze. He's eyes fixed on my face, stern, as if he wasn't taking no for an answer. "Now you do."

All I could do was shake my head and smile, thinking about the time many months ago. The same day that Zach died. The same day I first saw Beth as anything other than a friend. Back at the Big spot, when Michonne laughed at the idea of me having such a job, and I didn't blame her.

"Don't look like there's much need for a deputy 'round here...Kinda reminds me of Woodbury." I looked up and down at the peaceful street, surrounded by the Pleasantville style white houses. It was certainly a good farce, if a farce was what it was.

Rick Shrugged. "You'd be surprised how many domestic disturbances I have to break up over nonsense. 'My neighbour drained the battery.' 'That kid kicked a ball at my window.' 'His grass is greener than mine.' You would think people had forgotten that the real threat is out there." He nodded his head towards the high concrete wall surrounding the town.

"And this Douglas. He a'right?"

"Yeah." Rick grinned as if remembering an inside joke. "He's a bit soft. A bit resistant to change. But all in all a good man. Certainly ain't no Governor."

Unconsciously my hand drifted to the bandage that covered the space where my fingers once were. "There're worse out there than the governor."

Ricks eyes flicked down to where my fingers probed the bandage then back up to my face with a look of wary caution in his eye. "What happened to you two out there anyway?"

"We rode right in to devils' lair and dined with Satan himself." I shrugged trying to look casual and nonchalant, hoping Rick didn't see the fear and weakness I felt. "Beth took care of him, but he's still got his minions out there."

Ricks eyebrows raised in surprise. "Beth killed this…Satan?"

Nodding I replied "Yep."

Rick made a thoughtful and amused sound, and then shrugged. "If he's really as bad as that, I would think his men would be thankin' you, not chaisn' you. Remember how everyone at Woodbury felt about the governor?"

I shrugged, Unsure of how strong their loyalty to their sadistic leader could be. I could only hope Rick was right.

Sensing my scepticism, Rick knocked me reassuringly on the shoulder. "You don't need to worry about that now; you're with your family." He smiled in an effort to comfort me, and my lips twitched a smile in response.

"I'll talk to Douglas personally." Rick went on. "He'll take you in without any hesitation. I'll get him to put you and Beth up in a nice house. Think the one next door to ours is vacant."

My lip twitch blew out into a full smile at the almost humours idea of being neighbours to Rick. Sure we had lived in close quarters at the prison, but being neighbours in an actual house; Borrowing lawn mowers and cups of sugar. It all seemed so surreal.

"We gonna have Sunday cook outs?" I mocked playfully.

Rick flashed me a toothy grin. "We do actually have those."

I tried to imagine things I had never had before, and never thought I would. Like neighbourly barbecue's and Beth and I sitting out on the porch sipping on ice tea and watching the kids play with Mix on the front lawn. The very idea of it seemed beyond ridiculous. I would at least need to get the kids to forgive me first.

"You got some kids come through here; sometime in the last two weeks. A boy named Austin and a girl named Winnie?"

Rick's brow creased in sudden interest. "Yeah I know 'em. They've been staying with 'chonne and I." Rick turned and pointed a finger. "See that house over there? The one with the blue entry door?"

I turned my head to the house Rick was pointing out; identical to the houses that surrounded it, the only noticeable difference being the blue door and a cockerel shaped weather vane on the porch. "That's our house."

"You and…'Chonne?"

"Yeah. Me, 'Chonne, Carl, Judith, and those kids."

I raised an eyebrow and smirked at his sheepish looking grin.

"It's not like that…it's for safety. Security." Rick said guiltily, making a hasty backwards retreat.

I nodded my head condescendingly. "Sure."

"It is. No point in her being in a house all alone, and I needed help with…"He waved a dismissive hand and turned back to the street. "I'll tell you all about it later. I gotta get back to doing the rounds. Someone mighta lost a kitten or somethin'. You best go see 'Chonne before she comes lookin' to kick my ass."

I watched him as he walked away with a grin on his face and a skip in his step. I couldn't remember the last time I had seen him look so happy. If this place was truly as good as it seemed, it was almost worth all the shit Beth and I had been through to get here. It would certainly make us appreciate it more.

I turned back to Rick and Michonne's house and made my way over the neat lawn and up the recently swept steps to the door with a welcome mat in front of it. I stopped before it and stared down, smirking to myself and shaking my head.

I raised my fist to knock on the door and hesitated. Even knocking on a door seemed weird. I hadn't done it for two years now. It almost seemed comical.

Before my knuckles had even connected with the door, it swung open and Michonne came rushing out at me, tugging me into an embrace almost as strong as Rick's. When she was done squeezing the life out of me she stepped back and affectionately slapped me on the back of the head.

"Don't you ever do that to us again!" She said in a firm, but humoured manner.

I lowered my eyes feeling uncomfortable with all the affection I had been receiving today. Not that I didn't like it, or want it, I just wasn't used to feeling loved so much by anyone but Beth.

A movement behind Michonne caught my eye and I raised my eyes to the tiny form with caramel hair, big blue eyes and rosy cheeks that toddled towards me.

"She can walk?" I dropped to a knee and held my arms out to Lil Ass Kicker, hoping she would remember me after so many months.

It seems that she did, toddling straight into my arms, and allowing me to pick her up. "Hey lil' ass kicker." I brushed my good fingers over her tiny chubby hand, feeling the baby soft skin that I had always found so soothing after a long hard day back at the prison.

"You just missed her birthday." Michonne said, smiling affectionately at the two of us, and stepping through the threshold into the home.

"Looks like I missed a lot. Hey sweetheart?" I kissed her on her soft curls, and then carried her into the house following Michonne.

The inside of the house looked like a family home from a sitcom, fully furnished with sofas and tables and ornamental furniture that made no sense to have, even before the turn.

Bright sunlight entered the netted curtains and fell on a soft and clean rug. Toys were strewn over the floor. Dolls and building blocks, and cars. Things that I knew Carl wouldn't play with, and were probably too old for Lil Ass Kicker.

The two most likely candidates for ownership of the toys were standing in the far doorway glaring at me. One looking angry and the other looking confused.

Handing Judith to Michonne, I fumbled my way forward towards them, trying to think of what I was going to say to make up for what we did. Not that anything I said could make up for it.

Much like before Austin grabbed hold of Winnie and dragged her through the open doorway that connected to the living room and out of sight. This time I gave chase, slipping through the hall and pushing through the door that Austin tried to slam in my face.

He pushed up against the door, grunting and groaning as he tried to force it closed against me, but all it needed was a shoulder to get through it.

"Just let me talk to you kid." I forced the door forward, sending him onto his hands and knees. He clamoured to his feet and stood before me defiantly with his hands clenched by his side, and his mouth in a furious pout. The cut that went across his forehead looked like it had only had stitches recently removed.

I dropped to both knees before him and held my arms out placating.

"I thought you were dead, Awse. I thought you all were."

"Well we weren't!" He spat back angrily.

"I know. I see that. I shoulda known you were a survivor. I shoulda checked on you but…" I swallowed back the tightness that was growing in my throat and extending down through my guts. "I was afraid Awse. I was afraid to see you…"

"You were afraid?" He forcefully shoved me in the chest. "I had to carry a stupid little girl with a stupid broken leg with a gazillion stinkin' dead things chasin' after me tryin' to eat me!"

I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head as I thought about the two kids escaping alone through the herd of walkers. "I Know, I'm sorry..."

"Your'e sorry?" He interrupted, an angry sneer on his face. "Are you sorry that we had to sleep out in the freezin' cold? Are you sorry we had to drink rain water off leaves? Are you sorry that it was a dumb dog who came back for us, and not lyin' assholes who said they cared about us?"

He pulled his arm backward and swung his fist forward into my chest. It was predictable, but still a good hit, that knocked the air right out of my lungs and doubled me over.

"You left us alone asshole!" He shrieked, while continuing to pummel me with his fists, his bandaged hand hitting just as hard as his good one. His little fists were tenderizing me like a fillet of steak, and my chest ached and throbbed, but I didn't try to stop him. He needed it, and it was a softer punishment than what I felt I deserved.

"Alone!" He cried over and over while hs punches got weaker and weaker and his little body swayed from side to side with exhaustion. When he got to the point he was about to collapse I pulled him hard against my bruised chest.

"I'm sorry kid." I muttered into his hair as his tears soaked through my shirt. "I'm sorry." I repeated looking up at Winnie who had been standing back silently watching the scene play out before her.

I held out an arm to her, wondering if she wanted to hit me too, and hoping I could offer her my shoulder over my tender chest.

Without hesitation Winnie stepped forward, letting me slip my fingers into her shirt, tug her forward and wrap the pair of them up in my arms.

"I'll never leave you again."

Austin would take time to warm up to me again, I could tell that by the way he would tense up whenever I moved near him, and give me a side eyed glare when he thought I wasn't watching. But he wasn't running from me anymore, he wasn't trying to hit me anymore and he at least made the effort of answering my questions about his days of survival with single syllables and grunts.

Winnie on the other hand behaved as if nothing had ever happened, perching herself on my knee and telling me of their 'adventures' with Mix. Camping in the woods, hiding in the attic of a half burnt out home, and finally being found in the dumpster by Glenn and Michonne.

Michonne stared at Winnie wide eyed while she spoke, and later insisted that she had never made a sound before this day.

Despite the opposing attitudes they each gave me, they seemed equally concerned and eager to see how Beth was recovering, and I was eager to get rid of the twisting feeling in my guts, worrying about her waking up without me nearby. Or not waking up at all.

By the time I had got out of Rick and Michonne's house, the sun was nearing the horizon, and the outside street was bustling with people, looking like they had just knocked off work.

The medical clinic was empty again except for Dr Cloyd who was scribing something into a note book. She looked up at us all, smiled and waved as through towards Beth's room.

Maggie was in the room seated beside Beth, gripping her hand. As I entered the she smiled at me then she silently stood up and away allowing us to move closer to the still form on the bed.

Beth lay flat on her back with her head sunken into the soft white pillow. The sheet was tucked under her arms, hiding any of the doctor's handy work. Beth's frail looking hands were clasped together over her belly, almost protectively. Her dark and thin looking eyelids were still closed, and she looked just as pale as she had when I had first lay her down on that bed, but now she had a promising pink tinge to her cheeks.

"Is she alive?" Winnie whispered, tugging urgently on my hand, her eyes filled with fear.

Answering Winnie's question, Beth's eyes sprung open and she turned her head to the side, her lips quirking into a smile as she eyed over Winnie then me holding Judith, and then Austin who was still lingering back in the doorway.

Winnie's hand slipped out of my grip and she flew over to Beth, jumping up on to the bed and wrapping her arms around her neck.

Beth huffed and groaned in pain as she shifted the little girl into a more comfortable position by her side.

"Careful." I cautioned, stepping forward and attempting to grab Winnie by the ankle to pull her away.

"She's okay." Beth insisted, pulling the little girl in closer and moving her hand though her tangle of curls.

Looking to Judith sitting on my hip, she beckoned with her free arm, and I carefully placed the toddler down on the bed beside her so she could wrap an arm around her.

"Look at you both. You got so big." She kissed them each on the forehead.

Judith babbled to her excitedly, seeming to recall that she was the person who had taken care of her for the first eight months of her life.

"And you." She turned her head and held her hand towards Austin. "I almost didn't recognise you, you look so big and brave and strong."

Hesitantly and with his eyes to the floor, Austin edged his way closer until he was close enough for Beth to touch him.

Tears welled in her eyes, and then dropped down over her cheek, as her hand brushed over his face, through his hair, and caught him on the back of the neck, where she tugged him closer to her, grunting in pain as he pressed up against her side.

After a moment of whispers and tears, Beth looked back up to me with a smile on her face. "Did you hear?" She said, turning her eyes to her sister.

"Hear what?"

"Maggie. Her and Glenn are havin' a baby." There was a slight curve to Beth's lips, as if the news brought her happiness, but the smile didn't reach her eyes, they seemed somehow pained and sad as if thinking of the memory of a lost loved one.

Back at the hospital I had helped them lift a bulky enclosed crib onto the truck and put it alongside a machine with a monitor attached, and a few bags of medical supplies. I had never bothered asking what it was all for. I figured the crib had been for a newborn baby, but I thought it could have been for anyone. But then Heath had said it was a surprise for Maggie.

"I thought as much." I reached an arm towards Maggie, hesitating a little just before touching her, not quite used to initiating affectionate touching with anyone but Beth and the kids. Maggie closed the distance herself, wrapping her arm around my waist and tugging me into her side.

"You knew." Beth said looking up at me with that same pained expression of loss. "You can be observant when you want to be."

Beth pulled the bodies of the two little girls into her, curling them around her small frame, and then tugged Austin in by the wrist so she could drape her arm over his stiff shoulders.

"Maggie will have her baby, and I'll have mine." She said in a voice, soft and as filled with mixed emotion as the expression on her face.

A/N: Two more chapters to go. Thanks for all the reviews, follows and favs :)