The Creator and the Redneck (TWD Story)

Chapter 37:Help the Baby

No One's Point of View

The baby's cries echo as Daryl tries to get Rick to respond to him.

"Rick, you with me? Rick?" Daryl asks, Rick just stares off, Carl takes the baby from my arms.

"Let me see the baby." Hershel tells him. As Carl walks over to him, Daryl later asks an important question.

"What are we gonna feed it? We got anything a baby can eat?" He asks, Hershel doesn't answer, but he looks at the baby.

"The good news is she looks healthy, but she needs formula. And soon or she won't survive." Hershel tells us.

"Nope. No way. Not her. We ain't losing nobody else. I'm going for a run." Daryl says.

"I'll go with you." Alita quickly said, but he shook his head.

"No, ya ain't in no condition to go out there. Stay here and look after her." Daryl replied and Alita reluctantly nodded, knowing now was not the time to start an argument with Daryl, this baby needs formula.

"I'll back you up." Maggie suddenly spoke up, glancing over at me with a sad smile knowing Alita didn't want Daryl to go alone.

"I'll go too." Glenn said and Daryl nodded before he began shouting orders to everyone, trying to get everything organized. But Alita was more focused on Rick as he grabbed his axe and began walking towards the door Maggie, Carl, and Alita came out from.

"Rick!" Alita shouted, but he didn't stop as he disappeared through the door.

"Come on, we're gonna lose the light!" Daryl said as he walked over to Alita, giving her a soft kiss.

"I love ya, I'll be back soon." He tells her.

"Love you too, be careful... All of ya." She whispered and Daryl nodded before he took off running with Maggie and Glenn towards the vehicles while the two prisoners ran to get the gates for them. 

Once Maggie and Daryl left the rest of the group went back into the cell block while the prisoners stayed by the gates and guard tower, waiting for Daryl and Maggie to return.

-Time skip-

Later on Alita found her old leather jacket since her flannel was now being used as a baby blanket. Alita let Carl, Beth and Hershel look after the baby, since she didn't really know much about looking after babies, so she opted to help Glenn dig graves for Lori, T-Dog, and Carol. 

Axel and Oscar came to take over for her and Glenn after nearly an hour of digging and she let them knowing both of them needed a rest. Those prisoners were starting to prove themselves as good people, but right now the main focus was on the baby. 

After Alita got Lori's blood off her, she went back into the cafeteria area, she helps with the baby all she could, especially with the knowledge she had around kids. When the baby was fussy and Alita had her, she calmed down rather quickly and snuggled close to Alita. 

Everyone in the room surprised at how quickly the baby went quiet whenever Alita held her. Later on Alita gave the baby to Carl, who wanted to hold his sibling.

"They'll be back soon don't worry, Alita." Hershel suddenly said as Alita looked up from her spot on the stairs in the large room next to the cells as Hershel went through the door.

"It's already dark. They-" Alita began to say when the door behind her opened and she stood up as Maggie and Daryl walked in. 

Alita quickly hugged Maggie an Daryl as relief washed over her before each of them let Alita go in search of the baby.

"How's she doing?" Daryl questioned as he walked over to Carl, taking the baby in his arms gently.

"Shh, it's okay." He whispered as he cradled the baby before grabbing the bottle of formula Beth ad Maggie quickly made.

"Come on." He whispered as he held the bottle up for the little girl and suddenly she stopped crying as she began to drink. Daryl glanced over at Alita with a smile and she smiled back at the sight of him feeding the tiny baby before he looked over at Carl.

"She got a name yet?" He asks.

"Not yet. But I was thinking maybe Sophia. Then there's Carol, too. And Andrea. Amy. Jacqui. Marine. Patricia. Or Lori, I don't know." Carl replied softly looking down at the ground and Alita's heart broke hearing the boy talk. He was too young for this cruel world.

"You like that? Huh? Little ***-kicker. That's a good name, right?" Daryl asked looking up from the baby at the rest of the group and Alita smiled, chuckling softly with a nod.

"You like that, huh? You like that, sweetheart?" Daryl says.

Alita smiled watching as Daryl finished feeding the baby before giving her to Hershel who knew how to burp her properly. Later Maggie nudged Alita smiling, and Alita looked at Maggie, as rolling her eyes knowing what Maggie was saying to her with that smile, with her smiling back chuckling and shaking her head.

"No Maggie don't ya dare." Alita warned her sister figure.

"Why not Alita?" Maggie said smiling, then she looks at Alita the same way she did her.

"Oh... Okay... Sorry... Now I get why... And stop looking at me like that...!" Maggie says as Alita laughs at her. 

Soon Alita watched Hershel for a few seconds, he was probably the best person to look after the baby until Rick sorted himself out. Alita hadn't seen him all day and when Glenn returned after talking to him it was clear the other man needed some space and time to come to terms with Lori's death.

"Hey, ya alright?" Daryl asked, taking a seat beside Alita on the steps as Hershel began rocking the baby in his arms.

"Are you? You knew some of these people since the beginning, I only met them through you or the Greene family." Alita answered referring to Lori, Carol and T-Dog as she leaned her head on his shoulder and he rested his hand on her thigh and she smiled at the small gesture.

"Don't try to lie to me Dixon. It doesn't matter that we haven't seen each other for a few years, I can still read you like a book." Alita commented and she felt Daryl nod slightly as he let out a soft chuckle.

"I hated that when we were around each other, I could never hide anythin' from ya." Daryl muttered causing Alita to smile.

"I'm alright, I gotta be. Someone needs to step up while Rick is down." He responds to her.

"It doesn't have to be just you, Daryl. This group is like family and I'm gonna do whatever it takes to keep them safe and alive, it's what Lori would have wanted." Alita said looking over at the rest of the group. 

Hershel, Beth, and Carl were all crowded around Little ***-kicker, trying to get her to sleep while Glenn, Maggie, Axel, and Oscar all stood off to the side talking quietly.

"In the mornin' I'll start digging the graves." Daryl said after a few minutes of silence causing Alita to lift her head to look up at him.

"Glenn and I did that today, I made three crosses to mark the graves too. We buried T-Dog and Lori. We didn't have Carol's body, but we made her a grave anyway, she deserved that much." Alita answered softly as Daryl looked down at her with a sad, but grateful smile before he pulled her into his chest.

"Thank you." He whispered, kissing Alita's forehead as she hugged him back.

"So, you helped with Little ***- kicker? By what Beth and Hershel told me, she calmed down for us?" Daryl asked me. I nodded, she seemed to calm down for me when I was helping a bit earlier, before I gave her to Carl.

"Yeah, she did. Was a bit surprised myself." I responded and Daryl nodded.