Carolina in my mind

Chapter 13

Carolina slipped the blood pressure cuff off Rick's arm, instructing him to open his mouth so she could shine her tiny pen light inside. A medical exam was the price for entry into Woodbury. Or at least that was what the governor led Rick and his people to believe. Carolina knew the real price would come later, when they were hunted down if they tried to leave. Pushing those thoughts away for now, she felt the area below Rick's stubble covered jaw next, checking to see if his tonsils were swollen.

"I had them removed when I was four," he said. Carolina nodded, moving two of her fingers down to take his pulse. "What exactly are you checking for?," he asked. Carolina turned, glancing behind her to make sure the guard outside the open doorway wasn't paying attention too closely before she answered.

"Honestly," she said, her voice just above a whisper, "...I have no idea."

That must not have been what Rick was expecting to hear. Because he snorted out a clipped laugh before he could help himself. Maybe he had a sense of humor after all, she thought.

Carolina smiled back, offering him a slight shrug of her shoulders before she added, "...If you were bit, we wouldn't need the thermometer to know. You'd be burning up."

"Fair enough," Rick agreed, his body relaxing slightly as she finished her pointless and rudimentary medical exam. She took a few drops of blood, letting Rick know that his blood sugar and iron were both low, something she guessed would be typical for anyone that had been scrounging for survival for the better part of a year. Carolina turned back, snapping the edge of her latex glove.

"Okay, time for your prostate exam!," she announced, bursting into giggles at the look of horror on his face. "Just kidding!," she said, holding her hands up with her palms facing him. "You're done." Carolina ticked her head towards the exam room doorway. "Lori's room is at the end of the hall on the left." She watched as Rick retreated from the room, shaking his head at her as he went.

Carolina sent one of the guards out, instructing him to bring Rick's son in next. She guessed the boy must be just as eager as Rick to see his mother and his new sibling. And Carolia felt a small surge of joy, knowing that Carl had been spared from having to watch his mother die during childbirth and then shoot her in the head. Even if the good she tried to do ended up exploding in her face, at least she stopped that from happening.

Carl was slightly younger than the kids she was used to working with, but Carolina still felt like she was more in her element dealing with him than the adult members of his group. He warmed up to her quickly, despite his obvious hesitation. And by the end of his brief exam, she was pretty sure she just made a friend.

Carolina stepped outside, deciding that she needed a quick breath of fresh air. She quickly sucked down her cigarette as she scanned her eyes over the group and tried to decide who she wanted to take into the exam room with her next. Merle was brooding nearby, fingering his gun as he stared daggers at T Dogg. The unarmed man was shifting nervously. And Carolina was thinking about calling him back next, just to relieve a bit of the tension. She considered how she felt about the man. Was T Dogg partly to blame for what happened to Merle's hand? Yes. Did Merle have every right to still be angry? Yes. Was Merle an asshole that could hold onto an unnecessary grudge longer than a camel held water? Also yes.

"Why don't you…," Carolina started, stepping forward towards the man. Before she could get the words out, Merle tugged on the back of her shirt.

"Darylina wants ya to clear his girlfriend next," he announced, gesturing towards Carol.

Since Merle was making absolutely no effort to keep his voice down, everyone that was still waiting outside heard him. Including Daryl, who immediately began squawking in protest.

"She's not my girlfriend," he argued.

"If ya want 'er livin' with us in my apartment, then she's yer girlfriend," Merle spat back.

Carolina bit her lip, trying no to laugh at the juvenile exchange between the two grown men. Carol had a similar reaction, covering her mouth with her hand. Carolina shook her head and gestured for Carol to follow her inside. They were going to be getting to be roommates, apparently, so she figured they might as well get to know each other.

Carolina glanced back, surprised to see that Daryl was following them inside the medical center. He didn't bother accompanying any of his other friends inside. Not even Carl. Carolina wondered what in the hell he was doing. Especially when he got right in her business while she was trying to take Carol's blood pressure.
"Daryl," Carolina snipped. "I can literally feel you breathing."

Not that she minded having Daryl in her personal space. But he was being more than a little distracting. Carolina wasn't kidding about what she said. She could feel his breath ghosting over the side of her neck. And to be fair, naughty nurse wasn't exactly one of her kinks. Daryl took half a step back, leaning right back in again when she handed Carol the thermometer.

"Daryl!," she griped. "For fuckssakes!"

"Check to make sure she's not bit," he argued, still not backing off even when Carol spoke up and assured him that she wasn't bit when the herd invaded the prison.

After breathing down her neck some more, Daryl finally elbowed past Carolina, grabbing at Carol and yanking her sleeves up to check for himself. The whole prison incident was a bit of a chaotic blur for Carolina. But she did sort of remember Carol having a close call with a few walkers. She let Daryl push in front of her to get at the woman. Partly because it was easier than fighting with him. And partly because how worried he was about his friend was really cute. But when Carol started tussling with him, trying to push Daryl's hands away, Carolina hip checked him out of her way. He stumbled to the side, catching himself on the edge of the exam table.

"You!," Shumpert barked, stepping into the room and brandishing his gun as he pointed at Daryl. "I don't care who's brother you are. GET OUT!" The large man pointed towards the door. Daryl narrowed his eyes at the man. But thankfully he stomped towards the door without further argument. The sound of something metal hitting the floor in the hallway made Carolina and Carol jump.

"I hereby declare you healthy," Carolina announced, moving back so Carol could hop down off the table. "Please go deal with that before it gets any worse," she suggested, ticking her head towards the doorway.

"Nice to meet you," Carol said, offering Carolina a small smile on her way out the door. Shumpert was quick to clear out of her way. And Carolina guessed that he wasn't interested in making any more trouble with Merle's brother than he had to. She was taken slightly by surprise when the man stepped closer to her and placed a concerned hand on her shoulder, asking her if she was alright. Carolina wasn't sure if he was coming on to her, or just being nice. But either way she waved him off and sent him off to retrieve her next patient.

"I'm fine," she said. "Maybe bring the black guy with the bald head in next? Before Merle tears him apart?" The man nodded, smirking slightly on his way out the door.

Even with Dr. Stevens helping, Carolina felt like it took her forever to get through everyone they'd brought in from the prison. When she finally finished and stepped outside, the sun was sinking much lower in the sky and Merle was nowhere to be seen. Carolina walked back to their apartment. And as soon as she started heading up the stairs, she could already hear his raised voice. Turning the corner, Carolina could see that he and Daryl were trying to maneuver a large couch in through the apartment door. It didn't look overly heavy. But with the size of it and the sharp right angle, they were having a hard time getting in through the door. Plus, Merle only had one good hand. So what was really happening was Daryl was trying to move the couch through the doorway by himself while Merle screamed that he was doing it all wrong.

Daryl tugged on the couch, cursing and yanking at the fabric. A ripping noise issued and he cursed louder. He needed to lift the fucking thing from the other side to turn it and he couldn't. Because the couch was wedged in the doorway. Merle was no help at all. All he was doing was running his mouth. He was going to have to go get someone to help them and Daryl guessed he was embarrassed that he couldn't lift the stupid thing himself. So instead of admitting that, he was yelling and blaming Daryl. Typical Merle, Daryl thought with a loud huff.

Daryl yanked on the couch again, trying to get a better angle on it. And then suddenly it was moving. The other side lifted and swung, turning the sofa on an angle so it would fit through the door. Daryl picked up his side quickly, backing further into the apartment with it. He laughed when the couch moved enough to reveal that Carolina was the one picking up the other end of it. They carried it into the apartment, turning it and putting it in the empty spot where the other couch, the one that didn't have a hidden bed inside, was sitting before Daryl moved it out. They plunked the couch down with a loud thud and a high pitched squeak from Carolina, who jerked back just in time to keep her toes from being smashed.

"I told ya I had it," Merle groused, stalking into the apartment. He was obviously mad that she easily lifted something he was struggling with. Carolina wasn't a small woman. And this wasn't the first time she got a similar reaction from a man. They all have such frail egos, she thought with irritation. Merle saved her from a zombie a day ago. There was no reason for him to feel emasculated because he couldn't lift a couch.

"You've got one damn hand," Carolina countered. "There's just some shit you can't do. It's not a big deal Merle, damn."

"I can do anything you can do sugar tits," Merle huffed, pulling a beer from the little counter fridge. "...And I can do it better."

"You think so?," Carolina countered, stepping forward and grabbing the beer from Merle's hand so she could take a swig for herself. "Let's see you clap!," she said, eyeing him with a mischievous grin.

Carolina's back was to Daryl, so she didn't see his eyes widen slightly. Watching her argue with his brother clearly made him nervous. Even though he was pretty sure Merle wasn't going to hurt her, he still didn't like it. Daryl knew what usually happened when a woman pissed his brother off. Merle had a tendency to swing first and ask questions later. But then again, he'd never had an actual girlfriend before. And Carolina was just dishing him out a little sass, not stealing his stash and snorting it.

"Clap?," Merle repeated, circling her waist with his bad arm and jerking her against him. "I'll clap these cheeks," he teased, grabbing a handful of her ass and squeezing before he snatched his beer back. Carolina tossed her head back and laughed as he nipped at the exposed cords of her neck.

Daryl wrinkled up his nose as he watched the two of them kiss. And when he turned to see what Carol's reaction was, he almost started laughing. She looked even more disgusted than him. And when she was done staring at Merle and his girlfriend like they were a zoo exhibit, she turned her attention to Daryl. Carol didn't need words for him to know what she was thinking. He was quite sure it was something similar to what he had in mind that morning when he was lying on the couch listening to them pound one out with the fucking bedroom door open. Why did I agree to live here?