'What ever you do don't bring me back any lacy thongs or anything stupid or uncomfortable to wear,' Carol was trying to give Merle a list and she wanted to make sure she had something to wear on the ward.

'I'm not going to bring you a red thong!' Merle growled back at her. Rick was standing behind Merle shaking his head, looking at his watch trying to figure out if they had time to get home and back before visiting hours finished.

"You were... Bring me PJ's. Rick you help please,' Carol complained.

'You told me I wasn't allowed to pick out your clothes,' Rick muttered.

'Oh my god, just get me pj's and jean's a tee shirt and a change of underwear,' Carol growled at them both.

'OK!' Rick threw his hands up in the air, his phone was ringing and he had to walk out without saying goodbye.

'Don't put in anything dumb,' Carol warned Merle.

'I won't sugar! I promise. Ya want ya book?' Merle asked her.

'Yeah, please,'

'You sure you don't want me to pack your lace teddy,' Merle teased.

'Merle! That's enough teasing, its not funny,' Daryl warned from where he was sitting, he was even getting tired of Merle being a pain. Carol was tired and not happy with him because he didn't deflect the nurse that hit on him and she couldn't growl at him about it.

'Alright right I was just trying to lighten the mood Christ,' Merle stated.

'Merle shhhhh,' Daryl told him

'Fuck ok! Oh shit... Fuck!' Merle turned and left walking out the door, reaching out grabbing Rick and hauling him down the corridor.

Rick and Merle left Daryl and Carol, Joey was awake now watching cartoons on the tv that came out of the ceiling above his bed. Daryl watched as 4 grown men in different colour shirts sung about cold spaghetti, and mashed banana's. The hospital had said on parent could stay the night, Daryl was going to hang around until kick out time. He still felt like shit with his efforts today. He was considering throwing in the towel and being name only for the next ten years. Shit it had only been 3 nights and he was ready to bail.

Carol stood up and stretched from side to side, she was still in uniform having had started at 6am she looked tired and ready for sleep. Rick and Merle had gone to get her some clothes to sleep in and change. She planned to have a shower.

Joey cried from the bed thinking that she was going to leave him there with Daryl, Daryl couldn't blame him he would cry right now if someone was going to leave him with someone like him. What a mess. He sat forwards watching as Carol calmed him down telling him she wasn't going anywhere and she would go shower soon but Uncle Merle would be back to sit with him. Daryl stood up and walked out of the ward and stretched moving his body.

He rolled his neck trying to losen himself up. He was really at a lose end not really knowing what was expected of him or if Carol even wanted him there he walked back in and sat down looked at them both curled up in the hospital bed together and his heart strings pulled.

'You still want me to stay here?' Daryl leaned forward to ask her.

She looked at him and nodded that yes she wanted him to stay. 'You mean here, here, hospital here?'

'No I mean here... Like with you guys, you still want me to stay... I ain't been much good at nothing since I got here, I can go and leave you both in peace?' Daryl said.

'You want to leave me? Joey and go away?' Carol asked.

'No! I want to know that even after all this I did today do you still want me to stay?' Daryl asked.

'Yes, I want you to stay, he's just got a bug, you didn't cause this. Don't listen to Rick he's just upset,' Carol whispered over Joeys head. 'We are never just good at it, Merle had a hard time in the beginning he didn't know what to do, Rick, he's wired differently to you and to Merle, but we will take it day by day~!'

'He hates me, screaming and shit... Yelling at me,' Daryl muttered over Joey's now sleeping head.

'Well Daryl you did put Doggie in the washing machine... He would be yelling at me also!' Carol stated.

'Yeah?'

'Hhhmmmmmm yes,' Carol told him, Merle walked in with a bag of clothes. He saw Joey was asleep in the bed, he pulled the curtain around the bed shielding them all from prying eyes. He walked up to Carol and pulled her up into a hug.

'I'm sorry I was being a dick,I couldn't do anything about her hitting on me, but I put ya a surprise in the bag,' Merle told her. He gave her a kiss, Daryl sat their watching the exchange between his brother and Carol. Oddly enough he switched off and on with his feelings, at the moment he was more concerned about the little boy in the bed to think about what they were doing which was nothing. He knew he had a place and she was accepting him as well, Merle had his hand on Joey's head and bent over to give him a kiss. He dug around in his pocket and pulled out some little toy cars that were kicking around on the floor at home.

Daryl was amazed at how good Merle was at looking after Joey and how much he cared about him. He was watching him sleep with an intense look on his face. Stroking his hair. He shifted himself so he was sitting on the bed and pulled him into his arms and settled back leaning against some pillows. The top half of the bed was raised. Daryl was amazed he mad it look so easy even though Joey was attached to a drip. Merle just leaned back looking at the T.V

'Awwwww The Wiggles, thank god, didn't think I could sit through Dora,' Merle muttered watching the show. 'You go shower sugar we will sit with Joey,'

Carol had still been standing by the bed with her bag, still in her uniform. 'Ok, come find me if he needs me,'

'He don't need you he's got his Uncle Merle, Daryl's here we wont lose him I promise,' Merle told her shoooing her out of the ward. Merle looked at Daryl then the tv then back at Daryl who was watching him.

'What?' He asked.

'How'd ya get so good at that?' Daryl asked.

'Practice, long nights walking the halls with a new born in my arms trying to get him to sleep, this is child's play... Ya will get better at it, just pick him up lots and cuddle him lots, he ain't going to be this size forever, he ain't gona want ya coming to school kissing him goodbye... Gotta just do it,' Merle stated.

'But how'd you learn how to just cuddle him, like today, he was kicking and fighting me, only ended up asleep on me because of exhaustion and he didn't want me holding him but didn't wana be put down!' Daryl said.

'He's like that sometimes shouts and squeals and throws a paddy, its ok!' Merle chuckled. 'Hey left officer friendly cleaning up the house, Joey managed to get it everywhere even on the walls,'

'That was me!' Daryl smirked,

'Even better! Left that man on his hands and knees following a spear of it down the hall wall! Magic!' Merle laughed.