Carol went to bed and woke up folding the table back out and went to wake Sophie. The whole crew had already started working when the sob ripped through the air. Daryl didn't think, he just ran at that damn camper bursting through the door.
Carol threw herself at him sobbing so hard she was shaking, over her shoulder he saw Sophie laying too still, too pale. He wrapped his arms around the woman he hardly knew wishing he could shield her somehow. The other four men had gathered at the door. He shifted uncomfortably looking over his shoulder.
"Call the hospital." He told them, and they all seemed to know what he meant. He pulled Carol out of the camper slowly, she was wrapped around him struggling to breath, and hell if he didn't know what to do to help her. He didn't know what he could say.
He held her as the corener showed up and took Sophie away, Trick seemed to be trying to keep them from aproaching Carol, so he just held her. He didn't do a damn thing all day, he just stood there and held her together, by lunch she had stopped crying, and was just shaking. Trick had offered him a nod now and then to let him know it was okay, but he wished he hadn't so he'd have some excuse to leave her side.
The way she wrapped around him had his feet hurting, and his cock at full attention. He knew he was a sick fuck, but after a while it got hard to keep his mind on comforting her, and off how she felt. All soft and warm, she seemed to fit up against him like they were made for each other. Not to mention it had been a long time since he'd known the love of a good woman.
She didn't seem to notice though, after it started getting dark and everyone else started to leave Trick came over to them.
"Mam, I got ya the number fer the corners, and what not, we're gonna head on home now. Is there anythin I could do for ya?" He asked, Carol peeled herself off of Daryl taking the scrap of paper.
"No, thank you. Sorry I was so... ya." She said walking away her voice hollow and her eyes so full of hurt Daryl damn near went after her.
"Ya did a good thing for that woman today boy, if ya want a spot on my crew it's yers." Trick told him holding his hand out to him. Daryl shook his hand.
"Thank you." He mumbled looking over at the camper, he shook his head and left. He lay there in his truck with the hard on that wouldn't quit. He just kept remembering the way it felt to hold her.
He didn't work the next two days over the weekend, so he wasn't worried about sleep, but he sure as hell had better thing to think about then some broken winged little pixie woman. She fed him and she seemed to like him fine, and that was more then he got most places.
He gave up closing his eyes and unzipping his jeans, he tugged his shirt up some and wrapped his hand around his cock. He remembered her sweet smell, and that smile she gave him when she poured his sweet tea. He remembered that look of gratatude she had when he did some stupid little thing for her like punch out her ex, or light that little grill.
Then he imagined what it would be like to see that sweet little cotton sundress fall around her ankles. He was so hard pressed lately that was all it took. He clenched his free hand into the vinal of the truck bech spilling hard over his stomach. He felt vile now getting all hot over a woman that done just lost her grandmama.
He pulled that rag out of his back pocket wiping himself clean and forced himself to sleep. To stop thinking about Carol, and the way his name sounded on her lips. Merle'd kick his ass if he could see him now.
))))=========)
Carol talked to the lawyers, and the corener, and the funeral home. Aparently Sophia had set it up so Carol got everything. Her life insurance more then covered the funeral. It would be on Sunday, and she was the only one left around to attend.
She didn't want to go alone, but what choice did she have the only person who'd ever cared about her had hit her grandma. She was all alone for the first time in her whole life and she had no idea what to do with herself.
She drank the last of the beer, and was starting to feel okay with herself by the time the sun was dipping low on Saturday. She pulled on a tank top she only used as an under shirt, and her cotton sleep shorts and started heading bare foot to the lake.
She sipped at her last beer loving the feel of the grass on her toes. She didn't even notice Daryl's truck at the end of the dirt road, or him sleeping in the back after a decent hunt. Carol went to start down to the lake and a rock stabbed her in the foot.
"Ow, fuck!" She cursed stumbling into the side of a truck she was only just now seeing. Daryl sat up with a start seeing Carol in damn near nothing leaning on his truck and brushing something off her bare foot.
He blinked a few times thinking he was dreaming, then she slammed back the rest of her beer and started staggering towards the lake. He watched as she didn't even seem to notice him. How drunk was she?
She dropped her bottle walking straight into the lake, she slipped falling on her butt and laughing loudly. She was gonna fucking drown herself like that. He hopped up yanking his boots and socks off as he went. He walked into the water still dressed.
He dropped his coat on the dock chasing after her. She had managed to get out a few more feet before she stumbled and he had to yank her out of the water. She gasped coughing up water.
"Daryl? Where did you come from?" She asked looking around, he rolled his eyes dragging her towards the shore and pointing over his shoulder.
"The truck ya damn near tripped over." He told her, she lolled her head to the side so she could see his truck not even attempting to walk. He sat her on the dock standing in front of her in the water.
"Hu, there is a truck." She giggled, he brushed the wet curls from her fore head. He didn't mind touching her while she was wasted, nothing about it seemed sexual, the idea of taking advantage hadn't even crossed his mind.
"Yer drunk as a skunk woman." He groaned, she smiled looking up at the first few stars.
"I always wanted a cat." She said, he screwed up his face not really following her logic.
"What?" He asked, she looked back down at him reaching out and tracing her pointer finger over the mark above his lip.
"Skunks, they look like cats, and I always wanted a cat. Grama had a cat when I was little, but Ed was alergic. I think he would have killed it." She whispered the last part like some big secret. He frowned trying to decide if he should leave her to sobber up or drive her back home since she was clearly somewhere else.
"He was a bad man, he used to burn me with his cigerette when I did something wrong. I messed up a lot, but maybe it was good, I was getting better, learning. Maybe that's what I deserve." She said, that pulled him back to the conversation.
"The fuck you do, I ain't never met a woman who deserves that shit. Don't even fuckin say such stupid fuckin shit!" He snarled, she didn't cringe away from his anger. Instead she smiled scritching her fingers through his beard.
"You're sweet, and your eyes are sooooo blue." She said leaning closer to him, he couldn't have moved if he'd wanted to. Then she shivered, the night chill and her wet scrap of clothes were doing her in. Daryl shook out of it grabbing his coat and wrapping it around her.
"I gotta get ya home woman." He mumbled pulling her towards the shore.
"Daryl Dixon, are you askin to take me home with you?" She asked a mischevious glint in her eyes.
"Just takin ya for a ride woman, now get in." He told her, she giggled letting her hand trail over his chest in a way that made his heart race and his cock twitch.
"I bet you could take me for a hell of a ride." She said luridly, Daryl slammed the truck door to keep his mind off telling her hell yes he could. He closed the tail gate and grabbed his boots.
She leaned her head against the window while he drove, by the time they pulled up to that camper she was sobbering up. She looked over at it making no move to get out so he turned his truck off.
"Come on woman I ain't got all day." He mumbled opening her door. She slid out in front of him.
"Why are you here?" She asked, he looked back at his truck with a sigh.
"So I can poor ya into bed and get home." He tried to deflect the question, she shook her head then stumbled a step.
"No, why were you down by the lake, you weren't fishing?" She clarified, he gnawed at his thumb nail uncomfortably looking at his boots.
"Ain't got no where else to be, ya always this fuckin nosey?" He asked a little harsher then he'd intended, but his wounded pride didn't care. She looked in the truck bed seeing his things all piled in it.
"You live in your truck?" She asked, he growled slamming the truck door.
"Ya, ya got a fuckin problem with that?" He snarled, she shook her head her hand going to her little gold cross pendant.
"No, I just... I can't go back in there alone. She died in there, right on that bed, and every time I close my eyes I think I hear her, or smell her, or just... I don't know. I just wish someone else would sleep back there so I could get rid of her ghost you know." She mumbled, his anger drained quickly. Him and his fuckin pride, she looked like she might cry again, and it was his damn fault.
"Sorry." He grumbled, she looked up at him hopefully for a moment.
"If you wanted, you could... you could use the bed, it'd have to be better then the truck." She offered, he doubted it would be, but the way she looked up at him, like he was the only one in the world that could help, even though it wasn't true, for just a second he felt like he was worth something. He couldn't tell her no.
"Why the fuck not." He answered, she smiled, a little half broken expression that made him glad he was helping. He let her go first, and she wrapped his coat around her tiny frame making her look every bit the broken angel he kept thinking of her as with the dirty white wings of his vest wrapping around her.
"Sorry about the bottles." Carol blushed grabbing a bag and starting to pick them up. Daryl shifted in his wet clothes while he stood in the door.
"Ain't no worse then my old place, shit I'm gonna grab my damn clothes, I ain't gonna get these dry any time soon." He said stepping back happy for some excuse not to watch her bend over in those near see through white cotton shorts that hardly covered her ass. He could see the hint of one of her scars on her thigh.
"Ya, I should change too. We can hang them in the bathroom to dry." She told him, he nodded leaving to get his things. He brought in the whole bag and tossed it back on the bed with it's thick fluffy comforter.
"Thank you for doing this." Carol said when she came out of the bathroom in cotton sleep pants and a worn graphic tee from some fair.
"Ain't doin nothin worth thankin me for woman, I'm usin yer damn bed. If anythin I should thank you." He deflected the gratatude, she shook her head.
"I still appreciate it." She told him folding the table down to set up her bed and let him use the bathroom. He came out in nearly the same out fit only slightly different colors. She smiled up at him from where she laid in bed.
"No pajamas?" She asked, he shrugged, he'd always slept in his boxers.
"Ain't really my style." He told her kicking his boots off and flopping down on the bed. The camper rocked slightly, and Carol smiled finally letting her eyes close.