They slept all night together in the bus and when it come to a stop she climbed off with Ollie on her hip and pulled her bags with her to a point where she could get her back pack on and her front pack to take him to the bathroom. She headed into a parenting stall to help him go to the toilet. She held him close so he wouldn't unlock the doors on the cubical. She'd hung her bag's on the hooks provided so no one would take them.

She stripped him a little to wash him up a little. He stood in the sink as she washed him down a little, she'd put him in a pull up over night on the bus so they wouldn't get cut short. She was going to keep doing that but she wanted to wash him down so he was feeling better and fresher about it all. She patted him down with paper towels and looked in the backpack to find him clean underwear. She found a pair of jean's for him and put his shoes and socks back on. She washed his face and gave him a kiss.

He was pretty crusey and didn't seem to be bothered to be woken at 7am looking around finding himself on a bus. She'd given him a sandwich made by Aunty Tara, and a juice box. He'd sat and watched out the window while she ate and had a drink. She had slept most of the way, only waking when he woke. She knew he wouldn't cry at all about anything. He wasn't a crier but more happy with the few toys she had put in the bag she brought in the carry on bag. He'd spent the rest of the time driving the toy car up and down the window.

He stood there staring at her as she did his shoes. He put his hands in her hair doing what he liked to do to calm him, the noise from the loud speaker, she didn't stop him he was being really really good. She brushed his teeth and her and finally using baby wipes to wipe under her arms and use deodorant. She threw some tinted moisturizer on, lip gloss and a hint of mascara, she was done. Straightening her clothes and moved Ollie around to put him into the back pack. She wasn't putting him down in the busy bus terminal. She lifted it up onto her back. She buckled the ties around her waist and across her chests.

'Lets go baby,' Carol told him, 'You're being so good, you want to go to the park?'

'Yeah, my car,' Ollie told her, pointing to the car on the sink, she picked up her other back pack, putting it on her front. Passing him the car, she picked up the other carry bag and left the bathroom looking at the map to see where she needed to go to buy a ticket for the night's bus trip. 'Mum are we going to go on another bus?'

'Tonight, we going to do some fun things today,' Carol told him, fun free things she thought they needed to fill in the whole day she stood staring at the board of buses coming and down at the detailed list Tara had given her. She was pleased Tara was so set up the detailed list she knew she wouldn't have to worry about where to go next. She bounced a little to keep Ollie entertained while she looked at the board, she knew what she needed to ask for and she turned to go buy her ticket. Slamming into a hard body, 'Oh I'm so sorry,'

'Don't be I've been running all around the terminal looking for you,'

She brought her eyes up and shut them fast. He was there, looking for her. She was so going to kill Tara with her own bare hands. He looked exhausted. Older, much older, graying facial hair, in need of a hair cut. It was clear to her in that moment Tara had rung him the moment she got on the bus. She had no doubt he drove all night to get to her, she saw his hand stretch out to touch Ollie who was just staring at him from her back and around the bus terminal. His touch was brief and he quickly pulled his hand away like he got burnt. He couldn't believe how much he looked like ... looked like her. His eyes were watering.

'I think I have something in my eyes,' he said wiping at them, he reached out for the backpack on her chest. 'Let me carry that, I've got a car, I borrowed Merle's, I got a seat, but I need to sleep,'

She could barely speak but she nodded to him and started to follow him out of the terminal, she had no idea where he parked but he was here. No one was going to take Ollie, Daryl would help her, she knew that now he was here, he didn't say anything but she could tell by the way he walked that they were going to be safe with him. Ollie watched Daryl and called out.

'DUDE!' Ollie made them both stop Daryl looked at the boy strapped to her back, he was holding out his fist. Daryl didn't know what he wanted eventually he worked out he wanted to bang his fist with his, he reached out and bumped it with his, 'Boom! Boom chicky wow wow!'

'I'm so sorry, he's been hanging out with Tara, you're lucky it wasn't lots of swear words,' Carol said quietly. She tilted her head to give Ollie a warning look, he just giggled, he liked being strapped to her back, it gave him a chance to play with her hair and use it as a way to keep himself calm.

Daryl walked sideways looking at her and Ollie not really knowing what to say. He drove all night after he rode his bike to Merle's and banged on his door begging for his car and a car seat. Merle come out wrapped in a bed sheet wondering why the fuck Daryl was waking his kids up, they were trying to get them to bed for the night he could hear a baby crying in the house. Daryl physically winced at the sound of the baby crying and closed his eyes backing out of the kitchen as he heard the sounds of the cries coming closer. He avoided Merles kids like they were the plague. He never looked at the photos of his new baby daughter he just couldn't, he fronted up to the first birthday of his oldest boy but since the birth of his daughter he hadn't been to his house. He come to the door, he did bring them gifts but he never stepped over the threshold or attempt to hold any of Merles kids.

'The fuck you doing here?' Merle was confused, Daryl never come over in fact he made such a big thing of not coming over by texting Merle to say meet him outside he was confused why his brother would be banging on his door and walking into the kitchen.

'She's coming back home and she's got a kid, I need a car and car seat,' Daryl blurted, he got rid of their car a long time ago, rode his bike everywhere, he knew he needed a car and the work truck wouldn't be safe with a kid in tow. He didn't really even know if it was his kid at that stage and he really didn't care. Merle unbuckled the infant car seat from his car, and one of the bolted seats leaving him with one bolted car seat in the middle of the back seat. He showed him how to work the straps and told him not to drive reckless, Merle's wife come to the door holding a small pink bundle in her arms. She gave Daryl a half wave, Daryl gave her a nod as he threw his back pack into the trunk and backed out down the drive.

Carol and Ollie followed him down to the car park, he unlocked the trunk and tossed the bag inside. There was a small bag in their that was his. She unbuckled the back pack with Ollie in it. He watched as she fiddled with the straps to try unlock him from the back pack. Ollie was getting excited and Carol put her hands on his shoulders to calm him and stop him from bolting.

'Can I ... I mean do you...'

'I got it,' She put it on the ground and it stood on its own with feet, he was probably too big for it but she never used a stroller. It worked for what she needed it for. She never used a cot or bassinet, he'd slept with her since she brought him home. She barely slept herself for the first 6 months before Tara promised she would stare at him the whole time she slept. She unbuckled him and lifted him to her hip. 'You have a car seat?'

'Yeah... its Merle's car, he said you might have to fiddle with the straps or something,' Daryl watched as she buckled him into the seat, she looked up at him, he shoved her pack into the trunk as well.

'So should we get a room or something? You need to sleep right?' Carol asked him, he rubbed his hands over his face and yawned.

'I'm going to ... right after I ring Merle and we get something to eat,' Daryl walked around opening the door to let her in, he walked around to his side and buckled up, he glanced into the rear view mirror at Ollie, 'He's mine?'

'Of course he's yours,' Carol told him.

'Ok, I don't' care if he's not but I just wanted to check,'

Daryl drove to a motel that had a dinner across the road he booked a room after checking with her that one room would be ok, she nodded it would be fine, they would be ok sharing as long as there was a couple of beds in there. He took them across to the dinner to eat. There was a little play area where Carol let Ollie play, Daryl watched him seemingly in shock he had a son.

'Can I ask...' Daryl started, She looked up from her coffee they both knew it was coming, she nodded so he would ask, 'Why did you leave me?'

'You were drinking every day, all day, You vomited over the baby blanket, over the house, which is why I left to go stay with Maggie and when I come home you were having sex with someone in our bed, I watched her leave packed and left,'

'I what?'