AN: Here we go, another chapter.
These chapters are tricky and they're not perfect, but I'm doing the best that I can to tell the story that I want to tell. I hope I'm doing it justice.
I realized that in the previous chapter there was something of a typo when Melodye spoke and said something about Ed "coming back" to Carol. It wasn't really a typo, but apparently it wasn't very clear. I just wanted to clarify that she wasn't saying what if he literally comes back to her. She meant what if the memory of Ed comes back to Carol. I hope that clarifies things a little.
Here's another little chapter. I hope I did it justice and you enjoy! Let me know what you think!
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"He's a judge," Alice said as Daryl stood, holding the door to the car open and waiting for her to make her way to the vehicle. "You want him on our side…so remember…best behavior and if you're not sure what to say then make an excuse to ask me."
"Why don't you just tell him whatever the hell you gotta say?" Daryl asked.
Alice laughed lightly.
"It's that pesky don't speak unless you're expected to speak thing…he might find me…abrasive," Alice said. "I'm going to be there…I'm on your side…but it might not look too great for you if I don't come off as the delightful little deb that he's going to be expecting me to be, coming with my dear cousin out of concern."
She slid into the car and he closed the door, going around to get into his side.
When he was in and they were headed in the direction that she was pointing out, Daryl couldn't help but chew at his thumb in apprehension. What they were doing…what he was getting into…he could only hope that it was a good decision.
"So…so I just give him the papers? Tell him I wanna be her guardian?" Daryl asked.
"Her conservator," Alice corrected. "You aren't her guardian…but you'll be her conservator…you'll take care of her medical needs…well, really all the needs that she has. There's no one else. She's a ward of the state…so you'll offer to take care of her until she no longer needs the care."
"An' you think this judge is gonna rule that this is a good damn idea?" Daryl asked.
Alice smiled and shifted around in the seat, batting her dark brown eyes at him playfully.
"I'm sure he's going to think that…and I'm a wonderful character witness," she declared. "Besides…this woman literally has no one. You've got to be better than that, right?"
Daryl narrowed his eyes at her.
"You're so damn supportive," he muttered.
She laughed and bit the end of her tongue at him.
"I don't think it's him that we're going to have to worry about…how are you going to convince her that this is a good idea for her? To go with you?" Alice asked.
Daryl sucked in a breath.
"He gives me permission to get her outta there…I'll figure the rest out," Daryl said.
"You know this might be a mess, right? I mean…you might get her out and she might go completely crazy," Alice said. She shook her head dramatically. "I'm not trying to be negative, but you have thought this out, haven't you?"
Daryl sighed and sucked his teeth.
"This might be crazy enough ta land my ass in Sunny Meadows…but for some damn reason I just gotta do it," he said. "Come hell or high water…I gotta try it."
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"OK," Daryl said to Melodye, "so…we gotta doctor now that's gonna see her if she's got a problem, but she's 'stable' so long as nothin' don't go outta whack…just gotta get her here."
"You're going to need a sitter," Melodye said, helping Daryl put together the spare room that he had never had much of a purpose for before now, but now it looked like it would be home to someone.
The room was furnished and ready for someone to live there, and Daryl had employed the two women to come in and help him figure out what would be nice touches for a young woman. What would be the things that she might like to make this somewhere that she wanted to call her own.
So far he thought that she'd be quite happy with the arrangements because it was, unquestionably, nicer than the little corner that she inhabited at the asylum.
And here she would actually have a chance to breath…a chance to maybe find herself.
"Got that covered too," Daryl said.
"The judge's wife," Alice said. "She's a darling thing. She's a seamstress…works from home but he offered to move her machine here. She'll sit with Carol during her day while Daryl's at work…then he keeps her under control when he's home."
"I'm lookin' into a housekeeper too," Daryl admitted. "I mean…if I can afford one…an' if it seems like it might be somethin' that Carol wouldn't mind having around."
"Have you mentioned any of this to Carol? I mean the moving in with you?" Melodye asked, putting the clean sheets on the bed and doing a run through of what they might not want to leave in the room.
Daryl swallowed and hummed out something that was non-committal, but she caught it and looked at him.
"You have talked to her about this, right?" Melodye asked.
"Kinda," Daryl said.
Melodye and Alice both looked at him now like he had lied to them about the whole thing…which he hadn't. He shook his head.
"Don't look at me like that," he said. "I talked to her…but she don't…" he broke off, not knowing what to say. "I feel like I'm the crazy one even doin' this…but she ain't gonna get no better in there. Four damn years she's been in there…don't no one know for sure she's ever had a kid…so I'm gettin' her out. I'ma get a real doctor ta come an' check her out…at least I can maybe know if she's had a kid. Maybe gettin' outta there…maybe livin' a real life? Maybe that's all she needs…all she needs ta figure out she's alright, you know?"
"So you talked to her?" Melodye asked again, this time holding her neck at an odd angle.
"I did…I told her she was…comin' ta stay with me. I told her she was gonna like it here…so much more'n where she's at…and I'ma make sure she does," Daryl said.
"So she said she wanted to come and stay with you?" Alice asked. "She agreed that she thinks this is the best thing?"
Daryl cleared his throat.
"Yeah…she did…she's tickled pink about it," Daryl said. "She's so…damn excited…hell she might be makin' damn collages for me 'fore I get her signed out an' all."
Both women sighed deeply, looking relieved.
"No, that's good," Melodye said. "Excitement is good, right? How did you sell the whole thing to her? She's so…"
"Traditional?" Alice threw in.
Melodye nodded at her.
"Well…" Daryl said. He chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his neck. "I mean it weren't that hard…you know…we been spendin' my lunch break together every day now. We go walkin' an' we talk…an' she's talkin' more…an' she's real sweet…real easy ta get ta know…'cept for the crazy part. An' we been eatin' together…an' I bring her things…she likes gettin' presents…"
Now both women were staring at him again with an intensity that he knew that he deserved. He deserved every bit of doubt and concern hanging on the features of both women. He probably deserved more.
Because if there was a fast track to hell…he was almost certain he was on it.
"Daryl…what did you tell her?" Alice asked after a moment. "To get her to come here…to make her excited…what did you tell her?"
Daryl shook his head.
"Do it matter, really? I mean if she's crazy it ain't gonna matter no way…an' if she's sane…" Daryl said.
"What did you tell her?" Melodye asked.
"It ain't so much what I told her…as what I asked her," Daryl said.
Alice leaned on the dresser she was standing beside where she was putting in the new clothes that Daryl had Melodye pick up for Carol to go along with the two new dresses that he'd had made for her. Melodye sat down abruptly on the bed that she'd just finished smoothing the covers of. Both of them were looking at him like he might do something amazing like explode at any given moment.
"Well?" Alice asked. "I for one love a good story…so please, entertain me. What did you ask Carol to make her excited to come here?"
Daryl chewed his lip.
"She's a beautiful woman…an' she's sweet…an'…I don't care, you know? I don't give a damn she's had a kid…don't give a damn if she ain't. Shit happens…hell…if anything I wish…if she did have the damn kid…that I knew how the hell ta get it back…" Daryl said.
"Kid's dead," Alice offered, her voice lower than before.
Daryl nodded his head.
"What have you done, Daryl?" Alice asked, straightening up.
Daryl swallowed.
"I asked her…if she'd marry me," Daryl admitted. "I asked her if she'd marry me…an' I told her she was comin' ta live with me 'cause she was gonna be my wife…an' I mean when ya hear everyone sayin' you oughta go out and find yourself a wife you think it's gonna happen a little different…but maybe it don't. Maybe you just gotta go with what you got."
"You asked her to marry you? Daryl, are you crazy?" Alice exclaimed, crossing the room toward Daryl.
Daryl stared at her, her face twisted with concern. She shook her head at him, putting her hands on his arms for the first time that he could ever remember having sincere physical contact with the woman in the almost six months that he'd known her…the almost six months that they'd been working together to try to save the life of a woman that no one else even seemed to remember was alive or had ever existed.
"Daryl, are you sincerely considering marrying a crazy woman? Have you thought about this? It's…are you mad?" Alice asked.
Daryl forced himself to swallow.
He wasn't sure, anymore, of the answer to that question.
But he shook his head.
"I love her," Daryl said. "Right or wrong…crazy or not…I love her."
Alice sighed and relaxed her body slightly, turning to share a look with Melodye who hadn't moved from her position on the bed.
Daryl cleared his throat, catching the look between them.
"Listen…" Daryl said after a moment. "I know…about you two…an' I know…"
He stopped for a moment when they both turned back to face him.
"I know that sometimes…you can't help what you feel…an' I know that sometimes…other people, they might see it as mad…but maybe love drives you crazy, or maybe you gotta be fuckin' mad ta fall in love in the first damn place," Daryl said.
He shook his head.
"But it's there…an' I ain't askin' you two ta think that what I'm doin' is a good idea…an' I ain't askin' you ta think it's even alright…but I'm askin' you ta help me," Daryl said.
Both women looked at each other again before they turned to look at him with expressions he wasn't going to try to decipher.
"I guess if this blows up in our faces," Melodye said, "we can all request to share a room at Sunny Meadows…"