Chapter 2

Daryl's eyes shot open at the small sound of the creaking old cot. He sat straight up, realizing he must have dozed off in the hours he had sat by Carol's bed side, waiting for her to come to. He glanced over at the stirring woman, her eyes fluttering open and meeting his stare.

"Daryl? How… where… what happened?" she quietly asked as she took in her surroundings.

Daryl moved to sit down on the side of her cot, placing his hand on hers. "You passed out in the yard. Hershel said it was heat stroke."

Carol looked at him questioningly. "I don't even remember it. Last thing I remember is talking about that turkey you killed." With that her eyes widened as she remembered the turkey. She shot straight up in the bed. "Oh no, the turkey. Supper. I need to get down there and get cooking. Everyone has to be starving by now." She tried to push herself out of bed, but was met with resistance as Daryl gently gripped her shoulder and laid her back down.

"Carol, it's all taken care of. Beth and Maggie made supper. Carl even cleaned up afterwards. Everyone was worried about you and wanted you to get some rest. You push yourself too damn hard woman. Just relax a bit."

Carol sighed as she laid her head back down on the thin pillow. She started to say something when she glanced down at the floor and saw her clothes in a small pile next to her boots. Her cheeks started to burn as she looked down at herself and found that she was clad only in her black cotton panties and bra, the almost transparent bed sheet the only thing shielding her body from Daryl's eyes. She panicked as she pulled the sheet up around her neck, wondering if he had seen. One look at his face and she knew that he had. Concern filled his blue eyes as he reached over to tentatively pull the sheet from her small hand, letting it drop to her waist. She looked away, not sure of what to say next.

"You gonna tell me how you got those." he said quietly, not asking but demanding an explanation.

It wasn't the first time Carol had needed to come up with a story to explain her bruises. She glanced at Daryl and took a deep breath. "I tripped at the top of the stairs and took a nasty tumble. My own fault really, wasn't watching where I was going and slipped on one of Jude's toys."

Daryl felt his anger start to build as she sat there and told him the boldfaced lie. He tried to calm himself as he gripped her hand a little tighter. "Bullshit." he stated bluntly.

Carol just gaped as she heard his reply. "What do you mean, bullshit? You asked what happened, I told you. Just a stupid accident." She looked away, unable to meet his hard stare.

Daryl reached over, placing a hand on her cheek and turning her face to meet his own. "There ain't no way that a tumble down the stairs got you bruised up like this. Don't try and sell me some story. I've heard them all. Hell, I've used them all." he said, noticing her eyes starting to fill with tears. "You need to tell me what is really going on."

She sat there for a moment, trying to keep her composure. She wiped away the tear that had rolled down her cheek. She took a deep breath, reaching to place her other hand over their already joined ones. She had feared this moment for so long, but she knew that it had to be done. She just couldn't lie anymore. Not to him. "Daryl, I…I'm sick. I didn't want to say anything, but I have been for a while now." she admitted, brushing away another tear that had escaped her eyes.

Daryl didn't know what to say. He felt a wave of guilt wash over him as he realized that the signs had all been there. He had just been too preoccupied to notice. He should have done something, made her take better care of herself, made her eat more. She looked so frail sitting there next to him, the soft glow of the moonlight through the window illuminating her pale skin. The guilt was quickly replaced by anger as he pulled his hand roughly from hers and stood up. "What the hell do you mean, you have been for a while. Why didn't you say something? I'm getting Hershel."

"No!" Carol begged as she grabbed his wrist and pulled him back to his place on the bed. Tears began streaming freely down her face as she began to sob, trying to catch her breath. "You can't tell anyone. Please?" she implored.

Daryl was at a loss. He reached over to wipe the tears from her cheek. "Why don't you want me to tell anyone? I know you think you're a burden, but you pull more than your fair share around here. Just tell me what I can do to help, and I'll do it."

Carol gripped his hand a little tighter. "There isn't anything you can do. Not now, not in this world." She looked at him with sad eyes, searching his face for a sign that he understood.

He didn't understand what he was hearing. "Carol, I don't… I mean… How… how can you know that." he finally spit out, unsure of what else to say.

Carol ran her free hand through her hair. Memories of the past came flooding back to her as she recalled the first time she had cut it short. The tears that had fallen as she watched her long chestnut brown curls fall to the floor. She blinked back the fresh tears forming behind her lids and explained. "It seems like such a long time ago…before the world ended. I woke up one morning and found bruises on my arms. I knew they weren't from Ed, he liked to keep his bruises hidden. I didn't think much more about it at the time, but they kept showing up, all over my body. It just kept getting worse. I was so tired, all the time. I had horrible headaches, fevers, my bones even hurt. I finally snuck off one day and went to the doctor. They ran a whole bunch of tests, and told me that I had acute lymphocytic leukemia. That was the worst day of my life. All I could think was that I was going to die, that I was going to leave my Sophia all alone in this world. Left with no one but Ed. It scared the living hell out of me. I decided then and there that I wasn't going to give up, I was going to fight. I went through 6 months of hell. Bone Marrow transplants, chemotherapy, radiation. I did it all. I prayed every night that god would allow me to live, to keep my baby safe. He must have been listening, because I went into remission. I got to live. I didn't know how long it would last, but at least I was still here. I could keep Sophia safe. I had so many plans. I was going to start a new life, take Sophia, leave Ed and never look back. But before I ever got the chance, the dead rose up and the world went to hell. I couldn't keep Sophia safe, and now that she's gone, I guess god decided my reason for living was gone too. The symptoms came back about 4 months ago, I've been trying to hide it ever since." She squeezed his hand one last time before pulling away, waiting for his response to the bombshell she had just dropped on him.

His head was swimming with such a mixture of emotions he didn't know where one ended and the next began. He just sat there in silence, trying to process everything he had just heard. She had leukemia. After everything they had been through, The CDC, the endless threat of the undead, the nightmare with the Governor. All the horrors she had endured, and this was how it was going to end. Her own body had turned on her and was slowly killing her. She was going to die. He couldn't handle all of the thoughts swarming around in his brain. His hands balled into fists as he looked at her. Gentle, kind, beautiful Carol was going to die. He couldn't imagine this life without her. He tried to speak, but couldn't. He just gazed into her sad blue eyes, their silence speaking more than their words ever could. All he could do was slide himself closer to her and draw her small frame into his arms. She began to sob quietly, her tears soaking the front of his shirt. They sat that way for what seemed like an eternity. When he felt her crying cease, he gathered the courage to speak .

"How long?" was all he could manage to say before he could feel his own voice begin to crack.

Carol gently pulled himself from his arms, tightly gripping his hand as she slid herself back to look at him. "A month, maybe two. I don't know exactly, but I can feel myself getting weaker all the time. I don't think I have a lot of time left."

"Why didn't you tell us? Tell me? We could've helped you. You've been working yourself ragged."

"I don't want anyone else to know. That is not how I want to spend my last days, being pitied by the people I love. You have to promise me you won't tell the others."

It felt wrong. He wasn't one for keeping secrets, especially one as big as this. But it was what she wanted and when he saw the trusting look she gave him, he knew he couldn't refuse her. "I promise I won't say anything to the group. But are you ever planning on telling them? I mean, what's gonna happen when you can't hide it anymore. When you…." He couldn't bring himself to say the words but she knew what he meant.

"I'll just have to cross that road when I come to it. But for now I just want to enjoy the time I have left with everyone. The time I have left with you." She leaned forward, bringing her hand up to his cheek. She placed a small kiss on his lips, pulling away before he had the chance to. "I'm starting to get tired now." she said as she pulled the sheet around her thin frame and slid her head back onto the pillow. Daryl moved to stand but was stilled by Carol's hand. "Will you please stay with me tonight? I don't want to be alone right now."

Daryl just nodded in agreement. He kicked off his boots and went to take his place back at the wall, but noticed that Carol was moving over on the small mattress and reaching for his hand. He hesitated for a moment before surrendering to her silent request. He lay down next to her, stiff on his back, trying to keep a small space between them. The space was quickly filled however, as Carol slid a bit closer and softly laid her head on his chest. Pushing his discomfort to the back of his mind, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, holding her tightly until he her could feel that her breathing had deepened and she had fallen asleep. It was only once he knew that she was out that he finally let the revelations of the night hit him. Hot tears began to stream down his cheeks, his emotions too much for him to contain. He had wasted so much time, taken her presence for granted. She had once joked that she had nine lives, and up until now he had truly believed it. She was the one constant in his life, the small ray of sunshine that had broken through the dark clouds that surrounded his damaged soul. She had done so much for him in their time together, and had asked for nothing in return. But he knew deep down that there was one thing that she truly desired, and he had been unable to give it to her. All she had ever really wanted from him was his love. And it wasn't until now, their time almost up, that he finally felt he could give it to her. He peered over at her, noting the beautiful smile that had formed on her lips as she slept. He didn't know how yet, but he was going to make sure that it stayed there until she breathed her last breath.

Thank you all for your kind reviews. I am currently working on chapter 3 and will update as soon as I can. Please keep the reviews coming, they keep me going. Hugs and Kisses, Bekah