Chapter 26
Carol woke up, squinting at the bright lights overhead. She felt a pinch in her arm, and she groaned, looking down to find a needle taped to her arm, sticking right into her vein. Her stomach turned. She hated needles.
"Hey," came his gruff but pleasant voice. She moaned softly and blinked into the light, turning her head toward the voice. Her vision was blurry for a moment, but the more she focused, the more his deep blue eyes and stubble-covered face came into focus. "Welcome back."
"What happened?" she murmured, raising her hand to her forehead, a dull ache throbbing at her temple.
"You fainted," he said quietly, his fingers curling around hers. "Glenn says you're dehydrated and sufferin' from exhaustion."
"Oh," she said weakly. She heard Grace coo nearby, and she gasped, sitting up quickly, only for the room to start spinning. She lay back down.
"Grace's fine," he assured her. "You're gonna be fine. You got a bump on the head and an IV in ya, but you're gonna be alright." He sighed softly and leaned in, kissing her forehead. "You scared the hell outta me."
"We gotta stop doing that to each other, huh?" Carol asked with a tired smile. He chuckled and kissed her lips softly.
"Love you so damn much," he muttered.
"Me too," she breathed. "What're you doing out of bed?"
"Glenn figured if I'm goin' home tomorrow, it shouldn't hurt me to sit up a little bit. Wanted to be with ya." Carol smiled a little and reached up to stroke his face, her fingers lingering over his scratchy chin. "Yeah, I know I need a shave."
"No, I like it," she grinned. A knock on the door had Carol and Daryl both turning their attention to Michonne, who walked in with her hands on her hips.
"Thank God you're awake. Now I can yell at you for scaring the shit out of me." Michonne moved to cross the room and give Carol a very gentle hug. "You look better. Whatever they're putting in your IV is working."
"I feel better."
"Well, you should. You weren't eating or drinking enough before. You have to take care of yourself."
"That's what I was about to get started on," Daryl agreed with a nod. "You been too worried 'bout takin' care of everybody else, you ain't been takin' care'a yerself."
"I'll be alright," she said softly. "I just want to get you home so we're all back together under one roof." Daryl eyed her for a moment, a grin spreading over his face. "What?"
"Does this mean you're waiving that whole six month thing?" he asked. Carol bit her lower lip and sighed. "Or are you gonna make me wait for the next four months?"
"I think I'm tired of waiting," she murmured, stroking his face again as Michonne sat down in a chair on the opposite side of the bed, taking Grace out of her stroller and cradling her close. "I just want us to be a family. I don't want to waste another second." Daryl leaned forward and kissed her again.
"Don't tire out the patient, now," Michonne pointed out. "She needs to sleep. She needs lots of sleep. Come to think of it, so do you." Michonne looked down at Grace, who was staring up at her with such intense fascination. "You're going to have to take really good care of them, Gracie. Your daddy is stubborn as a mule and, well, Carol is too. Good luck to you, sweet pea. Just remember, you can always come see Auntie 'Chonne."
Carol was quiet on the car ride home the next day. She was in the passenger's seat, while Daryl was stretched out on the back seat, trying to stay comfortable as the car bumped along the street. Michonne eyed Carol from the driver's seat.
"You're quiet," Michonne said softly. "Everything ok?"
"Huh? Oh, I'm fine," Carol assured her. "Just tired."
"When I get you two home, you're both going to bed. To sleep. And I'm going to make arrangements for Andre to stay at his grandma's. I'll take care of Gracie, and you two don't have to lift a finger, ok?"
"Sounds good," Daryl murmured, leaning over Grace's car seat to tickle her tummy. The baby giggled, and he smiled down at her. "Right Grace?" Carol turned in her seat to watch Daryl with Grace, and her heart could have melted from the warmth that spread through her. She had her best friend. She had the man of her dreams. She had this beautiful little baby that she never expected in her life. She was happy, despite all the bad and the frightening things that had happened, she was happy, because she felt like a part of a family again. She was a part of a family again.
When Michonne pulled up outside of Daryl's, she was the first out of the car. She took Grace out of the car, while Carol got out and let Daryl lean on her as they walked up to the house. It felt good to be home, Carol realized, and it felt good to know that this was going to be her home from now on.
"If I didn't have a bullet hole in me, I'd carry ya over the threshold," he offered. Carol chuckled and shook her head.
"We're not married."
"Don't matter. This is our home now." He gave her arm a squeeze, and when Michonne unlocked the door, they all piled in together, greeted by an impatient Cherokee, who barked his happiness at their return.
"Hey boy," Carol said with a smile. He licked her hand when she leaned down to pet him.
"Alright, the dog can go with you, but you're both going to bed. Right now. Scoot. Go on. Don't make me have to come after you."
"She means what she says," Carol said with a shrug. She and Daryl headed off toward the bedroom with Cherokee right at their heels.
Carol stared up at the ceiling as she lay in Daryl's bed. He was so exhausted he had fallen asleep almost as soon as he'd lay down, but she had too much on her mind. Her stomach was a bundle of nerves, and Cherokee lifted his head from time to time, as if sensing her anxiety.
"What're you looking at?" she asked him, glancing down at the foot of the bed, where he lay with his ears perked up and his head cocked to the side. "Don't worry, Cherokee. Everything's alright." The dog eyed her for a moment and slowly lowered his head.
She sighed and folded her arms behind her head on the pillow and took a few shaky breaths. She hadn't had much time to process anything, given she was still in a little bit of shock. But she was happy to be home with him, whatever happened next.
"Carol? How you feeling?" Glenn asked as he stepped into the room looking all professional in his white coat with a stethoscope around his neck. Carol smiled weakly and shrugged her shoulders.
"Fantastic," she muttered with a little eye roll. "Can I go home?"
"Yeah, you can go home this afternoon," he promised. "But I wanted to talk to you about something first."
"Okay," Carol said quietly. Glenn sat down on the chair next to her bed, and she suddenly felt very anxious. She swallowed hard and sat up a little, feeling so very tired. "Glenn, what's wrong?"
"Well, we ordered a series of tests yesterday, and…you're a little anemic," he pointed out.
"Oh, that's…Jesus, you scared me for a second," she pointed out. "So I take iron. No big deal."
"Well, it's not…it's not just that. Carol, I have to tell you something, and you have to promise me you're not going to freak out."
"Well, your bedside manner isn't helping me here. What am I not supposed to freak out about, Glenn?" Glenn cleared his throat and swallowed hard.
"You're pregnant." She stared at him as if the words were spoken in another language. "Carol?"
"I'm sorry, what?"
"I said you're pregnant." Carol snorted a little laugh and shook her head.
"Okay, thanks for that. Now tell me what's really wrong."
"No, seriously, Carol. You're pregnant." He watched the color drain from her face. "But I have to tell you…and I wanted to tell you now…your hormone levels are on the low side."
"Okay," she said quietly. "What does that mean?" Glenn looked down, and Carol felt her heart sink in her chest.
"It could mean nothing. It could also mean—and we'd have to do a series of tests—that you could be losing the baby." Carol gripped the side of the bed and sat up a little.
"So you're telling me that I'm pregnant and losing the baby."
"Not necessarily," Glenn said quietly. "Like I said, we have to run a series of tests, but it could be the case. And given your age, and…"
"Yeah, I get it," Carol murmured. "I'm too old to have this baby."
"That's not what I'm saying. I'm just saying that your situation is a little high risk. Believe me, I've seen plenty of moms your age and older have healthy babies." Carol sighed and leaned back on the bed, closing her eyes. "I don't want to give you false hope, but I don't want to scare you, either."
"So basically, you're saying not to get too attached to this pregnancy." Glenn looked down. "Glenn Rhee, you might be my boss, and you might be my doctor, but you're also my friend, so you look me in the eye and you tell me."
"Yeah, Carol," he said softly. "That's what I'm saying." Carol felt like somebody cut off her air supply in that moment, and she bit back a sob and willed the tears not to fall. She'd been through worse. She could survive this. She just had to be strong.
She watched him, a little smile crossing her lips as she thought about what an amazing father he was to Grace. This baby she was carrying might not get the chance to be a part of their lives, but she already loved it. She was terrified of bringing another life into the world, and she was terrified of losing that life the way she lost Sophia. But she found herself gently caressing her belly and thinking about how amazing it would be to have this child. Her child. Daryl's child. Their baby.
She felt the tears in her eyes, and she blinked them away, willing herself to stay strong and focus on the here and now. Daryl needed her, and she needed him, and they had the rest of their lives to sort out whatever else came or didn't come their way.
Daryl shifted in the bed, and his eyes fluttered open. He hadn't expected to see Carol laying there staring at him, but when he saw her, a smile quirked up in the corner of his mouth.
"What?" he asked, his voice gravely from sleep. She shrugged her shoulder and caressed his cheek.
"Nothing," she whispered, leaning in to kiss him softly. "I just love you. That's all."
"Love you," he murmured, gently running his hand down her shoulder. "Glad you're here."
"Me too," she whispered. "Me too."