Every Bit of Space

Daryl's POV:

It damn near broke me, hearin’ her cry like that. Watchin’ her writhin’ in agony, grippin’ at me like I was the only thing tetherin’ her to this world. I wasn’t used to seein’ her afraid – Ath was always so strong, so steady. But now? She was terrified. And I didn’t know what the hell to do.

My girl. My wife. The mother of our baby.

Her sobs tore right through me, each one like a knife twistin’ in my chest. I held her tight, like I could somehow shield her from the pain. She was burnin’ up, drenched in sweat, her whole body tremblin’ with every damn contraction. I brushed her hair back, whisperin’ whatever reassurances I could, even though my throat was so tight I could barely choke the words out.

“It’s okay,” I kept sayin’, like maybe if I said it enough, it’d be true. But it sure as hell wasn’t okay.

‘N’ that killed me.

I hated myself for bringin’ her out to Hilltop. She shouldn’t even have been at that damn bridge in the first place. She shoulda been safe in Alexandria, restin’, not out here in the middle of nowhere. I should’ve protected her. Should’ve done better. But none of that mattered now. All I could do was be here, holdin’ her, prayin’ I could get her through this.

Prayin’.

I didn’t even know who I was prayin’ to. Never been one for that, not after all the shit I seen. But I begged, all the same. Begged whoever might be listenin’ to keep her safe. To keep our baby safe. I’d give anything. Hell, I’d trade every breath I had left if it meant they’d be alright.

She clutched at me, her fingers diggin’ into my arms. She was so afraid. But I had her. I’d take care of her. I held her, rockin’ her gently, feelin’ every sob that shook her. She was fightin’ so hard, but I could see the fear in her eyes, and it damn near shattered me.

I wanted to be strong for her. I needed to be. But every cry, every ragged breath, chipped away at me. My girl was hurtin’, and I couldn’t stop it.

And the worst part? I didn’t know what the hell I was doin’. The baby was comin’, and there wasn’t a doctor in sight. No Siddiq. No Enid. Nobody but me. The weight of it crashed down on me like a goddamn hammer. I couldn’t stop thinkin’ about all the ways this could go wrong. What if somethin’ happened to her? What if somethin’ happened to the baby? The fear of losin’ ‘em both made it hard to breathe.

But I couldn’t fall apart. Not now.

She needed me. They both needed me.

~

The second our baby was placed on Ath’s chest, somethin’ shifted. It was like my heart cracked wide open, lettin’ all that fear and pain spill out, and in its place was this fierce, all-consumin’ love. Nothin’ else existed. Just Ath, our daughter, and me.

She was so small. Barely bigger than my hand, her dark hair still damp and stickin’ to her head. Her cries were thin and desperate at first, but even then, I could hear the strength in her. She squirmed against Ath, searchin’ for comfort. And Ath… she was already there, holdin’ her close, tears runnin’ down her face. I wrapped my arms tighter around her, my chest pressed against her back, like I could hold the both of ‘em steady through the whirlwind that had just hit us.

Then Siddiq said it. “Meet your little girl.”

Our little girl.

Shit.

The words hit me like a punch to the gut, but not from fear. It was somethin’ else, somethin’ I couldn’t name. My throat tightened, and for a second, I couldn’t breathe. A girl. Our little girl. I could barely remember my own mom, not really, but now, I had a daughter. I had a family.

“Ath,” I choked out, strugglin’ to speak. “We have a daughter.”

Ath nodded, sobbin’ so hard I could feel her tremblin’ against me. But it was from joy, so much joy that it damn near broke me. She ran her fingers over our baby girl’s soft cheek. Her skin was pink and new, and when she opened her eyes, they were the same shade of blue as mine.

“She’s got your eyes,” Ath whispered, her voice filled with wonder.

I couldn’t stop starin’. That little face, so tiny and perfect, and those eyes that held the whole damn world in ‘em. I’d seen horrors I’d never forget, done things I’d carry with me forever. But none of it mattered now. Nothin’ could touch this.

“She’s beautiful,” I murmured, my lips pressin’ to Ath’s hair. “Just like her mom.”

Ath let out a shaky laugh, her fingers brushin’ our daughter’s dark hair. “We did it,” she whispered.

“Ya did it,” I corrected, my voice thick. “Ath, yur amazin’. Never… I ain’t never been so proud.”

I thought I already loved my wife with every piece of me, but I was wrong. Seein’ her fight through that pain, bring our daughter into this world, still holdin’ on even when she thought she couldn’t - it was like watchin’ a miracle. She was my warrior. My whole heart. I felt more in love with her than ever.

I held ‘em both, my arms never leavin’ Ath. She was still leanin’ into me, exhausted but glowin’, her head restin’ back against my shoulder. Our daughter let out a soft little cry, her tiny hands clenchin’ at the air, and Ath shushed her gently, pressin’ a kiss to her forehead. I was cryin’ again, but I didn’t care. I didn’t care about anythin’ but my girls.

“I love ya,” I whispered, my voice crackin’. “Both of ya.

And I knew, right then, I’d spend the rest of my life protectin’ ‘em. Because they were my home. My girls. My whole damn world.

~

Siddiq’s voice broke through the haze of everything I was feeling, gentle but sure.

“She’ll be hungry,” he said. “She needs to feed.”

Ath nodded, her head still restin’ against my chest. My arms were still wrapped around both of ‘em, like if I held on tight enough, I could keep them safe forever. But I loosened my hold just enough to let her move. She shifted a little, wincin’ as she adjusted, but she didn’t complain. Tough as hell, my girl. My wife. The mother of my daughter.

That word still hadn’t sunk in. Daughter. Ours.

Ath lifted her shirt, her hands tremblin’ just slightly. I could feel the way her body tensed, like she wasn’t sure what to expect. Our baby girl squirmed in her arms, all soft skin and dark hair, the tiniest little thing I’d ever seen. But there was somethin’ sure about her, like she already knew exactly what she needed.

Ath eased her closer, guidin’ her toward her nipple. Baby girl latched on in an instant, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

I didn’t even realize I was holdin’ my breath.

“She knew what to do,” I whispered, barely trustin’ my voice. It blew my mind.

Ath looked up at me, her eyes soft and tired, but so full of love it damn near brought me to my knees.

“Yeah,” she whispered, her lips curvin’ into a small smile. “She knew.”

Neither of us said anythin’ else for a while. There wasn’t any need to. The only sound was the soft suckling and our baby’s little breaths. I kept my arms around Ath, holdin’ her steady, holdin’ them both. My fingers traced patterns against her skin, like I needed the reminder that this was real. I didn’t think I’d ever believe it was. I had a family. I was a dad, a husband – me.

Neither of us could take our eyes off our daughter. Like we were both trying to wrap our heads around the fact that this tiny, perfect human had come from us.

I didn’t think I could love Ath more than I already did after seein’ her give birth. Thought I’d hit the limit of how much a heart could hold. But sitting here, holding the two of them, watching our baby girl nestled against her momma, feedin’, I knew I’d been dead wrong, again. It was like my heart was growin’ by the minute, and my girls filled every damn bit of space in there.

I loved her more than I ever thought possible. And now, I had another little piece of her – of us - to love too.

I’m the goddamn luckiest man alive.

A/N: We needed a Daryl POV for sure. There’ll be another one coming very soon