Chapter 36: Test Drive

"What do you think?" Carol asked, folding her arms across her chest and staring at the black SUV they'd just taken on a test drive. Daryl frowned for a moment, considering his options. It was either the black SUV with 50,000 miles on it already or the small sports car that looked like it had made a cross country trip three times and hit every hail storm along the way.

Carol had offered to help him buy something new, but he insisted on buying it himself. He was having a kid in a little less than four months, and he was going to have to have something to drive it around in. His motorcycle certainly wasn't going to do the trick. So, he decided to put down his entire savings from what he'd made at the grocery store on a used vehicle.

"I'm leanin' toward this one," he said with a nod to the SUV. "More room. Got a family to think about. That little sports car ain't gonna leave much room when the four of us are in it." Carol smiled then. The fact that Daryl considered her and Sophia a part of that family unit with him and his unborn child made her heart swell with joy.

"And, Mr. Dixon," the salesman spoke up, stepping around the vehicle with a wide smile on his face. "This is the best deal on the lot. And we'll throw in the first five oil changes free." Daryl narrowed his eyes at him.

"What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing, Mr. Dixon. Our cars are fully inspected by top of the line mechanics."

"Would ya pop the hood?" Daryl asked, stepping around to the front. The salesman glanced at Carol, and she just shrugged.

"He's a mechanic. You can't fault him for wanting to take a look for himself before he commits, right?"

"Of course," the salesman agreed, stepping over toward the driver's side to pop the hood. Daryl lifted it and examined it for a few minutes, checking connections and conditions of things. He grunted once or twice, and Carol couldn't stop herself from staring at his ass as he bent over the engine.

After a few minutes, Daryl finally nodded his head.

"I'll take it." The salesman's eyes lit up.

"Wonderful! Let's head inside and see what we can do for you as far as a payment plan."

"Yeah, go on in and start crunchin' your numbers. I'll be in in a minute." The salesman nodded and hurried inside, practically skipping at his good luck for the day. Daryl reached for his pocket and grabbed the crumpled cigarette pack, pulling one free and bringing it to his lips. Carol cocked an eyebrow, and Daryl shook his head. "Fuckin' hate this shit. Now we're gonna go in there, and he's gonna try and sell me a bunch of extra shit I don't need." He lit the cigarette and tucked his lighter into his shirt pocket.

"Just tell him you have a specific budget, and if he keeps pressing it, you'll take your business somewhere else," Carol suggested. Daryl cringed. "Yeah, I know. Easier said than done. They try to get you with flashy, shiny upgrades. Don't worry, I'll go in with you."

"Thanks," he muttered, taking a drag from his cigarette.

"So," Carol said slowly, "I think Sophia figured out you're more than just my friend."

"What makes ya think that?" Daryl asked.

"Well, this morning at breakfast, she looked at me and told me that when you and I get married, she wants a baby sister." Daryl, mid-drag, nearly choked on the smoke he was sucking into his lungs.

"Shit. She don't waste no time, does she?" he asked with a cough and a laugh. Carol scrunched her nose up and shook her head. "What'd you say to her?"

"Well, I didn't know what to say. I told her to finish her pancakes, and then I drove her to school."

"Must've been a long ride to school."

"Not really. She started asking me about Thanksgiving and if we're going to have a turkey, because she saw a movie about turkeys in school last week, and now she really doesn't want to eat one."

"Oh hell," Daryl snorted. "Least that got her mind off of that…other thing." He eyed her. "That somethin' you want though? I mean, not now, but…someday?"

"I don't know," Carol said quietly. "I've done the marriage thing and the pregnancy thing. And both had their ups and downs. You've already got your hands full with Lucy having the baby, and I feel like it's not the right time to think about any of that."

"Why?" he asked, tossing his cigarette down and dragging the bottom of his shoe over it.

"Why?" Carol asked with a little laugh. "You aren't…serious?"

"I mean, I think about things. Didn't like thinkin' too far into the future 'til I started seein' you. It's like somethin' turned on in my head, made me start seein' things different." Carol smiled a little and nodded.

"So, you're thinking about it. You're thinking about a lot of things."

"Yeah," Daryl said quietly. "I mean, we talked about that a little, back when Rick and Lori and Shane came over for supper. You know I'm in this for good, right?"

"I am, too," she assured him, stepping toward him and placing her arms around his neck. "I've been thinking about things, too." She chewed her bottom lip anxiously and took a breath. "So we have some things to talk about."

"Yeah, I think we do," he replied, watching her mouth curl up in a smile.

"Why don't we start by sitting Sophia down tonight and telling her you're more than just my friend?" Carol suggested. Daryl suddenly looked nervous, and Carol giggled. "C'mon. You've already passed the Sophia test. She told me about the little tea party you two had with Rosita before I got home the other night."

"Shit, she told you that? I thought I swore her to secrecy."

"She's almost six. What do you expect?" Carol laughed. "Sophia loves you. She asks about you all the time."

"Why don't we do somethin' tomorrow?"

"She's going to her dad's after school tomorrow, remember?"

"Well, then next week. Just the three of us," Daryl offered. Carol watched his face light up as he started making plans. She was thankful to see him so happy. She knew that the awful things he'd gone through with Lucy were still very much in his thoughts every day, but it made her feel good to know that thinking about the future and making plans with her made him so happy. It made her happy, too, if not a little nervous that there was a good chance she was going to have another chance at the whole marriage thing. The thing she feared most about that was having it go the way that her and Rick's marriage had. One day they were completely in love, and the next they were beginning to slowly unravel. That wasn't going to be an option the second time around.

"That sounds good," Carol said softly. "What do you have in mind?"

"Don't know yet. The zoo, maybe? She goes there a lot, doesn't she? Maybe the circus. Oh, wait. She's goin' through that scared of clowns phase."

"You'll think of something," Carol laughed. "You're so sweet. I love you so much." She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him, and just as their lips met, Daryl's cell phone rang. He grunted, recognizing the ring tone. He ignored the call, however, and kept kissing her. Carol giggled against his lips and gently pushed back on his chest.

"Is that Lucy calling? It could be about the baby." Daryl sighed and reluctantly reached for his phone, while Carol took a step back to give him some space. He stared down at the phone for a moment before bringing it to his ear.

"Lucy? Hey." His eyes narrowed. "What? I thought that appointment was next week. Re-scheduled? Why didn't you tell me? I told ya I wanted to be there for that." Carol started to walk away, but Daryl reached for her hand, giving it a squeeze. She curled her fingers around his, and when he let go of her and ran his hand down his face, she studied his face to try and figure out what was going on on the other side of that call. "You're sure? Yeah. Yeah. And the baby's ok, right? Good. Okay. Alright. Okay. Yeah, I'll stop by when me and Carol get back to her place. Okay. Yeah. Bye." He sighed heavily and put his phone back into his pocket, and Carol watched him take a step backward.

"Daryl? What's going on? Is everything ok?"

"Yeah," he stammered, running his hand through his hair. "I guess Dr. Cloyd had a cancellation, and she got Lucy in early for her ultrasound."

"Oh," Carol said quietly, realizing why Daryl had been upset about it. "I know you wanted to be there. I'm sorry, Daryl. The baby's ok?"

"Yeah. He's fine."

"He?" Carol asked, her eyes going wide. "Did you say he?"

"Yeah." Daryl let out a shaking breath, as a little smile twitched at his lips. "I'm havin' a son."

Author's Note: Thanks for your patience! I hope this chapter was worth the wait! As always, feedback is always appreciated!