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CARYL ON!

They had been on the farm for a little over a week when Carol was finally allowed out of the bed. It had been another week though since both Hershel and Otis has let her go outside for short periods of time. She was still in their opinion at risk, but not like she had been when they had arrived on the farm. She had started to put on weight and no longer had a sickly look to her.

She wasn't allowed to go too far, but sitting out on the front porch in one of the rocking chair as the mid-day sun shone down was like heaven to her. Jacqui, Lori, Amy and Maggie occupied the other chairs, each with a pot in front of them along with either a mess of peas they were shelling or other vegetables they were cutting up and getting ready for dinner that night. Andrea and Dale sat on top of the RV on watch as the others did odd jobs around the farm to help pull there weight. A few had even gone into town to scavenge for supplies that they were in desperate need of.

Rick and a few of the others had sat down with Hershel and his people days earlier, asking that they be allowed to stay there at the farm in exchange for helping out the farmer. Rules had been set and agreed upon and the group had settled in. Several tents littered the shaded area under the trees giving them shade from the bright Georgia sun. Clothes lines had also been set up and washed laundry now hung from them, drying.

Dropping an empty shell into the paper bag sitting between herself and Lori, Carol reached for more peas, "If we can get some more jars, we can start canning some of the other vegetables and even some of the peaches. It'd help to make them last longer and we wouldn't have to worry about them going bad."

"Three's a hardware store in town that still has canning jars. I'll see if Glenn and a few others want to do a run for them. Wouldn't hurt anyways. That store hasn't been cleaned out yet. Might find some supplies in there we can use." Maggie continued to cut up the potatoes that had dug out of the garden and then smirked, "They were gonna hit up the Family Dollar today and the pharmacy. Maybe they'll find something there."

"Wish they'd find an operational Starbucks," Jacqui laughed, making the others laugh with her and then sighed, "Oh I'm in sore need of an espresso or even a latte."

Carol smiled over at the woman, dropping more of the peas into her bowl, "We have that instant coffee inside. I'm sure one of the cows wouldn't mind giving up some milk...just have to forgo the ice though."

Jacqui's nose scrunched up and she shook her head, "Oh no, honey. I'm not going near that instant stuff again. Tore me up the last time I tried to drink it."

The woman laughed together before silence descended upon them once again. In some ways everything felt right being there, all of them together and working as if nothing was going on in the world around them.

Lori glanced over at Carol, a small smirk riding her lips, "Daryl left your room pretty late last night. Everything going okay between you two?"

"Not just last night," Jacqui added with her own smirk, "the past few night's."

Carol blushed some, lowering her eyes down to the peas she was shelling and shrugged, "We were just talking. He's...he's a nice man, that's all."

"A nice man with a nice body...and eyes you could drown in," Maggie smiled, catching Carol's eye and making the woman blush more. Smiling brightly, Maggie tilted her head, "You should get to know him better, Carol. I think you're the only one around here I've seen him talk to besides Rick and a few of the other men."

"He avoids most of us like the plague," Lori added. Finishing off the last of her bowl of carrots, she wiped her hands on her jeans, "But you my dear...he's always got his eyes on you. And he's always bringing you stuff...like that tea and the berries."

Carol glanced at Lori as the other women smiled at her. She didn't think Daryl was doing the things he was because of any other reason besides him just being nice to her, but as she sat there and thought about it more, she began to wonder. Clearing her throat, she adverted her eyes back to her work, "He just wants to make sure I'm ok."

Maggie stood with Lori, collecting the bowls they had ready to be taken in and walked over to Carol, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, "I think it's more, Carol. He's a nice man. Everyone deserves someone nice like that in their lives." Leaving her, Maggie and Lori went inside.

Jacqui finished shelling the last of the peas and then placed her bowl at her feet. Turning some to Carol, she raised her brow and got Carol's attention, "They're right, you know. You do deserve someone nice like Daryl. You've already come a long way since we met, sweetie. You're starting to trust people more, which is good. I'm not saying to open up your heart to anything more then that if you aren't ready for it. Just don't let the walls build up though."

Carol took in a deep breath unsure of herself and shook her head, "I just don't know if I can ever trust a man fully again, Jacqui. Ed was nice at first and you see how he was there at the end. I don't know if I can go through that again."

Jacqui laughed and patted Carol's hand, "Sweetie, I think Daryl would rather walk into a herd of walkers then to ever hurt you. He's smitten with you, honey. Hell, I can see it in the way he looks at you. That man would do anything he could to make sure your safe...and he has been. Besides, you have to admit..." Giving Carol a nudge with her elbow, she lowered her voice so only she could hear, "He is sexy as hell."

Carol giggled, her cheeks red and turned her head away from the woman. Biting her lip when she looked back at her smiling face, Carol shrugged, "Maybe."

"No maybe about it." Taking Carol's bowl, Jacqui picked up her own and stood up, "I'm gonna run these inside and then bring you out some lunch." Before Carol could protest, Jacqui shook her head, "No...don't even try to fight me on this Carol. You're still recovering. Now, do you want tea or water with your meal?"

"Water is fine," Carol replied, giving her a small smile as she looked up at the woman.

"Water it is. Now, sit there and relax and enjoy this heat," Jacqui snickered as she walked away.

Carol watched her leave before looking out over the farm. Taking in a deep breath, she closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the rocker. Hearing a motorcycle in the distance, her eyes popped back open and Carol sat up some, her heart picking up in beats. A smile formed on her lips as the man himself came into view coming up the gravel road with two trucks following. Daryl was back and he was safe.

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