The Baby Arrangement

Part Four: Not Again

Getting Beth to his truck, they drive the speed limit to the hospital. The last time this happened, Beth gave birth in the cab of the truck- Daryl just hopes there's no repeat.

"How far are you?" He looks over at Beth who is clutching the Holy Shit handle and gritting her teeth.

"Grrr, I...I don't know....6 centimeters!"

"6!? We're not gonna make it at this rate. Jesus, I am not doing this again." Fm

"Then don't! Fuckin' Pull over and I'll get out!" Beth growls and clutches the handle harder.

"That's not what I meant!" He yells back at her, wishing he would have kept his mouth shut. "I meant I don't want to deliver the baby in my truck again! I want you safe!"

"Then fucking drive faster." Looking between her and the road, Daryl hits the gas a drives faster, but he knows he's too far out of reach. The roads are slightly icy as Daryl approaches a bridge- he has to slow down- he has no choice if he doesn't want to cause an accident. "7!"

"I know! I can't get you there any faster in these conditions baby." Her anger boils over in her and she just growls as another contraction sweeps over her. "I see a fucking road block up ahead. Dammit!"

Getting across the bridge, Daryl notices a long driveway heading up to a barn and a farm house. Taking thw driveway, he puts iy in park, races up the porch and beats on the door until an old lady comes to the door.

"Hello?"

"My wife is about to deliver our baby and we can't get to the hospital in time..." The old woman puts her hand up and he stops in his sentence. She motions for Daryl to get Beth and bring her inside. Running back to the truck, Beth glares at Daryl, but soon bursts into tears as another contraction hits.

Getting her inside, the old woman gestures for Daryl to get Beth to the spare bedroom where the bed is turned down and a fire place is roaring. Beth gets in bed, and Daryl strips her of her pajama pants and her underwear. The old woman leaves them for a bit and brings back a cold, wet rag- having Daryl dab it on her forhead. The old woman remains speechless as she goes to the end of the bed where Beth's lower half rests with her knees propped up.

"Daryl?....Ow!" She doesn't fully know what's going on with the old woman or why she wom't soeak to them, but she doesn't reject the woman, when she rubs some mysterious lotion or gel around Beth's sex. The old woman looks up at Beth and nods for her to push.

The long and hard process extends well into the night- as the cold Febuary night bustles with heavy wind and snow that masks the screams of Beth pushing her baby boy out into the world. When the baby finally comes out, he's tiny- about the size of Daryl's two hands if not slightly bigger. Just as Beth is about to lay back and take a few deeo breaths, another piercing pain comes to her.

"Owww!" She yells and pushes again. The old woman urges her to continue, and in under a half an hour a second baby is born- another boy.

The old woman helps deliever the placenta and then cuts the chords. Handing Daryl a warm knitted blanket, he swaddles the first boy in his arms as the old lady swaddles the second boy and hands him off to Daryl as she checks on Beth.

Her heart beat is shallow and she's become pale. She's lost a littke bit of blood- but no more than a usual birth would. The woman covers Beth up and puts another pillow under her head. Leaving the room momentarily, Daryl sits abover Beth's head and looks down into her dull blue eyes that are heavy for her.

"Beth...twins. Twin boys....Beth?" She looks like death. Getting up Daryl lays the boys on the other side of the bed between two pillows so they can't move. Going back to Beth, he brushes hair away from her cold sweating face and can feel a pain growing in his heart. "Beth? Beth, please....say something."

"Tak care of our boys..." She weakly touches his hand and his heart is breaking upon the sight of his wife neeting Death.

"You'll be okay. Honey, you'll be okay. We have our children. We have Kensi and our two boys. We...we need you!" He feels how weak she is. He feels selfish. He needs her to live because he doesn't know how to live without her. "Baby please...please don't go. We need you. I need you. I've needed you since we first met. Yer my everything. Please..."

"I love you, Daryl..."

Within minutes EMTs burst into the room and put Beth om a gurney without hesitation. Another EMT takes the twins in her care to another truck. Racing to follow them, Daryl jumps in his truck and goes to leave, when he realizes the old woman is trying to get to the truck but almost slips on the icy steps. Taking a deeo breath, Daryl jumps from his truck and catches the old lady.

"Come on. I need you with me." He helps the old lady in the truck and drives down the road, and follows the ambulances to the hospital.