KATHRYN’S POV
I sat back and listened as Dad talked to everyone in the church, telling them about our deal with the Hilltop and what we had to do to get the stuff we were promised from that community. I hated fighting, we always lost people I was close to. But it had to be done. I still remember our first encounter with the Saviors and how I could’ve lost Daryl that day or he could’ve lost me. I shivered at the memory before I felt an arm wrap around me. Looking over, I spied Daryl as he stared at my Dad who was still talking, still explaining what was needed to be done, as he had his arm wrapped around me.
When Dad ended the meeting, I went straight to the house and up the stairs to mine and Daryl’s room. Everyone else began doing their own thing to get ready. Daryl, Dad, Glenn, Jesus, and that other guy were somewhere else as they discussed the plan of action. It was late when Daryl finally made it to bed with me. I relaxed in his arm as he wrapped it around me and pulled me closer to him. “Y’all are leaving tomorrow,” I asked without looking back to him. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “Who all is going,” I asked as I felt Daryl start to rub circles on my stomach.
“A good number of us,” he said as he nuzzled his head into the back of my neck, “we’ll all make it back. You know that Kat.” “Yeah I know,” I whispered, “I still worry though. Especially when I’m not able to go along to help out.” I felt him sigh against the back of my neck before pulling away from me so that I could roll over and look back at him. “We’re not going to start this are we,” he asked. “I’m not starting anything,” I said, “I just said that I’m worried because I won’t know if anything happens to those I care about most until well after it happens and y’all return.”
DARYL’S POV
I stared at Kat as we both laid there silently for a few minutes. I knew how she was, she wanted to be able to protect the ones she loved and right now she couldn’t. I looked down towards where our baby rested inside of her, moving my hand without thinking and placing it on the baby bump she had. “Have you given any thoughts yet on what you’d want to name her,” I asked as I began to rub soothing circles on her stomach again. “Well before we found out we were having a girl,” she said quietly, “I had thought that if it was a boy, that we could name him Merle. After your brother.”
I paused in shock at what she’d just said. “Why,” was all I could think to ask. “I don’t know,” she said with a shrug, “your brother may have been an ass to you and everyone around him, but he was still your brother. He was still your blood. And I know even with how things were between y’all, you still cared about your brother.” I went silent after that. Simply because she was right. I left the prison, everyone there, when I found my brother because he was my blood and all I had left of my life before the end. But I’d made that mistake once, and I wasn’t going to leave Kat again like that for no one else.
“Did you ever think of a name if it was a girl,” I asked finally, one thought coming to mind. “No,” she said quietly, “I guess I just figured it’d be a boy.” “What about the name Bryce then,” I asked as I remembered telling myself if I had a baby one day and it was a girl, that I’d like her to be named Bryce. “Why Bryce,” Kat asked as she rolled onto her back to look over at me in our darkened room, “to have a name for a girl like that already, you’ve had to have had it in the back of your mind.” I looked at her, her blue eyes searching my face before I finally spoke.
“Back before shit hit the fan,” I started off, “I’d always wanted a daughter. But never thought I’d get the chance to find someone and settle down. Hell if Merle knew that I’d wanted a daughter, or a family in general, he’d have called me a pussy for it. But I still wanted a daughter of my own. And to name her Bryce, well, that was my mother’s name.” I watched as she stared at me, tears seeming to reach her eyes. “I think Bryce would be a perfect name,” she finally said before reaching over and placing a small and gentle kiss on my cheek.
Guess what....I'M ENTERING COMPLICATED IN THE WATTYS!!! So guys if you would, please share this with your friends and everything. Let's see what happens this year.
- Kenz