The first thing Carol felt when her eyes opened was softness. She was lying in bed but she didn't remember how she got there. The second thing she felt was little chubby fingers gently pushing at her cheeks. The third thing she felt was pain. She moaned softly under her breath. It seemed like there was no place on his body that didn't hurt. “Mom, she looks like Merida from Brave!” A childish voice shouted as Carol slowly regained consciousness. “Ava, for God’s sake, give the woman some space to breathe.” » a female voice gently reprimanded the child. Carol looked up into the face of a small child with shoulder-length blonde curls and bright blue eyes. She couldn't have been more than three years old. She was a beautiful child, Carol thought with a melancholy smile. Carol turned her head to the right, noticing a blonde woman with perfectly styled hair sitting next to her with a small smirk on her face. "Sorry." » said the woman, shrugging her shoulders. “It’s his favorite movie right now.” “Where am I?” Carol said groggily, as she looked around the room in wonder. Never in all her life had she been in a place as pleasant as this. Wherever she was, these people obviously had money. “You’re at the Cherokee Rose Ranch.” The woman responded softly as she gently lifted the little girl from the bed, placing her on one slender hip. “My husband, Merle, was coming back from Atlanta when he saw you passed out on the sidewalk.” Carol swallowed hard as she looked at the beautiful woman. “I don’t remember passing out.” The woman smiled at him with kind eyes. "I'm not surprised. You've obviously been through a lot." Carol nodded and looked away, worried that this kind, beautiful woman might...... middle of paper ...... stand up, I didn't remember who Daryl was. “Who is Daryl?” Andrea looked over her shoulder as she stopped near the door. “He’s Merle’s brother.” She said with a smile. "This is his house. He carried you here when Merle brought you home." Carol shifted anxiously in the bed. Men made her nervous. "Oh..." "Don't worry. He likes to pretend he's a bear, but he has a heart of gold." She replied with a smirk. "Stay put. I'll be right back." Carol nodded and nervously twisted the pretty edge of the sheet and looked around the room. Maybe the owner of this beautiful house would hire him? Surely a ranch this size could use someone's help? Perhaps he needed a cook or a cleaning lady? What she owed them for their hospitality, they could take from her salary. She was a burden, and no matter what, she had to somehow reward these people for their kindness..