Carol carried the car seat with a sleeping Sophia in it and quickly transferred her to her little bed. Carol pulled it out to the lounge and left it in the corner, she turned and looked at Daryl who was humping some bag's inside. He'd parked in the drive as he didn't have the thing to open the door of the garage. He was wandering back and forward with her things from his house to bring them inside.
'I like to keep an eye on her while she's sleeping cos of her head.' She told him he just nodded and went through putting the baby bag and his gear into the spare room. He fiddled around and lit the fire to try warm the little flat up quickly. He sat and watched it burn for a bit to make sure it wasn't going to go out.
'I'm going to shower and change ok?' He asked her. He walked over to where the cupboard holding the towels were. He been to this flat plenty of times before while Merle was dating Andrea and he knew where everything was because Andrea was a creature of habit and put everything for Carol where she would keep it. He moved about the bathroom shuffling about getting his shower gel and stuff he wanted into the shower. He looked around noting that Andrea must have filled it with every sort of girly stuff she could find.
He pulled open a draw and found not one but two boxes of condoms and ky jelly. Beside that was boxes of tampons and lip gloss, make up and tooth paste and brushes. He pulled out the lip gloss untwisted it and sniffed it, it smelt like cherries. The next next drawer down was full of baby stuff, powder and creams. enough to lather the baby from top to toe for months. He knew he was snooping, but Carol didn't know about these things yet. He hoped that gave him a free pass. He went back to the top drawer and pulled out a box of condoms wondering why they brought them for Carol. He shoved them back in the drawer and turned the shower on trying not to think about her needing condoms for any reason.
She had nodded to him as he left the room she moved towards the cupboard for something for dinner. In the end she pulled out some frozen chicken breasts and put them in the oven. She threw potato's into bake and went about chopping some veggies. She could hear the shower running and tried not to think about the man naked in her bathroom. She couldn't stop thinking about him naked in the bathroom the more she tried to stop the worse it got. She was starting to get flustered trying to get dinner sorted. She figured they had an hour before Sophia woke up to play as she did, deciding she wanted to camp out on Carol's chest for a few hours to fill up for the night. She pulled herself a glass out of the cupboard to have a drink so she had something to feed the little girl.
She could hear Daryl's phone ringing from where he left it on the kitchen table she picked it up and carried it to the bathroom door. She knocked on the door.
'Your phones ringing,' She called out. She heard a bang of the shower door and a wet hand come around the door to take it. She stepped away as she heard him give a gruff hello.
'Carol and Daryl sitting in a tree!' Come the taunting voice over the phone.
'The fuck you want?' Daryl muttered.
'Just wanted you to know that the Grandparents are back in town, park your truck in the garage.' Shane told him. 'Apparently they driving the streets according to Rick. He's got them bailed up on the side of the road on false pretenses because at this stage they done nothing wrong, won't take long to spot your truck man. They seen it already.'
'Fuck thanks man.' Daryl grabbed a towel.
'Daryl what are you doing I can hear water running?'
'I'm having a fucken shower,' Daryl growled.
'You ain't got time to dress man move that truck!' Shane growled. 'Rick can't hold them for long.'
Daryl hung up and wrapped a towel around his waist and raced out to the lounge passing a surprised Carol who stood there with her mouth open watching him as he picked his keys up off the table, turned off the lights on his way past and went through the garage opening it with the automatic opener and raced out to his truck to drive it in. It was dark now and cold as he hopped for foot to foot climbing into the truck. His balls were wet and freezing. He couldn't believe what he was actually doing for that women.
He shut the garage door and raced around in his towel pulling the curtains of the house, then he turned the lights on again. When he did he turned and looked at her. She was looking at him, taking him in standing there in his towel. She looked him from wet hair to toe and back up again. She gave a little cough and tried to clear her throat.
'Ummm don't open the door to no one, I'm just going to finish my shower ok, 5 minutes right,' He told her. He knew what she was looking at, his scars, he didn't blame her, they were pretty shocking to see. He kinda got used to them and not wanting many to see them so he moved quickly back to the bathroom to unfreeze his balls in the raced through and finished rinsing himself finally coming out to dress in jean's and a tee shirt.
'What happened? What's going on?' Carol asked him from the kitchen, Daryl paced the lounge and stopped to watch Sophia sleep for a little bit not really knowing what was going on. Rick was trying to get to the bottom of it.
'Looks like Ed's parents pulled a bait and switch,' He told her.
'Bait and Switch?' Carol asked.
'Like lulled you into fake pretenses, they back, driving around town looking for ya or my truck or Shane's car,' Daryl told her, he was watching her reaction and she turned back to check the chicken.
'I thought they were too good to be true today, pretending to care about her, I got that feelings from them,' She commented from inside the oven. She kept her back to him. 'So what now, Sophia and I can't do anything now because of them. We are hostages in our own home because of them?
'No it won't be, we just need to see what they want. We want to find out what's going on with them,' Daryl said.
'They want Sophia, this is never going to end. They are going to harass me until I make a mistake and they can prove I'm a bad mother or something. To take her!' Carol turned around to look at him. 'They won't stop, Ed's dad is just like Ed. He never stop, he likes the control. Now I'm trapped, and your stuck here, even if you wanted to go you can't because they are driving around looking for your car.'
'Carol, I'm not here because I have to be. If I didn't want to be I would have put you in the womens refuge or something.' Daryl told her, she looked at him when he said that.
'Theres a women's shelter here and you took us to your house? Why? Why didn't you?' Carol asked him.
Daryl starred at her for a bit then said, 'You want to watch a movie or something?' Changing the subject. Truth be told he could have gotten someone to take them but he honestly didn't want them to go there and he was ok if they stayed with him. He also was ok with staying there tonight. He didn't want to leave even though they hadn't talked about anything.
'A movie? Changing subject there Daryl? I think Andrea got some, if you can work that thing, Dinners nearly ready then I want to bath Sophia.' Carol told him pointing in the direction of the tv. He nodded and went through the pile of movies in the end picking one that he knew was Andrea's favourite when she was in need of a laugh, he shoved it it and sat on the couch accepting the plate and drink Carol past him. Waiting for her to sit with her dinner he pushed play and they sat quietly watching the movie. Carol kept glancing at him.
'What?' He asked her.
'When did you get shot?' Carol asked. 'It is a gun shot right?'
He looked at her knowing she must have given his body a real good looking over to notice a old shot wound over some of the other scars his body had.
'Last year, that's why Merle and Andrea live with me. They moved in after to help me and now they just ain't moved out.' Daryl told her.
'Really, was it really bad?' Carol asked.
'4 months off work,' He said wondering what else she was going to ask him. He finished his plate waiting for her to finish her taking both plates to the kitchen then as he come back Sophia woke up. He picked her up and cuddled her watching Carol. 'What else you want to know?'
'The other scars?' carol asked.
'My old man. He was an arse, guess that's why I'm here because he hurt sophia. I know what thats like. No kid needs a dad like that ever.' Daryl told her holding Sophia snuggled against him rocking back and forwards on his heels. Carol nodded watching him walk away to get Sophia a diaper and wipes. Handing all them over to Carol to take care of.
Carol gave her a quick feed and bathed her in the big tub in the bathroom. She opened the top drawer remembering Andrea saying there was baby stuff in the drawers in there. She come out shocked holding a box of condoms. She blushed and shoved them back in. Holding a naked baby waiting to get in the bath she looked through the drawers. Andrea had thought of everything. Including birth control for her. Carol really hoped Daryl hadn't needed anything from the drawers.
A few hours later Carol had a shower and changed into P.J's climbed into bed beside Daryl in the huge bed. She had put pillows down the middle so he wouldn't think she was hitting on him. Not that she was ready for that but she hadn't slept with Ed for over 9 months and that wasn't something she was proud of. Her biggest mistake ever was sleeping with Ed then moving into his flat when she found out she was pregnant.
'You got enough of a barrier between us? Your not going to catch cooties?' Daryl asked.
'I don't think I'm going to catch cooties, I just don't want you to think I'm a slut or something, I guess?' Carol said looking at him. He had on a tee shirt and boxers and she was in PJ's.
'I don't think your anything, can we just get rid of the mountain of pillows, I can't sleep with a wall here, the pillows are taking up most of the bed. There's hardly any room to lie down. We most well sleep on the floor.' Daryl said.
Carol looked across at him. He was right he was half off the bed. She giggled and started throwing pillows from the middle of the bed at him. He grabbed one and hit her back gently.
'Stop, you'll wake the baby, I just got her to sleep,' Daryl teased her. 'Her Mama got lazy legs so I have to walk the flat with her.'
'Don't tease me, I can't help it. I'm sorry about the pillows now shhhh your the one who's going to wake the baby.' Carol told him. Daryl threw the pillows off the end of the bed one by one.
'Go to sleep. Shhhh now.' Daryl told her, they both lay there in the quiet in the dark listening to the sounds of the night and the sounds of Sophia quiet snorts while sleeping.
'Carol?' Daryl said in the dark after about ten minutes of laying there.
'Yeah?'
'I'm lonely,' Daryl whispered, 'I'm scared over here.'
'Daryl, honestly?'
Daryl reached out in the dark and tugged her over towards him where they lay wrapped up in each others arm's she lay her head on his chest and he stroked her hair, they both went to sleep deeply. Until the little hours of the morning when Sophia made herself known for some milk from her mother.