I know I promised a long, awesome chapter. I know. Please don't lynch my yet. I can explain.
The computer was full of viruses. The malware screwed with the keyboard, went idle, and then shut the whole thing down. We took it in, but there's nothing they can do but salvage the hard drive, which leaves us with one working computer. And one computer and four people is a bad, bad mix. The ONLY way I am going to be able to update this is if the chapters are very short. I can't save any documents because this is my MOM's computer. MY MOM. I'm hoping to wrap this story up soon. When we get a new laptop, I will begin a new story. I'm already compiling ideas. It's going to be a lot better than this one. Until then, I'll update when I can, and as always, enjoy!
Carol stared at him. She meant to say something, but words seemed confined to her lips. Carl began to feel regret creeping up into his bones. He shouldn't have said anything, but the pressure of keeping that particular secret was weighing heavy on his shoulders. He'd seen a thousand times how Maggie would latch onto Glenn's waist and whisper something in his ear; how Glenn's eyes would light up and he'd whisper something back. Then they'd both smile and stand there, sharing each other's warmth and the shade of contentment and comfort displayed upon their faces was one Carl could only describe as love. It was a brief escape from the harsh reality of the cold world they lived in. Carl didn't know much about love, but he knew that there was nothing Carol and Daryl deserved more.
Finally, Carol gave a sigh. Her eyes softened and she reached out, taking Carl's hand in hers. She grinned weakly. She didn't want Carl to think he'd done something wrong; didn't want him to feel remorseful. Still, her stomach twisted into a knot.
"You and Beth are the only ones that know?" she asked.
Carl nodded in response.
"And you swear you won't tell anyone else?"
"I swear. You can trust me."
Carol's stomach settled and she exhaled deeply. Carl's reply was mature; reliable. He was growing rapidly into a young man, both physically and mentally. Carol wondered what Sophia would have been like, were she alive. She'd always imagined her strong and beautiful. Her hair would've darkened with age and lengthened with time. She would've been taller. Maybe she'd even have hovered above Carl for a short while. Her body would begin to mold into that of a woman's. But such things were useless to think about. They inflicted only tears and sorrow.
Heavy footsteps broke both Carol and Carl away from their respective thoughts. Their attentions switched; their heads turned towards the doorway, only to see Daryl enter the cell, a squirming Judith in his arms. He glanced up from the fussing baby, his eyes falling over Carl.
"Hey squirt, why don' you take your sister an' give us a minute?"
Daryl transferred Judith to Carl, the boy's arms shifting to support her head and bottom. Then he left, cooing to his little sibling softly in an attempt to pacify her. Daryl watched until Carl was out of sight and Judith's cries but a murmur in the distance.
"How're you feelin'?" he asked, kneeling by the side of her bed and testing her temperature with the back of his hand. She seemed cool enough, and her skin was no longer clammy. The redness in her eyes had diminished. He noticed she'd polished off her supper, too, so her reply came as no surprise.
"Better. I feel much, much better."
"Well, Merle ain't. Think he's comin' down with what you had." Daryl's voice seemed tinted with amusement.
"Serves him right." she muttered.
Daryl chuckled, a little smile tugging at his lips. She never used to see him smile. At first it was strange. His features were always dark, or always seemed that way. But smiling changed that. Just that little display of teeth made all the difference. He was so very, very beautiful when he smiled. She wondered how he'd react if she ever told him that.
"Rick wants t' move 'im to Cell Block D." Daryl said suddenly. "Merle, I mean. We're gonna start clearin' in the mornin'."
Carol's face brightened. Relocating Merle to Cell Block D was, to her, the best idea Rick had conjured up in ages. She wouldn't be the only one feeling much safer. If she weren't in the recovering stages of illness, she would have leaned in and kissed Daryl right then and there, just out of sheer relief. Then she remembered the conversation she'd had with Carl mere moments prior. She peered past Daryl, scanning for anyone nearby. She could hear two voices in the distance—Rick and Glenn, probably—engaging in a muffled conversation.
"Carl…" she whispered, turning back to Daryl, holding him tight in her gaze; catching his full attention. "He knows."
Daryl's brow furrowed.
"The hell's that supposed t' mean?"
"The day we got back from hunting…the day you gave me this…" her fingers drifted up to stroke the garnet stone at her chest. "Carl saw me kiss you…an' he told Beth."
Daryl's head dropped. He tugged at the roots of his hair, disheveling it further. Carol seized his face in her hand, catching him under the chin, and lifted gently so his eyes met hers. His stubble was rough. Like sandpaper, almost.
"It's alright. I had a talk with him." she assured. "He swears he won't tell anyone else. I trust him."
Daryl rose to his feet, leaving Carol's arm suspended in the air.
"Ain't Carl I'm worried 'bout. It's that girl who can't keep her damned mouth shut."