'We don't have to go,' Daryl told her. They were in the hotel getting ready to go to Rick's parents house for dinner. Daryl was worried they were going to pull her over the coals because she had a big wack of the money out of Rick's life insurance. He'd left some to his parents but most went to Carol then some into a trust for Joey. It was set up similar to Merle's.
'They asked us, you think we should say Joey's sick,' Carol asked him, 'Whatever you think we will do,' Carol was dead on her feet, emotionally drained. She knew she couldn't make a rational decision at all. Daryl didn't think it would be their best idea to go have dinner there. He felt they just needed to chill out. Go for a quiet dinner somewhere with an inside playground and eat. Then come back snuggle up together and watch a kids movie.
Joey needed to burn off some energy. He'd been so good all day and now he was beginning to get scratchy and run. He had a place in mind. They served good solid meals by the look of the signs out front when they drove into town. Plus it stated it had a new inside play ground. He thought they should go and spend time with Joey, maybe coax a smile out of Carol again.
Daryl didn't like the way they were looking at Joey, when he was left money from Rick's life insurance. Daryl was almost sure they thought he was Rick's somehow or somehow they worked out that Carol and Rick were more than just friends. It was clear they were more than just friends, Rick had left her a huge amount of money. Put together with Merle's what was going to be sitting in her bank next week would be hitting 7 figures.
He wanted it to be clear to Carol what she did with her money was her choice. He knew the old guy who's farm he'd been working on, was going to be going on the market soon. He all but put an offer in when he run into Glenn Rhee and found out about Joey. He wouldn't mind that life style and with selling the garage, if they sold the house they could have a shot at buying it.
He wanted Carol to come first, taking her to that house wasn't in her best interest. Especially if they started asking questions about Joey being Ricks child things would go terribly wrong quickly. He wanted to keep her safe and Joey safe. If she felt Joey was being threatened she wouldn't process it without knowing they were grieving clutching at straws. No one was thinking clearly, words could be said that couldn't be unsaid.
It was emotional overload. Daryl was nearly at the end of his rope, Carol was a mess, and he was just keeping it together. He lost one the most important people to him. One of his best friends, his world just been tipped upside down. Carol's world, Joey's world everything, he was just keeping his family together. Keeping Carol from tipping over the side of no return.
'I think we don't go, then we will go out to eat, come home, watch a kids movie we sleep then we... tomorrow we do what ever it brings,' Daryl told her. She nodded but he didn't know if tomorrow was going to be better but he hoped it would be better not worse, he did know they all needed to start eating better and sleeping more so they didn't both crash and burn.
Daryl picked up his phone and went into the bathroom to call them telling them they were just not up to coming for dinner it been a long week for them all. They needed to focus on Joey not trying to make everyone else feel better. He told them Joey was his son, Carol and he had been together when he was conceived that Rick loved him like a son and they would do the best to keep his and Merle's Memory alive with Joey but right now their focus had to be on their family to recover from the loss of both men in their lives.
Daryl didn't leave them room for questions but told them they were going away for a few days and if they felt up for it they might stop by on the way home or they might not. They would however keep in contact with them when they could. Daryl felt like he shut the door on Rick's family for now. Should Carol wish to contact them she could but until she was over the deep grief of it all she should feel obligated to keep doing everyone's bidding.
'Ok, get ready we are going out for dinner,' he told Carol. 'Come on Joey, we need to change those pants,'
He guided everyone through what needed to be done to get out the door, so they could go out and try act like their world hadn't been ripped out from under them.
Seated at their table they watched Joey sliding down the big slide, Daryl waved and Carol watched glassed eye. 'You gotta try,' he told her, she nodded, watched Joey for a moment then Daryl watched in surprise she moved out of her seat. She walked towards the play ground and climbed the slide behind Joey to come down the slide with him. Joeys giggles were infectious and soon both Daryl and Carol were smiling with him.