I'm calling a meeting 8pm.

Daryl, Rick and Merle got a text alert to their phones. They knew they all been acting like jack arses all day and it had basically become a pissing contest between them all all day and Carol was tired and had had enough. She was ready to cut them all off.

Daryl knew he was partly to blame, he been one step behind Carol and Joey all day. Rick had been one step behind Daryl and Merle had sat down with a 24 pack in the lounge which Carol had taken off him and pointed to the lawn mower to get him involved with doing something else.

In the end out of desperation taken Daryl to the supermarket with her and left Rick at home with Joey, he was not well enough to take out and Carol was sure Rick and Daryl left alone without her running interference would be explosive.

She didn't understand it. Last night Rick and Daryl worked together with her and today they were bouncing off each other like arseholes really. It was the only way to say it. She was done with them both for the moment. Merle was sulking around the house like someone just took his dog off him.

So now she was at the supermarket with Daryl, he was pushing the trolley while she was putting stuff in.

'How does this work? You all chip in or something?' Daryl asked.

'You pay,' Carol told him.

'What?' Daryl looked at her.

'You pay, your share of any extra of the garage goes into an account and we use it to feed everyone. So you pay.' Carol told him.

'My share goes into a account for you and Joey?' Daryl asked. 'Like any profit, there isn't much of a profit at the garage?'

'There is heaps of profit, there heaps of money in there, Merle set it up after he found out I was pregnant so I had money,' Carol told him throwing in a bag of pasta into the trolley. 'Merle been working hard, hasn't done drugs since he found out I was pregnant, he's cut back drinking, he turned it around! We are doing ok, I work so we are in a good place now.'

'Really?'

'Really really, you buy all his clothes and pay for pre school too. You pay for everything Joey related. And you brought me a new car. And his pram and car seat when he was a baby. You spend a lot on Joey.' Carol told him. 'There's heaps of money there still if you need money, are you ok for money?'

'I'm ok for money at the moment! I've got a bit stashed away, you guys don't need anything?' Daryl asked her, he reached out putting in a packet of rice.

'Like I said Daryl, Merle giving us your share in the profit, we are good. I guess we should stop doing that now,' Carol looked at him, she reached out putting more stuff in the trolley.

'I don't know, I don't know how any of this works?' Daryl looked at her following her around the shop waiting while she put stuff in.

'Umm well Rick and Merle don't pay for Joey, they never have, you have,' Carol told him. 'I don't know I never felt right taking money from them to pay for things for him so Merle worked it out so I got some money from your half of the business. There was nothing else to do, he needed stuff and Merle wouldn't let him go without so he insisted if I didn't take his money I should take yours.'

'Right, Carol you know I would have paid for everything if I knew he was here, I feel so stupid,' Daryl took her elbow and pulled her near him to continue what he was saying. 'I'm not going anywhere. I'm here, I'm here for you and Joey , i just wish that I knew.'

'Look we can go round and round in circles here, I know if you knew you wouldn't have left, and even if we were not together you wouldn't leave him. Its all just confusing not just for you but for me, and Rick and Merle. We just need to work it out, but I'm not stopping you from being his Dad, but you got to go slow. Merle and Rick have been there since day dot, they might think they might be getting put out.'

'I don't want them to feel put out, they been here for you in a way I haven't, I had a shit upbringing, and I'm not going to stand by why my kid crying for a sipper of milk because someone wants to be right,' Daryl told her.

'I know, I know I spoke to Rick, we need to talk about this sort of thing tonight. But the guys have been there, they been raising him with me.' Carol said.

'I know, but I'm letting you know I'm not standing there while he's crying for something when he's sick, I know I've only been here 3 days, but I'm going to give him the milk if I think its something he can have,' Daryl told her.

'Think about it like this, if I had said no would you still have given him the milk?' Carol asked him, Daryl glanced at her.

'Yeah, he had snot coming down his face and was crying. I didn't think it was right he shouldn't have had it. He been up all night and looked hot, so yeah I would have argued with ya about it,' Daryl told her. Carol nodded.

'I would have argued with Rick too Daryl, parents are allowed to have different points of view. Rick wants him to be a big boy, use a knife and fork, please and thank you and all that, Merle just wants him to be happy and not have his childhood and me I fly by the seat of my pants, and guess what, we all make mistakes every day.' Carol told him coming down the kids isle.

Carol pile in things that she thought Joey might like, juice boxes and stuff for his lunch, she threw in pull ups, Daryl pulled them out of the trolley to find out what they were. Soon they had an over flowing trolley with enough food to feed 4 adults and 1 child for a week. Daryl pushed it out to his truck helping load it. He grabbed her hand once they climbed into the truck.

'I mean it, I want to be his Dad, I want that chance if you let me.' Daryl told her.

'Don't make me regret it,' Carol said looking at him hard, 'Don't leave him, once your in there is no getting out.'

Daryl reached out and tugged her closer to him on the seat. 'I'm not going anywhere, isn't the fact I'm bloody about to jump into a three way relationship with my brother and friend with you let you know I want you both, honestly if I didn't I would be doing this shit, but I'm going to be the last man standing, I'm not leaving.' He bent his head and kissed her in the front seat of the truck in the car park.