Chapter Notes:

This chapter is a mish mash. It delves into Dwight's past experiences, and how he feels Daryl needs to address his issues with what is happening to Carol. We also get to witness Dwight drawing the tattoo sketch. URL at the end will take you to a picture of the tattoo Carol is getting. Thank you eternally to my very talented friend Charity Hopkins for drawing this for me. She is super talented at so many kids of art. I am blessed to know her and humbled that she would take the time to do me a favor for this story.

Dwight saw Daryl crouched beside him as he slowly came back around from the punch he had delivered. The man winced as he moved to pick himself up off the floor. To his surprise, Daryl reached out a hand to him to help him up, then handed him a gel ice pack for his face. He didn't seem angry anymore. He seemed desperate. Dwight understood why that was. He understood the reason for the punch. Why it had to happen. Daryl was scared. He couldn't control what was happening to Carol, so he had to make that one show of force to reinforce his ability to protect Carol, even though he couldn't in this case. He was now resigned to whatever hand the surgery dealt and it's aftermath. That meant that now hopefully they could get the work done that was needed. However, Daryl then said something that changed things.

"I gotta be in the room with ya and Carol Dwight. I know ya just wanna help, but it's gotta be this way man."

Dwight looked Daryl straight in the eyes and calmly explained that Carol specifically wanted her post surgical tattoo to be a surprise for Daryl. He tried his best to explain how important it was for her to be beautiful for him post surgery. How women needed to feel some kind of control in how they looked after for their partners. How some partners would never embrace their woman again after surgery. How it was every woman's fear that their partner would not desire them any longer. That was why he was here. To do his best artwork for Carol to allow her the power to be beautiful for Daryl again.

"Maybe I can be in the room for just part of it. See what you have to of her body, stay for a few minutes as you start your sketches. I wont see anything detailed. The result will still be a surprise – just like she wants."

Dwight considered this a moment. "If it were up to me, you would be in the room for the entire process. It will help you to work through any issues in your head this surgery is giving you. Don't tell me you don't have issues with it – everybody does on some level. It's natural. If you can get Carol on board with it, then I'm fine with it. It would definitely be good for you to see how the sketching process is done. So you know how serious this is. Anytime I worked with a woman did this before the turn, if they had a partner, I insisted that their partner was with them. I always believed it was an important part of the process for them. It was Carol's idea to do things alone, but maybe if I explained how I usually did business she would understand that you being there will help you through the process as well."

Daryl nodded. "Lets go talk to Carol then."

Dwight followed Daryl out to the front porch where Carol and Maggie had escaped to following the less than stellar reaction from Daryl. Daryl sat down next to the woman who would always have his heart and proceeded to speak from his.

"Ya know I love ya. Ya know I trust ya. I don't want secrets between us. Even you wanting to do a nice thing and surprise me? That ain't how it's gotta do sweetheart. I feel like I am on the sidelines here. Helpless to protect you. I am scared about what is going to happen tomorrow at the surgery. I am scared because there is nothing I can do about any of it. I gotta trust. I gotta trust a lot of people that will have your future in their hands. But first, ya gotta trust me when I say that I gotta be there with you and Dwight today. Dwight said something that made a lot of sense. He said that whenever he did this before the turn that the woman's partner was always with them. It helped them deal with their own shit goin' through their heads. This change affects both of us Carol. I will love you just as much after tomorrow. I will love you more each day until the day I die. Let me be part of this. Please?"

Carol looked at Daryl the entire time he was talking – which was pretty long for him. He was a man of few words, but he meant every word that came out of his mouth. He meant to be there for her no matter what. She just had to let him in. Knowing now how he felt, she knew she could not keep this step of the process away from him.

She looked at Maggie for confirmation – their eyes communicating. Maggie just smiled and nodded through a couple of tears. Carol knew then that Maggie agreed with what Daryl had to say and was moved by his sweet words.

"OK. So no surprise then. Let's just get this over with. I want Maggie to come in too though."

Daryl was amenable to that, so they all went back inside.

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Daryl was sitting off to the side and slightly behind Dwight as his hands flew across the drawing paper. He watched the sketch Carol had in mind come to life. Carol still sat topless in front of both of them, with Maggie at her side. Occasionally Dwight would make markings directly on Carol's skin to correlate with points in the sketch. Daryl was fascinated. Any fears he had of Dwight's abilities or motivations were gone within the first five minutes when he saw how professionally he handled working with Carol's skin. Then he was even more fascinate and humbled at the sketch that was coming to life under Dwight's steady hands.

The vaguely heart shaped outline was the base of the tattoo. Each side of the heart housed two of the places they called home – the farm, the prison. Meeting in the middle were Daryl's crossbow and Carol's knuckle buster knife. Surrounding the entire outline were vines of Cherokee Roses. Spread across petals and leaves were the names of their fallen family members. Merle. Beth. Abraham. Tyreese. T-Dog. Hershel. Lori. Lizzie. Andrea. Mika. Jacqui. Bob. Sasha. Dale. Noah. Across the bottom was the Alexandria entrance sign motto "Mercy for the lost, vengeance for the plunders." But it was the bloom in the middle that moved Daryl to tears. A single Cherokee Rose emblazoned with the most important name – Sophia.

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It was getting late, and since Dwight was going to be staying with the Dixon's, Maggie went home. Carol cooked dinner while Daryl continued to watch Dwight add texture and details to the drawing. He couldn't look away as the man drew, shaded, lightened and blended. All the while Dwight was explaining that the tattoo would be done in gray scale. Some areas would appear to be black while others could look like light shadows. Finally he was done just as Carol was announcing that dinner was done.

The two men looked at her. Daryl smiled and nudged Dwight to show Carol the final drawing. He wanted to see her reaction. He knew she would love it. She saw it, and he knew. He knew that Dwight had done exactly what she had in mind.

With tears running down her face, Carol finally spoke. "It's perfect."

End Notes:

See Carol's tattoo sketch here:

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Next time – surgery day.