AN: Here's a little chapter for you. It's pretty fluffy. You've been warned so that if you're just tired of fluff or whatever then you can just hop right on over it. LOL
I hope you all enjoyed the premiere! I could have used more Caryl…but that's always the case!
There's a rather long AN at the end, but I felt it needed to be said just to put things out there about the story and where it's going/what's in the future.
I hope you enjoy the chapter! Let me know what you think!
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After Carol had talked Daryl down enough to make him realize that his brother was just being an asshole to him and that no amount of failure on their part in a childbirth class could cost them their child, Daryl had been somewhat receptive to the idea of the class and Carol had called the YMCA to get enrolled in one of their classes…an eight week course of sorts.
As they were navigating the somewhat rundown and abandoned halls of the Y, though, following the paper signs with arrows, she was beginning to grow strangely nervous about the class and she didn't know why.
"If we don't like it then we just agree on it and we don't have to come back," Carol said, more to reassure herself than to help out Daryl. She hugged her pillow to her, following only a few steps behind him, close enough that if he were to stop abruptly she would no doubt step on his heels.
"Yeah…" Daryl responded. "Ain't gotta stay if we don't wanna…"
Carol thought the least they could have done was made the place seem less abandoned. Most of the lights were out in the building, and it was only as they neared the location of the room and heard voices that she began to believe there was actually a class going on there and not that they were in some kind of bad situation that horror movies were made out of and someone was going to jump out from somewhere with a chainsaw or something.
Standing at the entrance to the room there was an older black lady that Carol was certain she recognized, but she wasn't sure where she knew the woman from. At any rate, if the woman was a long time resident of Sweet Junction, which she probably was, Carol had probably seen her around more than once.
"Hi there!" The woman said, smiling broadly. "Here for the class?"
Daryl stopped short and Carol bumped into him, distracted. When he looked at her he was wearing a bit of a questioning face and Carol wondered if he was thinking the same thing she was. Where else were they going in the dark building with her clutching a pillow like it was a lifeline?
Carol smiled, though, and offered her hand.
"I'm Carol Dixon, this is Daryl," Carol said.
"We're married," Daryl added, stretching his hand out to the woman next. Carol slid her pillow up enough to hide the amusement on her face. She was already wondering what it was going to be like in the class…especially with Daryl there.
The woman smiled.
"Roberta Livingston," the woman said. "You can call me Roberta or Bobbie, I answer to both. Go on in, pick a mat…there are cookies and juice. We'll start soon."
Carol passed through the door first and almost stopped short herself.
There were at least four other couples in the room and all the women were significantly more pregnant than she was. She suddenly felt out of place or like she was already at the bottom of the class. She shot a look toward Daryl who was hovering near her, but he was chewing at his thumb and not looking at her.
Carol continued on, picking one of mats that looked like the brightly colored foam pallets they used in kindergartens and nurseries. Copying the other couples, she sat down on the mat, her pillow laid across her lap. Daryl sat beside her.
"I don't think I'm pregnant enough," Carol whispered.
"Ya got that feelin' too?" Daryl whispered back. "Ya wanna leave? We can tell Bobbie we was in the wrong class."
Carol stifled a laugh.
"I don't think it's polite to leave just a few seconds after you get here," Carol whispered back. "We'll stick it out and see what happens."
They sat quietly until Bobbie came back into the room, followed by another couple with a woman who took the mat next to Carol and was also much farther along than she was. Maybe this was the advanced class or something, though the person on the phone hadn't mentioned anything about it when she'd called.
After Bobbie gave her introduction to the class, she went around having everyone else tell about themselves. What their name was, how many children they had, if they knew what they were having, if they'd chosen a birthing plan…
Carol tried to memorize the list when Bobbie had been throwing out possibilities and then she tried to practice her speech in her head, but she still wasn't sure what to say when they got to them and everyone in the room was looking at her…she also realized that she hadn't listened to anyone else.
"I'm…uh…Carol and this is Daryl," Carol started, her voice sounding as unsure as she was. "We're having a girl."
Everyone was smiling and it was like being back in school when the teacher was trying to urge you through a presentation with a falsely painted on smile. Carol didn't have anything else to say, though, and Daryl had assumed a deer in the headlights facial expression.
"Is this your first child?" Bobbie asked.
Carol nodded and looked at Daryl who was also nodding.
"I don't know if we're supposed to be in here…" Carol said after a moment.
Bobbie looked confused.
"She ain't pregnant enough," Daryl blurted out, obviously trying to save Carol.
Bobbie snickered a little.
"The class is for anyone," Bobbie assured them. "How far along are you?"
"Twenty one weeks," Carol answered. "Almost twenty two."
Bobbie smiled reassuringly.
"Well that sounds just as pregnant as anyone else," she said. "A lot of the people in here actually took the class before, but it doesn't matter. We still cover all the topics and you can ask as many questions as you want. It's good to have veterans in the class too, they give really honest opinions."
Carol shot another glance at Daryl and he shrugged a little at her so she just nodded and smiled at Bobbie.
As the class got going, though, Carol started to relax a little and Daryl did too. The first class was simple enough with introductions to what they would be talking about, things to expect from the class, things they wanted to discuss…it was mostly a run down of what they would cover and the reassurance from Bobbie that the class could be catered to their needs and that she was more than willing to discuss, at any point, anything that was of particular interest to any of the couples.
Then they moved into the one little lesson of the night which was about relaxation techniques and ways to relieve stress for the moms to be. Carol listened carefully, practicing along with the other moms the meditative breathing techniques they could use to help them calm down, and she tried to keep herself from laughing at Daryl who was focused on what the woman was saying with some concentration, even listening closely enough that once he didn't realize his mouth had fallen open a little.
After the class finished they were all invited to stay for snacks and socialize and Bobbie had a variety of pamphlets for anyone who wanted them. Daryl got to his feet and pulled Carol up, going straight for the pamphlets while she opted to go for the cookies instead.
"I hope you don't feel intimidated by the class," Bobbie said, coming up and shocking Carol a little by squeezing her arm when she wasn't expecting anyone to be behind her.
Carol smiled and shook her head.
"I think we're going to be fine," Carol said. "It was just a shock to come in and…well…I just felt a little out of place."
Bobbie nodded her head.
"Some of the couples take the class twice, actually…once early on and once later. A lot of people take it with their first child and then again with other children after that. I try to make the class a really laid back atmosphere, though, so if you ever feel uncomfortable, just let me know. It helps me to know things that I can do differently," Bobbie said.
"Thank you," Carol said with a smile. She glanced in Daryl's direction. He was at the table covered with various handouts and pamphlets and from the looks of it he was simply getting one of each after holding the pieces of paper up and examining them for a second.
"Your husband seems really interested in the class," Bobbie said with a smile.
Carol snickered.
"Yeah…I guess he is," Carol said. Bobbie didn't know Daryl…and she didn't know Merle…and she didn't know about Dixon men, so she wouldn't understand why it was so bizarre to see Daryl building himself a pile of pamphlets.
"That's really good," Bobbie said. "Some husbands are just here because they have to be…or because they feel like they have to be. I always feel like they don't get as much out of the class, and maybe the mommies don't either if they don't have a partner who is really…involved."
Carol smiled.
"I'm lucky," she said…and for just a brief second she realized how true those words were and how she had so often thought she'd never hear herself say them in regard to her home life. "Daryl's excited about the baby…and he wants to be involved. He wants to do everything right, even though neither of us have done this before."
Bobbie chuckled.
"There's a first time for everyone. I have three at home, but I still remember what it was like to be expecting that first one. What they don't tell you, though, is that each one is different and even though you're an old hat at some things, you're still nervous, whether it's your first or your fourth. The important thing is wanting to do it and do it right…the rest you figure out as you go," Bobbie said, squeezing Carol's arm again.
Daryl turned then, having apparently amassed all the information that he needed, and came walking over, his bundle of paper in his hand.
"Did you find what you were looking for?" Carol asked, gesturing with her head toward the stack that Daryl was carrying.
Daryl looked at the multicolored pieces of paper like he hadn't seen them before and then he shrugged.
"Don't know," he said. "Gotta read it ta know."
Carol couldn't imagine Daryl reading much…he wasn't much of a reader. It was even harder to imagine him reading things about babies and pregnancy and childbirth. Still, she certainly wasn't going to do or say anything to rain on his parade. If he wanted to read all the handouts that he had there, she wasn't going to discourage him at all. This was just as much his experience as it was hers and he deserved to get to do it the way that he wanted.
"If there's anything in particular you're curious about," Bobbie said to Daryl, "then you can just let me know. I can always set aside time to talk about it or find you information if you'd rather read about it."
Daryl nodded his head slightly at the woman.
"Thank ya," he said. "Reckon I'ma have ta see what I got here first…"
Daryl glanced at Carol.
"Ya ready ta go?" He asked. Carol smiled at him and nodded. She said goodbye to Bobbie and Daryl grunted his goodbye to the woman before strolling out of the room with Carol following along behind him.
"What did you think?" Carol asked when she was sure they were out of earshot in the quiet and darkened hallway.
Daryl grunted.
"Ya ain't gon' laugh?" He asked.
Carol shook her head, but he wasn't looking at her so she decided to verbalize her actions.
"No, Daryl…I promise. I won't laugh. Remember…we said we wouldn't tease about this," Carol said, reminding him of their pact. They'd decided that since they both had never done this before, and since it might lead to some embarrassment for them both, they could agree to laugh with each other about things but they had to stop teasing immediately if the other one didn't like what they brought up.
"I liked it," Daryl admitted. "I liked the stuff we did tonight 'bout relaxin' an' stuff 'cause ya get real wound up about things, so I reckon that could help ya…an' I wanta hear some a' the stuff she was talkin' 'bout doin' in the class."
"So we're coming back?" Carol asked.
She was interested too, and once she'd settled down and gotten into the class she hadn't minded it at all. She'd blocked out the other people around her and focused mostly on Bobbie…who seemed warm and inviting…and on Daryl who was listening with great concern to everything.
"Ya want to?" Daryl asked.
Carol snickered a little. He didn't want to admit that he'd been really into it. That was fine, she'd take the position this time.
"I do," she said.
She heard Daryl snicker.
"Yeah…me too," he said.
"I'm interested in the videos she's going to show," Carol said, just as they emerged in the parking lot. She took a deep breath of the cold air around her and hugged her pillow to her again.
"Ya wanna know what I thought was gonna be cool?" Daryl asked.
"What?" Carol asked.
"The baby week," Daryl said.
Bobbie had informed them that one of the bigger Ys in the area had some kind of special doll that apparently did all kinds of baby things and they were going to get to borrow them for a week. Each of them would take home a baby for the week and they'd keep some kind of baby diary about caring for the doll. Carol had heard it, of course, but she hadn't really paid it all that much attention. She would have never thought that would be the part of the whole thing that Daryl was excited about.
"You're really excited about that?" Carol asked as they reached the truck and Daryl walked around, unlocking her door and opening it, taking the pillow from her until she got in and then passing it to her with the brochures.
"Well…yeah," Daryl said, closing the door.
Carol fastened her seatbelt and waited while he circled around and got in the truck. When he was in he closed the door and cranked the truck, putting the heat on high though it didn't work well and waving his hands in front of the old vents to test to see if there was any promise of at least a little warmth on their drive back to the house.
He turned to her after that, before making any move to back out of the parking space.
"I mean it's like a test drive…an' we get ta figure out all the baby stuff 'fore Lil' Bit gets here so we ain't testin' shit out on her," Daryl said.
Carol snickered a little.
"Well it's not a test drive," she said. "I mean if you don't like the doll we don't get to turn the baby in…she's nonrefundable once she's here."
Daryl chuckled.
"OK, maybe I don't mean test drive," Daryl corrected. "I just mean…well…I don't know."
He stopped and shook his head and Carol could tell from the lights in the parking lot that he was frowning.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean anything bad. I'm glad you're excited about it. It'll be good."
"Don't tell Merle…" Daryl said.
Carol smiled and reached over, squeezing his hand. She leaned a little and he responded by leaning in and kissing her gently.
"I would never tell Merle you're excited about the baby week," Carol said. "In fact, we can just pretend that they're making us do it and you hate the idea of the doll."
Daryl smiled at her.
"I'm just making you do it…because I'm mean like that," Carol added.
Daryl reached over and bumped her chin with his finger before turning right in his seat and fastening his seatbelt, getting ready to back out and drive them home.
"Damn woman…always makin' me do shit I don't wanna do," Daryl teased.
Carol faked a sigh.
"The curses of being married…" Carol said.
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AN: OK, so I figured it had to be said for anyone still reading who was wondering. As I've been doing planning for this story, it just keeps growing. It's really funny since I started the story with absolutely no idea where I was going and it's grown into….well…this. Ha ha!
Still, I wanted to say that I do have a plan to end this story after the baby is born. I'm not sure how long it's going to take to get there, though, since frankly I do enjoy just exploring the lives of our characters in conjunction with the story. That being said, I've decided to end the story there for everyone who is sick of Sweet Junction and sick of our characters and simply reading because they hate getting caught up in a story and not finishing. I'm sorry to those that they'll have to suffer through all the stuff until we get there, but there is an end for you.
I have already decided, though, that I will be continuing/writing a sequel, etc. to the story for those who are interested. It'll essentially pick up just where this one leaves off and be my own experiment/fun little thing of playing with the characters and their lives. That way, if you're interested in reading it, for whatever reason, you'll have the option, but if you're just tired of it all, you can bail out when this one ends. No hard feelings.
I just figured I'd throw that out there for everyone who is rolling their eyes at the story or is ready for it to end already. It might still take us a bit to get to the end, because I do enjoy exploring the many different facets of the lives of our characters, but there is an end in sight for you…as long as you're not too nearsighted.