Carol held the baby and wandered around the little flat, there was a lounge with a little kitchen off it, with a little table and chair set. There was a couch and huge tv and dvd player. A baby swing and a large basket of toys off in one corner of the room. There were two ways into the flat. Via the front door or via the internal garage. If you went out the front door you had a tiny little grass courtyard. Big enough to play in but not huge enough you would have to buy a lawn mower. A little garden shed held a push mower.
A seprate toilet and bathroom, two bedrooms. One for the baby and one for Carol. Although at the moment Sophia would be sleeping near Carol. She was shocked when she looked around at how nice it was. Andrea had called it her dinky little flat and it was far from dinky in Carol's eyes. If was cute and she opened a cupboard in the kitchen to find it kitted out with plates and cups. Knives and forks. the pantry was stocked with more food than she had seen in her life. She dared not open the fridge.
Andrea was trying to show her some clothes in the cupboard in the little bedroom that she had picked out for her baby. That was her undoing for the second time that day as she began sobbing on Andrea shoulder. Daryl slipped in to see what was going on and Andrea turned Carol into his arms, taking the baby and leaving the room. Daryl wrapped his arms around her again to try and calm things down.
'Its ok, I told ya. Your going to be ok.' Daryl told her.
Shane and Merle had quickly moved in Carol's merger boxes into the little flat. Leaving them in the lounge for Carol to sort out for herself when she was up to unpacking.
'You want to stay here tonight?' Daryl asked her. Carol looked around the wee room and suddenly had all the thoughts running through her head.
'I guess so...' Came out her voice.
'Or you could come back to mine? or I can sleep on the couch here for a couple of nights till ya comfortable?' Daryl offered. He didn't know why he said it but he felt like he couldn't just walk out and leave when he knew she was upset and she knew Ed was angry at her.
'Thank you, you don't have too if you don't want too.' Carol whispered stepping away from him realizing that maybe he was just trying to off load them and was just being kind.
'Well grab a bag of ya stuff and come back to mine I got a early shift tomorrow, and I don't have my uniform here. Maybe tomorrow you will feel better?' Daryl told her, she nodded and tried to wipe away her tears.
Andrea and Merle were in quiet conversation on the couch looking at Sophia and playing a peek a boo game with her that she didn't know they were doing. Carol watched as the couple seemed generally interested in Sophia, her own father had only picked her up a few times, in fact Daryl had held her more than Ed.
'Right, we are all heading home, just going to grab some things and we will meet you there.' Daryl told them. Merle looked up and nodded, turning his attention back to the baby.
'You going to come stay at Uncle Merle's and Auntie Andrea's, don't go shitting on the couch, ok.' Merle teased Sophia. Andrea scolded him for saying shit in front of the baby, Merle looked up as to say sorry to Carol.
Carol quickly gathered a bag of clothes for her and Sophia, granted Sophia had 4x as many clothes as Carol. Andrea and Merle had long left, Carol gave Sophia a feed then they were ready to go. Daryl was getting into his seat when Carol cleared her throat.
'Ummm Daryl?' Carol started to ask him something,
'Yeah?'
'Ummmmm Sophia's Diapers, they're too big.' Carol whispered. Andrea had brought diapers but never having brought them before they were far to big, and Carol only had a few in her size left, due to most of them being destroyed by Ed.
'Ok so we stop and get more?' Daryl stated.
'Ummmmm I don't have any money.' Carol whispered with her face flaming.
'I think I can afford to pay for diapers Carol.' Daryl told her backing out of the garage onto the road. Carol glanced at him again.
'But she's not your responsibility, you shouldn't have to buy them.' Carol whispered Daryl could barely hear her.
'Well we either stop and buy diapers or she has a bare arse till you can afford to buy them.' Daryl glanced at her driving through town heading towards the supermarket. 'Lets just buy the diapers and any other shit Andrea didn't know to buy!'
Daryl drove into the car park and got out. Carol stayed sitting in the seat. He opened the backseat of the truck and unbuckled the baby for her seat held her against his chest so she was over his shoulder and walked around to open her door.
'Ya coming, they already think I stole a baby last night, what ya think they going to say when I walk in alone with a baby buying diapers in the wrong size?' Daryl tried to tease her and it worked she got out and reached for Sophia so he could lock his truck and they walked side by side into the store.
He grabbed a trolley in case they ended up buying more stuff than he could carry and they headed to the baby isle. Pretty much all Sophia's stuff had been smashed by Ed last night in a rage when he woke to find them gone. Tubs of cream and powder broken.
Daryl watched as she looked up and down the isle. He knew she was reluctant to put anything other than the one pack of diapers in. He put in another 3 packs the same type as her and shrugged his shoulders. He held his hands out for Sophia.
'Buy the shit you need...' He told her.
'But!'
'Christ women, if you feel that bad about it I will do you a trade, I've got about 5 loads of washing that needs doing and other shit, my bathroom need a clean, you can clean the kitchen floor with a tooth brush whatever, get the shit.' He whispered to her, he noted they were attracting attention.
Well he was. The local single good looking cop that turned down women all the time was standing in the baby isle holding a baby. Rumors had spread quickly last night someone had got wind, probably from Ed's parents that he had stolen the said baby he was holding and was having an affair with Carol. Which was why Ed had beat her. There was even one Merle heard today that Daryl might be the father. Daryl snorted at that considering he only known her less than 24hours.
Daryl fumbled in his pocket for his wallet to use his card to pay, he passed a sleeping Sophia back to Carol as the check out girls clucked like old hen's getting it first hand that Daryl Dixon was in the supermarket buying baby stuff. He pushed the trolley out to the carpark and loaded up the back of the truck. Carol had buckled in Sophia when he heard someone approaching the truck to try talk to her.
He looked and it was Ed's parents trying to push past Carol to see Sophia who was in the truck. Demanding that she give her up to them and they would help Ed raise her right rather than being with her mother who was already sleeping with a new man.
'No!' Growled Carol putting her hands up. 'Your not taking her!"
'Back off!' Daryl growled as he walked around the truck, they hadn't realized that he was even there, they saw Carol as she put the baby in the truck from the other side and decided to approach her.
'Come near her again, I will slap a restraining order on you both!' Daryl growled indicating for Carol to go around and get in the truck which she did quickly. Daryl reached inside the drivers door and locked it from the inside. He lost count of the amount of times he had heard of people trying to pull children from moving cars, he didn't want them to try and get Sophia.
'Give me your cell number, we will organise a meeting with a social worker so you can spend some time with Sophia supervised.' Daryl offered.
'We don't want to be supervised with our own Granddaughter, she's the one who needs to be supervised.' The man growled.
'Fine, see ya!' Daryl hopped in his truck and drove off leaving the older couple looking after them in the car park. Carol looked at him.
'Ya might have to let them see her, supervised visits. We have a room for that sort of stuff, here in town.' Daryl told her.
'I don't want Ed to have her even supervised.' Carol whispered to him.
'Yeah that'll happen over my dead body.' Daryl muttered driving towards his house.