Chapter 15: Lunch

"Thought you took the day off," Dwight grunted, letting go of the heavy hood of an old pickup truck. It slammed down with a metallic bang that made Daryl cringe.

"I did. Look," Daryl started, chewing the side of his thumb for a moment, "I know you just gave me a raise and all, and I appreciate that, but I need to pick up some hours."

"You're already full time, Daryl," Dwight pointed out, scratching the side of his face with his grease-blacked fingers.

"Yeah, I know, but look, I got some bills I got to pay, and…"

"Daryl, I don't have anything to spare. I'm sorry, but…"

"Nothing? You ain't got any spare hours?"

"I can't afford to pay overtime, Daryl. Not unless somebody calls in. Somebody calls in or needs to give up a shift, go for it. I'll make it work. But I can't just let you work overtime when we don't need it. Sorry, man. My hands are tied." Daryl's shoulders slumped, and he held his head back for a moment, letting out a deep breath before finally nodding.

"I get it," he said with a shrug. "Thought it was worth a try."

"Look, have you tried applying for a loan? Something?"

"Already been. My credit sucks. Went through some shit when I was first startin' out on my own. Can't get a credit card. If by some miracle they'd give me a loan, the interest would be so damn high, I'd be payin' triple what I borrowed."

"Sorry, man. Whatever you need it for, I hope you get it." Dwight thought for a moment. "Hey, my girlfriend Sherry said they're hiring where she works. She's a cashier over at Marty's. They're always looking for help. Why don't you put in an application? You could always do weekend work, stock shelves or some shit. Just until you get the money you need."

"Yeah," Daryl said with a nod. "Thanks."

"I know we ain't friends or anything like that, but I can have Sherry put in a good word for you. You're a good worker, Daryl, and if I can't give you the overtime, maybe I can at least help you get back on your feet."

"I appreciate the tip," Daryl said with a nod.

"Or you could always try borrowing from a friend," Dwight said with a shrug.

"Nah, I'm good. Don't wanna owe nobody anything."

"I respect that. You gonna be here tomorrow?"

"I'll be here," Daryl said with a nod before turning and leaving the garage.

He climbed back onto his bike and sat there for a moment, shaking his head as he wracked his brain for other ideas. He could go back to selling plasma like he did to keep himself off the streets when he aged out of foster care. He could sell his motorcycle, but then he wouldn't have a way to get to work, and if he was potentially going to have a kid, he was going to need that more than ever just to get back and forth to work.

He knew he could wait. He could wait until the kid was born. But the court costs alone would probably be more than the test. That was no good. Lucy wasn't going to make it easy for him, and if the kid turned out to be his? He knew he was going to have to fight Lucy just to see the kid. He knew she was going to use it as a pawn, and he hated that. He hated that he knew her so well that he knew that was going to be her game.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he reached for it. He glanced down to see a text from Carol. He hadn't heard from her in a couple of days, and it surprised him.

Just checking in. You doing ok?

Yeah. I'm ok. You working?

Yeah. Going to lunch. What are you up to?

Out on the bike.

Daryl! What are you doing?

I'm fine. Don't worry.

Where are you?

Just out. Not far from Grady Memorial.

Meet me for lunch?

Hospital food?

The good stuff, I promise. I want to take a look at your stitches.

Oh, now I thought you just wanted to see me.

He found himself grinning down at the phone, and he realized he'd actually hit send. What was he doing? Was he…flirting? He barely knew her. He liked her. He thought she was beautiful and smart and funny, and she was a hell of a good nurse. But why the hell had he said that?

Get over yourself. You coming?

Yeah. Give me five minutes.

...

"Well, you look okay." Carol furrowed her brows and gently pushed Daryl's hair out of his eyes to examine the stitches on his forehead. "Why are you out on your bike?"

"Uh, Lucy had a doctor's appointment."

"Oh. Everything ok?"

"Yeah, I guess so." He cleared his throat and sat down at the table. They'd gone through the line and each gotten a burger and fries, and Daryl was pleasantly surprised when he took a bite that it wasn't bad at all. "You're right. This ain't too bad."

"Told you," Carol shrugged. She took a bite and sat her sandwich back down. They sat together quietly for a moment, before Carol cleared her throat. "So, how was the appointment?"

"Awful. We were talkin' about paternity tests. She don't understand that I don't wanna be there. I know how it makes me sound. This might be my kid. But I don't wanna be there until I have to be there."

"It's understandable given the situation, Daryl," Carol said quietly.

"Yeah, but I still come out lookin' like the asshole. What kinda man don't wanna be there for the doctor's appointments when the kid might be mine?"

"The kind that got treated like shit by the woman who's carrying his kid. Trust me, Daryl, I've worked here long enough to know that just because a woman has a baby doesn't mean she has what it takes to be a mother. I don't know Lucy, but I feel like I'm starting to get to know you. I believe you're a good man." She eyed him. "So, you're doing the paternity test soon?"

"Yeah. Just gotta pull the cash together." He avoided her eyes before finally finding the courage to look up at her. "I don't know what the hell I'm doin'. What if this is my kid. What the hell am I gonna do? What court is gonna give over custody of a kid to a mechanic who barely makes enough money to put food on his own table?"

"What kind of court could side with a mother who's clearly emotionally unstable?" Carol asked quietly. She shook her head. "I know a good lawyer. She's fair, and she'll work with you on fees."

"She was your lawyer?"

"Not exactly," Carol said with a little smile. "She's my ex-husband's ex. Her name's Lori Walsh. She ended up marrying one of Rick's good friends." She shook her head. "Everybody gets alone. It's weird, but it works for everybody, I guess." Daryl narrowed his eyes at her. "I could give you her number and mention you to her."

"She ain't one of these lawyers that wants to see the moms get the kids and the dads pay through the nose?" Carol shook her head.

"She won't fight for someone unless she thinks they deserve to be fought for. She's very good at what she does, and she's reasonable." Carol bit her lip for a moment before grabbing her phone and sending Daryl a quick text with a phone number. His phone buzzed in his pocket, and Carol put her phone back down. "I just texted you her number. I'll let her know she might be hearing from you."

"I appreciate you doin' that. Means a lot."

"So you're not working today?"

"Nah. Took the day off for the appointment. Why?"

"Do you want to come over for supper tonight?" Daryl stared at her for a moment, almost as if he couldn't believe what had just come out of her mouth. "Daryl?"

"You want me to come over?"

"Yeah, for supper. Sophia would love to see you." Daryl shifted in his chair. "You don't have to. I just thought maybe you'd appreciate having a five-year-old talk your ear off while you attempt to have an adult conversation over a home cooked meal." Daryl considered it for a moment. The idea of spending more time with her was probably the best thing he'd heard all day, but at the same time, she was neighbors with Lucy, and that would get awkward really fast.

"Look, I appreciate the offer, but I don't think it'd be a good idea. Lucy's right next door, and I don't wanna bring you or your little girl in the middle of that mess."

"I'm a grown woman, Daryl. I'm not afraid of having a friend over for dinner." She looked at him. "You shouldn't be afraid to move on with your life because of what you think she might do."

"I know," he said quietly. "I just…if she was to do somethin' crazy and you or Sophia got caught up in it…" He shook his head. "Thanks, but I probably best stay away for now." Carol took a deep breath and nodded. He had a good point. Still, she hated that Lucy had that kind of an influence on his life. The fact that her presence was there in Daryl's decision of whether or not to accept an invitation to dinner just had Carol on edge. She couldn't imagine what the woman must have been like to live with.

"Okay. I get it." She grabbed a fry, dipped it in ketchup and popped it in her mouth.

"Maybe you could come have supper at my place this week. I've cleaned the place up a little. Started unpacking."

"Yeah, okay," Carol said with a little smile. "Sophia's at her dad's this weekend, so maybe Friday night?"

"Friday night. Yeah, that sounds good. You like movies?"

"I…I love movies. Why?"

"Thought maybe we could watch one or somethin'. If you wanted to. Or go grab a beer or somethin'."

"Okay," Carol said with a little smile. "I haven't gone out in ages. Maybe we can go get a drink, grab something for supper and head back for a movie?" She rubbed her hands anxiously on the sides of her legs. The more they talked about this, the more it was beginning to sound like a date. A step forward. A step in the right direction. But that wasn't what this was. This was two people who clearly didn't get out much, finding friendship in each other when their lives had gone belly up, leaving them both in a tailspin.

"So, do you—" Daryl was interrupted by a pretty blonde woman walking over and tapping Carol on the shoulder.

"Hey! You didn't tell me you were going to lunch." Carol looked up and offered the woman a smile.

"Andrea, hey. Uh, Daryl, this is my friend Andrea. She works in the ER with me. Andrea, this is the guy I was telling you about. Daryl? He used to live next door."

"The guy from the wreck," Andrea acknowledged. "How are you feeling?"

"Uh, better. A lot better, thanks. You wanna sit?"

"Oh, I can't. Eating on the run. We've got a trauma coming in. Fifteen minutes out."

"Shit," Carol sighed. "I better get back, too." Daryl nodded, and Carol started to get up. "I'll see you Friday. We'll meet some place at, say, 7:00?"

"Yeah, sounds good," he stammered. "Uh, we'll figure out a place."

"Yeah, I'll text you later. Be careful getting home. I don't want to see your ass back in my ER again, you hear me?"

"I'll do my best," Daryl chuckled, offering a genuine smile as Andrea leveled a surprised look in Carol's direction. Carol grabbed her tray and took the sandwich off of it. She took the tray over to the conveyor belt that led back to the kitchen, and she started off with Andrea, taking a big bite out of her sandwich. It wasn't until she swallowed that she noticed Andrea was staring at her.

"I have something on my face?"

"Are you…are you going on a date with him?"

"What?" Carol asked, narrowing her eyes at her. "No. No, of course not."

"Because, if you are, you could do a lot worse. He's a hottie."

"Andrea…"

"What? I mean, this is good!"

"We're not. We're just…getting to know each other. As friends. He's going through a rough time, and I don't have a lot of friends." Andrea put her hand on her chest in mock offense, and Carol rolled her eyes. "I said I don't have a lot of friends. Let's face it, my social group consists of you, my ex-husband, his ex and her husband. I don't go out much. I work and go home to my kid."

"You have a point," Andrea shrugged. "I did see Ed Peletier today. He's a little bummed you haven't come by the pharmacy."

"I'm not interested, Andrea," Carol snorted.

"Maybe because your interest in currently directed elsewhere?"

"Stop," Carol sighed. "He's a nice guy. He's been through some bad stuff lately. He needs a friend, and I sure as hell could use one."

"So you're not offering a pity bone or something?"

"Oh my God, you're crazy," Carol groaned, covering her face with one hand. "Really not a pity bone. No boning."

"If you say so," Andrea shrugged. "But he's pretty easy on the eyes. I'm just saying. If you're ready to take that next step, you could do much worse."

"Well, thank you for the seal of approval, but that's not what this is. He just got out of a terrible relationship, and I…"

"Just got out of a sexual relationship with your ex-husband and have yet to take that first big step toward moving on."

"Right, I guess. So, just…friends."

"Just friends," Andrea smirked. "If you say so."

Author's Note: Thanks for your patience, guys! I know it's been a minute. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. As always, feedback is very much appreciated!