Beth opened her eyes. The light filtering through the curtains was early morning. She looked over at Daryl asleep on the bed next to her. Her heart started beating fast. She vaguely remembered last night, being semi awake and Daryl bleeding. She had the ghost of a headache too. She climbed over the top of Daryl and knelt beside the bed next to him. The movement woke him up and he looked at her.
"Hey." he mumbled. And then he really woke up. "What are you doing?" he asked.
"You were hurt. I'm just checking." She looked at his bandaged arm and briefly up at him.
"I'm okay. You were hurt too. You should be resting." Their eyes met.
"You found me." she said quietly.
He turned his head away. "Yeah." The weight of those words sat heavy on his heart. He'd found her after he'd lost her. "I never should've lost you." She climbed back on the bed next to him and laid down facing him so he had to look at her.
"That doesn't matter Daryl." Her eyes were like the sky. He saw a faint bruising on her forehead around the bandaged wound. He reached out with his injured arm and brushed her hair aside. He fingered the cast on her left wrist. His blood from the gunshot the day before stained the edges. If he'd just protected her better none of these injuries would have happened.
"It does matter." he whispered. Her eyes filled with tears that fell softly.
"I thought I'd never see you again. But Noah promised we'd get out and he'd help me find you." she said.
"You were gonna look for me?" She nodded and he bit his lip. He reached out for her and pulled her against him. She pressed her head against his chest and felt his heart beating. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know how to deal with everything he was feeling. No one had ever made him feel like this.
"I'm not gonna lose you again." he breathed into her hair. She held tight to his t-shirt. And she knew in her heart that she had survived for this. The world may have fallen apart, but something had started back in that little run down shack in the woods.
The door to the apartment opened suddenly. Abraham and Maggie came in. Carol woke up on the couch and Carl patted Judith trying to keep the baby asleep. Abraham looked at Daryl and then Carol.
"We might have company again." he said quietly. Daryl winced as he reached down and felt around for his crossbow with his injured arm. His other arm was wrapped around Beth. And he didn't want to let go of her, but she saw her sister.
"Maggie!" she whispered and she sat up and crawled to the end of the bed. Maggie sat down beside her and hugged her. She looked her sister over carefully and then glanced at Daryl. Beth met her sister's gaze and just shrugged and hugged her again.
"What's going on?" Daryl asked Abraham.
"Rosita and Tara were on watch on the roof and the spotted a group headed into town on the backside." Carol moved away from the window and adjusted the curtain.
"How many?" Daryl asked.
"Looks to be about six of them as far as the girls could tell." Abraham said.
"They're about 10 minutes out. We need to be ready to leave in a hurry." Maggie said. She looked at Beth. "Can you go?"
Beth nodded. "I can if I have to." She looked at Daryl.
"She'll be good. I got her." he said.
"What about you Carol?" Abraham asked the woman who was now packing things up in the kitchen.
"I'm ready. What are we waiting for?" she asked.
"We're hoping they are just passing through." Abraham said. Daryl was up and pulling on his boots and jacket.
"But they could be another group scouting after the one yesterday." he said. "Stay away from the windows."
"Carl take Judith downstairs." Maggie said.
"Nah give her here" Daryl reached for the baby and he held her to his chest. "If they come in they're gonna be downstairs first. If there's trouble, Carl, Beth, Carol and lil ass kicker lock the doors and head to the roof."
"Daryl, I.. " Beth started. She wanted to help, he knew that.
"No you're still weak, both of you are. I'm not doing it. I'm not losing anyone again." His eyes met Beth's.
"Let's go see what's going on." Abraham said. Carl took Judith. Maggie followed Abraham out. Daryl started to leave with them.
"Daryl." Beth said his name. He stopped and watched her walk over to him. She just looked up at him and then stepped in to hug him. When she let go he looked her in the eyes.
"The roof. Promise me." he said. She nodded.
"I promise. And you, come back, promise me." He just nodded. And went the way the others had. Daryl would never make a promise he might not be able to keep. And coming back was never a for sure deal.
Although they spent half of the day tracking the other group, the roof turned out to be unnecessary. The strangers must have been deterred by the same signs the last group had seen. Or they were biding their time. Beth watched out the window as the others came back slowly, trying to stay in the shadows so they weren't seen by the group passing through.
"They're coming back." she said. She'd spent most of the day at the window looking for the group. Mainly watching and waiting for Daryl to come back. Carl joined her at the window.
"That's good. I hope." he said.
"What if that group were from the hospital?" her breathing quickened.
"They're leaving Beth. And Abraham's coming back. And Daryl." Carl said. Beth looked at him and then she looked at Carol. Did they know that all she wanted was for Daryl to come back safe?
"Yeah I know." she said. They just needed to get here. She moved away from the window, her eyes on the door. Proximity says a lot about two people. Just the way they position themselves when they are in the same room together speaks volumes about their feelings. Daryl came through the door first when usually he'd be last after he made sure everyone else was in. He came in and when he saw Beth he visibly relaxed. He walked over and stood near her.
"Daryl what if it's the people from the hospital?" she said quietly. He wanted to put his arms around her.
"It is. They've got a bus on the other side of town." Daryl said. Beth looked terrified.
"They're looking for me." she said as Maggie, Abraham and the others walked in. She didn't know yet exactly what had happened in the hallway at the hospital.
"No." Daryl moved to her side.
"Yes! Why else would they be here?" her voice had a panicked edge to it. She squeezed the cast on her wrist.
"Beth they think you're dead. They ain't lookin for you." Daryl said. Beth looked at Maggie. Maggie nodded.
"There was a shooting." she said gently. Beth shook her head.
"I remember a gunshot and scissors, in my cast." Daryl moved closer to her.
"I killed that bitch and then I carried you out. They thought you were dead. I, I thought you were.." he didn't finish. She looked into his eyes. She could see he was hurting. That explained all the guilt he was carrying. She wrapped her arms around him.
"I'm sorry." she whispered.
"Nothing to be sorry about. I got you back and no one's gonna take you again." He held her. It was an intimate moment and they both seemed to remember they were surrounded by everyone and they separated. Rosita stepped up next to Abraham.
"It looks like they are planning to stay." she said.
"What's our plan?" Sasha asked from the doorway of the apartment.
"We can't just leave my dad and the rest of them." Carl said.
"We can head their direction. Meet up with them." Abraham said.
"Wait what if they aren't coming back yet or they we're forced to come back a different way?" Maggie asked.
"We're gonna be found out pretty quick. We have to decide what's safer. We can leave a note. Something only they will understand." Rosita said.
"We only have the fire truck." Carol said.
"Some of us are gonna have to go on foot first. Head towards the road." Daryl looked around at them. "Others need to create a diversion so we can the fire truck out of here." Eugene stepped forward.
"A fire. I'll start a fire." Everyone stared at him.
"That could work." Abraham nodded.
"I'll go on foot with a group. You can take at least five with you on the truck." Daryl said.
"We can meet at the road where we turned off coming into town. Eugene you can get back to us?" Rosita nodded.
"I will do my best to, yes." he said. Daryl looked around the room.
"Carol, Judith, Father, Rosita and Beth…" he began.
"No." Beth said. She was shaking her head. "I'm not leaving you." She had tears in her eyes. Daryl didn't look at her.
"You're safer on the damn truck Beth." he said halfheartedly.
"I'm safer with you." She stood in front of him so he had to see her. He might be a good leader and make the best decisions for the group, but Beth wasn't just going to sit quiet this time and let him call the shots. He looked at her and nodded. It didn't matter if he felt like he'd failed her before. He wasn't going to be able to walk away from her now.
"Let's get moving." Abraham said. Daryl grabbed his crossbow while Beth put on her jacket and backpack. Daryl reached under the pillows on the bed and found Beth's knife. It had been his, but Beth had taken it back when they were together after the prison fell apart.
"Here. Put this on." He handed it to her. All around them the others were quietly getting all the could together. Carol followed Carl downstairs and it was just Daryl and Beth. He adjusted his crossbow and looked at her. "You ready?" he asked and she nodded. He walked over to her never breaking eye contact. He cupped her chin in his hand. She felt him shaking as he leaned forward and put his forehead against hers. "Stay with me. No matter what." he whispered. His eyes lingered on her lips and he bit his bottom lip. She'd figured out that nervous tick by now. And she watched the spot where his teeth left an indent, looked back into his eyes and nodded.
"We're.." Maggie came through the doorway. She looked at Beth and then at Daryl. "Um, we're ready to go." she said. she smiled a little at the blush that spread on her sister's face. Heat radiating from her cheeks she followed Maggie out the door. Daryl took one last look at the apartment and closed the door behind him.