AN: Here we are, another chapter here.
I believe most people may have missed the last chapter. Please go back to that one if you did.
I hope you enjoy! Please remember to let me know what you think!
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Daryl shook Henry's hand and pulled him into a half-embrace to clap him on the back with as much affection as he normally offered any man. He wasn't necessarily drawn to hug the boy—or man, as the case may have been—but he knew that affection passing between them made Carol feel good, and Daryl's greatest concern in life, honestly, was making Carol feel good.
He offered a hand out to Ezekiel, and the good king pulled him into one of the familiar half-embraces. Daryl didn't feel nearly as pleased to see Ezekiel as Ezekiel seemed to feel upon seeing him. Their friendship was limited, especially since it was built on their mutual affection for one woman—even if that affection may take different shapes.
Carol was beaming and went right back to her son as soon as he'd been passed around in greeting.
"Mom—I need to help," Henry said, pulling himself away from Carol's embrace. Daryl noticed that, immediately, her hands went to her belly to affectionately rub the swell in the moment that her hands and arms registered Henry's absence again. Daryl saw Ezekiel's eyes dip, too, toward the movement of Carol's hands. They lingered on her belly.
"Good to see you, man," Daryl offered, drawing Ezekiel's gaze back to him. "What brings you all the way from the Kingdom?"
"Why don't we—help everyone get settled?" Carol interrupted. "We can have some lunch and talk about everything in a relaxed environment? I'm sure that everyone's tired from travelling, and I know it's time to eat. We'll ask Enid to join us."
Daryl could see that Carol's main focus was on her son. Her eyes trailed after him as he helped to unload items from the wagons.
"I mean—y'all stayin' for lunch?" Daryl asked, directing his question toward Ezekiel. "Don't wanna hold you up if you're tryin' to head back out on the road." He got a toothy grin like they were lifelong friends.
"We'll be staying for some time, I believe," Ezekiel offered.
"Great!" Carol said. "I'll help Michonne make something."
They were interrupted when Jerry, abandoning his own work unloading things, rushed toward Carol and, grabbing her, lifted her off the ground in a friendly and over-exuberant manner. She laughed, but clearly made a noise, too, that said his hold on her was uncomfortable in some way.
"Hey!" Daryl barked. "Take it easy!"
Jerry was unperturbed. He placed Carol on her feet.
"Sure thing, boss," he said.
"It's just—you should be careful, that's all," Daryl said, softening his tone. He hadn't really meant to yell at the man the way that he had. Jerry was still unbothered and Carol grabbed his arm, all smiles, to offer a certain amount of comfort over any hurt he might have suffered in being told to handle her more delicately.
"On account of the princess," Jerry said. "She's growing!" One of his hands immediately spread out, covering as much of Carol's belly as possible. She rested her hands over his, practically hugging his palm to her.
"She is! She's growing so much," Carol mused, her face running pink with the words. She smiled like she meant it—the kind of smile that made Daryl's heart pound faster in his chest. "She's kicking. Rolling over. Moving all the time now. Putting on weight. She's coming this winter. We're getting everything ready for her."
"Why don't you and 'Chonne—go see about that lunch?" Daryl asked, stepping in to offer Carol a quick kiss. "I'll show Henry where his place is."
"If you see Enid…?" Carol asked, not finishing the request. She didn't have to. Daryl nodded.
"Yeah—I'll find her."
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"Mom, that's enough," Henry protested as Carol heaped just one more spoonful of food onto his plate. She was practically a professional at throwing together a quick meal, and the casseroles were easy enough to pull out of the oven at the same time, making it possible to feel the overly-crowded table all at once.
Judith and RJ were off eating at their own little table in the living room with Dog waiting for a chance at an unattended plate or some dropped mouthful of food. They were happy to be away from the conversations of adults. To make things only a little more unusual, a tiger lounged nearby with an unbothered air.
"Let your mother feed you," Ezekiel said with a laugh. "She's missed caring for you since she left the kingdom to pursue other interests."
"Come on," Daryl said, reaching out and catching Carol's hand to tug it and draw her attention away from anything she might find distressing. "Sit down. Feed her for a bit. Don't she deserve some lunch?"
Carol's face ran pink, but she looked genuinely happy. She stopped trying to force-feed Henry and sat down at her own plate beside Daryl. Henry gave Daryl a thankful glance and Daryl barely nodded his head at the boy—whom he was still working to view as a man—before he reached and, plucking one of the biscuits from the bowl in the middle of the table, placed it on Carol's plate.
"So—what brings you to Alexandria and how long are you staying?" Michonne asked. She spoke her question to the table, but it was fairly evident to whom she was speaking.
"We would hate to impose…" Ezekiel said. He left the statement hanging until it was clear that someone was expected to respond to it before he would continue speaking.
"It's never an imposition," Michonne said, doing her duty as the first-lady of Alexandria.
Ezekiel was clearly pleased to engage in the false pleasantries. He smiled to himself and leaned toward Carol.
"The food is divine, but you've always had a way in the kitchen."
Carol smiled to herself around her own bite of food.
"After such a heartfelt letter to Henry, inviting him to Alexandria and boasting about all the wonderful—opportunities—that awaited him here, we had a long discussion about everything. Naturally, he was a little hesitant to move here. He'd considered the Hilltop for an apprenticeship with the blacksmith that wouldn't be available to him at the Kingdom, given that most of our people are farmers and the like."
"We got a blacksmith here," Daryl said, interrupting a story that, knowing Ezekiel, could be one of the longest tales since War and Peace.
"That's what I told him. And besides—his mother's here and…being in the family way, I thought she might want him close by for comfort."
"The letter said as much," Daryl said.
"I knew he'd be a great comfort to her," Ezekiel continued, not really acknowledging that Daryl had even spoken. "And I didn't know—with the trials she suffered early on when her condition was first known to us, how she might be faring. After all, we had a great deal of concern about whether or not things would progress as we hoped. A trip to the Hilltop, not long ago, left me speaking with the resident physician there and…he expressed some concerns, especially not having seen Carol in some time. I wasn't going to pressure Henry to make a choice between Alexandria and the Hilltop, but…it began to seem quite clear to me where he might be better suited."
"You can take the message back to Michael that Carol's doin' just fine," Daryl said, reminding himself of Michonne's words that he was responsible for himself and didn't want to do anything that would make him look like an asshole. He checked his temper as it warmed his face. "Ain't nobody never been more looked after and cared for than Carol is right now. Siddiq and Enid are takin' good care of her. Check on her every day."
"It's true," Carol said. "I mean—I'm at the clinic daily. It's a little exhausting, but…I'm happy to help Enid with her studies and Daryl's right. Nobody has probably ever been more cared for during a pregnancy than I am. Enid's showing so much promise, too, in the medical field. Her training is going great."
"You wish to be a nurse?" Ezekiel asked.
Daryl could hear something in his voice as he spoke to Enid. He told himself that it was just a father wanting to make sure that this little girl was good for his son.
"A doctor," Enid said without hesitation. "But I'm serving as a nurse for Siddiq while I'm learning more. So far, he's letting me handle most of the minor situations that we have. You know—the everyday cuts and scrapes. I set a bone a couple of days ago. Carol's pregnancy is the most exciting thing to me right now, though. I've learned all about bedside manner and patient care. Putting people at ease for all kinds of procedures. I'm pretty good at prenatal examinations, now, too."
"She's wonderful at putting people at ease," Carol said, assuring Enid more than really speaking to anyone else.
"I can't wait for the baby to be born," Enid said. "I've read all about—everything that'll happen. Step by step. I'm memorizing it all. It's going to be so exciting. Siddiq says I can help in the delivery."
"That basement's going to be crowded," Michonne said with a laugh.
"As long as she gets here," Carol said, letting the sentiment trail off.
"You're living in a basement?" Ezekiel asked.
"Here," Carol said. "Downstairs."
"By choice," Daryl offered quickly, almost sensing Ezekiel's judgment—he'd made her queen of his entire imaginary kingdom and Daryl had brought her to live in, and give birth in, a basement. "If she wants—we might be pickin' out a house."
"Of course, there's plenty of room," Michonne said. "More than enough houses to be had. They're just standing empty for now."
"You—still ain't said how long you intended to stay," Daryl offered, tossing another inquiry in the good king's direction.
"Right," Ezekiel agreed. "Well—like I was saying, after the letter, and talking to Henry about all the wonderful possibilities that were open to him here, and how much his mother would clearly benefit from his proximity…especially if things weren't to go exactly as she wished…"
"She'll be here in a couple months. Hell…thought the baby'd be born before you got here," Daryl said, directing his words somewhat in Henry's direction. "Maybe walkin'. Mighta met you at the gate."
"It took a while to decide," Henry admitted, his face running red. "I mean—there were things I had to do. Then, when I decided, I had to clean out the little house to bring everything you asked for. I had to travel to Hilltop to tell John that I wasn't going to be doing the apprenticeship with him…"
"It's OK," Carol said reassuringly. "All that matters is that you're here now. I would've supported you even if you'd still wanted to go to Hilltop, but…I'm glad you're here."
"Naturally—after reading about everything that Alexandria had to offer, and knowing that Henry was dealing with a few concerns about leaving his old man alone in the Kingdom," Ezekiel said, "which I worried were holding him back a bit, I decided to accompany him. The Kingdom is doing well and it's well protected. With the winter coming, there's hardly anything to worry about there. Everyone practically hibernates for the winter."
"So, you're staying a while?" Michonne asked.
"I thought we might spend the winter," Ezekiel said. "It would be something of a vacation for me, and it would relieve a great deal of Henry's concerns. It'll give him time to decide if a future in Alexandria is really something that interests him."
Daryl glanced around him, trying to gauge how anybody else at the table might be feeling.
Enid and Henry were exchanging glances that had nothing at all to do with the conversation at hand, and any fool could see that. They both knew what had really brought Henry to Alexandria, and it wasn't an apprenticeship or the desire to be close to his mother at what his father clearly saw as her time of great need.
Carol looked a little uncomfortable, but Daryl was sure that her comfort level would be determined by everyone else at the table.
Jerry was thrilled with absolutely every aspect of his life.
And Ezekiel was waiting expectantly.
Michonne forced a smile that almost looked like she was baring her teeth for inspection so that someone could tell her whether or not she had bits of the leafy greens in the casserole stuck between her teeth. As she relaxed a little, the smile became more natural and reassuring instead of slightly terrifying.
"We have plenty of room," Michonne said. "And we'd be so happy to have you—all of you—for the winter. Plenty of houses…plenty of room…"
"What about Nabila?" Carol asked, directing her question to Jerry. His smile, which had barely wavered since his arrival, didn't fall.
"She's coming in a couple of days," Jerry said. "She was taking care of a few things in the Kingdom. Getting ready for the winter there. It'll all be set for her to pick back up in the spring when she gets back."
"We wouldn't want to impose, of course…" Ezekiel said. "I'm sure that Jerry and Nabila would like some privacy, but I would be taking one of the rooms in the house you've chosen for Henry. There's more than enough room for Shiva and I there."
"You couldn't be imposing," Carol offered sincerely. "Of course you're welcome here. You're family."
"Carol's right," Michonne said. "You're family and we're happy to have you. All of you."
Daryl swallowed down his sigh, forcing himself to keep it inside. He put on the best smile he could. He reached a hand over, rubbed Carol's thigh, and let his fingers trail just to touch the tips against her belly. She found his hand and squeezed it. He reminded himself that he could deal with anything if it made her happy and, maybe, it wouldn't be that bad.
"Always good to have some extra folks around," he offered. "Lots to be done before the snow starts to fall. We'd appreciate a few more good hands."
Ezekiel gave him a nod and a smile.
"We're happy to help," he assured him. "And thrilled to be here in your fair hamlet."
Daryl laughed to himself, and dropped his head to look at his plate, hiding his eyeroll as best he could.