Carolina in my mind

Chapter 10

As she headed down the narrow hall towards the apartment she shared with Merle, Carolina tucked a stray lock of her greasy hair back behind her ear. She scrubbed her face and her arms from the elbows down while she was still at the infirmary. But after the day she had, the rest of her was in dire need of attention. Her mind was already on the steaming hot shower she was about to take when she reached for the doorknob.

Carolina paused when she heard the sound of two men's voices on the other side of the door. Listening closer, she relaxed when she realized it was only Merle inside the apartment, talking to Daryl. It made sense that he would bring Daryl back to their apartment. Merle wouldn't want his brother to be held in a guarded room. Carolina was about to open the door when she heard her name. They were talking about her. Cocking her head to the side, she leaned in closer to the thin panel of wood and listened. She heard Daryl's voice first. And he was actually talking. Instead of just grunting in monosyllables.

"I found yer fuckin' hand man. I thought you were dead. It's just like ya ta disappear forever and make me fuckin' worry. And the whole time you were sittin' pretty, shackin' up with a damn sports illustrated swimsuit model."

"Hey!," Merle huffed, "...she's a teacher." Carolina clamped her hand over her mouth, her body shaking with silent laughter at the idea of Merle defending her honor. And she heard a funny noise from the other side of the door. One that she didn't immediately recognize. Daryl's low timbre laughter. "What's so fuckin' funny?," Merle asked.

"You," Daryl informed him, "...puttin' it to a fuckin' schoolteacher."

Merle's much louder laughter filled the room, drowning out his brother's quieter chuckles. And the way they were both laughing, Carolina wondered how much they'd had to drink. There's only one way to find out, she thought as she turned the doorknob. Carolina opened the door slowly, not wanting to startle either of the brothers with her sudden presence in the room. The moment he saw her, Daryl rose quickly from his seat, looking at her expectantly. It took Carolina a moment to realize he was waiting to hear how Lori was.

"Lori's fine. The baby's doing well. A girl. Dr. Stevens is staying with them. And they let Hershel stay too. It was scary for a minute there. Lori lost a lot of blood. But I think they're both gonna be okay."

Daryl sunk back down into his chair, letting out a sigh of relief. And Carolina noticed that he was not only wearing fresh clothes but the rest of him looked suspiciously clean as well. Even his hair looked like it had been washed. Carolina tried not to giggle, guessing that Merle must have taken after the slightly younger man like he was his damn mother and made him take a shower. And she tried not to let her eyes linger too long on the way Daryl's clean black t-shirt was stretching across his chest and arms.

Carolina guessed that Merle wasn't as worried about Lori's fate as his brother. But he still smiled at her happy news, clapping Daryl on the back as he rose from his seat and headed for her. She allowed him a brief hug before she pulled away.

"I need a shower in the worst possible way," she admitted. Merle chuckled and ticked his head towards the bedroom. He offered to walk her down to the community bathroom after she grabbed her things. And since Carolina had no idea where the showers were, she was grateful for him. Though once she arrived at the bathroom facilities, Carolina sent Merle back to the apartment. She didn't need him to sit outside the shower and wait for her. Especially when she was sure he'd rather be catching up with his brother. They hadn't seen each other in probably close to a year. Which was like a decade in apocalypse time.

Carolina knew that hot water was limited. So she did her best to hurry through her shower. It was hard. The brief time she spent under the hot spray felt like heaven. And she scrubbed herself until her skin was squeaky clean and pink from the heat of the water. Carolina dried off and wrapped the towel around her damp hair like a turban. And she pulled on the clothes she'd taken from her side of the dresser, which were the most comfortable looking pajamas she could find. Once she was dressed, Carolina shuffled back towards the apartment, the cheap foam flip flops that Merle reminded her she ought to wear in the community shower slapping against the soles of her bare feet.

Tossing her bundle of dirty clothes into the hamper by the door, Carolina re-entered her apartment. She turned, feeling her stomach flip flop when she realized that she was alone in the room with Daryl. He'd moved from the wooden dining chair to the couch. And while his body posture was relaxed, his eyes were alert and skimming over her. She looked down, blushing when she noticed his gaze was lingering on her breasts. She wasn't wearing a bra. And her nipples puckered as her skin heated, poking against the thin fabric of her soft jersey tank top. Carolina turned, skittering into the bedroom and yanking a hooded sweatshirt over her head. She hung her damp towel up on a hook on the back of the door, leaving her long blonde hair down to air dry. With her breasts covered, she padded back out into the living room. Leaning nervously against the counter, Carolina tried to pretend she didn't see the amused look on Daryl's face.

"Merle went ta get ya somethin' ta eat," Daryl told her, breaking the awkward silence between them.

"Good," Carolina said. "I'm starving." For some reason this seemed to tickle Daryl even more than her embarrassment over her hardened nipples. He laughed again, making it obvious that he had been drinking.

"He said ya would be," Daryl added.

Carolina smiled, realizing that it was not necessarily her that Daryl was finding to be so entertaining, but rather the way his brother was fawning over her. Walking her down to the shower. Running to fetch her something to eat. Carolina could only assume that it was a-typical behavior for Merle. And now Daryl was looking at her curiously, like he was wondering exactly what sort of voodoo pussy magic she had going on between her legs.

Carolina left him to continue staring as she pulled one of her cans of flavored bubble water out of the small fridge. She popped the top and took a large gulp. Then she pulled out the bottle of flavored vodka that was sitting in there next to her waters and topped the can back up with liquor, moving the can in a swirl to mix the contents before she took another sip.

"So yer with my brother?," Daryl asked, his tone indicating he still wasn't sure he believed the story he heard from Merle. "Y'all are together. Yer really his girlfriend?"

Carolina took another gulp of her drink as she narrowed her eyes at Daryl. The sexiest man alive or not, the level of amusement Daryl seemed to be getting out of her personal life was actually starting to piss her off a little. It wasn't like she chose to fall asleep on her couch and wake up in his brother's bed. She'd be at home alone with her cat right now if she had anything to say about it. And she was surprised at how eager she was to defend her odd relationship. Merle had been nothing but good to her. At least so far. And she'd seen nothing to indicate that he was anything other than sincere about his feelings towards her.

"Yes," she snapped. "Is there some reason why that's so unbelievable to you?," she asked.

"Yeah, yer not really his type," Daryl said. The corners of his mouth quirked up into a little grin before he added, "Ya've still got all yer teeth."

Carolina had the misfortune of having chosen that moment to take a sip of her drink. And she swallowed wrong, coughing on the carbonated beverage as she laughed and choked at the same time. Daryl rose from the couch and crossed the small space between them, giving her a few well timed whacks on the back.

"Maybe he's planning to knock a few of them out," she quipped once her laughter was finally back under control. She only meant what she said about her teeth as a joke. But Daryl's face immediately turned serious.

"He doesn't…," Daryl started to say, stumbling over his words. "Merle ain't smackin' ya around and shit is he?"

Carolina's blue blue eyes locked with Daryl's. They were filled with concern for her. And for a moment she was lost in them. This close, she could see the little speckling of gray hairs in his goatee. He smelled like soap and the whiskey he'd been drinking. Carolina smiled as she attempted to break the tension, giving Daryl a little wink.

"Not if he knows what's good for him," she teased, feeling relieved when the intensity of Daryl's gaze seemed to lessen. His worry for her dissipated. But it was quickly replaced by something else. After he pounded on her back to stop her from choking, Daryl set his hand down on the edge of the counter. And the tips of his knuckles were brushing against her hip. Carolina leaned slightly closer to him, her eyes focused on his lips. What would he do if I kissed him right now, she wondered. The tension was growing thick between them. Daryl adjusted his hand, resting his palm against her hip instead of his knuckles. His thumb brushed against the bare skin just above the waistline of her soft pajama bottoms.

"If I'm not your brother's type," she asked, "...whose type am I?"

Before he could answer, the door swung open. Daryl jerked his hand off her like he touched a pan that was too hot. Carolina lifted her drink, taking a few hard gulps as Merle snapped the door shut behind him.

"There was some kinda soup left down there," he said. "...but I think it'd been sittin' too long 'cause it smelled burnt as fuck. I got ya some oatmeal instead."

"Thanks," Carolina said, heading for the table and hugging him back when Merle wrapped his arm around her. She leaned in, closing her eyes and resting her head on his shoulder.

The wild chaos of the day was catching up with her. By the time she finished her bowl of oatmeal, Carolina was struggling to keep her eyes open. She thought Merle might sit up with his brother for a while. But he must have been as exhausted as she was. Because when she rose and padded into the bedroom, it was only a moment before he was climbing into bed next to her. He left their bedroom door cracked open slightly, like Daryl was a child he needed to listen for instead of a grown man. The small gesture gave Carolina a warm feeling in her chest. She was happy that she was able to give the two men a happier reunion than the one she remembered watching.

Merle rolled, tucking his body in behind hers. Carolina already shucked her hoodie before she climbed into bed, leaving her in just the little tank top she pulled on after her shower. And she could feel the comforting heat of Merle's warm skin through the thin cotton. For the first time since she woke up in this strange lingering dream, Carolina didn't fall asleep desperately hoping to wake up back home.