Daryl got Carol onto a chair by the fire he was reluctant to let her go as she sunk into his arms as he got her inside, Merle was standing there staring at the baby in his arms rocking on the heels of his feet. The baby had its eyes shut and Andrea was doing a quick check up on her.
Daryl made quick introductions to his brother Merle and his sister in-law Andrea. Carol looked at them both, both Merle and Andrea were taken back by Carol's bruised face and blood still slowly dripping from her. Daryl was shocked in the harsh light how bad she actually was. He had been to worried about the baby to have taken in too much details of her face. He believed her when she said she was ok. Clearly looking at her battered face she wasn't ok.
Daryl moved over towards a desk in the room pulling out a camera looking at her holding it up to ask if he could take some photos, she started crying again and nodded. He took some snaps of her face her cut and her side which had a big bruise coming up. He took some snaps of the babies face also and put the camera down.
The phone was ringing and Daryl answered it talking firmly and quietly into the phone, appearing to be giving advice and directions to the person at the other end of the phone.
Andrea was looking into Sophia's eyes. Testing her grip and took her temp with a thermometer out of her doctor bag. She moved her this way and that noting she was still wrapped in Daryl's sweatshirt. It was keeping her warm.
'Good job taking her clothes off.' Andrea told Daryl as he put the phone down and walked back over.
'Carol did that, I put her down my front for a bit until Carol warmed up enough to take her back!.' Daryl commented. 'She ok?'
Andrea pressed her lips together.
'How did she get this bruise?' Andrea asked.
'Her Dad, he tried to hit her.' Carol whispered, Daryl dug around in the first aid kit to try find something to use to help. In the end he got a wash cloth to try clear some of the blood off her face to see how bad she was. There was a cut in her hair line that looked like it would need stitching and was still bleeding.
'How long was she in the rain, cold?' Andrea asked, taking the baby and bringing her closer to the fire. The baby looked pink and warm and was kicking her feet at Andrea. She gave Andrea a half smile and cooed, Daryl and Merle leaned forward to look at her.
'She gona be ok?' Daryl asked again.
'I think she's going to be fine. Good job keeping her warm.' Andrea wrapped her up again in Daryl sweat shirt and handed her to Daryl to cuddle, passing a blanket to wrap her in also. She grabbed a hand towel and wadded it up and fiddled with the baby wedging it between her legs in case she went to the toilet, then she turned her attention turned to Carol.
'Where are you hurt?' She shone her light into Carols face. 'You want to come into my room and I can look at you? If you don't want them to see, I can look in private.'
Carol nodded and tried to stand, Merle reached out and helped her into the bedroom, where Andrea lifted her shirt to check bruising that Carol had indicated was there. All and all by the time Andrea finished looking at her. Andrea quickly stitched a few stitches into her hairline to close a hole. She got her rob and helped her into the shower off their bedroom to get cleaned up.
'Your going to be ok, how far did you run?' Andrea asked.
'Daryl said about 6-7miles...' Carol whispered. Andrea nodded.
'Has he done this before?' Andrea asked. Carol shook her head and started to cry again, Andrea pulled her into a hug.
'Its ok, your safe with us, Daryl and Merle won't let anything happen while your here!' Andrea told her, helping her into the shower helping her was blood off her back and face. They didn't wash her hair because Andrea had just put in stitches.
'He never hit me but when we moved here, I was stuck I couldn't go anywhere or do anything without him.' Carol whispered. 'I just ran, we could have died, Sophia was so cold.'
'Your safe here, your lucky, your safe now.' Andrea told her with a calm voice. She knew they were safe now but it very easily could have gone the other way. Carol was covered in bruises more than she could count on both hands. She really had fought for the babies life, how she managed to run that far Andrea didn't know. She gave her some warm soft clothes to wear.
'Come we get you warm by the fire with something to eat and settle you and the baby down in the spare room together ok. I put the electric blanket on.' Andrea helped her back to the lounge where two in uniform police officers stood drinking coffee in the kitchen which was open plan into the lounge. Daryl was drinking coffee with one hand and had the baby hooked in his other as he stood talking with his back turned to them.
Merle was stirring a pot of veggie soup that he had pulled out of the freezer and they could all hear the storm crashing around outside and the rain hitting the roof really really hard. Carol sat holding her hands out to the fire. One of the policemen introduced himself as Rick Grimes handed her an baby emergency pack that had changes of clothes and diapers in it for the baby.
Carol thanked him and Daryl brought the baby across telling her that the hand towel didn't work and she had wet herself and him. Carol gave him a wee smile as she took her little baby still wrapped in Daryl's sweatshirt to change her and put clothes onto her.
Carol looked up at Daryl for the first time since she met him realizing what a handsome man he actually was and looked into his big blue eyes. 'Thankyou, thankyou for everything.'
'I've got ya, its ok.' Daryl whispered back. 'Ya good here, don't stress.'