AN: Thank you again for your awesome reviews and nice comments! You inspire me. xoxo
Chapter 21
The Consultant returned to the yard. Men were relaxing now - eating, drinking and smoking in small groups. Everybody was talking about the tournament and Dix's awesome showing with the crossbow. They were all thrilled about the new girl too, the Consultant noted pleased.
After a while he found a man who he was looking for.
Candyman was sitting with his best comrades, Cliff and Dee.
"Hello, boys. I need to talk to you alone", the Consultant greeted them and pointed at Candyman.
Cliff and Dee stood up, nodded to him with respect and left.
The Consultant sat down with Candyman and gave him a thin smile.
"What is it, C? Do you still want to talk about that new guy? I think Dix is alright and he truly is good with that bow…", Candyman started.
The Consultant shook his head.
"No, it's nothing like that. I want Dix to stay, you did the right thing by taking him in. Actually I want to talk with you about Renee."
"Oh, she's a great girl - and did you see that belly tonight? It is so big now that the baby will be here soon I'm sure…", Candyman started merrily.
"See, that is the problem we need to talk about. You're way too excited about Renee and the baby. You have to understand that they don't belong to you. They belong to the Castle C only, both of them. Every man here has a right to claim Renee to his bed if he wins the tournament or if I decide to reward him otherwise. I've heard rumours for your behaviour - you tell other men not to choose her. It's not acceptable. She's not your wife or your girlfriend - those words don't exist inside these walls. Renee is common property just like the rest of the women here. Do I make myself clear?" the Consultant asked.
He spoke very quietly and very softly, but somehow his voice was filled with threat.
"No, C, you don't understand…" Candyman started.
"I understand all too well, trust me. And there's more. We know now that Renee's baby is a girl. Doctor G. has a simple ultrasound device, and he is sure about the gender. So - after she's born, I don't want to hear a word about it. She's not your daughter and she's not to be treated as such. She'll grow up to be one of our Mothers. As soon as she gets her period, she will be in the presentations too. This is no longer discuss. Good night, Candyman."
The Consultant stood up, nodded to him, turned on his heels and left.
Candyman stared after him stunned.
xxx
Up in the Red Room Doctor Green had passed out. He had been drinking more than usual ever since he returned from the yard with Carol-Ann. And now he was out, Daryl was sure about it. He turned to Beth.
"I think we can talk now", he whispered to her gently.
"I know about the baby, Maggie told me. How are you feeling? I hope I didn't hurt ya just now", the hunter asked worried.
Beth stroked his stubbly cheek lightly.
"No, you did good. And what comes to the pregnancy - a bit of morning sickness, otherwise I'm fine. If you can say so here", she replied.
"Doctor Green examined me and he said that everything looks normal at this point."
Daryl looked at her.
"Good to hear that. What about mentally? I heard that Maggie said some horrible things before you left. Were you upset? Are you happy about the pregnancy?"
Beth smiled at him and closed her eyes for a while.
"I'm, really. I don't care about what Maggie said. It's our baby. There's so much death in this world that the idea of new life feels great. What about you? Are you happy about this … daddy?" Beth asked shyly.
"I couldn't be happier", Daryl said simply, bent down and kissed her flat belly lightly.
Then he looked at her again with more serious face.
"We just… have to plan this very carefully. And first of all we need to get out of here. It must happen before next tournament", he added.
"I know. Do you have a plan?" Beth needed to know.
"Not just yet. This place is heavily guarded, the gate is always closed and a moat is deep … and they keep ya up in the tower all the time", the hunter noted.
"Not all the time. We eat in the dining room and get out for exercise sometimes", Beth told him.
"I think we need to find allies here. It's the start. Who do you trust?" Daryl asked.
"Maybe Renee, nice black woman. And Doctor Green is not so bad. Lorraine, one of the women, is a bitch who hates me. And Carol-Ann is a mess. What about you?"
"I get along with Candyman. His closest men, Cliff and Dee, seem quite ok. Rest of them.. I don't really know yet", Daryl explained.
"So at this point we really have no choice but to keep up this pretense. You have to live among men, I have to live in the Tower of Mothers", Beth realized.
Daryl nodded.
"I'm afraid so, yeah. We need to be bold and clever now", he said, turned to her and took her face between his palms gently. Then he looked at her in the eyes.
"I realized something recently. I love ya, Beth, I really do. Maybe I'm not good enough for you, but I will give you my best. I'm older than you, but I don't let it bother me anymore. True love is a rare gift, especially in these days. I'm all yours if you still want me."
Beth felt like she was bursting with happiness.
"Do I want you? I've wanted you… since the first morning I woke up next to you in that camper, I guess. Gosh, it seems so long ago now. I love you too, Daryl ."
Daryl smiled at her.
"If… when we get back to the group, we will go to them hand in hand. We will live together and we will take care of our baby together. I promise ya that, Beth", he said.
"No more avoidance, no more distance. I like that, Daryl", she replied happily.
It was at that moment when Doctor Green started to wake up grunting.
"Let's pretend we are sleeping too", Beth whispered to Daryl hastily.
They did so.
xxx
Doctor Green glanced at the couple on the bed. They slept peacefully together. This was his chance. He knocked on the door. The guard opened it from outside and looked at him surprised.
"Let me out, I have things to do", the Doc pleaded.
The guard did so.
In the corridor the Doc turned to him.
"Let them sleep until morning. Do not disturb them, please."
The guard nodded and the doctor left.
It was peaceful and quiet in the castle now. Morning would come soon. The doctor went up to the Tower of Mothers and stopped at one of the doors. He knocked on the door lightly. After that he opened it with his own keys.
Behind the door was a small, simple bedroom - a bed, a table and a chair. Narrow window had bars. Carol-Ann was sitting on the bed. She was fully awake and she had clearly been crying.
The doctor went to her and kissed her gently. Carol-Ann didn't return the gesture. No, she turned away from him.
"Don't touch me, Aloysius. Not now", she said tiredly.
"I'm so sorry about earlier. I love you so much but I couldn't help you. I feel horrible", the Doc said quietly.
"I know. I didn't expect you to do anything. But I've had enough of this, Aloysius. This is unbearable, really", the red-haired woman noted.
"I know. But it will get better - eventually I will find out why you can't get pregnant I'm sure. Maybe it's the endometriosis, maybe it's some kind of failure in ovulation. It's just that… my research tools here are so primitive and I don't have a laboratory so I can't do all the tests…"
Carol-Ann waved her hand indifferently.
"We have been through all this before. It's not my infertility that worries me. It's all this. The way we live here, this cruelty, this barbarity. I don't want to bring babies in this kind of world, Aloysius."
The doctor became silent. After a while he spoke again.
"I understand, I do. I'm not ok with it either. I'm an educated man, I took the Hippocratic Oath for God's sake. I'm supposed to protect life, not to take orders from a madman. It's just that… I'm afraid of him and I'm afraid of the walkers. I can't make it outside these walls, I know I can't. That's why I have to drink all the time. It's the only way to deal with all this", Doctor Green said with desperate tone.
"You really shouldn't drink like that, my love", Carol-Ann said softly.
"You know what they say - if you try to drown your sorrows in a bottle, they will soon learn how to swim", she noted.
"I know", the Doc said gently and took her hand. He looked at Carol-Ann thoughtfully.
"You know, I've been thinking about the Consultant a lot lately. Why is he the way he is? Obviously he have never loved anyone in his life, and that's why he doesn't understand the concept of love, not at all. His understanding of relationships between men and women is distorted, limited. He's only interested in reproduction. He doesn't understand the warmth, the humour, the trust, the friendship between two people… Men are supposed to be lovers, husbands, fathers and caretakers. Not just fighters and studs", the Doc explained with pained eyes.
"I know. And women are meant to be loved. They should be mothers and homemakers, not stud book mares", Carol-Ann replied.
They looked at each other depressed.
After a while Carol-Ann spoke again.
"I'm eager to breathe fresh air for a change. The balcony in just around the corner. Can you take me out, please? Only for a moment?"
Doctor Green smiled at her gently. This was just a small request. It was easy to say yes. Maybe this would comfort Carol-Ann a little after all she had been through.
"Ok. Please come with me", he agreed.
They stepped into a corridor. It was dark and quiet everywhere.
Soon they came at the door of the balcony.
Dr. Green opened the door with his own keys and smiled at Carol-Ann.
"After you, my love", he said.
Carol-Ann walked past him and glanced at him one last time. Suddenly she snatched the keys out of doctor's hand, pushed him against the wall with force and slipped out of the door. The next moment she closed the door and locked it from outside.
"What?! Carol-Ann, wait!" the Doc called her desperately, but she didn't listen to him. Not anymore.
"I'm so sorry, Aloysius", she whispered.
Then she dropped the keys out of her hand and walked to the parapet. She took a deep breath. Fresh, cool air felt so good.
For a moment Carol-Ann thought of the past. Her parents, their small house with a garden, her past job as a librarian. Sunday dinners, her mother's homemade ice cream, little jokes her father used to tell her.
That world was long gone. She would never get it back.
So she climbed on the parapet and looked to the east. The sun would rise soon. She was not afraid anymore. So she took a big step forward.
To free air.