The Meaning of Love

Part 3

Later that night as Daryl lies inside his and Merle's tent staring at the empty part that Merle always took up, he began to shift through the many feelings going through his head. The first is anger at the group for leaving his family behind. The second is worry over whether Merle is ok and safe or not. The third is the one that confuses Daryl. He doesn't know exactly what it is; the only thing he can think to call it is love, love for his now probably dead brother. Even though he will never admit it to anyone, he even felt a little glad that Merle is not there because if he had been, Daryl would probably be beaten extremely badly if not out cold. Right when Daryl is about to roll over and go to sleep, he hears footsteps outside his tent. He instantly grabbed his loaded crossbow ready for whom or what came to his tent.

The footsteps stopped and a soft, quiet voice whispers, "Daryl? Are you still awake?" At first, Daryl did not recognize the voice, but he soon realized that it was Carol.

"Who's with you?" Daryl asks, grabbing his shirt to put it back on so that Carol won't see all his scars.

"Sophia," Carol says as Daryl unzips the tent.

"What do you want?" Daryl says, taking a seat by the still-smoldering ashes from his earlier fire.

"Sophia was worried about you, so was I, but not as much as she was," Carol says as she and Sophia sit down on the other side of the fire ring.

"Were you now?" Daryl asks Sophia as he makes a funny face at her. Carol looks horrified, but Sophia just laughs.

"It's been a long time since I saw her laugh last," Carol says, smiling. "Are you ok Daryl? I mean, losing your brother has to be hard, though I am truly glad to see him gone." Daryl flinches at her saying that. Even though Daryl never cared to have Merle around, they are still brothers. Carol must have seen him flinch because she instantly starts apologizing.

"You're ok. You do not have to apologize for speaking your mind," Daryl says, adding a few small twigs to the embers. Daryl and Carol end up sitting there and talking for a few hours until Carol's husband walks over.

"What are you doing?" he demands of Carol and Sophia.

"We were just checking on Daryl," Sophia says in a small voice.

"Well, you're leaving now," he says, roughly grabbing hold of Sophia's arm.

"Don't grab her like that," Carol says, putting herself between her husband and Sophia.

"Don't tell me what to do, woman," Carol's husband says, slapping Carol across the mouth. "I will treat my daughter however I want." Daryl is getting angry because the scene is reminding him of the night Daryl's mom was killed by his dad.

"Stop," Daryl says, covering his ears to block out the sound of Sophia's crying, Carol's crying, and her husband's yelling.

"What did you just say to me, stupid, redneck, punk," Carol's husband demands, forgetting about his wife and daughter for the moment. Carol seems just as shocked as Daryl feels.

"I said 'stop,'", Daryl says in a very small voice, which is extremely unusual for Daryl.

"We'll be right along, honey," Carol says suddenly.

"Whatever, whore," Carol's husband says, walking away.

"I'm sorry," Daryl says, adding some more small branches to the fire.

"Whatever are you apologizing for, Daryl? I should be the one apologizing. I should be thanking you," Carol says, sitting down again and holding Sophia close to her.

"No problem," Daryl says, using that small voice again.

"Hey," Carol says, reaching to grab a hold of Daryl's arm, which he flinches away from her hand. "Are you ok, Daryl?"

"I'm fine," Daryl says, glancing at Sophia, who is now asleep next to Carol.

"No you're not," Carol says, this time placing her hand on Daryl's arm. "You can tell me, Daryl. Everyone else is done asleep, and I will never tell them anything you say unless you want me to tell them. I promise, Daryl."

"It's just that I cannot stand to see the way he treats you and Sophia. It reminds me of things I would love to keep buried," Daryl says, giving Carol a very weak smile.

"What things? I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked," Carol says, starting to stand up to leave.

"My dad is a really bad drunk," Daryl says suddenly. At this Carol sits back down and begins to run her fingers through Sophia's hair. "One day he got thrown out of the local bar, and he came home extremely mad. It was about eleven at night, and Merle and I were done in bed, but I woke up when he slammed the door. I could hear him screaming at my mom from the other side of the house. I ended up sneaking out of bed and down the hallway to their bedroom. I was just standing outside the door when it slammed open. My dad seemed surprised to see me standing there and got mad that I wasn't in bed."

"What happened? What did he do, Daryl?" Carol asks; she looks like the whole story is scaring her. Daryl's face must be showing his fear because Carol moved over closer to him and put her arm around him.

"Well," Daryl says, a little nervous for some reason with Carol being so close. "He grabbed my arm as your husband did with Sophia. Mom started crying and begging him not to hurt me, which confused and scared me. My dad had never hurt me or Merle, until that night. Mom stepped in between dad and me. That made dad all that much madder. He grabbed a piece of glass that was on the dresser and he struck out at me, saying that he was going to hurt me just to show my mom up. I don't remember what all happened after that, I must have closed my eyes because when I opened them, my mom was laying on the ground in front of me with the piece of glass sticking out of her throat." At first, Carol doesn't know whether he is done or not.

"She sacrificed herself for you," Carol says as it is more of a statement, but Daryl nodded anyways. "How old were you when it happened?"

"I was twelve," Daryl says. "Sophia's age. That is why you were covering your ears and said 'stop' earlier."

"Thank you," Carol says, looking lovingly at Sophia sleeping.

"What for?" Daryl asks, suddenly confused.

"From keeping our fate from following yours."

"Even if you died, I would never let Sophia's fate become like mine," Daryl said, shuddering at the thought.

"Thank you. Well, I better get back over to my husband," Carol says, touching her mouth. "Hate to wake her."

"Then don't," Daryl says, looking at the fast asleep Sophia.

"What? I cannot leave her here," Carol says, looking at Daryl confused.

"I'll carry her," Daryl says, getting up. Daryl does not even wait for Carol to say anything; he just picks Sophia up and starts walking. It doesn't take long to get to Carol's camp.

"Thank you Daryl, but I better lay her in there," Carol says, trying to take Sophia.

"No. I carried her this far. I'll lay her down. I do not care what he says or does to me for it," Daryl says, stepping into the tent and laying Sophia down.

"Thank you," Carol says, giving Daryl a quick kiss on the cheek then stepping into the tent and zipping it shut. It doesn't take long for Daryl to fall asleep, once he got back to the tent.