The Walking Dead: Daryl Ch. 04

The days at the Plantation grew shorter and the temperature began to drop. We had harvested crops, canned food, mulched the gardens, prepared seed for the spring planting, and brought in more fuel and firewood for the winter. I stood beside Maggie in the kitchen, laboring away over the stove as we cooked for the fifty or so residence who we had come to know as family. Maggie's belly was beginning to swell. She was nearly four months pregnant by her calculations and her bump was just beginning to show which caused me no end of jealousy. Daryl wanted a baby and I wanted to give him one.

When we had arrived at the Plantation in the end of July, I missed my period and found out I was pregnant. Two weeks later, I bled. Chuck, the Plantation doctor, told me it was fairly common for a first time pregnancy to miscarry especially when I had been under so much stress when I'd conceived. Still, I was heartbroken. I had already lost so much in this life. Losing my baby brought me down and then Maggie and Glen told us they were expecting. I was happy for them but also bitter. Why could Maggie's body sustain her pregnancy while mine could not? I was angry and withdrawn from everyone and it made my relationships suffer, even my relationship with Daryl.

Maggie could see the change in me but for some reason she seemed to stick around me, like I needed to be protected. That was how we came to be cooking in the kitchen together. No one else wanted to deal with my broody silence.

"Kate?" Maggie asked as she kneaded dough for our bread.

"Yeah?" I replied, stirring beans in a kettle.

"It's been months since you lost your baby. Have you thought about trying again?" She asked tentatively.

I stirred my beans quietly for a while. Usually when someone tried to question me about the miscarriage I refused to answer but no matter how rude or quiet or angry I had been with Maggie, she had stayed by my side, taking my abuse. I turned to face her, eyeing her critically. Seeing her compassion in her eyes loosened some of the anger in me, allowing me to be a little more vulnerable. I looked at the floor.

"I don't want it to happen again." I said quietly as tears began to well up in my eyes. "What if I can't carry a baby and I miscarry over and over again? What if I can never give Daryl a child?"

Maggie ceased her kneading and came and wrapped me up in a hug. I let her comfort me and for the first time since miscarrying I felt a sliver of peace.

"Well you'll never know if you never try." She said releasing me. "This place has done wonders for both you and Daryl. You're rested and eatin' well. You're not so stressed anymore. Maybe your body is ready now. Maybe you should try again." She rubbed a hand over her belly. "My little one could sure use another kid to grow up with."

"I don't want to disappoint Daryl." I said, unsure. "I don't want to get his hopes up just to never be able to give him a baby."

"Honey, that man loves you and not bein' able to have a baby ain't gonna change that. There are orphans here. If you guys can't have one of your own you can give one of them your name."

"I'm scared Maggie." I said.

"I know." She replied. "And I know that you're a strong woman. You'll give him a baby someday, you'll see. You have to try though. You can't have a baby if you're not trying." She gave my arm a squeeze and went back to kneading her dough. I stirred my beans in the pot and turned her words over in my mind.

That night, I excused myself from dinner early. Daryl didn't even blink. It had become a common occurrence. He would come to bed and usually I would pretend to be asleep. Tonight would be different. I lit a fire in our fireplace. It had an insert in the chimney to reflect more of the heat into the room and help keep it warm. Then I laid out a blanket and pillows on the ground in front of it as well as a bunch of candles which I lit. I removed all of my clothes and curled up in all of the pillows, waiting for him to come to bed.

I must have dozed off because I felt fingers tracing the smooth skin of the back of my shoulder. I stirred and turned to see Daryl lying next to me. He must have come in and undressed while I slept.

"I didn't mean to wake you up." He said quietly, his eyes taking their fill of my body. I knew he wanted to let his hands do the same but he was uncertain. I had denied him sex for most of the past four months.

"I'm glad you did." I smiled. I took the hand he had settled on my waist and I guided it up to my breast. He cupped it tenderly in his hand, gently drawing his thumb over my hard nipple. I put a hand to his face and his eyes shifted to mine.

"I'm ready to try again." I said. "I'm sorry I've been so distant and angry. I was afraid I could never give you a baby. I was afraid I would lose you. Maggie made a good point today though. She said that I wouldn't ever have a baby if I didn't try to have one. I'm ready to try and keep trying until we have a baby or until you're ready to give up on me."

"I ain't ever gonna give up on you." He said, bringing his lips to mine. He kissed me fiercely, lifting himself over me to settle between my legs. I could feel his hard length pressing against my wet opening but he didn't push forward. Instead he teased my slit with the tip of his cock, spreading my juices over both of us. I clung to him, pressing my hips up to him as he teased me. I needed him more than I had ever needed anyone. I whimpered and pleaded for him until he finally gave in. He began to press into me and I gritted my teeth. It had been a few weeks since we had made love and my body seemed reluctant to adjust to his size. He pressed relentlessly forward though, and when he finally sheathed himself in me, I was almost delirious with pleasure. I rubbed my hands all over him, marking his skin with my nails, urging him to take me. I was already teetering on the edge.

Daryl thrust into me, hard and fast. It felt almost like the first time we ever had sex. He was desperate, like a man dying of thirst. I reached my hand between us as he drove into me and rolled my clit under my finger. With a wild cry I arched and my muscles clamped down around him as I had an intense orgasm. I heard Daryl's low moan as he followed me over the edge, filling me. When I finally came down from my orgasm, he stroked back my hair and lovingly kissed my face and my shoulders.

"I love you." I breathed.

"I love you too." He said.

We sat there like that for a while longer. He worshiped my skin and my breasts and I trailed lazy fingers over his torso. Suddenly I felt him twitch inside of me. I realized her was getting hard again. I squirmed, trying to feel him move within me. He pressed forward to give me my wish. This time we made love much more slowly and when I came, it was gentle, like floating on a cloud.

We lay together in front of the fire that night talking about everything we wanted as well as cuddling and touching each other. We were reconnecting and I found I loved him even more.

"What if we have a girl?" I asked, my head on his chest as I stared into the fire.

"I hope she looks like you." Daryl chuckled.

"What would we name her?" I asked.

"How about Tammy?" He asked.

"How about Brianna?" I countered.

"How about Samantha?" He said. I smiled.

"I like Samantha."

"What if it's a boy?" He asked, "What would we name him?"

"I like Gordon." I said.

"Me too." Daryl said. "But we don't really have to worry about that right now."

I sighed and snuggled closer. "You're right. Our time will come. I think we should go to bed. We need to get our rest while we can."

We picked up some stuff and put the candles out and then crawled into bed. I slept better that night than I had in four months. '

I woke up to a tray of fresh bread and butter with cereal and milk. Daryl was already dressed and ready for the day but that didn't stop him from tweaking one of my bare nipples playfully.

"Hurry up and eat." He said. "We're going hunting."

I eagerly ate my food. Hunting was one of my favorite things to do. I quickly got dressed and ready and then we headed for the river. We waited in our blind for a deer to come by. This was a new area for us but the sign was promising. Still, it was a few hours before a big buck came wandering into range. Daryl motioned for me to take the shot with my compound. I knocked a broad head and drew back, waiting as the buck came closer and closer. Suddenly he stopped, as though he could hear my heart hammering. I took a breath, centered my bow and released. The deer fled, then stumbled, then fell to the ground, kicking and flailing. He stilled and I knew he was dead. He had only run forty yards before collapsing. Daryl kissed my head and then exited the blind. I followed as he approached the dear, crossbow drawn and ready. He poked it but it didn't move. He unloaded his crossbow and drew his knife. He made quick work of dressing it and then he tied a rope around its neck. I pulled the rope as he pulled the antlers which we saved to make handles of knives with.

We got the buck back to the Plantation and they went to work removing the hide and butchering the deer. Daryl and I were treated to a hot meal and sent to the living room to relax while they worked. Bringing in food was a highly rewarded task and we would have to do no more work for the remainder of the day. I sat on the sofa and picked up a book and Daryl started re-fletching his bolts for his crossbow. We sat in companionable silence for a while until Rick came in.

"Connor's found more people." He said. We both perked up and headed out to the front yard. Every time we brought in more people we decreased the likelihood of getting raided. This came at the cost of finding enough food to feed everyone. Still, we took in whoever we could. There was strength in numbers.

A caravan of cars pulled up. Two were ours and three were new. People began pouring out of vehicles, huddling together for safety and comfort. The small group was mostly women and children. Men being how they are, tended to take on more dangerous roles in daily life like raiding and hunting. They also were the primary protectors. This put them as main targets for killing so there was a surplus of women and children as compared to the men. Connor stepped out of his SUV and began directing people so the families could be fed and placed. He brought a teenage girl over to me and Daryl.

"I need you guys to get her a room and some food." He said.

I looked at her. She was thin and pale, like she hadn't eaten or rested properly in weeks. Her dirty blond locks hung limp and greasy around her face. Her dull hazel eyes looked lifelessly out at us. She seemed to be lost within herself.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Abby." She said.

"I'm Kate and this is Daryl. If you'll come with us we'll find you a place to clean up and then we'll bring you some food."

She followed us into the house and we directed her to the next room down the hall from us. I opened the door and lead her in. "This will be your room. That door there leads to a bathroom which we will all share. It has running water and a hot shower."

The girl perked up at the mention of a hot shower. It was a luxury in this world and even those who lived at the plantation preferred to bathe in the River. We liked to preserve the hot water for the newcomers as a way to get them to relax and trust us. Some of us did indulge from time to time though. Daryl and I had taken several together since we arrived.

Abby looked at Daryl and then looked at me. "Are you guys together?" She asked. She seemed to ask more because she wanted to know about Daryl than she did about me. I got the feeling she responded well to strong men like him and so I decided to let her know exactly who he was.

"Yes. We're trying to have a baby. He's a hunter and a protector in this group. He may seem a little rough around the edges but don't worry. When you get to know him he's a big teddy bear." I smiled.

She seemed to relax a bit and I was willing to bet she was feeling a little safer having him around. She smiled tentatively at him and he gave her one of his tight lipped half smiles with a little nod. She seemed satisfied with this and looked longingly at the bathroom.

"Come on. I'll show you where everything is." I said. I brought her into the bathroom and showed her where the soap, washcloths, towels, shampoo, conditioner and other essential items were. I started the shower for her and then left her to bathe. I sent Daryl down to retrieve whatever possessions she had from her people so she could have clean clothes only to find that she didn't have another change of clothes. She was smaller than I was but I figured she would fit into my t-shirts and a pair of sweatpants. At least until we could find something to fit her better. She came out wrapped up in a big fluffy towel and her eyes looked relieved. She seemed more relaxed and a bit livelier. I shooed Daryl away and gave her some clothes. She dressed quickly.

"We'll find you some more clothes in a while. For now, let's get some food in you."

I took her down to the kitchen where the rest of her group was eating, all cleaned up and happy. I sat her near an older woman and I got her a plate and some silverware. She helped herself to what was out on the table; it was yesterday's dinner. We sat with her as she ate and learned that most all of her family was dead and she had met her group in the beginning at a refugee camp. She wasn't from Georgia but out west in Wyoming. She knew a lot about horses and farming as her parents had owned a ranch out there. I knew right away she would be an asset to our group. I also felt a bit of a connection with her seeing as our stories were kind of the same. Our families were dead, we were away from home, and we survived by trusting people we didn't know. As I watched her eat, I wondered what was in store for Abby. I decided then and there to take her on as my little sister. I would protect her and Daryl would too. I just didn't know yet how much protection she would need.