𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐑 𝐎𝐏𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 ➳ 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐥 𝐆𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬

Chapter 34 ~ One Condition

"She's perfectly healthy, Miss Dixon. You have no need to worry about this little one." Dr. Carson told me reassuringly with a smile plastered on his gentle face.

I couldn't help but smile, feeling my heart swell with love as I gazed down adoringly at the tiny infant in my arms. It felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. She was alright! That was what I'd been most worried about - if they had been taking care of her properly. Thank goodness she hadn't starved to death in that place, I thought darkly before shaking the depressing thoughts away. It didn't matter now though - she was back with me and no matter what, I'd never let her get taken away from me again.

Not by anyone. She latched onto my finger then with her smaller ones and tears pricked my eyes. This little baby had my whole heart already. Well...the part at least that wasn't occupied by Carl. No, the both of them were my heart. She cooed up at me and I smiled down at her happily.

Suddenly, the door to the infirmary creaked open and I glanced up to see Maggie enter.

"Knock, knock," she smiled over at me, her grass-green eyes wandering down to the infant in my arms as her hand fell from where it had rapped against the door, "Can we come in?"

Before I even had the chance to answer, Rick, Michonne, Daryl, Morgan, and Carl all piled in after her. I chuckled, shaking my head at them all as I shifted slightly in the bed. Dr. Carson gave a slight nod to them all, smiling politely and uttering a brief greeting to Maggie before exiting the small infirmary. Without hesitation, Carl strode over and sat down beside us, his arm draping across my shoulders as he gazed down at my daughter lovingly. The worn, brown Sheriff's hat atop his head cast a faint shadow across the both of us. Carefully, they all came to stand around the bed, watching on in silence as Daryl walked up to me.

He said nothing but I could see so many different emotions flitting across his face as he gazed down at my daughter - shock, fear, hesitance, inadequacy. But there was one that overpowered the rest, one that I deemed made the rest of no importance at all - love. I smiled up at him, watching him look at her with the same love he felt for me. He reached down then to ghost a hand across her blanket when she gurgled, pushing his hand away with her tiny foot.

"Yeah, she's a Dixon, alright," Daryl muttered gruffly, just loud enough for us all to hear.

We all burst out laughing and Michonne grinned, leaning into Rick's side. Gently, Maggie sat down at the end of the bed, her gaze locked on my daughter. I could tell she was thinking about her own child growing in her stomach as her hand slid across the lower part of her t-shirt.

"Did you decide on a name?" she smiled over at me.

I bit my lip in thought a moment before looking back down at my child, a smile lighting up my face.

"Mercy. Because that's what I want for her throughout all this. I want Negan, his men, this world to have mercy on her," I said, my voice wrought with emotion and determination, "And for a middle name, I chose Winnie...for Owen, her father,"

Everyone smiled at my name choices and Carl grinned from beside me. There were tears in Maggie's green eyes as she looked at me and I knew she understood completely. She of all people knew how hard it was going to be to raise a baby without a father.

"So what's the last name gonna be? She gonna be a Dixon?" Daryl piped up suddenly, breaking the silence that had formed between us all.

I chewed the inside of my cheek nervously. But just as he asked, Winnie's tiny fingers reached up and latched onto Carl's Sheriff's hat as he had leaned over her, cooing happily as she did. I gazed at the two of them adoringly, feeling my heart swell once again with love. Carl's blue eye locked onto mine as he smiled over at me. And I knew in my heart, I'd made the right decision.

"Actually...I was kind of hoping she could be a Grimes," I said softly, the room quietening down as soon as the words had left my lips.

Carl's eye widened a fraction in surprise then and I bit my lip briefly. I could feel everyone watching me intently, especially Rick and my father. But slowly, a grin found its way onto his face and he took my hand in his. His fingers played with mine gently before he finally spoke.

"On one condition," he said slowly, his eye connecting to mine once more with a serious intensity.

"Anything, Carl," I said, smiling with a slightly confused expression on my face.

But the next words to leave his lips were ones I never expected him to say, making all the air leave my lungs completely.

"Marry me."