Zedler, M.D. // Daryl Dixon

Chapter Ninety-Three: Twins

•ninety-three•

Beatrix

"The hell's the matter with you?" Daryl bursts out, finally pulling me off by myself. He stands over me in one of the rooms of the house, yelling at me, and I very much feel like a teenager whose just been caught sneaking out. "You trying to lose another baby or something?"

"No, Daryl," I sigh, tears starting to prick my eyes. I knew this was coming. "I was just trying to help."

"I thought we agreed on nothing that could hurt you?" He crosses his arms over his chest, breathing heavily out of anger. "That was the deal."

"I know, Dare. I'm sorry," I frown. I know what I agreed to. "I didn't think. It was just my instinct to help."

"Well you better start thinking," he growls, starting to pace back and forth in front of me. "It ain't just you and me anymore."

"I know," I whisper, turning my attention down to my feet.

"And that other doctor said you were high risk. I ain't no doctor, but I don't think that means you have a lot to be bargaining with," he moves closer, forcing me to look up at him. "And I don't like that you didn't tell me that, either."

"I'm sorry," I apologize again. I know that he's just worried about me and he wants to protect us, but it's hard to just change my entire way of life in an instant. "I just didn't want you to worry any more than you already were. You're kind of being a helicopter, Dare."

"A helicopter?"

"Yeah, you know, like always hovering," I say, inwardly scolding myself for letting that slip. "I can't even pee without you watching me."

"I'm trying to make sure our kid has the best shot he can get."

My heart melts at his words. He just wants to take care of us and make sure we're safe. I can't blame him or be angry with him for that. I can't be mad at him for loving me.

"Hey, your turn with the ultrasound," Maggie interrupts our little talk, holding up a sonogram photo, smiling from ear to ear. "It's so magical."

"Thanks, Mags," I smile and wipe the tears I hadn't realized I'd even shed.

Maggie smiles and shows me her picture while she shows us where the medical trailer is. I tell her it's too early to tell the gender but it looks perfectly healthy to me. I'm sure Doctor Carson told her the same thing, but she said she felt better hearing it from me, too.

"Good luck," Maggie smiles, squeezing my hand before leaving us to go into the trailer.

"Doctor Dixon, Daryl," Harlan nods to greet us as we walk in. He's already standing in front of the ultrasound machine, waiting on us. I would really like to know how they managed to get a full ultrasound machine and have the electricity to run it, but I'm not going to question it. "Hop on up here."

I do as he says, hopping up onto the bed beside of him. I pull my pants down slightly and roll my shirt up so that he has a good visual. I make a point to keep my hand covering the part of my bite that's visible. I don't need him asking questions. Daryl stands at my side awkwardly, unsure what to do. It dawns in me that he has never had to do anything remotely like this before. He's scared. That's why he's so uptight about it all.

"Just watch the screen, Dare," I give him a soft kiss oh the back of his hand, lacing my fingers through his. "You'll see it when he starts."

As if on cue, Harlan squirts the cool jelly onto my stomach, and I see Daryl staring at it in curiosity.

"It's ultrasound gel," I explain, holding onto his hand tighter. "Ultrasound uses sound waves to create an image. It's hard for them to penetrate the skin on its own, so they use the gel to help get a cleaner picture."