Rick liked to believe he wasn't a worrier. He liked to believe he was okay whenever someone he cared about left the prison, like his chest didn't tighten and his heartbeat didn't quicken every second that they were gone. Truth is however, Rick worried more than anyone else at the prison, he couldn't help it. His anxiety was high whenever anyone ventured out further than their metal gates encompassed. It didn't matter that they had been doing this for a long time now, years even, whenever one of his people traveled outside the prison, he worried. He couldn't help it. That's just who he was. The world around them was dangerous and you never knew when your next excursion could be your last.
So when night had fallen and the storm that had been brewing all day hit, Rick panicked. Daryl had been exhausted over the past few days, trying to take care of Judith while also maintaining the high demands of the prison, and had no business going on this solo run. He hadn't wanted Daryl to leave at all, the storm clouds over head were enough of a sign that any trip would end in disaster. But the prison was running low on supplies and they were in desperate need of food. Daryl had promised him, swore to him, that he would be back by nightfall, and he still hadn't returned. Rick knew he shouldn't worry, everything was probably fine. This was Daryl Dixon after all. Daryl was undefeatable, unbreakable, irreplaceable. Daryl had probably holed up somewhere to wait out the storm. Despite this logical reasoning, Rick couldn't rest until Daryl was safely within the prison's walls.
Rick had been pacing up and down the common room area for the better part of an hour, a sleeping Judith in his arms as he tried to calm himself, and her, down. Judith hadn't been feeling that well the past couple of days. It had started off as a nasty cough which in turn escalated into a low-grade fever. She was cranky and irritable, not wanting to leave Rick nor Daryl's side for longer than a few minutes at a time. The prison had found some children's Tylenol and that seemed to be working, however she still had a slight fever.
"Is Daryl back," the four year old asked, waking up from her restless slumber. Rick would have laid her down in her bed so as to reduce the chances of waking her up, but he knew if she did wake up alone in the state she was in, she'd be in worse shape.
"Hey baby," Rick said, sitting down at the nearest bench, resting her on top of the connected table so he could get a good look at her. Her eyes were still glassy and her cheeks were a little rosy and warm, but overall, she looked better than she had in days. "You feeling better?"
Judith shrugged and reached out for Rick again. Rick took her into his arms once more and began to rub up and down her back gently, trying to provide her some sort of comfort. "Wan' Daryl."
"I know, he'll be back soon, don't worry." Lightning flashed by the nearby window and thunder shook the room, making Judith whimper slightly. She had never really liked storms. Rick continued to rub her back, trying to lure the young girl back to sleep to no avail. It wasn't long after Judith had woken up that Rick heard footsteps behind him.
"Hey," Daryl said softly, stepping up behind Rick. In the time between Judith waking up and Daryl returning from his run, Rick had managed to get Judith back asleep. Daryl, picking up on this little tidbit, spoke quiet as not to wake her.
"God," Rick said. He stood up, carefully maneuvering Judith so she wouldn't get in the way, and pulled Daryl into a hug. "You had me worried sick." Rick pulled back and looked the archer up and down. His clothes were dry, he must have already changed into dry ones, and he seemed to be putting all his weight on one leg. Rick looked up only to notice he was rubbing his right shoulder like it was causing him pain and there were a series of gashes across his face. His face was a little swollen and puffy as well. "What happened?"
"'S'alright," Daryl claimed, resting a hand on Rick's shoulder to reassure him. "Just tripped and twisted my ankle, banged up my face, ankle, and shoulder pretty badly but I'll be fine."
"You sure? Did you get checked over by Hershel?" Rick did another once over but it was nearly impossible to asses all the damage when Daryl was completely clothed. He could clearly see how exhausted he was though and that ankle of his had to be killing him.
"No, and I ain't gonna. 'M good, Rick, don' worry. 'M scheduled for watch right now, I jus' wanted ta let you know I was back. Don' like it when you worry," Daryl said, snaking a hand around his waist. Daryl then closed his eyes and rested his head tiredly against Rick's shoulder. It was clear to see just how exhausted he was with the way he leaned against Rick, he needed rest more than anything else right now.
"Oh no ya don't," Rick said. "You're exhausted and hurt, I'll take on your watch for you."
"I don' need ta be babied, Rick," Daryl retaliated, which probably would have been more convincing if he wasn't so tired. Daryl always got defensive whenever someone suggested he was incapable of doing something.
"It's not babying, Daryl, it's takin' care of you. You're hurt, you're exhausted, and you need a break. Besides," Rick said, carefully moving a now sleeping Judith into Daryl's arms, "Judith's been asking for you."
Daryl's demeanor changed once he had Judith in his arms. He instantly became calmer and relaxed his stance. Despite the gentle maneuvering, Judith blinked open her eyes. "Daryl," she said happily, albeit sleepily. "Missed you."
"Missed you more," Daryl said, pressing a kiss against Judith's hair. "You feeling better?"
"A little," Judith replied, smacking her lips sleepily as she pressed her face against his shoulder.
"She's already had her last dose of medicine and her fever is continuing to drop," Rick added. "She's been asking about you since you left."
Daryl nodded and adjusted his grip on Judith. "Were ya good for your Daddy while I was gon'?" he asked, rubbing a hand up and down her back.
Judith nodded before burying her face in Daryl's neck. It seemed that was the only conversation she was willing to make at the moment. Considering she usually never stopped talking, that was a fairly sure sign she wasn't feeling well.
Rick smiled at the two of them, his heart warming at the sight of them. "Go get some sleep," Rick said, stepping forward quickly to press a kiss against Daryl's lips. It was simple, quick, and sweet. "I'll be back soon enough."
Daryl nodded and retreated back to the cells, Judith carefully cradled in his arms, already half asleep once more. Rick watched as he limped heavily, he had a feeling that ankle was bothering him more than Daryl was willing to admit. His stubborn hunter would refuse medical attention, but if it wasn't feeling at least a little better by tomorrow he was making Daryl have Hershel look at it.
Once Daryl and Judith disappeared into his and Daryl's cell, Rick made his way outside and into the watch tower. Glenn and Maggie were on watch, and thankfully the two of them weren't going at it. He had walked in on them enough times, he didn't need another instance added to his list.
"I thought Daryl was scheduled to take watch?" Glenn asked as he stood up from his position on the floor.
"I'm making him get some sleep, that last trip took a lot out of him," Rick said, stepping completely into the watch tower.
"I get it. Tyreese should be here in a few hours to relieve you," Maggie said, taking Glenn's hand in hers as they made their way towards the exit. Rick bid them both goodbye and then he was left alone once again.
Rick relaxed back in the single chair and let his mind wonder as much as he could while he was still on watch. By now the storm had quieted to a soft drizzle and it was no longer thundering outside. He really hoped Daryl and Judith were sleeping by now, Lord knows they both needed the rest. It'd been a tough couple of days; Judith's sickness had put the entire prison on red alert. No one wanted to watch a child get sick, especially since they couldn't just rush her to a hospital where they could make sure she was safe. It was a miracle they had found the hidden stash of medicine, including children's Tylenol, on a run and that no one else had caught whatever it is Judith had. Daryl had been overworking himself, trying to take care of Judith at the same time as he tried to do everything he could for the prison. He had stretched himself so thin, Rick was almost glad he had injured his ankle because it meant he now had a reason to force Daryl to take it easy for a few days.
The hours seemed to fly by as Rick took watch. He wasn't sure what time it was by the time Tyreese relieved him of his duty, but he did know it was well past sundown and he was exhausted. He thanked Tyreese for taking over before he made his way back into the prison.
He briefly considered checking on Carl but decided against it. The kid was probably asleep and he didn't want to risk waking him up. Once he reached his cell he pulled back the fabric he had hung to give him and Daryl a little more privacy. Daryl was curled up in the middle of the bed, Judith snuggled up against the side of him closest to the wall. Both of them looked so peaceful sound asleep, Rick couldn't help but stop to admire them for a few seconds. Soon enough, Rick toed off his boots and carefully crawled into bed with the two of them. He carefully studied Judith's face, pleased to see that her cheeks didn't look as hot as they had before he had taken watch. The medication they had been given her must have been working great.
Daryl must have felt him slip into bed beside him because the second he pulled the covers over himself the man flinched awake. "Shh," Rick soothed, resting a cool hand on Daryl's hip. "Jus' me."
"Rick?" Daryl said groggily, voice dripping with sleep as he looked over his shoulder, trying to find the face behind the noise.
"Yeah," Rick whispered, gently stroking his hand up and down Daryl's side underneath his shirt in an attempt to calm him down. "Go back to sleep, you're okay."
Daryl must have still been exhausted because he didn't respond with anything more than a whispered I love you, falling back asleep almost instantly. Rick smiled and pressed a kiss to the back of his neck, pleased to see that the man was sleeping peacefully for the first time in days. Neither one of them had really gotten a lot of sleep, both to worried about taking care of Judith.
As soon as Rick settled down completely, his exhaustion hit him like a ton of bricks and he found it hard to even move. Rick hadn't realized he had been so tired until just then, it was an effort to even keep his eyes open. Rick peeked over at Judith one last time, pleased to see she was still curled up peacefully against Daryl's chest, before he relaxed fully. It wasn't long before he was sleeping as well, content knowing that his partner and daughter were both safe and happy.