Daryl doesn't know if Eugene gets his cherry popped by Candy, but he never comes to sleep on their couch. At noon the next day, he seems uncharacteristically quiet as he boards the speed boat. Gunther, meanwhile, seems uncharacteristically irritated. He kisses Dianne goodbye only on her cheek and then throws himself a bit angrily into digging up a vegetable garden at the side of the docks as the boat pulls off.
"Hell's up with him?" Daryl asks Carol as they stroll on toward the museum to deposit Sweetheart at the daycare before they both begin work. She walks slightly ahead of them, half-running down the deck, her little shoes tripping on the floor board while she babbles to herself. They can make out a word here and there – wawa for water, ffffwish, bow-t for boat.
"It seems Dianne shot down his proposal. He proposed. Marriage."
"Yeah, well, figured he didn't propose buildin' a football stadium at Oceanside."
Carol smiles. "Someday, maybe. Sweetheart's kids might."
"Pfffft." Daryl half cranes his neck back to look at the now distant man thrusting the shovel into the yielding earth and looks forward again. "Hell she say no for? He's a'right. Rich. Got a shit ton of tobacco. Treats 'er a'right."
"She just thinks it's a little soon for that kind of commitment. She didn't break up with him. She's planning to come with the next boat at the end of July and stay the night. And twice in August, since we're probably going to double the mail runs. And twice in September and October. And then she said when he comes for the trade trip in November, if they're still together…he should propose again. I suppose it wasn't a shoot-down so much as a delay. I think he's more embarrassed than angry, really."
"Glad ya didn't shoot me down when I asked. Wouldn't never have asked again."
"No?"
"Uh-huh."
Carol threads fingers through his. "I think you would have."
"Pffft."
"I know you."
"Yeah. Keep tellin' yerself that."
[*]
The council debates go fairly smoothly that evening, and Daryl keeps a would-be-babbling Sweetheart quiet in the back, as quiet as he can anyway. There are a lot of questions about the salt mining, about whether the people left behind are a threat or might become trade partners, about increasing he traffic between Jamestown and the rest of the alliance, about whether the trade trip in November can take more people. Carol does well.
This time, when election day rolls around, Daryl doesn't rush to the polls at the last minute. He goes first thing in the morning, soon after they open, before the hunt.
He takes his ballot from the court reporter and when he assumes his place behind the carboard divider on the long table, he immediately puts a 1 next to Carol and a 2 next to Garland.
Then he scans the rest of his choices.
Dr. Ibrahim Ahmad
Maybe, Daryl thinks.
Commander James Witherspoon
Maybe, Daryl thinks.
Assistant Farm Manager Gunther Hamilton
Yeah. Of course. Man makes sure they have stores of food. He puts a 3 next to Gunther.
Deputy Sarah Dominguez
It takes Daryl a second to process who that is. Sarah has officially taken Santiago's last name, it seems. He likes her. She's one of the Kingdom people. She knows more about hard living than most people on this ballot, and Carol's going to want some female company on that council. He puts a 4 next to Sarah's name.
Dr. Carolyn Taylor
Maybe, Daryl thinks.
Deputy Thomas Mayfield
Hell no. Dumbass got himself captured by crazy cult ladies and almost got Carol killed.
Captain Arnold McBride
Maybe. But doesn't he have enough work to do already as Captain? And if Daryl is going to pick one Navy man, it's going to be Witherspoon. Known entity and all. He's been on the council, knows how it works. Nothing against the Captain, the man seems good at his job, but he strikes Daryl as a little…well, not council material, exactly.
Lieutenant-Commander Jeffery Lawson
That asshole's running again? Even after his demotion? Hell no!
Deputy Andrew Davies
Hell no. Man clearly thinks about his wife's tits too much, enough to draw them big on that museum display, anyway. And Carol says he's a bit of a slacker at his job. That even though he's married to Trisha, Daryl still sees him flirt with the dairy girls.
Madame Linda Cartwright
She's got serious management skills, and Daryl guesses that's what a town takes - management. He puts a 5 next to the tavernkeeper's name.
Mr. Raul Dominguez
The kid sneaked himself on the ballot at the last minute. He's only been back from the Hilltop for three weeks. He's got some balls. But the council could use a younger voice. The future and all that shit. Then again, if Raul's going to end up spending two or three months of the year at the Hilltop, he shouldn't be on the Council. Then again, maybe he should. He could be like a diplomat, too. Daryl puts a 6 next to his name.
Three more. Might as well go for the doctor. He puts a 7 next to Dr. Ihmad's name. The veterinarian's a bit of a Debbie Downer as Shannon calls her, but Daryl figures they need a voice of caution, just make sure they aren't doing any dumb shit like they sometimes used to do back in Alexandria, like killing all those Saviors at the outpost without knowing how big the group was first. He puts an 8 next to Carolyn's name. Then he puts a nine next to Witherspoon.
He folds his ballot and steps back and sees Inola voting next to him. Then he looks down and sees his foot is planted in a wet spot on the industrial carpet. Did she just pee?
"Shit!" Inola curses and then just keeps peeing.
It's another couple seconds before Daryl realizes she isn't peeing. He realizes it about the time Dr. Emily, who is also voting, takes her by the shoulders and says, "Come on, the infirmary is the closest bed, let's get you there, get some towels, and check you."
"Get Dante!" Inola calls as she walks out of the council chambers with the doctor, and Daryl nods dumbly.
"Water broke," he says to the court reporter.
The older woman, who is usually of few words and semi-stern demeanor, says, "No shit Sherlock. Are you getting Dante or not?"
Daryl walked down to the docks this morning. He didn't take his motorcycle. So he's forced to grab one of the bicycles – a dirt bike with thick towers – and pedal his way across the docks. He's halfway down them when he realized he forgot to ask where Dante actually is. He pauses by the garden Gunther is now leaving and asks if he knows. "It's his day off. He's probably working on his new cabin in the addition to the settlement. Why?"
"Baby's coming."
Daryl pushes down against the pedal, pumps, and flies on. He stops at his own cabin to get his real bike, though, and kick starts it before roaring into the far end of the settlement, where the trapezoidal fence forms an addition. Sure enough, Dante is digging the base. He drops his shovel when Daryl shouts, "Baby's coming!" and waves Daryl off the motorcycle.
Daryl's reluctant to surrender his bike at fist, but Dante's one hell of a lumberjack. They aren't going to be able to cuddle close, and he dismounts and watches Dante, and his bike – disappear toward the museum.