AN: Hi everyone! Lost my feels here for a couple of days, but I'm back and moving on with this story now.
I hope that you enjoy the chapter. Let me know what you think!
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111
"Miss Carol, I'm pleased to see that they've finally gotten around to putting in the water system for you," Will said.
Carol hadn't meant to run into him exactly, but they were working at her house and that required her to be out of the house, so she'd taken a shift at post and was there checking out people and recording their purchases. It was a mundane job at best, but at least it wasn't one that required any great effort on Carol's part.
It did, however, put her in the position to interact with more people than she was used to interacting with in such a short span of time.
"I'm pleased too, Will," Carol said. "And I really do thank you for everything you did to get me moved up beforehand."
Will nodded at her and looked around. He obviously needed something…and it was likely an order that she was going to have to fill rather than expecting him to fill it himself, but he hadn't actually told her yet what he was there after, and she really hoped that it wasn't one of those things that she was supposed to simply know.
"I have heard that you're expecting a child. That typically expedites things around the community as they are keen on promoting reproduction for the benefit of the future society. Myself, I don't care for the idea of reproduction, but I recognize that it's desirable for couple's who wish to leave something for prosperity," Will said.
Carol forced a smile, not quite knowing how else to respond to such a statement.
"The typical response to such a thing is to congratulate you on your future offspring," Will said. "In which case…congratulations."
Carol smiled and nodded slightly at Will.
"Thank you, Will," Carol said. "That's very nice of you."
"I would imagine that there are support systems in place for the emotional needs of a woman in your particular position?" Will asked.
Carol understood what he was talking about and simply nodded her head. She was sure that if she were to seek out therapy for her "situation", it would be provided. She was also certain that they would try to offer her anything else she needed since the community was also planning on providing her with "everything" she might need to prepare for the arrival of the child.
"Will, is there something that you need?" Carol asked after a moment, realizing that he was wearing the uncomfortable expression that he got at times…the expression that said to Carol that he was caught in a situation from which he couldn't escape but to which he had nothing to add. "Can I get you something?"
Will looked relieved at the offer.
"I am in need of soap and I was hoping to also acquire something that might relieve insect bites," Will said. "I seem to be particularly desirable to the mosquito population of the area."
Carol laughed along with Will at the idea that he was, perhaps, more flavorful than the rest of them. She held a hand up to him, gesturing to him that he should wait.
"I'll be right back," she said. "That sounds like an order that I can fill…also, if the cream doesn't work, there are aloe plants down in the green houses. You might like some of that for the bug bites. It does help."
Will smiled and nodded his head.
"I will have to venture down there and acquire some if the cream that you provide me with isn't satisfactory. Otherwise I'm finding it difficult to sleep for the unpleasant itching," Will said.
Carol disappeared, coming back and presenting to him the products that he asked for to allow him to inspect them. He was pleased with her selections, or at least he was pleased with not having to look for himself, and she checked him out, offering him the cake of soap and the tube of cream.
As Will was leaving, Glenn was coming into the post, and Will very nearly bumped into him before stopping to exchange a greeting in which he also included that Glenn, if he didn't know about the correct way of going about things, should offer Carol his congratulations before leaving the building.
And then Will left, leaving Glenn standing there scratching at the back of his neck.
"Bug bites?" Carol asked.
Glenn looked at her for a moment like he had no idea what she was talking about and then he realized that he was scratching.
"Yeah," he said. "But…that's not why I'm here…"
"What can I help you with?" Carol asked.
Glenn crossed the floor and stood in front of the counter that Carol was using to keep her separate from anyone who came in. He rested his hands on the counter in front of her.
"I haven't seen you since the baby was born," Glenn said. "How are you?"
Carol smiled.
She'd always loved Glenn. Since they'd all arrived at Oasis, she felt like her relationships with some of them were strained…but it didn't take away the fact that she still considered the people from her original group as very much her family…and she loved them, regardless of any of the distance.
"I'm doing well," Carol said.
Glenn frowned and shook his head slightly.
"We meant to come to the funeral…but with the baby…" he started.
Carol nodded and reached a hand out, covering his with her own.
"It's fine, Glenn," Carol said. "Honestly? I don't even remember who was there and who wasn't. It was a difficult day and it's one that…I try not to think about too often."
"I'm sorry," Glenn said. "Is it true? What we've all heard? You're going to…have a baby?"
Carol nodded.
"It's true," she said.
She was still working on the whole excitement thing. She was still trying to make herself feel like she thought that she should feel. In some ways it wasn't real to her at all and in the ways that it was real, it was still nothing short of terrifying. She was going to have a baby…alone…in this world and now her only real hope was that Oasis turned out to be everything that she thought it was and that it wouldn't ever fall.
Glenn smiled at her, but it wasn't the most sincere smile she'd ever seen. It was the same uncertain smile that she felt on her face and that she saw on the faces of everyone that was looking at her with surprise when they learned the little one was coming after all.
"That's great," Glenn said finally, though his voice didn't necessarily convey the emotions in the words. "I hope that it…that everything is great."
Carol smiled sincerely then, this time her face reflecting the humor she felt over how much Glenn was trying at the moment.
"What's Daryl said?" Glenn asked.
Carol was taken back a step. She furrowed her brows at him.
"Not too much," she said. "What would he have to say?"
Glenn shook his head quickly, his eyes going wide with the same expression of a child who has just said something that they know they shouldn't have said.
"I mean…nothing. I just thought he might have…because you two were…" Glenn sputtered.
Then he stopped. He apparently decided silence was all he was going to offer Carol at that moment because he just stood in front of her then, looking terribly uncomfortable or like he might vomit on her, and stared at her.
"I'm sorry," he said after a moment.
Carol nodded her head slightly.
"It's fine," she said, still not entirely sure what he was sorry for or what she was forgiving him for. "Glenn…was there something you needed?"
He nodded.
"Maggie asked me to look for…uh…pacifiers…and…something for…" Glenn made a motion and Carol watched him. "For her…she's got like a rash…"
"Diaper rash ointment?" Carol asked, raising her eyebrows.
"That's it," Glenn said, snapping his fingers at Carol. "I had to drop off laundry," he continued as she went about getting the items for him. "I have to drop off laundry every day…mostly it's diapers…I didn't think we'd go through so many diapers…"
Carol smiled as she came back to the counter and started to record his items.
"Babies go through a lot of diapers," she said. "You're right about that. Anything else you need?"
Glenn took the items, the look of wanting to vomit not having completely left his face yet, and then he shook his head.
Carol told him to have a nice day and accepted his somewhat stuttered "congratulations" as he slipped out the door to lick whatever wounds he'd accidentally inflicted upon himself.
Carol perched on the stool she had and leaned on her arm.
What would Daryl have to say about the baby? Why would it really even matter to him? And what were they? What did Glenn think they were?
They'd been friends…they'd been best friends. And there had been several times in her life that Carol imagined that she wouldn't have made it without Daryl. He was always there for her during that time in her life.
He'd looked for Sophia when no one else had really seemed to care…he'd looked for Sophia when she saw in everyone else's eyes that they thought it was hopeless or that it didn't matter. They were simply down a child…less one person in this cruel world. And they were less one person who didn't matter to any of them except to her. But then Daryl had believed and he'd held that belief even when Carol herself might have given up.
He'd pulled her through losing Sophia and he'd showed her, in his own way, that she could keep going. She had to keep going because he believed that she could…and she didn't want to let him down when she felt like maybe so many others had.
And it seemed that whenever things got too hard for her…it seemed that whenever she thought that she was going to die and she'd slowly begun to accept her fate, whether it was death by Walkers at Hershel's farm or dying from starvation and dehydration in a dark cell that terrified her with memories of her past, it was Daryl who always seemed to appear like some kind of dirty and ragged knight in plaid and leather.
It was always Daryl that reminded her that she was, every day, becoming just a little bit stronger and that he was proud of her for that. He was proud of her for gaining her independence and for becoming, instead of the burden that she once thought she was, something more to the group.
He had been her best friend, but she didn't know what a best friend would have to say about the upcoming arrival of a child other than to offer their congratulations and their support…or maybe their concern given the circumstances.
Because it had been some time since Daryl had been there for Carol and it had been some time since he'd been the man that she'd once known him to be.
And maybe some of that was returning, with his strange middle of the night visit to her house to have coffee and pressed conversation…but it wasn't still what it had once been.
Carol did recognize, though, that Daryl was acting differently since he'd learned about the baby. He was…in his own way, perhaps…making some kind of effort to at least speak to her again, something he hadn't exactly done since he'd arrived at Oasis. And he seemed, for whatever reason, to finally be ready to let go of whatever anger he was holding against her for her act against Karen and David.
She couldn't tell him, and she felt certain of this, about what had happened with Lizzie and Mika…he'd never understand and if he couldn't forgive her for so long for the incident with the virus, he would never forgive her for what had happened with the girls…but maybe she could at least try to see if he was trying to open the doors to her some.
Maybe she could find out if he was trying, now that she was somewhat forgiven, to be the friend to her that he'd once been.
And right now…she could use all the real friends she could get, just to get through the days.