Somewhere in the Way She Smiles

Two days later Daryl was on his way to find Carol. They had stayed at the safe house until Jesse could travel. Summers had called to check on Jesse and to tell Daryl where Carol was living.

"She sold the house that you two lived in. She's been living on a little farm in North Carolina with her daughter." Summers had given him the address and wished him "Godspeed."

Merle waited until they got back to their house to start giving advice, "You listen to me, Mark. You can't go busting in there with a dozen roses and a big smile and think she's gonna fall in your arms. She's gonna kick your damn ass. You have to earn your way back." Carol loves me. She'll understand.

"You can tell her that you had to leave her, but she has been listening to some ghosts while you've been gone. Ghosts that told her that she wasn't enough for you, that what she thought she had with you was just a mirage, that you were somewhere else with another woman. She's hurt and she's angry and you have to let her feel that way until she can't hear the ghosts anymore." Fuck, Merle's right. I better come up with a plan.

"Do what you know how to do. She fell in love with you when you two worked on her house. Summers said she is living in an old farmhouse. Go forth and fix up that house and maybe she'll forgive you."

Daryl packed clothes, called Dale for permission to use one of the company trucks for a few days, loaded up some supplies, and a door that he had bought at an auction. He put in a cd that he and Carol used to listen to when they worked on the house. Her parent's had been big Beatle fans and she had grown up listening to their music. He had taken the cd because that had been the happiest time in his life, Carol singing along with the Beatles while they worked together. He sang along with the cd and the miles flew by and he came closer and closer to finding Carol and Sophia.

Carol

Carol wasn't having a really great day, or week, or month. This morning she had faced the mirror and cringed. The parasitic being that had chosen to dwell in her body until it was time to claw his way out of her uterus had taken her slender body and turned it into a baby incubation facility. She was fat. At five months. The long loose blouse that she wore over her slacks was beginning to look like what it really was... a maternity top.

She dared a side view and cringed again. Not pretty. Probably just as well that Daryl wasn't here anymore. He had loved her in tight jeans and boots. The Georgia redneck in him probably. Those jeans were gathering dust in a closet and her pregnant feet didn't feel right in the boots either.

Sophia had been grumpy this morning and Muffin had left an accident that had to be cleaned up. Her job was boring and Andrea hadn't called last night. She needed to stop at a supermarket to find something for dinner but she sailed on by because she wanted to get home and put on something more comfortable. Like a tent.

Carol turned onto the gravel road that led to her house. She put the car window down and let fresh air in. It brought with it the faint aroma of autumn. The sun was shining and she and Sophia could take a long walk with Muffin. Then they could go back to the house and make pancakes for dinner. She was smiling as she saw Sophia in the yard playing with the dog. Her smile faded when she saw a panel truck parked in her driveway. Sophia is fine. Carol parked beside the truck and her view of her house was momentarily obstructed by the truck.

She got out of her car and moved toward the house. She got the glimpse of a man sitting on a rocker on her porch. Someone trying to sell me a new septic system. I am so not in the mood for that shit. She smiled at her own joke and then the man came into view. No peddler of hygienic removal of feces and liquid wastes at all. It was Daryl. Not content to have shit and pissed all over me once and now he is back for a repeat performance. No damn way.

Daryl stood up and Carol moved purposely toward the porch. "What are you doing here?"

He was staring at her with his mouth open. Looking at her body that wasn't the same in October as it had been in the first week of June when he vanished. I'll just tell him that I turned to ice cream for comfort and then my butter pecan habit became an addiction. One is too many and a thousand isn't enough.

Daryl held up a hand painted sign, "Work for food". He gave her a cautious smile.

Fuck.

It was then that she saw her front door. It had been a plain white door when she left this morning. She had planned to change it out one of these days. One of these days when she wasn't pregnant. Her white door was gone and in an enlarged space was a red door with side lights and a transom above the door. It was perfect for the space and she recognized that as she wheeled to confront him, "You can't just show up and start tearing up my house. How did you even get in?"

"I'm here to fix what isn't right. Can be about why I left. Can be about your house. Hope it is about both. You're pregnant. I can fix the house before the baby comes. Sophia is right behind you and let's have this talk away from her."

Carol eyed the door suspiciously, "Does it even open or is it just for show?" Guess the ice cream story isn't going to fly. I have to pee.

Daryl grinned, "It does open, and I promise to fix the drywall on the inside. Tomorrow."

Tomorrow your ass will be back where it came from, Daryl.

Daryl opened the door for her and Sophia. Carol couldn't stop herself from examining the side lights. Engraved glass. Costing a fortune. Perfect for the house. Damn him.

She had once told Daryl that it was good luck to have a red front door. They had never gotten around to painting the front door of the Atlanta house red. Red doors keep out ghosts and evil spirit. Drew positive energy in. So Daryl's door is going to make everything happy-happy now?

Sophia barely glanced at Daryl, "Told you she would be pissed," she muttered smugly as she went into the house.

Carol glanced at her daughter ready to reprimand her language, but she saw that Sophia was struggling with her feelings too. Sophia had loved Daryl and his desertion had hurt her. She didn't need her mother losing control and throwing Daryl out like yesterday's newspaper. Carol could never completely shut the door on Daryl now. Her baby boy was his son. I have to pee. I'm hungry and hormonal. "I'm going upstairs to change. We'll talk when I come back down."

Daryl nodded, "I'll start supper." She's having a baby. She hates me right now, but she needs me. She's even more beautiful than I remember. Bigger in the middle but still Carol. Those eyes are throwing icy blue flames at me. I gotta find a way to stay here with her. It's my only shot of getting her back. Better make a helluva supper.

Sophia and the pup were peering into in the refrigerator when he went into the kitchen, "You went to the store?"

"Got here this morning thinking that you and your mother would have the day off. Columbus Day and all. No one here. McAllister on the mailbox out front so I knew I was in the right place. I sat on the porch awhile and kept looking at that ugly ass door. Decided to change it. Your next door neighbor came by and helped. Wasn't much in the refrigerator so I went into town and got some food for supper. You bake the potatoes and I'll get the grill ready." Sophia had always baked the potatoes when he grilled. Like old times.

Sophia looked all pissy and the damn dog growled at him. After that bag of hair had been his best damn friend all day long. I just came here to have a good time and now I feel so attacked. Daryl cleared his throat, "Please bake the potatoes. Your mother has a lot to handle right now. My being here has upset her, but I am here now to make thing right."

Sophia leveled her own blue eyes of doom at him, "You hurt her. Just like my father did only you didn't use your fists. Don't expect that I will ever trust you again." The dog growled again, but Sophia did turn the stove on and went toward the pantry. Tell me how you really feel. Sophia had gotten off the school bus, looked at him and walked by like he wasn't there, changed her clothes, and the only thing she had said to him was, "Mom isn't going to take you back. She is really pissed." Girl didn't lie about that.

Carol had a grill on a back porch which really needed to be rebuilt. He put the charcoal in the chimney with some newspaper and lit it. He went back inside and seasoned the steaks and prepared the asparagus for grilling. Sophia had the potatoes in and she and the pup had disappeared. Probably out assembling a bomb to put in the truck. Or finding poison to put in my potato. No Carol sighting.

Carol and Sophia were taking Muffin for a walk. Carol was letting Sophia vent even if her language was getting a little PG. Carol wasn't venting because what she had to say was way too R rated. She was angry that Daryl just showed up and expected that they would be welcoming him home, but she was controlling that because she had a plan. She was going to let Daryl stay. The house needed lots of work and she just hadn't had the energy to tackle it. She had no intentions of getting back with Daryl. He just couldn't be trusted to not run off again, but he was her baby's father. Fix what you can fix, Daryl. But you and I are over.

"Daryl will be here a few days, Sophia. You will act like a young lady around him. We will all be civil to each other. I'm not getting back together with him, but we do need some work done on the house." Carol's voice was firm and she was suddenly in a much better mood.

They ate supper on the dining room table that Carol had bought at the auction in Atlanta. Carol and Daryl discussed projects that needed to be done. A nice civil discussion. I am all about civility.

Carol chewed on her steak. It was perfectly cooked and everything tasted delicious. Shouldn't this be awkward? We should be choking down every bite, but Sophia is wolfing down her food, Daryl just keeps eating and smiling, and I have eaten everything on my plate and now I want some butter pecan ice cream. Just hit me with a bottle of champagne and call me the USS Carol. I'm eating for two and at least one of us wants some butter pecan ice cream.

"Who wants ice cream?" Sophia shook her head and Daryl gave her an incredulous look and then quickly said that he would love some. Liar, I have never seen him eat ice cream.

Sophia started clearing the dishes, "I'll do the dishes and you two can just keep on talking about all those projects."

Carol dished out two healthy servings of ice cream and handed Daryl his with an almost friendly look. I hope he's lactose intolerant and either way he will need all his strength to work through that "Honey do list."

Sophia went upstairs to do homework and Muffin accompanied them on a tour of the house which Daryl didn't need because he had broken into the house already. They went out on the porch and sat down in the rockers and talked about different projects. Muffin jumped onto Carol's lap and stared at Daryl. The decision was made to work on the bathroom first and then the kitchen. They kept the conversation on the house for a while. Carol yawned suddenly and Daryl laughed, "Okay, that's enough. If it is alright with you I'll move my clothes in that bedroom downstairs."

She nodded, "As long as you understand that you are never moving upstairs." Never ever ever moving into my bed even though part of me wants you more than butter pecan ice cream.

"When is your next appointment with your doctor? I want to go with you." Daryl wasn't smiling now."

Carol sighed, "It's Friday. That is why I worked today even though the bank was officially closed,"

"I'm going to pay for everything connected with the baby. I know you probably don't trust me to follow through on that but I will make a deposit in your account this week." Daryl stood up and put out his hand to help her up.

"I can still get out of a rocker, Daryl." There was a hint of a thaw in her voice.

"Just trying to get in condition for when you will need help." He smiled at her and finally released her hand."

"I'll take Muffin for a walk. I got things I need to talk to you about tomorrow. I love you, Carol. Always have and always will." Daryl opened the door the new red door for her to go inside and grabbed Muffin's leash. He took out his cell phone and called Michael-Merle.

"How did it go?" His brother asked. "I guess she didn't shoot you on sight." Always a source of consolation.

Daryl headed down the steps (gonna replace them) and down the walkway. "Carol's pregnant. I am going to be a daddy. She hates me right now, but she's letting me stay and work on the house. She has a doctor's appointment this week and I'm taking her." Maybe I'm babbling a little.

"So what's the plan? You staying in North Carolina?"

"I'm just playing this by ear. I had hoped to convince Carol to move to Virginia, but right now I am just hanging on here. How is Christie?"

His brother grumbled, "She is telling me that we need to take our time. I'm forty five and I don't have all that much time left. Morgan and I sold half the gold bars to a private seller. The other bars went into my safety deposit box. Got a million two on each bar. I moved our millions into two off-shore accounts. Morgan and Jesse have theirs there too. What do you want me to do with your cash?"

"Send me half of it by registered mail and put the rest of it in a safe place."

"So there is going to be a new little Dixon-Reynolds running around here. I'm happy for you, Daryl. I really am. Jealous too. You lucky little shit. You poop gold, you know that. I'll call you tomorrow. You need anything?"

Daryl finally got Merle off the phone. He was humming one of the songs from the cd he had listened to on the way here. He sang the only lines he remembered, "Somewhere in the way she smiles. That I don't need no other lover. Something in her style that shows me.I don't want to leave her know I believe and how.

Carol leaned against the window and watched Daryl walk around the yard talking on his cell phone, "Who is he calling? You playing games, Daryl?" She pulled herself away from spying on Daryl. It had been a long day.

Later she stretched out in a bed that was suddenly too large and lonely. Everything was different now because Daryl was back. She absurdly felt safer knowing that Daryl was downstairs. He might be an asshole of the highest order but he wouldn't let anything happen to her or Sophia.

Her cell phone buzzed and she was glad to see Andrea's face on the screen. "Guess who the wind blew in today?"

She settled back onto her pillows. She was going to have a really long talk with her best friend. She didn't have a clue on what tomorrow would be like, but right now she was doing alright. Maybe not happy-happy, but better.

AN

Daryl brings Carol a red door. Here's why.

George Harrison (the quiet Beatle) wrote the song Something. It was on the album "Abbey Road" that was a particular favorite of Carol's parents.

So are you happy-happy that they are sleeping in the same house?

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