Daryl buried his face in the pillow but it had an unfamiliar smell and all he was thinking about was getting out of this damn room. He would be back out tomorrow looking for the little girl if he could, and who was going to stop him? No one cared what Daryl did. No one would notice. And if they did? He didn't give a shit.

He felt weary – a tiredness that went deeper than some sleep would cure, and when had been the last time he'd slept a full night? How could anyone sleep with that lost girl in the woods? Guilt crept into his mind even for his injury, and he liked to stomp out that feeling with action. Yet, here he was lying doing nothing'!

He was hungry but that was in the back of his mind because his stomach felt sick. Though not well acquainted with the almighty, he felt like he would pray to any god – real or imagined – to catch a break...but the god of good luck had never been on his side.

Daryl thought he had caught a break when Carol's prick of a husband met his welcome end. That might sound like a shitty attitude but he was happy to see him go, and the truth was that she seemed more relieved than sad. No one in the camp was exactly grieved by his departure. Not that he cared for the woman, but he did care about that little girl.

"I like you," the girl had told him.

"You don't even know me," Daryl hand responded.

Sophia was too good for her own good, and all he wanted to do was to bring her back to her mamma. He wanted to see her mamma smile her pretty smile again. He didn't think much about Carol in that way, but he started feeling sorry for her. Maybe it was the way she always looked at him like she was on the verge of tears, or maybe it was that since the day he helped her girl she was paying more attention to him. Mostly, it was because he couldn't stand to see a woman stay with an asshole who beat her, and he felt relieved that she wasn't facing that anymore, but now she was facing something worse...her daughter was missing.

Daryl rolled over. He couldn't get comfortable, hell, he couldn't rest his own mind. He couldn't catch a break.

It wasn't that he was going to move in on this woman, nothing like that at all. He wasn't going to try to jump in the sack with her now that the husband was gone. This is what Merle would say if he saw him helping her find her girl – that he had an ulterior motive. He couldn't help but notice that she did have a nice figure under her frumpy clothes, that was true, but there were other priorities in this world, and while everyone else might be playing lovey-dovey he had other ideas. Maybe if she wasn't always staring at him with her big searching eyes he could leave it be.

Naw, but she did need protecting. She was weak, and no one seemed to notice her. Daryl also observed that she put everyone else ahead of her own self, and they seemed to take that for granted. Someone had to keep her safe, and everyone else in the camp had their head firmly up their ass. He had failed her already, by not keeping her daughter safe. He meant to make amends.

When Sophia went missing, Daryl's heart sank lower than he could have foreseen. Carol's cries of despair tugged at his heart with surprising ferocity, and he searched. No one else seemed to be making this girl a priority, but the truth is Daryl would have done anything to quiet Carol's heart wrenching sobs. All the while everyone else in camp was consumed with stupid shit, and he was just hoping for a little luck.

He thought if anyone deserved to smile it was Carol who probably hadn't had anything to smile about her whole life. He might not be the praying kind, but surely there was a god who looked out for heartbroken mothers and lost children. The cynical side of him knew this wasn't true, but there was another side that said if you flip a coin enough times eventually it has to land on heads.

So he had brought her a flower, meant to give her hope in the meantime. It didn't matter if he'd never given anyone a flower to anyone before in his life. It meant something now, because it kept her hope alive, and in that way he could keep it alive in himself. He was doing something positive, and any day maybe he'd catch a break.

Daryl sighed.

He heard the door open behind him. He looked over his shoulder figuring it was the old man coming back to check on him.

Oh god, it was her.

He didn't want her to see him like this. Why was she bothering him? He pulled the sheet up as high as he could. She was looking at him with her huge eyes.

"How are you feeling?" she asked. Why did she care how he was feeling? How did she think he felt. He felt like shit.

"About as good as I look," he said rolling away from her, hoping she's get the tone and go, but of course, she didn't.

"Brought you some dinner. You must be starvin'," she said, and he could see she was carrying a tray of food. He got the uneasy feeling that he always got when she was doing something for him. He knew that she didn't want anything she was just being nice, but it was such a foreign concept to him that he felt suspicious of it. She was quiet for a moment and he thought she had left the room.

He then felt her lean over him which surprised the hell out of him, and he flinched unsure of what she was doing. He felt her cool lips settle on his temple, in a quick kiss. Any appetite he might have had completely left him as his stomach lurched. It wasn't an entirely unpleasant feeling but her kindness was as foreign as if she started speaking French to him. He didn't know how to respond.

"Watch out I got stitches," he mumbled, instantly cursing himself in his head for saying something so idiotic.

"You need to know something," she said, and every muscle in his body tensed, waiting for the blow. She was going to tell him how disappointed she was in him, and what a loser he was, but before he could think too much she was already continuing, "You did more for my little girl today than her own daddy ever did in his whole life."

Daryl had braced for a punch to his ego, and when it didn't come, he realized there was nothing in him that knew how to respond to a kind word. He said, "I didn't do anything Rick or Shane wouldn't have done."

"I know. You're Every bit as good as them. Every bit." her sweet voice was so sincere, and he almost wanted to believe her. He thought about what she said for a moment, trying to absorb the words, but he found it difficult to trust. He wasn't sure if she had left but when she said nothing further he got the courage to look over his shoulder again and she was gone.

He felt...damn, he didn't know what he felt, but it was somethin'. He just wanted to scoop that woman up and protect her, and he wanted, no he needed to find that little girl for her. His frustration level, simmering so far seemed like it was on the edge of boiling threw off the sheet and quickly put on his shirt, and went after her. It was an impulse, and if he had time to think of what he was doing he'd have never gone.

He was a little unsteady on his feet, but made his way quickly outside, glancing to see if she was in the kitchen on his way out. He saw her as soon as he was on the porch. She was clutching her shoulders and walking slowly away from the farm house. He had the sudden urge to kiss her properly, and it shocked him. He wasn't sure why he suddenly wanted to, but oh, he definitely wanted to. He was taken aback by his own feelings and wanted to go back into the house.

Before he could move Carol must have heard him and she spun around, startled.

"Daryl?" she said, her voice was shaky, and he saw she was crying.

"I..." he trailed off, "I just wanted to say thank ya for bringin' me some food. Ya didn't have to do that."

"Of course I did," Carol said with a sad smile "Someone's gotta take care of you."

Daryl took a step back as if he was slapped, "I don't need anyone to take care of me. I take care of myself!"

Carol turned fully toward him, but seemed to shrink away emotionally, and he hated himself in that moment. Her red rimmed eyes saw right through him. "Why don't you say what's on your mind."

"Didn't mean to yell at ya," Daryl softened his voice, "I'm not used to someone carin' what happens to me is all."

Carol tilted her head slightly. He wanted to be mad at her for pitying him, but he didn't think she was. She narrowed her eyes, "Do you want to come sit with me?"

Daryl nodded, and she lead him to a bench in the garden. He was really out of his league and unsure what he was doing, but as always he found himself compelled to follow her. There was something about Carol that drew him like their lives where somehow laced together with an invisible thread. The only way he could explain it was that being near her made him feel steady.

She turned to him, and he felt very visible - like she taking him apart piece by piece and examining the contents, "You should know that I'm not used to people caring about me either. I'm really touched by how much you've helped me look for Sophia."

Daryl dropped his head, "Ain't nothin'"

"That's not true, and we both know it," Carol turned her head from him, "Everyone is giving up except you. Sophia likes you. She talks a lot about you."

Daryl was stunned. He hadn't talked to the little girl, but maybe once or twice. "She's a sweet girl." Even as he was saying the words he knew. Knew that the little girl would not be found, and that he was searching for Carol's peace of mind more than anything. He cared about this woman, maybe a lot more than he was willing to admit and it hit him in that moment. He looked at her with a new sadness that he hoped she couldn't read. It was important that she keep hope alive.

Daryl realized that he was afraid that if she lost hope he would lose her, too. If she thought her daughter was dead maybe she would just… "I'll find her." he barely got it out because his mouth was so dry.

She looked at him sadly, "If you don't..."

"I will!" he said.

She took his hand and squeezed it gently as if comforting him. Her hands felt cool & soft, and he regretted his palms which were sweaty. He looked into her eyes, and knew he had to convince her. "I will," he repeated as he pulled his hand away.