Three weeks past, they slowly packed up the old house to move to the new house, the deal had gone through. They had people lined up to buy their house. Every thing was packed up and Merle was moving the boxes out to the back of the truck and trailer they had brought into move the stuff. Carol and Daryl had found their own common ground talking to each other. Going to counselling about the big mess they were in.
Daryl was enjoying playing with Ollie, he felt a bit more relaxed about Sophia's things, Merle and Maggie made a big fuss about the few things of her's he offered them. He could see they had dressed little Phoebe in one of his favourite outfits, one he'd brought for her by himself. He even taken to picking the little girl up to hold sometimes. It didn't make his heart ache. Carol was pushing him to face questions and thoughts he didn't want to face, the more she pushed him the better he felt. They made love a few more time but Carol had taken to sleeping alone, in the spare room. Daryl tried to talk her into sleeping with him but she needed to spend some time apart to clear her head.
Carol come out holding a box of Ollies stuff and walked outside with it to put it in the back of the car that they had brought, 7 seats, she didn't think she was going to need 7 seats. She really hoped she wouldn't have to worry about 7 seats. 2 seats or three seats, but Daryl insisted that if they ended up watching Merle's kids or whatever come their way they would need a bigger car. She didn't want to be driving a bus so she had a wagon, it had normal size seats and the one's in the back could fold down. She had the whole back folded down so it looked like a station wagon.
Ollie was off with his Aunty Maggie at their house keeping out of the way. They had been slowly moving stuff out of the house for the past week but today was actually the day. It was moving day. They would move and clean today. Tonight was going to be spent in a hotel, Merle and Maggie offered but it would be unfair on Daryl, on them because although he was doing a great deal better the cries of their baby through the night would make him really sad. It was getting on top of him all of the new things.
They had agreed to let Ollie stay over with them though, they were actually looking forward to spending some time alone without him. Carol wandered around the empty shell of the house. Only one thing left to pack and it was Sophia's shelf, she had a insulated box, bubble wrap packing and tape, Carol had it all on the floor waiting for him to do it. He come in wiping his hands on his pants. He looked at it. She could tell it was a big thing for him.
'You want me to do it or do you want to?'
'Put tape around it so it doesn't break open,'
'Its double bagged inside,' she whispered, She wrapped the tape around the lid so it wouldn't come apart. She held it out to him to wrap. He was just standing there watching, she had to keep going wrapping up what was the only thing left in the house. She went down to her hands and knees, Wrapping the little urn in bubble wrap. She probably over wrapped, it wasn't going to break, or shatter, it was metal. It was the process of it all. She watched as Daryl picked up the small packages and put them in the insulated box she had. He bent down to pick it up and put the box out in her car.
They decided to have commercial cleaners come into both houses to clean them top to bottom. The house they were moving to no one had been in for a year or more and this one, Carol didn't want to spend the next few days cleaning it top to bottom. She wanted to move on with Daryl. He looked happy because he was moving on to his family. He knew they couldn't stay in the pass. Carol was giving a great deal of trust to him especially after everything, they had been talking, moving on together.
'You ready?' Carol hugged him when he come back into the house to check her, she was doing a last sweep of the housed, they both stood in the master bedroom holding each other, saying their own little goodbye's to the house, to the sad things that happened there. Both of them wanting to move on. They wouldn't forget Sophia, they were taking her with them. They had made that decisions 5 years ago that they all wanted her to be able to be brought with them if they ever moved on. They were taking her with them.
'Its going to be ok,' she whispered to him, working together, coming together she knew they could get through it. Carol was so far ahead in her grief process where Daryl had stopped still with his. It had been a great deal of crying and a great deal of talking. Forgiving him, loving him, he also needed to try forgive himself for his part in the marriage break down.
'I know... its just hard, can we go see Ollie?' he asked her, she nodded that they would be going to see him.
Merle had already headed to the house to drop off his load. They locked the house, Carol walked out with her arm around his waist towards the car. He hugged her again, she worried a little that he was going to be in a good state of mind to drive, he assured her that he would be fine driving. He was upset but not so much so that he wouldn't be able to drive. She was worried about him. He'd hit all stages of grief in the past three weeks, she'd tried to keep him focused on the fact that they needed to work together. In the back of her mind she was worried he was going to pick up a bottle of beer or something. She wasn't worried about a bottle of beer socially but worried that he could very easily use it as a prop to keep the pain away like he did in the past.
She blamed his childhood that he'd had, he'd never had much love but when he met Carol they were so in love, then both of them fell in love with their daughter. He'd fallen hard for Ollie, she knew that he was worried about loving him too much to quickly. Ollie had different idea's to Daryl, he wanted a Daddy and Daryl really had no choice on if he wanted in boots and all, Ollie dragged him in boots and all.
Daryl was Daddy, Ollie was calling him Daddy, the word Daddy become the most popular word around the house. Daddy was giving him a bath, reading the book, helping get him dressed, making his sandwich, everything. Ollie didn't want Carol's help when Daddy could do it. Ollie also taken to climbing into bed during the night while Daryl was sleeping. Daryl kept waking up with the little boy pressed up against his side. Daryl was a little scared about it, in case something happened. Carol told him that it would be fine because of Ollie's size and age.
He was packed to the top of the truck he was driving in. Carol followed him out to the truck, she was going to be following him out of the house. She watched him drive off, she saw him indicated to the side of the road. She knew he was waiting for her to follow him, she climbed into the car, she looked at the little box on the seat beside her. She stared at it wondering what the heck was she doing. She put the box on the floor in case she had to break suddenly she didn't want them to fall onto the floor. The little gifts were bugging her, he hadn't told her, she wanted to know, her anniversary was coming up quickly in a couple of weeks. 5 years.
Daryl pulled out ahead of her and she tailed him slowly to the new house. Carol pulled up the drive behind Daryl. She climbed out, still amazed they brought the new house, she looked around felt calm and at home. Daryl looked like he'd been crying the whole way driving there. Climbing out of the cab wiping his face. He did however look more relaxed at the new place. Carol reached in picking up the box from the floor. Daryl was waiting for her to come to him, he went to take the box from her, she let him because she knew he needed it.
'You ok?' She asked him loads of times today, she needed him to be ok with everything, he nodded that he was, Daryl carried the box inside the house. He'd been out yesterday to put a shelf up in the main living room, Carol didn't know how he did it but he'd somehow managed to acquire a glass type display case for it. She'd gotten the booties frames during the week and they had stuff to go so they could always cherish the memories and show any children they had photos of her, also share stories about their older sister.
Daryl could see how it worked with Ollie talking about her from before he could talk. He'd always known he had a sister and what had happened. He talked about her a great deal. They way he played Daryl had even asked Carol if she thought Ollie was actually playing with her ghost or something. He seemed to get so in-depth in his games playing and talking to her. Carol had told him she didn't know, maybe, maybe he just like playing game's and including her. She's never really asked him, but she had had an imaginary friend when she was little and she could of sworn it was real. Daryl wasn't sure, he did know the fact that Ollie was talking about her asking him questions it made it easier for him and Carol to talk about her rather than putting it to the back of his mind where he though he put it but really it was on his constant thoughts right up until Carol come back.
Merle and Daryl brought in everything, the lounge and kitchen was full, they hadn't hired movers because moving from the old place was so sensitive for both of them they didn't want people touching their stuff. Carol knew they would be unpacking for weeks. Tomorrow they would set up the beds, but tonight they were going for dinner with Maggie and Merle at a local pub down the road then they were going on alone to a hotel. They were both looking forward to it, they were both exhausted but it was a bitter sweet day moving into their new house.
They were driving out of the house to meet the others at the pub, Daryl stopped the car and looked at Carol.
'Are you going to think I'm odd if I want to go back and get her so she's not alone in the house with no one there?' Carol looked at him like he'd read her mind she'd been thinking the same thing.
'As long as you don't think i'm mad for trying to figure out a way to tell you the same thing,' He drove back, unlocked the house run in and come walking out with the box he'd quickly put everything into.