Beth walked into the living room, Judith in her arms, happily sucking on her bottle, not worried that she would never see her mother-figure after today; not a care at all that the only people she would have left were a hard old redneck and a teenage girl.
Daryl was sitting on the floor with his back against the couch, holding Carol's hand that fell lazily over the side. She was turned in a way that you couldn't see her bite and they looked almost normal; almost like a couple in love. A surge of jealousy flashed through Beth for a moment before the shook it off and a sad smile covered her face.
Carol looked up at her and smiled back, reaching out her other hand. Beth took it gladly and sat on the edge of the couch next to her, holding Judith in her lap.
Both Daryl and Beth looked expectantly at Carol as she quietly cleared her throat. When she finally spoke, they had to strain to hear her whisper. "I was with Tyreese, Mika, and Lizzie. I stumbled upon them when they we runnin' after the prison fell. The five of us were walking the rail line, heading to Terminus—" Beth and Daryl looked at each other, confused at what she'd just said, wondering if they'd heard her right, but neither interrupted her to ask.
"—when we found an old pecan farm with a nice house. We decided to stay for a while, maybe make it a home. But then Lizzie…and Mika… got bit. Tyreese and I decided we had to move on, keep going. But back on the road was no better. We were able to find a car. Drove here, actually, but noticed it was occupied and didn't want a fight. After the herd…I thought maybe the people living here would be kind enough to take in an innocent baby. I had to at least give her a chance…" Carol trailed off.
There were tears running down both of the women's faces. Even Daryl's eyes were filling up, threatening to spill over. Beth squeezed Carol's hand very tightly, afraid that if she let go, Carol would drift away from her. Carol looked at her then, "You will take care of her, right? She needs good parents and I have absolute faith in you two."
Beth choked back a sob and nodded her head fervently. Daryl's eyes were on the floor, and she suspected he'd finally succumbed to the tears.
Carol's eyes were beginning to drift closed and her grip was loosening in both Beth and Daryl's hands. "Thank you…love you…" fell softly from her lips.
Daryl jumped up and kicked the wall when her chest went still. Maggie, who had been weary of the new guest, peaked her head around the doorway from the kitchen, cowering as she watched Daryl open up his knuckles against the wall, staining it red.
Beth sat perfectly still for a moment. Finally, she stood, placed a sheet over Carol's lifeless body, and carried Judith into the casket room, searching for the right one. She settled on a large oak one, and it seemed Daryl was having the same thoughts as Beth, for he was already outside with a shovel, digging his best friend's grave.
Hours later, Daryl reentered the funeral home looking exhausted. He helped Beth carry Carol's casket to the living room while Judith napped in the one he'd slept in the first night. After easing a knife through the sheet and then carefully placing Carol into her eternal bed, they closed the top and maneuvered it outside. The grave was shallow and they were able to place her inside without much of a drop, and Daryl shoveled the freshly dug up earth back into the hole, covering the polished oak.
After minutes of just standing there looking after he'd finished, Beth put her hand in Daryl's, leaned her head against his arm, and whispered, "Goodbye, Mama."
Shout out to Caitiann again for being my 100th reviewer! Hell yea, girl, you're kickin' ass! lol Hope you aren't too upset with me after this, but I needed to get Judith to Beth and Daryl, and this was the only way I could come up with. Shout out to xxz0eyxx for giving us the chapter title Goodbye. So now, what should chapter 10 be titled? :)))
