I know it's been a long time and you guys may not even be into this story anymore, but I am hell-bent on finishing it and working hard towards accomplishing that right now. I've had some changes at work that allow me more free time and I'm gonna try and wrap this one up soon. I started on an ending that seemed forced just to give this story an ending, but I wanna finish it right and touch on the pieces that were in my head when I started this story. So, enjoy your next few chapters I plug out. Much love to you all and I hope that no matter what, everyone can remember the good Caryl moments the early seasons gave us and that we keep that in our hearts, not the bullshit the show became.
Daryl was laying in the hospital bed with a sleeping Carol and Sophia. Per hospital protocol, a mother who underwent a c-section was required to stay a minimum of 72 hours, and Carol was currently only on her second day. Poor thing was miserable and ready to get home. Between Sophia waking up every two hours, nurses constantly poking their heads in and out of the room, her family bombarding them with visits, the pain from her surgery, and the uncomfortable nature of the hospital itself, Carol hadn't gotten much sleep over the last 48 hours and she was downright exhausted. She's passed out mid-sentence while holding Sophia about twenty-minutes ago and Daryl felt relieved she was getting a nap in. Sophia had fallen asleep in her mother's arms about ten minutes before Carol knocked out, so he was hopeful that his girls could both get at least two hours in undisturbed.
Daryl hadn't left Carol or Sophia's side since he'd been reunited with them after the c-section. A large part of him felt terrified if he left them for any reason, he'd come back, and something would have gone terribly wrong. He hadn't even left the room for a smoke break, which was probably the longest he'd been without an actual cigarette since he was 12 or 13. Luckily, Merle brought him a large stash of Nicotine gum, so he could survive the hospital stay. His brother had even been nice enough to bring a change of clothes. Merle was being surprisingly supportive and thoughtful to both Daryl and Carol through all of this. He went as far as brining them both lunch from Daryl's favorite diner downtown, even stopping by the local bakery and bringing Carol her favorite sweet treats, which he'd learned from Hershel were caramel brownies.
In fact, Merle was being so damn nice it freaked Daryl the hell out. So much so that Daryl relieved Merle from the binds of that little bet they had in hopes that his older brother would disappear for a while and go off on a quest to find a piece after not being allowed to get any in over a month, and it worked, too. Because once Daryl assured Merle he was fine with calling the bet off and wouldn't try and trick him into following another dare later, his brother shot out of the hospital so fast he looked like the Tasmanian Devil.
It wasn't that Daryl and Carol didn't appreciate Merle's help and weren't grateful for the shocking change in behavior, it was just, well, Merle was fucking exhausting in and of himself. Daryl knew Carol needed to rest when she finally got to go home in the next day or so, she needed time to bond with her daughter without constant interruptions from hospital staff and drop in visitors, and of course Daryl wanted to be around to help Carol do anything she needed to do once they got home, which was actually a lot thanks to that c-section, and he knew that having a bored Merle who wanted constant attention and entertainment around for all of that would only make those things more difficult. This was really a win-win for everyone to let go of that bet and let Merle re-acquainted with his old life, so Daryl and Carol could adjust to their new one.
Their new life.
That simple statement had such a profound impact on Daryl and is stirred a well of emotions within him as his eyes flitted from white ceiling he'd been staring at and over to the woman he loved, who was sleeping peacefully. He swallowed as his eyes drifted to Sophia, the newborn baby girl was tucked delicately in her mother's arms, sleeping just as peacefully, her little mouth slightly agape with one hand resting under her chin. It hit him then, he loved that little girl, too. So damn much. And even if he hadn't held her yet, for fear he might do something wrong and unintentionally hurt her or cause her harm, he knew without a shadow of a doubt he loved that little girl and would do anything in the world for her. And that thought almost terrified him more than realizing he loved Carol had, because he wasn't Sophia's father, he had no right to this child, and it meant he had twice as much to lose if Carol ever walked away from him, or worse, if Sophia's biological father laid claim to her.
But Daryl pushed those dark thoughts down, not letting his mind and his past get the best of him. Not today. Not now. Right now, he had his girls. Both of them. And he wanted to revel in that fact. For once, he was gonna celebrate how lucky he was and let himself be happy.
As gently as he could, and careful not to move too much in the cramped little hospital, Daryl pressed a quick, soft kiss on top of Carol's head. Then, he ever so slowly reached over and traced a feather-light touch with his finger-tip across the newborn's head full of thick, dark hair.
()()()
Three soft but swift knocks and the sound of Carol's voice quietly saying, "just a minute," pulled Daryl from his sleep-laden state. He blinked himself awake and slowly lifted his head, wiping a small amount of drool from the side of his mouth as he did so. He emitted a tired groan, blinked several times, peered up at Carol, who was smiling down at him affectionately while feeding Sophia a bottle, and then lifted his head and scooted up in bed. He wiped the sleep from his eyes and groggily asked, "How long was I out for?"
"I'm not sure how long you've been out for certain, but I know you were asleep when I woke up about an hour ago and I was out at least three hours," she informed him. She then smiled at her daughter, who was greedily sucking away at the bottle in her mouth. "I woke up before Sophia did. I think that's a record for her. She just started stirring a few minutes ago and when she started whimpering I got the nurse to bring in a bottle for her." Due to the c-section, Carol was having trouble getting up and down easily, and with Sophia in her arms and Daryl squished in bed next to her she hadn't been brave enough to chance standing on her own and dropping her daughter.
"Could've woke me up and I would've got it ready for you," Daryl insisted.
The corner of Carol's lip twitched. "I know you would have, but you needed to sleep. You've been awake these last two days just as much as I have. You have to take care of yourself, too."
He shot her a look, one hoped conveyed the fact that taking care of Carol and Sophia was more important than sleep to him, but he didn't verbally argue with her, knowing it was a losing battle because she would insist he had to take care of himself to help take care of them. "Who you think is at the door?"
"I don't know," she replied with a shrug, she'd momentarily forgotten someone was on the other side of the door waiting to come in. "Come in," she called out, welcoming whoever it may be.
The door slowly creaked open and Lori and Rick stepped through. Rick was holding a big pink teddy bear and vase of flowers, while Lori was carrying a bundle of pink balloons. Lori squealed at the sight before her as she stepped foot in the room, seeing Daryl, Carol, and Sophia curled up in that tiny hospital bed together melted her heart and she thought for a moment her hormones were going to get the best of her because she felt her eyes start to water.
"Congratulations," Rick said, looking to Carol, then giving a slow nod of acknowledgement to Daryl.
"Thank you," Carol replied warmly. She nodded to the gifts and motioned to the window seal in the corner of the room where a host of other gifts were littered. "You can set those down over there."
Rick nodded and placed the teddy bear and flowers down, then grabbed the balloons for Lori's hand and set them down as well. He took a seat in a chair a few feet away and Lori walked over to the bed and leaned down and Carol a light hug.
The pregnant woman stared down at the newborn in awe, rubbing a hand over her own belly, which resembled an oversized basketball. Lori then stared down at Sohpia. "I can't believe she's here. She is just perfect."
"I know," Carol gushed proudly. "She's the most incredible thing I've ever seen, and I can't believe she's real and she's finally here."
Lori glanced at the bottle, then to Carol. "Are you not going to breast feed?"
Daryl scowled deeply at Lori and Carol shifted uncomfortably. Carol had planned to breastfeed, but like the birth itself, it wasn't exactly going according to plan, and Daryl knew it was a sensitive subject for Carol.
"I've tried…I tried really hard yesterday and this morning, she just won't latch, and my body isn't making enough milk even if she would." Carol wiped at her eye. "Sorry, I'm still feeling pretty hormonal."
"No, I'm sorry," Lori interrupted. "I shouldn't have asked, it's none of my business anyway." She quickly changed the subject. "When you're done feeding her…Do you think I could maybe I could her?"
Carol nodded and smiled at the hopeful and excited look on her friend's face. "I'll check her diaper as soon as she finished and then after I change her you can hold her."
()()()
When Sophia was done with her bottle, Carol checked her diaper and discovered she was wet. Daryl was going to get out of bed and get everything ready, so Carol could change her, but Lori insisted she be the one to help her and asked where everything was, so she could help. She said she wanted to get as much practice in over the next few weeks before Carl got here as she could in order to feel more prepared.
Rick then pulled out a pack of cigars and asked Daryl if he wanted to step outside and share one with him while the women changed the diaper. He initially declined, casting a worried look in Carol and Sophia's direction. What if Carol fell while he was gone? What if Lori couldn't get her back up without hurting her? What if Lori was trying to help Carol and wasn't paying attention to Sophia and something happened? The emergency c-section still weighed heavily on his mind and he wasn't sure what he was going to do when he had to go back to work in a few days and they were home alone. He had no idea how he was gonna pay attention and focus on his job. He had to pull his shit together and he knew it.
And Carol must have known it, too. Because she insisted that he go with Rick and enjoy his cigar, assuring him she and Sophia would be fine and Lori would come get it him if they needed anything from him or if anything went wrong.
So, that's how Daryl ended up outside of the hospital for the first time in 48 hours, sitting beside Rick on the curb, enjoying the fresh nicotine from the cheap cigar as the smoke filled his lungs, savoring the taste on his lips.
Rick coughed and choked desperately with each hit he took. The deputy sheriff shook his head. "I know it's supposed to be tradition and all when a baby is born, and I figured you'd appreciate it the gesture, but damn, this is disgusting." Rick shook his head and stubbed his cigar out on the concrete.
Daryl chuckled to himself and continued to savor his cigar. "Ain't no Morley Menthol, but it hits the stop. Ain't had a smoke since right before Sophia was born."
Rick fidgeted with his hands and studied Daryl carefully. "So, Carol had a c-section."
"Mhm."
"Was…was something wrong?"
Daryl stilled and paused before answering. Finally, he said, "baby's heart rate dropped. Don't know why. Doctor said everything's fine now. With both of them. Said my girls are gonna be just fine."
Rick smiled at Daryl's choice of words, referring to Carol and Sophia as his girls, and he wondered if Daryl was even aware he said that out loud. "You know," Rick mused, "when I told you Lori was pregnant, I gotta say, I never imagined I'd be coming to the hospital to visit your girlfriend's new baby before I ever even got to meet my son."
Daryl hummed and took a long drag from his cigar. "Hell, me either."
