It was Daryl and Carol's secret thing. Something they did when they knew no one would come around, when they had an hour or two to themselves. Neither of them would have wanted to be caught doing this. It would be too embarrassing, especially for Daryl. Carol probably could've played it off as a symptom of depression following the loss of Sophia, though.
Despite the words that Daryl had spoken to Carol at his camp that one day, the two had mended their relationship and now considered themselves friends. Both, really, had something that the other one needed: Daryl had never had much of a childhood, and having someone take care of him was nice. Carol, in turn, needed someone to care for. It helped fill the void that Sophia had left behind.
Those needs were what it all stemmed from, and now the two had a whole routine. Carol would gather the objects necessary, and would bring them to Daryl's camp. They'd zip up the tent and get started.
00
Tonight was not much different from the other times. The others were either out on patrol or resting at the farmhouse. Carol was pretty sure that she and Daryl's absence for an hour or so would be undetected.
Still, she took pains to pack everything up quietly.
First, she neatly folded the large cloths that doubled as Daryl's diapers. There was no way that Carol would have been able to get adult diapers from the pharmacy. She would've had to ask Glenn to get them on his next run, and that would surely cause him to ask questions.
So, she had cut down a sheet into smaller pieces that could be tied and pinned in place. She folded it enough to where it was sure not to leak.
After the diapers were packed, she moved on to the baby bottles. Those she had come across while going through a box in one of the farm's closets one day. The box was labeled with Maggie's name, so Carol assumed that the items inside had belonged to Maggie when she was a baby.
To make sure that Daryl had milk to drink, Carol had taken a glass of it from the kitchen, poured it into one of the bottles, then sealed it. She could heat it in a pot over the fire when she got to the campsite.
Once the bottle was secure, she threw in some rags. Those would be used as baby wipes. The rest of the stuff - books and toys and such - Daryl kept in his tent.
00
Carol arrived at the camp at dusk. Daryl was sitting outside, tending to the fire. He glanced at her when he heard her approach.
"Hi there," she said, smiling at him.
Daryl half smiled back.
"Are you ready?" Carol asked, noticing that the site seemed to be pretty clean. He'd probably done all his chores prior to her arrival so that they could get started quickly.
Daryl nodded 'yes' and looked around before crawling into the tent. Carol followed behind him, then zipped the tent up. Once inside, she looked around.
Daryl's blanket was laid out. It was an old quilt that Carol had found in the main house. She found that Daryl liked to lay on it and sleep with it, that it gave him some semblance of comfort.
The story books were also laid out. Carol put her bag on the ground and sat down. Daryl crawled over to her and sat in front of her, his back facing her chest.
Carol smiled again and pulled him into a hug from behind.
"My sweet boy… How are you doing today?"
Daryl turned to face her and shrugged.
"You don't know?" Carol asked, her voice sounding higher-pitched, like she really was talking to a child.
Daryl just stared at her and yawned.
"Looks like you're tired. How about we get you into a nice clean diaper and then we can relax."
Daryl thought about this for a moment.
"Then… story?" He asked, hopefully.
Carol leaned in and kissed him on the forehead.
"Then I'll read you a story," she replied.
Daryl nodded and moved so that Carol could get the changing area ready. It wasn't much - just an old towel that they laid out - but it did what it was supposed to do.
When the towel was down, Carol motioned for him to come over.
"Let's get you out of these dirty clothes," she said, under her breath. Daryl's clothes really were filthy. She made a mental note to wash them the following day.
"Arms up," she instructed.
Daryl put his arms up and allowed Carol to remove his shirt. She tossed it into the corner. Now, he was only in his jeans and boxers.
Getting Daryl out of those was often tricky. This was the one part where she allowed him to help out.
"Can you be a big boy and help me get your pants off?"
Daryl nodded 'yes' and began to pick at the button on his fly. For several seconds, he attempted to unbutton it, to no avail. Finally, he looked up at Carol.
"It's okay. I'll help you," she reassured him. She used her nimble fingers to undo the button and zipper, then watched as he shook the jeans off.
Next came the boxers. Daryl required less assistance with these, and soon enough he was lying on the towel, on top of one of the diapers that Carol had positioned.
"Good boy," she whispered, looking him over. Daryl was totally vulnerable, and both of them knew it. He needed that, though. Needed a chance to let down his guard. Needed a few hours where he didn't have to worry about walkers or drama or any of that adult stuff. Despite his vulnerability, Daryl felt safe, so long as Carol was by his side.
Carol poured a small amount of water from a bottle onto one of the rags and wiped Daryl's private area down, cleaning him off a little bit. When she started to fasten the diaper, Daryl let out a small whimper.
This caught Carol's attention.
"What's wrong, Sweetie?"
Daryl pouted and rested a hand on his stomach, close to where Carol had touched when she fastened the diaper up.
"Does your tummy hurt?" Carol seemed concerned. She gently pushed Daryl's hand away and felt the area for herself, pressing down slightly. Daryl groaned again.
"It hurts there?" She asked, just to confirm.
Daryl nodded, still looking pathetic.
Carol gently rubbed the area.
"It's okay, baby. I'm sure you'll feel better after you have your bottle. You always do."
That part was actually true. From what Carol could gather, Daryl had some type of ulcer, probably brought on from the stress of all that had happened. Drinking milk usually helped soothe his stomach, at least for a little while. It was probably the only relief that he got, she thought to herself. Daryl had refused to see Hershel about treatment.
Carol nudged Daryl.
"Why don't you go lie down on blanket and I'll warm up your milk," she suggested.
Daryl said nothing, but slowly pushed himself up and began to crawl to the blanket. Carol smiled yet again and unzipped the tent, opening it just enough for her to get out.
The fire was still burning. She found an empty pot and poured a bit of water into it, then placed the bottle inside and put it near the flame.
It didn't take long to heat up. Just a few minutes. She used the time to scan the surrounding area, making sure that no one was nearby.
00
When Carol returned to the tent, she found Daryl on the blanket. He was curled on his side and he was holding a stuffed animal to his chest.
"You found Arrow?" She questioned. She'd seen the stuffed bear before, but thought it had been lost. Apparently Daryl had held onto it.
"Mhmm," Daryl answered, holding the bear a little tighter.
Judging by how worn the bear was beginning to look, Carol guessed that Daryl may have been sleeping with it at night. It wouldn't have surprised her if he was.
Carol ran a hand over Daryl's back, causing him to relax somewhat.
"Such a good boy," she repeated.
Daryl grinned at the compliment.
"Did you pick a book?"
Daryl hugged his bear again.
"You choose," he whispered, looking at Carol, then at the bear, then back at Carol.
"Okay," Carol agreed.
She looked through the small pile of children's books. Those had been found amidst Maggie's baby items as well.
"How about this one?" She held up a child's book about Fairy Tales. Daryl always seemed to like those.
"Yes, please," Daryl said, softly.
Carol sat back against a pile of pillows and pulled Daryl's hand, telling him to sit near her. Daryl crawled over, sat in between her legs and leaned up against her, resting his head on her shoulder. He had taken blanket and Arrow with him. Carol took the blanket from his hands and wrapped it around him, wanting to ensure that her baby was warm.
Then, she pressed the bottle to Daryl's lips. He instantly opened his mouth and began to suck on it.
Soon enough Carol had managed to find a position where she could turn the book pages while holding the bottle for Daryl. She even managed to keep an arm wrapped around him. It was sort of funny to her, how, when she had had Sophia she found herself in positions that she doubted she could have ever held prior to having children. Kids just did that to her, though. Made her want to give up her own comfort for theirs.
"How about Rapunzel. Do you want to hear that one?"
Daryl nodded 'yes'.
"Okay, then." Carol turned to the correct page. "Once upon a time there was a man and a woman who had long wished for a child…"
00
For the next half hour, Carol continued to read, flipping the pages and pointing out different illustrations.
Daryl at first seemed interested, but now seemed to be trying to stay awake. Carol could tell by how he would close his eyes then force them back open. Thankfully, they were near the end of the story.
"...And he led her into his kingdom, and they lived long, happy lives," she finished.
Daryl squirmed a little, but rested his head against her shoulder once again. Yes, he was definitely tired. The warm milk, blanket and comfortable position had been what had did him in.
"I think it's time for you to go to sleep," Carol told him, putting the book down.
Daryl looked at her sadly. Tired as he was, he knew that going to sleep meant that their time together would come to an end. Carol understood this as well.
"Aw, baby, you need sleep. I'll stay here for a while, though. With you. Making sure that you're safe and comfortable," she promised.
"Okay."
Carol helped Daryl up and led him over to his sleeping area.
Ideally, she would've liked to have a crib for him, but this was the best they were getting what with the current situation.
Instead, Daryl slept on several blankets with a few pillows. Carol doubted that it was comfortable, but Daryl seemed to be used to it.
Daryl laid down and allowed Carol to tuck him in, pulling two lighter blankets over him. She then laid his favorite blanket on top. He still held Arrow tightly in his arm.
Carol sat cross-legged beside him and watched as he began to close his eyes yet again.
"My sweet baby," she ran her thumb over his cheek and looked at him lovingly.
Daryl cracked his eyes open and looked at her. He didn't say anything, but Carol could tell what was on his mind. He was nervous. Probably dreading the next day - having to go out and hunt and deal with all the bullshit at the farm.
Carol took hold of his free hand and kissed the top of it, then let it go, opting to run a hand across his stomach instead.
"It's okay, my love," she told him. "Everything's okay. I'm here. I won't let anything happen."
Daryl sighed as he felt the pain leave his stomach and his muscles relax again.
Yes, tomorrow he would be back to the same old crap, dealing with the same old problems, but for now, Carol was right. Everything was okay, and it would hopefully stay that way, at least until the morning's light.