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"It is so good to have you back." Carol smiled, letting Daryl out of her tight hold. "Everybody said that you weren't going to come back, but I knew you would. I just knew it."
"Although," she added. "I am having trouble understanding why you left in the first place? I tried to ask the others, but...they never gave me a straight answer."
Daryl pursed his lips as he replied, "they—they didn't want Merle to come back with us. And Merle...well he's blood and—"
"—and no him, no you." She said, finishing off his sentence. "I understand."
"He's my brother, blood. I couldn't just leave him to fend for himself." He explained. "I didn't wanna leave, but after all that happened back at Atlanta on that rooftop, I couldn't let him down again."
"You don't need to explain." Carol insisted.
"How—How's everyone been whilst I was gone?" He asked.
"We've been coping." She sighed. "Rick's trying not to buckle under the pressure, but he's struggling. I think Ophelia and his children have what's been keeping him sane."
Daryl arched a brow. "Oh?"
"She's been hiding away as well, it's not surprising that they've gravitated towards each other after everything that they've been through." Carol added. "She tries to hide it, but this whole thing with the Governor, it hasn't been easy on her, or Maggie and Glenn. I've never seen him so angry as I have these past few days. Whatever the Governor did to Maggie, it's really taken a toll on him."
"What 'bout you?" Daryl asked with a fold of his arms. "How have you been?"
"I've been fine." She smiled. "I've been here most of the time, mending the wounded and looking after Judith."
"Now, come on. Let's go." She said, leading the way out of the cell.
"Where?" Daryl asked.
"Everybody's meeting downstairs to talk about the Governor." She said. "Maybe you can talk to Ophelia afterwards."
"How did you know—" he went to say, but Carol cut him off.
"I can read you like an open book, Daryl." She smiled at him. "Besides I'm not blind. You don't think I see the way you look at each other?"
