Pinky Promise

Pinky Promise Part 6

Holding the baby Beth fed her a bottle while the rest of the group minus Rick sat around eating breakfast.  The baby was three days old now and Rick had been staying mostly down in the tombs of the prison. 

He'd come by each morning to check on Carl and Daryl's progress on clearing out the other levels and getting the generators working and then he'd disappear again.  Never did he so much as look at the little girl in Beth's arms.  

It was starting to piss her off.

For three days she had mostly cared for the baby during the day and Daryl would help her at night after he spent all day in the tombs, clearing walkers, working with Axel in the generator room, and searching for Carol.  

The first night after the baby had been fed and burped Beth had taken diapers and formula up to her cell so she could keep the baby with her.  She'd put the baby between herself and the wall and both had promptly fallen asleep.  

A few hours later the baby had started fussing immediately waking Beth up.  Turning the small lantern on she had in her cell she tucked her pillow against the baby so she could get up and make a bottle without her falling out of the bed.

She was in the middle of pouring water from the water bottle she had into the bottle with the formula when she heard Daryl come into the cell.  

"You need help?" he asked, reaching down to pick the baby up.

"I'm sorry Daryl if she woke you.  I wanted to get her bottle ready before I changed her," Beth apologized quietly.  Shrugging he looked at her over the baby's head, "What do you need?" he asked.

Handing him the bottle she took the baby from him, "Put your thumb over the top of the nipple and shake the bottle," she told him as she spread a blanket out on her small table.  Laying the baby down she changed her as quick as she could before picking her back up and turning around to the man holding a baby bottle behind her.

Smiling Beth asked if he wanted to feed her again.  Handing the baby to him when he nodded she sat down with him on the bed as he fed the baby.  She showed  him how to burp her that night and with his help got her back to bed again.  

He was so good with the baby.  Walking her along the cat walk when she was fussy, feeding her, and he had even changed a diaper.  Beth loved watching him interact with the baby however she also knew it should've been Rick doing all these things and not Daryl.  

A few minutes after Rick once again rushed away from his daughter Beth slammed the bottle on the table before getting up and walking away with the baby as she burped her.

"Doodlebug," she heard her daddy call but she didn't turn around.  Walking up the stairs to her cell Beth paced the catwalk silently fuming.

Stopping at her cell Beth waited for Daryl to ascend the stairs.  Standing there she glared at him as he stood at the top of the stairs watching her, "You want to tell me what crawled up your ass?" he questioned.  

Shaking her head she entered her cell and laid the baby down in the padded mail carrier they had found for her to sleep in.  Hearing him shift to the door she whirled around before stomping back to him, "It's been three days Daryl and he has yet to even look at that little girl," she hissed.

Sighing Daryl ran his hand through his hair, "We gotta be patient," he told her.

Rubbing her hand against her forehead she sighed, "Daryl, I'm trying.  I've prayed every damn night that he comes through this, but that's no excuse to not even acknowledge his daughter.  Believe me I get it.  Every time I look at her it reminds me of what I had to do.  Cutting into her and all the blood and," choking off when she was suddenly wrapped in his arms.