Walking Dead Imagines

New Father - Daryl

Having a newborn was one of the scariest things that Daryl had dealt with in his lifetime. He was terrified of messing up or making the same mistakes his own parents did with himself and Merle. Throughout your pregnancy you assured Daryl that he was going to make a great dad - but it wasn't until after this day that he believed you.

Your first day back to work was a challenge for Daryl. He had a little over a month to prepare for it, but he was very afraid. Today he was going to be completely alone with the baby for nine hours. He watched you as you held her in your arms, sweet-talking her as you prepared to leave for the day. He leaned against the wall, an apprehensive look plastered on his face as he watched. You glanced over at him, letting a chuckle escape your lips as you set your daughter down in her crib. "You're going to be fine, babe." You say, brushing your daughter's soft cheek with your thumb before exiting the room to grab your purse. "I'll be back at six, she'll probably sleep half of the time I'm gone." You continue as you gather your items.

Daryl watches you from the doorway between the bedroom and the tiny living room, afraid to be more than a few feet away from his daughter. "She's your daughter, Daryl, not a bomb." You joke, heading over to him and placing a kiss on his scruffy cheek. "Bye bye my sweet baby girl, I'll see you soon!" You call out to her as you approach the door. Your heart is heavy as you leave. You wish you could spend every moment with your little family, but you have to work.

As soon as you left Daryl went back into the bedroom to check on the baby. She was laying on her back, not asleep but resting, looking up at her mobile curiously. "Hey there sweetheart." He says as he leans down to look at her, his voice softer as he speaks to her. She smiles at her daddy and he feels a tug in his stomach at the sight.

The day carries on fine until she starts crying for the first time. About an hour after you had left she began wailing, startling Daryl from where he sat in the living room cleaning his crossbow. He jumped up from his seat, abandoning his stuff as he rushed to the room. The baby laid there crying in her crib as Daryl panicked about what could be wrong. "Hey hey hey.. Shh, it's okay." He cooes as he carefully lifts her into his arms, cradling her against his chest. "What's wrong babygirl?" He asks as he lightly bounces her. Should he call Y/N? What does he do? What would you do if you were here?

He lifts her up to give her a quick sniff, instantly realizing that she needed her diaper changed. He had changed her diaper plenty of times by now, but he hadn't done it alone other than when you were asleep. What if he forgot a step?

He carefully lays his crying baby down on her changing table and starts undressing her from her onesie, being extra careful as he works. He looks around nervously as he mentally recalls what to do first. He gags at the smell as he tosses the dirty diaper into the trashbin, scoffing at himself for his own actions. He can skin animals but he can't change a diaper? If Merle was here he would never hear the end of it.

After a few minutes Daryl managed to finish changing her diaper, taking her with him into the living room to feed her. He watched her as she drank from her bottle, admiring how adorable she was. She had his blue eyes, and her mother's dimples. He adored his daughter with his whole heart, he never thought he could love someone so much.

Eventually she went into a milk coma in his arms. His muscular arm began cramping from the awkward position but he didn't dare move it, not risking disturbing his little girl from her sleep. He watched TV with the volume very low, feeling pretty bored and unproductive but reluctant to move.

When you returned home from work you found him laying on the floor with her, playing peek a boo. "Ahh, I see you survived." You joke as you step inside, smiling at them as he stands up, gathering her in his arms.

"Don't leave us ever again." He mumbles in your ear as he presses a kiss to your cheek.

"That bad?" You ask with a chuckle, taking her from his arms.

"Nah. Just stressful." Daryl responds, watching you with her, trying to fight off his smile as he realized just how lucky he was.