Sweet Caroline

Chapter 53 – "Miracles Never Cease"

Dean looks at his little sister, his mind going back to that day in the doctor's office. Caroline was 16 on the verge of 17, her accident had taken a toll on them all.

Samuel, Dean and Raylan had taken Caroline to the specialist in Atlanta, the top OB/GYN in the state of Georgia. Dr. Olson talks to all of them after many tests and examining Caroline thoroughly. "From what I can tell, her pelvis on the left side is broken but is healing nicely. Her reproductive system was damaged heavily. Like I told Caroline, she may never have children. I'm putting her on birth control just to regulate her cycle but she actually doesn't need it for the purpose it's designed for."

Raylan takes Caroline's trembling hand, kissing the back of it. "So Doc, when you say she may never have kids, what exactly do you mean?" His brothers look at him with the same question burning in their eyes.

Dr. Olson pulls out Caroline's chart, flipping papers over. "Without bogging you down with medical lingo, your sister only has one functioning ovary and it's not working correctly. Her chances of ever getting pregnant are 1 in 1000 and if that wasn't bad enough, if she did manage to get pregnant the chances of her carrying a fetus to full term are very low. A fetus wouldn't have enough room to grow and her pelvic bones won't separate correctly for her to give birth. But I'm not worried about any of that, like I said 1 in 1000 she'll ever conceive a child."

Dean comes back to himself when he feels Caroline throw her arms around his neck. "Dean, you know I can't be. Damon and I never used protection and I didn't get pregnant with him. Dean, I just can't be."

"Caroline sweetheart, get some rest and we'll figure all this out in the morning." Kissing her on the forehead he leaves her with Hershel, taking his brothers out in the hall.

"Boys, we need to find Rick and the others. Daryl needs to be here for her. Raylan I need you to go to that pharmacy Glenn and Maggie went to. Get whatever she needs, a pregnancy test I guess. Sammy and I are going to look for Rick and see if they need our help getting out of Woodbury. We'll leave at first light." Dean leans back against the wall, running his hand down his face.

"What about them?" Samuel points to the break room where the new people were being kept.

Pulling his gun from his belt, Dean looks over to Lynzie. "Hey Lynzie, can you stay here and help Carl watch the prison?"

"Sure thing Dean." Lynzie grips her crowbar, glaring at the strangers.

Caroline tries to sleep but the possibility that she was pregnant and the nightmares of Daryl never coming back plague her all night. Beth with the baby stays close to her, Hershel helping his nephews get some supplies for the road.

"I need that pregnancy test as soon as possible Raylan. Get whatever you can find, we have to know." Hershel's face looked long and worn.

"I'll do my best Hershel." Raylan slips two clips in his back pocket, ready to hit the road.

Caroline looks at her brothers as they walk out of the prison, Raylan winking at her as he leaves. The sun was barely up, its first rays just meeting the sky. A deep sadness covers Caroline's heart. Her brothers, Maggie, Glenn, Rick and Daryl had all left and they may all be lost to her. Her stomach churns again as she goes back to bed. Beth finishes feeding the baby when she walks in the cell.

"Dad said you need to sleep and drink some water. You're going to get dehydrated." Beth looks beyond her 17 years as she gazes sternly at her cousin.

Sitting in the floor with a blanket around her shoulders, Caroline takes a sip of water from her canteen. "Beth, what if I'm pregnant and the same thing that happened to Lori happens to me? You have to promise me to take care of my baby like you are Judith."

"We ain't gonna have to worry about that. You drink your water and get some rest. The boys will be back soon and we'll know for sure. Maggie is going to be so happy for you. It makes her sad thinking you'd never have babies." Beth lays Judith down on the bed, patting her on the back.

"I guess the only thing I can really do now is sleep." Caroline curls up on the floor, pulling the blanket around her.

The light is the first thing Caroline sees when she opens her eyes. The figure of a man hovers over her, causing her to scramble to the wall. "Wait now little sister, it's just me." Raylan throws his hands up, waving them in front of her.

"Raylan, you're back. Are Dean and Samuel back yet?" Caroline rubs the sleep from her eyes, trying to focus.

"No, I got what I needed and got my ass back here. I did manage to find another can of baby formula. That pharmacy was ransacked but I did get you a few different tests and some condoms. If you're not pregnant then you're using them." Raylan grins as the blush burns across his sister's face.

Laying two boxes in the floor, Raylan leaves her to take the test. Beth opens the pink box first, handing her one of the tests. Caroline takes it, walking up stairs to one of the toilets. Beth follows her with the blue box in hand. "This one says if you get two lines you're pregnant and the other one has to have a plus sign for you to be…okay you ready?"

After using two different tests, Caroline waits for the results. She paces outside the cell, Beth looking nervously at her. Picking up the first test Caroline feels faint as she sees two red lines. Immediately picking up the second test it shows a bright pink plus sign.

"Oh my god Beth…what do I tell Daryl?" Caroline feels the room sway to the left then to the right as she hits the floor.

A splash of water hits her face, bringing her back to. Caroline's hands go to her belly, gazing up at Raylan. "Congrats little sister."

"How the hell is this happening?" Caroline's head still feels dizzy as Raylan helps her to her feet.

"I think you know how this happened. But I know what you're saying. 1 in 1000 right. I guess Dixon sperm was that 1. They must be determined little guys." Raylan chuckles as Caroline lightly punches his arm.

A/N: I posted my first chapter of Sweet Caroline on December 9, 2011 and I'd like to say thank you to all of you that have read and/or reviewed my story. Thank you for taking this journey with me for a year now.