AN: Here we are, another chapter here.

I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!

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"OK—lemme see," Alice said softly.

Daryl paced around the room because he couldn't hold still. Every time he sat down, he popped back up again like he had springs on his ass. He felt like it was out of his control. He could practically feel his nerves running laps up and down his legs.

The motel room gave them some privacy. Sophia had been nervous to touch Carol, despite Carol's reassurance that she was fine, but she'd finally accepted that her mother was as good as she could be until Alice got there to check her over and reassure everyone. Andrea, Axel, and Big Tiny took Sophia to get a couple of tubs of ice cream from the store for everyone to share and to pick up Teeter— since they were nervous to let the old man stay alone when they weren't clear on what the idiot they'd run out of town might do—while Alice looked Carol over.

Carol hissed at Alice's inspection and Alice grunted out her disapproval of the whole thing.

"Yeah that's going to be really fucking sore for a few days," Alice said. "But the good news is—I don't feel any broken ribs. I think this is all just bruised."

"It doesn't matter anyway," Carol said. "They'd just have to heal—one way or the other."

"There's no need to be a total martyr," Alice offered. "We'll make things as comfortable as we can. Still—I'm not seeing anything that's looking broken anywhere. Thank goodness for small miracles."

She produced a few pills from the bag she brought with her, offered them to Carol, and handed her the glass of water she'd brought up. Carol studied the pills in her palm.

"Did you talk to my doctor?" Carol asked.

"This morning," Alice said. "But I wasn't going to say anything because—that's your news. And I'm not supposed to know, anyway. Doctor-patient confidentiality and all."

"I was going to tell you anyway," Carol said with a quiet laugh that made her wince.

"Congratulations," Alice said. Her congratulations sounded too serious for the word, but she was in doctor mode and Daryl knew that she had a tendency to switch personalities as surely as if she were several people trapped in the same body. "Really. It's wonderful for you both and—I'm so happy. But I didn't want to say anything around anyone else and steal your thunder."

"Appreciate it," Daryl said. "We ain't told nobody yet."

"I think I'd rather we didn't tell them like this," Carol said.

Alice laughed.

"I can understand that," she said. She dragged her finger across her chest in an "X." "Your secret's safe with me. But swallow those down. You could use at least a little relief. That'll knock the edge off."

"Is it safe?" Carol asked.

Alice laughed to herself.

"It's acetaminophen," she said. "Not cocaine. What the pain is going to do to your blood pressure is worse than anything those two little pills could ever do. I'd never hurt family."

"Is the baby OK, Al?" Daryl asked. "I mean—it didn't hurt it?"

Alice shrugged her shoulders gently.

"It's hard to tell," Alice said. "I don't see any bruising in her abdominal area. Carol—do you remember any abdominal trauma? Did you hit—or did he hit you—anything in this are?"

She rubbed her hand over Carol's abdomen and Carol shook her head.

"I don't think so," she said. "I think the majority of it—around here, I mean, was this."

"Your ribs," Alice said when Carol gestured. Carol nodded. "Cramping?" Carol shook her head. "I know there's no blood because you would have mentioned that. Even—even if it's not cramping, really, any tightness?"

Carol shrugged her shoulders.

"Not that I know," she said.

"So, it's good?" Daryl asked.

"It's hard to say, Daryl," Alice said. "The baby's like—it's like the size of a little tiny pea or something. I mean, I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but it's either going to be OK, or it's not. You can go to the doctor if Carol starts cramping or there's some blood, but you're mostly going to be going to make sure it's gone. Cleared out. Because—even if something started happening with the doctor in the room? There's nothing you can do right now. It's just nature."

"The fuck we got doctors for if you can't do shit?" Daryl asked.

Alice rolled her eyes at him.

"I'm going to forgive you for being a dumbass because I know you don't like to hear shit that you don't want to hear," Alice said. "I also know that you know as well as I do that shit just happens sometimes. Still—babies are resilient little assholes. And mama's bodies are made to do what they can to take care of the baby. In the absence of actual abdominal trauma, which I think Carol would recall if it were a reality, I don't see any reason to think the little pea-baby isn't still in there just as snug and clueless as it was when you got outta bed this morning. But—and I'm just saying this shit as a big damn but, and a way to get you to stop thinking about ugly things—no matter what happens, you know your shit works together. It mixes up right. So, if something were to happen, you could always try again."

"Would rather it didn't," Daryl offered.

"Ditto," Alice said. She turned her attention back to Carol who was simply sitting on the bed, her shirt back on now, watching them both discuss the situation at hand. "Don't worry, Carol. From what I can see? It's going to take a little time for you to heal, but I wouldn't worry about the baby."

"There's no need to worry anyway, right?" Carol said, shrugging. "It's not going to change it one way or the other. The craziest thing about it is that—if I hadn't gone to the doctor, and something happened? I'd just think I got my period and I'd never think another thing about it, probably."

Alice patted her on the arm.

"Don't worry about it," Alice said. "That kid comes from some tough stock. On both sides, from what I can tell. My only prescription is—Tylenol if anything starts to really hurt. A couple of those every now and again isn't going to hurt anything until some of this slacks off a little. Some ice for your face. And some ice cream. So, let's go downstairs and see where those assholes are with the buckets."

"Thank you," Carol said sincerely. She reached to offer Alice a hug as payment and Alice seemed glad to accept that before she gathered up the few things she always carried around in the bag that she kept in her car for any such emergency.

"Thanks, Al," Daryl offered, clapping Alice on the back as he hugged her to him once she'd gotten to her feet.

"Stop being an asshole because I'm a not a fucking miracle worker," Alice warned.

Daryl laughed to himself.

"You got a couple them Tylenol to spare? My head's fuckin' about to split open."

Alice laughed and pulled the bottle back out. She shook a few pills into Daryl's palm and he accepted the glass of water from Carol as she stood with it in her hand. He washed down the pills and then offered her some of the water before he drained the glass and left it on the bedside table for whatever whore came through to straighten up later.

Then he dropped his arm around Carol's shoulder and pulled her to him in a sideways hug.

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"I'm just saying that—they don't make cakes, Daryl," Carol said.

"Maybe that's because nobody asked," Daryl said.

Carol laughed to herself.

"Please don't make me laugh, OK?" She asked. "Please."

"Come here," Daryl said. "You don't need that—don't even worry about it."

Carol dropped her pajama top on the dresser. She knew that Daryl wasn't going to suggest anything, because he knew how horrible she felt, but he wasn't going to make her wear anything to bed that might bind her, either. Carol sighed and came to bed. Daryl welcomed her with open arms, but didn't actually touch her as he dropped the blanket over her. She left the lamp on, knowing she could turn it off later when they were really ready to sleep.

The day felt like it had been two weeks long. Carol couldn't remember the last time that she'd been so exhausted.

It couldn't possibly have been just that morning when they'd sat in a doctor's waiting room and wondered if they'd find out that they were never destined to have a child together. In the span of one day, they'd found out that, in fact, they were already expecting a child—however small it may be—and then Carol had been attacked by a man that she'd never met before. A man with some kind of bone to pick with a whore in Virginia, according to Negan.

"I weren't tryin' to make you laugh," Daryl said. "But I don't think the bakery's gonna tell me that they can't bake me a cake that says 'big sister' on it just 'cause they haven't done it before."

"It's not her birthday," Carol offered.

"So?" Daryl asked. "Better'n that. More exciting. It's gonna be the day she finds out she's gonna have a baby brother or sister. Lots of kids get pissed off about that, Carol. Get their feelings hurt and all. I don't want Soph thinkin' it ain't the best thing in the world."

"And you think that cake's going to make it the best thing in the world?" Carol asked.

"Not just any damn cake, Carol," Daryl said. "Cake with purple writin' on it. Maybe—see if they got some colorful sprinkles or somethin'. Get a bike to go on it or somethin'. Make it a big damn deal."

Carol smiled at him.

"I love you," she said. She leaned toward him and he kissed her, but he snatched back almost immediately.

"I'm scared to kiss you," he admitted. "Scared to hurt you."

"If a kiss from you hurts," Carol offered, "then it's a hurt I'm willing to have right now. I love you and I love—I love the way that you love Sophia."

Daryl stared at her. Hard. She'd be unnerved by it if she weren't used to it by now.

"I love you," he said after a minute. "And I love her." He cleared his throat. "You can—say whatever you want. It ain't gonna make me mad and…I ain't gonna go back on no promise that I've ever made you, but…I'd like you to at least hear me out, Carol. At least think about it before you say no, if that's what you're gonna say."

Carol felt immediately worried and uncomfortable. She sat up, feeling like she might be more prepared that way for whatever Daryl might say. He looked immediately worried, like he regretted bringing it up when they were supposed to be settling down to sleep, and he sat up, too. He put his hands on her shoulders—one on each shoulder—and squeezed her affectionately.

"What's wrong?" Carol asked.

"Nothing's wrong," Daryl said.

"I need you to just—say whatever you're going to say," Carol said.

"I was just going to say that—with us gettin' married and we're gonna have a baby and all. And with—you gettin' all them documents soon that gets Ed outta your life completely. Outta Sophia's life…Carol…I was just gonna say that I'd like to go to court. If you don't mind and she don't mind…and all…and I'd like to, you know, adopt Sophia. I know she ain't never gonna be mine like—I know that it don't change biology and all of that. But—I'd like for her to be mine as much as she can be. I'd like her to have my name. It ain't worth much, really. But—if she wants it…"

Carol suddenly found it harder to breathe than even her bruised ribs made it. She swallowed against the ache in her throat. Daryl shook his head at her. He hushed her. He didn't dare to touch her face, though, scared to touch the spreading bruises there.

"If you don't wanna…" he started.

"I think…I love you more because you love Sophia than I even love you because you love me," Carol finally got out.

Daryl laughed to himself.

"I don't know…what you mean," Daryl offered. "But I accept it."

Carol pulled him to her and, since it was her seeking out his affection, he hugged her back. He held her loosely in his arms.

"You love Sophia," Carol said.

"I do," Daryl offered.

"Her daddy never did," Carol lamented, wiping her face against Daryl's bare shoulder. His skin wasn't absorbent, and rubbing her face there hurt, but she didn't care. Daryl didn't complain. He simply rubbed his hand gently over her back and shushed her.

"Hey," he said. "Hey—maybe her old man didn't give a shit. Maybe—the only good thing he ever done for any of us was…was make her, Carol. With you. 'Cause fuckin' hell…I don't wanna think about that shit, but I gotta be glad he did. So maybe her old man ain't done shit for her but give her life, but…her Daddy's pretty damn fond of her."

Carol clung to him, and he let her. He rubbed her back and shushed her, the same as he would Sophia, until she finally pulled away from him. She wiped at her eyes, because he wouldn't dare to touch them at the moment, especially since her right one was blackening with the rest of that side of her face.

"I would love for you to adopt her," Carol said. "And I'm sure—she would love it, too."

"You think—if I was to talk to her about it, she could understand?" Daryl asked.

"I think she could," Carol said. "And I think—you should be the one to ask her. To make it official."

Daryl smiled to himself. He nodded his head.

"Good," he said. "Right. I'ma do that. I'ma talk to her and talk to Andrea. See—see what we gotta do to make it happen when we get married."

Carol smiled to herself.

"Sophia's going to love that," Carol said. Daryl looked pleased with the praise. "And—she's going to love what's probably the first ever big sister cake known to man."

Daryl laughed to himself.

"Asshole," he teased. "Lay down."

Carol did lie down, and Daryl reached over her long enough to turn off the lamp before coming back to settle beside her. He was afraid to touch her, but he followed her lead when she raised his arm and, moving next to him, lowered it over her so that he would hold her gently while they slept.