Side-by-Side

Chapter 29

Daryl

"She's sleeping." I told Rick as I spotted her on the couch, Judith in her arms. Her blonde hair was a mess, left arm holding Judith around the waist, her right arm bent over her eyes.

"Would you look at that?"

Rick stood at the end of the couch, near Carly's feet and he took in the sight.

"She's always been beautiful, you know?" Rick says lowly. I gave him a look from the corner of my eye, before setting them back at Carly.

"I've known her since she was a teenager. She sure was a rebellious one, I'll give her that." I felt a story coming along, so I took a seat next to the couch, my back up against it as I placed one arm on my bent knee. Rick took a seat beside me, while taking another glance as the sleeping blonde.

"Was she really that much trouble?"

"Trouble isn't even the word... she was like the devil's kid or something."

I couldn't help but laugh at the joke he made, for some reason I can see Carly being that way with him.

"There was this one day. I had four cars out looking for her."

"What did she do?"

"Vandalism and had a brawl with some other kid. She was a fighter, running from us the second she heard the sirens."

"She always managed to escape, didn't she?"

"You have no idea. That girl had good stamina. Went on nearly half hour chasing her one day."

She seems like an angel now. The bags under her eyes slowly going away from the more sleep she gets. Her face was smoother, softer and less in a stressed way. She held Judith loosely on the inside of the sofa. Her lips just above Judith's head.

"I wish I knew her before shit hit the fan." I looked down, my fingers suddenly becoming interesting.

"Well, she lived with me in King's County, you lived further down in Georgia. Maybe your paths would've crossed one day."

Rick was right. There is a chance that Carly and I would've met each other. Fate brought us together now, in the fucked up world we live in.

"Do you ever think there will be a cure for this?" I asked him. I didn't believe there would be.

"Honestly Daryl, I don't know. Sometimes it feels like we are just so close to finding people who can solve everything, but then there are times where I feel like we are the only ones left." Rick sighed. "Hell, we don't even know what the rest of the world is like. Do you think there's a breakout in Japan? Or Australia? Countries in Europe? Russia? For all we know, North America can be the only ones."

Rick was right. Who knows what other countries are like. What if North America is the only one with this problem and because of the lack of equipment, television and radio service, other countries don't know about it all.

"It's getting late. I think we should try and sleep." Rick stood up, offering me a hand. I took it, standing on my own two feet.

"I'm going to go on watch."

"No need," Rick said as he bent down and took Judith from Carly's arms, "Carol's got it tonight."

He turned around after saying goodnight and left me with Carly. I wanted to pick her up and bring her to sleep with me, but the floor isn't a place for a pregnant lady, and I didn't want to wake her. I took a blanket that was in her bag, and covered her in it.

I took a pillow from the bag I brought in, and placed it on the floor next to the sofa and laid down. I closed my eyes, and tried my best to sleep. I couldn't sleep well though, my thoughts drifting from one to another. Carly has shifted a few times during the last hour, probably uncomfortable on the sofa, and I wish she could've had a bed to sleep in. If only the ones upstairs weren't covered in blood.

I heard shuffling from down the hall, the small and quick steps sounded like tip-toeing and I looked up, to see a small boy, with dark hair. His blanket is dragging across the floor. He was trying his best to stay quiet, wiping his eyes and sniffling. He came up to me, probably not realizing I was awake and tried to scoot himself on the couch with Carly.

Carly moved a lot during the night and had currently taken up most of the sofa. Also, with all the exhaustion, she must be out cold. I felt bad for the kid, he must've had a nightmare or something...

"Hey bud." I whispered, trying not to spook him.

"Daryl? You're awake?" His voice was raspy, he had definitely been crying.

"Yeah, what's wrong?" I sat up now, watching the small boy that Carly and I took guardianship over a few months ago.

"I had a bad dream." He whispered, almost ashamed of himself. He wiped his face again, more tears probably falling from his face.

When I was a kid, my mom use to hold me close when I had nightmares. The nights when she wasn't on crack that is, but I remember how relieving it felt to have someone there to hold me. When she died, my father was a dick, the main character in my nightmares.

"Come here." I told him, scooting over so he had some more room to lay.

"Are you sure?" He sounded almost scared of me.

"I'm sure. Carly and the baby need as much rest as possible, and I'm not going to let you sleep alone after you had a nightmare. Come here." I told him again. But this time, without a word, he came.

Jace placed himself beside me, his arm draped over and around my neck as he used my arm for a pillow. I stiffened at the action, not use to being this close to anyone other than Carly, but once he sighed and relaxed becoming comfortable, I did too. I brought myself closer to him, hoping that I was doing an alright job at comforting him. I wrapped him tighter in his blanket so he wouldn't get cold, and he brought himself closer to me.

I wasn't use to this, I'm not sure if I'll ever be use to this, but I know I have to get there. Somehow. I have Jace who Carly and I practically adopted, and now I have a son or daughter on the way. Thinking about the baby makes me look up at Carly. Her baby bump is still really small, and not very visible, but it's there. My flesh and blood is there.

I've always wanted a child, not in the condition that the world is in, but at the same time I am happy. It doesn't matter how shitty my life was before this, with my father abusing me and Merle in and out of jail. It doesn't matter how I have come to meet Carly and the rest of the gang and it doesn't matter what we have been through. I love her, my wife, my girl, the mother of my child... hell, even Merle gets along with her.

I look away from the sleeping blonde on the couch, who's eyes go from green to white in a second, or white to blue in an instant, and I look at the dirty brunette boy in my arms, and how I've been there for him since we took him in. Maybe I will be a good father. I sure as hell hope so that is. 

I love them... all of them... my family.