The worst possible timing ! Rickyl

Days gone by

On the 5th of May 2009, Daryl Dixon suffered a miscarriage after months of trying to have another baby with his husband Rick Grimes and decided the best thing for him to do was go on a camping trip with his brother Merle and get away from everything that was happing for a week or two.

It was not an easy decision for him to make, yes he had been planning on going away with his brother for a while but he defiantly not been planning on being away for more then a couple of days. He didn't want to be away from his family for too long but right now he needed space and this was the only way he was really going to get it.

"Whens papa coming home?" Carl asked one night as he and Rick eat dinner. It had been a little over two weeks since Daryl had left on his trip with Merle and Carl was really starting to miss his father, he had been for a little while now.

"Soon," Rick said not knowing exactly when Daryl was planning on coming home but hoping that if he knew his husband as well as he thought he did that Daryl wouldn't be gone for all that much longer. "You're going round to aunt Loris tomorrow." Rick quickly changed the conversation knowing that Carl was probably still young enough to be able to do this with.

"I know dad," Carl said not happy about this at all, he did love his aunt and uncle and he did love going to see them but right now that was the last thing he wanted to do. "Why do I have to go again?"

"Because I have work tomorrow night and Papa isn't here to watch you," Rick told Carl softly, able to hide the small annoyance he currently felt for his husband. Who had told him only a few days okay that would be home soon.

"I know he was supposed to be home a couple of days ago. I heard you arguing on the phone last night." Carl admitted to his dad, he didn't really want to reveal this to his father. Knowing that neither of his dad liked it when he heard them arguing but he wanted his father to know that he knew.

Rick looked over at his son for a second before with a small shake of his head he said "Why weren't you in bed?"

"I was getting a glass of water, I am allowed to do that once you've put me to bed. What's going on?" Carl asked getting worried.

"Nothing's going on bud. Papa and uncle Merle just wanted to do something together before Merle moves away. This will be the first time in a long time they haven't been close to each other." Rick said, only half lying. Although even just that small half lie made him feel a little bad.

"I'm ten dad I know that's not what's going on," Carl told him starting to sound annoyed.

"Nothing is going on Carl. Your Papa just needed to go on a little trip away. He is allowed to do that you know. He'll, be back soon. I promise." Rick said softly to Carl, coping back the words his son had just used on him.

"Okay," Carl said not happy to drop the subject but knowing his dad wasn't going to talk about it any more, and if he wanted the chance to talk about it again he knew to leave it for now.

Rick just smiled sadly at his son before going back to eating his food knowing that he was going to have to have an unpleasant conversation with his husband that night. He needed Daryl to come home, he couldn't keep doing this on his own.

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"I'm not ready to come home." Daryl said as soon as he answered the phone, already knowing the exact reason his husband was calling him right now. It was all they had been talking about for the past week.

"Carl knows something's going on and you need to come back for him," Rick knew his husband and he knew that bringing Carl up would make a difference, knew that telling Daryl Carl knew something was going on and wanted him home would change things for Daryl.