XXXVIII

—/<3/—

"You wanna smoke? Or are you going to bed?" Rory approached Daryl once she'd helped Maggie and Beth get the baby settled.

"Need a smoke," Daryl said. They sluggishly walked down the cell block stairs and towards the door, trying to be quiet so they didn't wake anyone.

"Are you two headin' out again?" Axel asked. He was sat at one of the tables with Oscar in the main part of the cell block.

"Anything we can help with?" Oscar offered. The two prisoners were still desperate to win everyone's approval, despite Rick saying they could stay.

"Nah," Daryl said simply.

"We're going to the watchtowers to see if there's any sign of danger before we turn in. You two get some rest." Rory gave them a tight smile and ushered Daryl out of the cell block and over to the tower. She climbed up first this time and sat in one of the corners whilst she waited for Daryl to join her.

"You think Rick's gone crazy? When Glenn went to find him, Rick was stood in a puddle of blood and guts and didn't recognise Glenn when he called out. Apparently Rick pinned him to the wall and shoved him away too." Rory rambled as she sparked up Daryl's cigarette for him.

"He'll be fine once he gets it all outta his system," Daryl responded, leaning his head against the wall behind him.

Rory hummed. "Hopefully." She pulled her pocketknife out of her pocket, not liking how the metal was digging uncomfortably into her hip. A small blue rock clattered to the floor, getting pulled out along with the knife. Rory picked it up, suddenly remembering why she'd pocketed it in the first place.

"Here," she said, handing it to Daryl. The man eyed her curiously, turning it over in his hands.

"It's Apatite, the same colour as your eyes," she explained, feeling silly all of a sudden. She continued to look straight ahead following a walker with her eyes.

"Where'd you find this?" He asked as he placed the rock in the pocket of his sleeveless jacket. Daryl wasn't used to receiving gifts, even if it wasn't much, and he didn't like how warm it made him feel despite the chilled night air.

"Found it by the road this morning when we weremoving the cars in but I forgot about it when everything went to shit."

"Thanks," Daryl mumbled, fiddling with his fingers nervously.

—/<3/—

Rory was awoken before the sun rose by the sound of the wailing baby echoing through the cell block. Maggie and Glenn were supposed to be on night shift with her but they'd had such a tiring day that they were sleeping through the cries without any issue, and it seemed others were too. Niamh was still snoring loudly in the bunk above hers.

Rory rolled out of bed and tiptoed to Glenn and Maggie's room a few doors down. They looked like they could stir any minute now but she could tell they were tired, so she scooped the baby up into her arms and plodded down the stairs to where the baby stuff was being kept.

She didn't know anything about babies. She knew the basics on how to care for them, but she had no clue what the infant needed right at that second. So she decided to do it all. She started by changing the baby's diaper since it felt a bit full, but the baby didn't stop crying, so she made up a bottle, and tried her best not to fall asleep as she fed her.

"Aren't Maggie and Glenn supposed to be on baby duty tonight?" Beth called from her cell, having also been woken up by the baby. Her voice echoed through the cell block  and Rory shushed her so she wouldn't disturb anyone else. It's been a long, hard day, and everyone needed rest.

"They must have been super tired, they slept right through her crying." Rory yawned, gently patting the baby girl's bottom to soothe her.

"That's weird, Maggie's normally a light sleeper..." Beth said. "Do you need any help?"

"No thank you, I'm just about done. Go back to bed." Rory smiled tiredly. Beth nodded and returned to the cell she shared with her father.

Rory sighed as the baby began to fuss again despite being fed and having a clean diaper. She wondered if the newborn knew that her mother wasn't around, and sought the comforting presence that she'd had for the last nine months. She stood up and began to bounce the baby to sleep, hoping that movement would send her off.

"She still cryin'?" Daryl grumbled, sitting up on the perch. Rory flinched, forgetting he was there rather than in a cell like the others.

"She's getting there, give me a few minutes and she'll be sleeping again." Rory turned to face him. He grunted and stood up, throwing his poncho on. "Where are you going? It's still dark out," she asked.

"I'm awake now, won't be able to go back off. Gonna go take watch so Mikey and the prisoners can get some sleep."

Rory clicked her tongue. "You need the sleep more than they do," she said.

"So do you and yet you're takin' care of that baby when it's not your job."

"That's different, Maggie and Glenn had a hard day too. Mikey, Ajax and Oscar didn't do half as much as you did." Rory argued. The baby's cries faded to tired cooes and hiccups as she battled sleep. "She's going off now, go back to bed."

Daryl stared her down for a moment, taking in her ruffled hair, the tired, half-lidded eyes, the baby she cradled and the thick strap of her tank top that had fallen down her arm, something about the way she looked was so domestically beautiful to him, so he begrudgingly turned and walked back up the stairs to lay down. Rory followed once she was sure the baby was asleep, she placed her back onto the blanket-covered mattress Glenn and Maggie had formed on the floor by their bed and returned to her own room, climbing into bed and falling asleep within minutes.

—/<3/—