Carol's lips pressed onto Daryl's forehead for the third time in several years as she sat down on the edge of the bed Daryl was sleeping on. He'd been out for a few days, having come back from a recruiting mission with Aaron injured. He and Aaron had gotten pinned down and Daryl had done everything he had to make sure that Aaron was going to come back, even if it meant putting his own life in danger.
They had all been injured enough to know it was a few broken ribs, but ever since he had gone to sleep a few days ago, he hadn't woken up. He was still breathing, just not waking up. There was always someone from their group with him, waiting until he would wake up. They knew Daryl would, it was just a telling of when.
"He saved my life." Aaron said from behind Carol. She craned her head around and looked up at him, nodding a thank you as she saw the tray of food in his hands.
"He has a habit of playing hero, but don't try to call him that." She said with a light laugh, standing to her feet and turning to face him completely. She took the tray and set it down on top of the table next to the bed. "Daryl puts everyone before himself and it's going to get himself killed someday." Carol said as she turned her head and looked at him.
"I tried to tell him to leave me behind but.."
"Daryl would never do that." Carol finished for Aaron, taking the plate from the tray and sitting on Daryl's side on the bed. She picked up the sandwich and picked at the bread, looking up at Aaron. "He'd sacrifice himself before he'd leave a friend behind."
Aaron cleared his throat and nodded. "I'll come back to relieve you in a little bit." He said.
Carol nodded at him and watched as he left the room, turning to look at Daryl. She picked her sandwich, eating half of it before she felt frustrated. "Come on, Daryl. You've been through worse." She said, wishing there was some way she could know what was going on with him.
Carol tossed the sandwich on the plate in front of her and set it on the table. Sitting and watching Daryl sleep was going to drive her crazy but it seemed like it was the only thing she could manage herself to do right now.
She lied down on the bed next to him, sighing heavily. "I love you." She whispered, her voice barely audible to herself. "Please don't leave me."
A gruff voice left the sleeping body next to hers. "I won't."
"How much of that did you hear?" Carol asked Daryl an hour later while forcing him to eat something. It wasn't hard to force him to eat, he was starving.
"Uh, heard you say don't leave." Daryl said through a mouthful of a sandwich. "Why?" He asked, looking up at Carol.
She smiled sadly and shook her head. "No reason."