AN: Here we are, another chapter here.
I hope you enjoy. Let me know what you think.
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Daryl had no idea what kind of medical equipment Siddiq actually had. As far as he knew, he had nothing beyond the bandages and rudimentary supplies that he could see from looking around the main room of his clean little clinic.
Still, Michonne had spoken with the doctor for several long and private minutes before he'd brought Carol into the space. Daryl had offered to leave, and Michonne had too, but Carol had said she wanted them both present. She wasn't shy, and she made that clear, but she seemed to be drawing some kind of strength from the both of them.
Siddiq checked Carol as carefully and as thoroughly as Daryl imagined anyone had ever been examined before. He didn't have an ultrasound machine to produce videos or pictures like Michael had, but he prodded and rearranged Carol several times as he examined her and listened to her with her several kinds of stethoscopes. Daryl had no idea what his laboratory might look like—housed out of sight of the main examination room—but Siddiq requested a urine sample that Carol brought to him in a cup from the bathroom and he drew several vials of blood from her while Daryl held her hand and worked her knuckles under his fingers.
Daryl knew Michonne well enough to know that she would simply know what Carol needed. That's why he'd brought Carol there. That's why he was trusting that Michonne could help him find peace for Carol. She was a mother and, beyond that, she was a mother who had tearfully admitted to them once that she'd lost a child long before they knew her. She had lost Carl, as well, who she'd come to love as her own. She knew, like Carol, what it felt like to have this world snatch their children away and, after all that, she'd brought RJ into the world.
She would understand Carol like nobody else—not even Daryl—could possibly understand her. And she could teach Daryl what he needed to know to understand her like he wanted.
Michonne sat, relaxed, in one of the chairs on the porch and waited in silence with Daryl and Carol. She'd already radioed to check on her children and, content that all was well, she was going to sit with them until Siddiq called them back to discuss all of his findings at once.
Carol sat, eyes closed like she might actually be napping a little, and leaned against Daryl while she still loosely held the cotton in the crook of her arm that was meant to stop the flow of blood after Siddiq's blood test.
Daryl wondered just how exhausted she was. He wondered, too, if this trip might see her resting a lot more. He hoped for it, really. He hoped she was able to get what she needed in order to really rest well. He didn't want to wake her, or disturb her if she was only resting her eyes, and he was almost certain that was why Michonne was guarding a comfortable silence.
Michonne only smiled at him, from time to time, when she noticed him looking at her. She was looking at him rather intently for most of the time—or maybe she was looking at Carol. Perhaps, even, she was taking in the view of the two of them together, with Carol leaned on his shoulder, as husband and wife.
Daryl didn't know if Siddiq had a laboratory at all. He didn't know what kind of equipment the man may have or even what kind of professional training he had. Daryl didn't know if Michonne had simply made suggestions, and he was only making them wait to give the illusion of being able to do more than he actually could while he poured out urine and blood samples.
Anything, honestly, could be possible.
But the simple fact that his examination had seemed absolutely thorough—even without a single verdict rendered so far—seemed to make Carol already feel better than she had.
When her hand dropped into her lap and she let go of the cotton ball—evidence that she'd succumbed to a nap—Daryl only glanced long enough to make sure that she wasn't bleeding. Satisfied that the bleeding had stopped, he held as still as he could to allow her to rest.
He saw the slight hint of a smile on Michonne's lips as she watched them, unashamed.
Daryl felt his cheeks burn warm, but he returned the slightest reflection of the smile.
"Might have to carry her to your place," he offered, barely putting enough sound behind the words for them to drift the short distance necessary for Michonne to hear them.
"The guest bedroom is nice," Michonne said. "Clean sheets."
"She'd hate to sleep all day," Daryl said. "Can't stand the idea she mighta missed something."
Michonne hummed and smiled at Daryl.
"Pregnancy naps are the best, though," she said. "They're something else entirely."
Daryl smiled to himself.
"It's a girl," he said. "Just like…"
"Shh…" Michonne said quietly. "Let her sleep. At least until Siddiq finishes up."
"But I think it's—it's part of the worry," Daryl said.
Michonne frowned at him and allowed her eyebrows to practically knit together in disapproval. She'd already told him that he was to be quiet, and she considered that the same as any order she might give Judith or RJ. In addition, Daryl felt as thoroughly scolded as he might if he were one of the children. He closed his mouth and let his own worries ride for the minute. Instead of giving voice to his concerns, he simply waited in the quiet of the afternoon for Siddiq to emerge from the clinic.
Daryl sat up and shook Carol awake when the doctor stepped out of the door. She looked genuinely confused and Daryl realized that her nap had involved deeper sleep than he'd even realized. It clearly took her a moment to even remember where she was and how they'd ended up there. Siddiq saw it on her face, too, because he waited to speak until Carol looked a little more present.
"Do you want me to—do you want me to go back inside?" Carol asked. Daryl could hear the sound of sleep still surrounding her words.
"There's no need," Siddiq said. "Unless you're more comfortable inside…I only want to talk…"
"I'm fine," Carol said quickly.
Siddiq went to lean against the porch railing where he could comfortably face all of them with a slight turn of his head. Daryl didn't imagine they needed to go back inside because he couldn't imagine anything about Carol that the doctor hadn't already examined.
"Well?" Carol asked, a little bite coming out in her voice that Daryl assumed was unintended and probably a result of being nervous. He dropped his arm around her shoulder as a way to reassure her against whatever might be said.
"What do you want to know?" Siddiq asked. He held his hands out like he was offering her an invisible bounty. "All of your levels look good. Your tests came back positive. The best results I could hope for."
"Is that because you were hoping for something pretty low and disappointing?" Carol asked with a laugh.
"You don't have any signs of gestational diabetes," Siddiq said. "All your levels are textbook perfect."
Carol shifted against him and Daryl's heart thundered with the news. He moved a hand to find hers and wrapped her hand tightly in his.
"She's small…" Carol breathed out.
"She may be," Siddiq ceded, nodding his head. "But—babies come in different sizes and they always have. Just like their mothers. Maybe she won't be a thirteen pound baby, but that doesn't mean she's not healthy. My recommendation would be to keep doing what you said you've been doing. Monitor your food intake. Make sure you're eating when you feel hungry and you're working in a few snacks even when you don't really feel hungry. She's growing. That's all that really matters."
"What about my blood pressure?" Carol asked.
"It's been high," Daryl offered. "Michael said it's dangerous."
"It can be dangerous," Siddiq said, nodding his head. "It can cause complications and—well, it's something we'd like to get control of if at all possible. Given the resources that we have, right now that means that we're looking at relaxation techniques for Carol. We might look into massage therapy, acupuncture…anything that's going to help her relax."
"I think I'd rather try the massage therapy," Carol offered.
Siddiq laughed and Daryl couldn't help but laugh as well.
"We could do that," Daryl offered.
"It can help," Siddiq said.
"So, my blood pressure is high," Carol said.
"Were you napping a little?" Siddiq asked. Carol squirmed slightly, perhaps embarrassed that she'd fallen asleep on the porch. Siddiq laughed to himself. "It's fine if you were. Good, even. Getting enough rest is very important and, sometimes, that means frequent naps for expectant mothers."
"A little," Carol said.
"Then I can bring the cuff out here and get a very relaxed reading," Siddiq said.
Carol shifted and her hand tightened around Daryl's. She was anything but relaxed in that moment and he knew it. Siddiq, it seemed, knew it too. Daryl saw the man's facial muscles flex slightly with recognition in the manner of someone who was accustomed to reading others' reactions.
"When I brought the blood pressure cuff out in the office," Siddiq said, "I noticed that you immediately tensed. You tensed dramatically. Just now, you've tensed dramatically every time I've mentioned it or you've mentioned it." Carol let out a breath like she was trying to calm herself now that her attention had been brought to her reaction.
"I'm sorry," she breathed out.
"Don't apologize," Siddiq said. "Have you always had that reaction to having your blood pressure taken?"
Carol didn't respond. Daryl chewed on it for a moment, not knowing if it was really his place to answer any question about Carol or her medical history, but then he decided it was his right as her husband—no matter how new that particular role might be to him.
"She ain't always had the best relationship with medical care," Daryl said. "I imagine—that came from before any of this. But—the blood pressure thing didn't really start until we went to see Michael. Right away he—made it sound like if her blood pressure weren't right…you know…"
"What?" Siddiq pressed.
Daryl shrugged his shoulders.
"Don't really know, but the baby would—it was gonna die or…somethin'…somethin' horrible."
Siddiq stared at Daryl a moment and then he looked at Carol. Daryl couldn't stand the idea of looking at her, so he kept his eyes straight ahead. There would be pain on her features. He was sure of it. And right now, for just a moment, he couldn't stand to see pain there. The only thing he wanted—and what he wanted more than anything in the world—was to see happiness on her features. Joy. Peace. He didn't want to see the pain.
So, he stared at Siddiq's furrowed brow. After a moment, Siddiq replaced the expression with a comforting smile. Daryl could tell he had practice producing the expression. He stepped forward and took Carol's hand in his—the one that Daryl wasn't holding. He patted it.
"Even if your blood pressure is high, that doesn't mean your baby is going to die," Siddiq offered.
"But it can mean that," Carol said quietly.
"Anything can happen," Siddiq ceded, "but…that doesn't mean it's going to happen or even likely to happen."
"The roof might cave in on this porch and kill all of us," Michonne offered from her spot. "But it's not likely to happen."
"I can't help but notice that you've developed a very clear visceral reaction to having your blood pressure taken," Siddiq said. "That will actually raise your blood pressure significantly. Maybe, in time, that will pass. But until then, I have to say that—in my professional opinion? The benefit of taking your blood pressure doesn't outweigh the suffering it causes. You're as healthy as anybody we've got here, if that's any consolation. The fetal heartbeat is strong and steady. Your baby measures small, but it could be that she's a small baby. And she can grow. She's got time. I'd say you've got about four more months to go before she comes. She's going to grow. I believe that worrying about your blood pressure is what's raising your blood pressure. My prescription is not to worry about it anymore."
Daryl dared to glance at Carol. She looked like she might cry, but she was doing her best to hold it back. The only thing that was giving her away was the dampness puddling in her eyes.
"You're—sure?" She breathed out.
Siddiq smiled.
"I ran every test in my power," he said. "You're healthy. She's healthy. See me again before you leave, if you want, or if you have any other concerns, but…"
Carol nodded her head and wiped away the drop that rolled down her cheek with the hand he'd released.
"Any other questions?" Siddiq asked, looking at Daryl.
"Just one," Daryl said. "You got any interest in movin' to the Kingdom for about…oh…I'd say four or five months?"
"We couldn't possibly let him go," Michonne interjected. "But I'm sure he'd love to come and visit. Maybe he'd like to keep me company. I can't imagine that I won't be making the trip a few times…"
"I would be happy to join Michonne," Siddiq offered. "But for now—there's nothing else that I know to say except get ready. She'll be here before you know it."
Whether or not she did it consciously, the smile that crossed across Carol's lips suddenly outweighed the droplets still hanging heavy in her eyelashes. Daryl turned his hand to squeeze the fingers that were still resting lightly in his.
"Come on," he said. "For all they gonna care, let's go tell Judith an' RJ they got company…and they gonna have a cousin." He stood up, tugging Carol's hand, to get them moving. As soon as Carol was on her feet, Daryl offered Siddiq a hand. The man took it. "Thanks, man," Daryl said, holding eye contact with the doctor. "I mean that."