Just a short chapter for today, but I wanted to get something up. Thanks again for the reviews etc. Enjoy!
"Damn girl, it took you long enough to start firing!" Daryl's voice rang out as Beth lay sprawled across the front seat, trying to catch her breath which had been knocked out of her, her ears ringing from the firing of the rifle.
"Calm down, Daryl." Rick groaned as he helped the other man remove the bolts from the walkers that scattered the ground around them. "She helped and we got out okay."
"Just sayin', the kid coulda started a bit sooner." Daryl pulled the last bolt out. "I'll be nice and clean these off for you!" he called out.
"You okay?" Rick asked as he slowly opened the driver side door and looked down at the surprised girl.
She could only nod in response, still waiting for air to return to her lungs.
"We're gonna get the supplies loaded up and then we'll head back." he laughed as he spoke. He knew she wasn't seriously hurt, and the look on her face was too amusing not to laugh at.
She nodded again and watched him disappear from view. They had obviously been able to fend off the rest of the walkers on their own. She was happy to see that. She wasn't happy about the fact that Daryl would dwell on the fact that she had, in his opinion, been to slow to open fire. And she knew that he wouldn't soon let her forget her weakness in letting the rifle knock her over like it had. It would be good natured, in his own way, but it was something she could without.
She was finally able to muster enough strength to sit up and winced at the pain in her shoulder. As she pulled back the collar of her shirt, she could see a nasty bruise already forming. Maggie was going to have a fit. Her father would hover a bit when she got back, but she knew he would just check her over to see that she was alright and then leave her to heal. Maggie on the other hand would be upset that her baby sister had been allowed out on a run. They'd had discussions about it before and Maggie had let it be known that she felt it was best that Beth remain inside the fences. She would just have to let her sister be upset. There wasn't anything she could do about it at that point.
"Hey, you're upright." Rick teased as he climbed in. "You sure you're alright?" he asked again.
"I'm okay." she replied, her lungs finally getting the required air back into them. "Just a bruise on my shoulder."
"Gonna hurt for a bit, but it's not too bad." he remarked. "I had a pretty nasty one the first time I shot a rifle, too."
"Good." Beth stared out the windshield at Daryl's back as he led the way out of town and back to the prison.
"Good?" Rick asked, a bit confused.
"I don't mean it's good you were hurt, just good to know I'm not the only one who had that happen."
"Oh, well I didn't get knocked off my ass." he corrected her. "Just a bruise."
"It's a big gun." she defended herself. "I'm not used to it." she gently moved her arm around and wished she hadn't as pain erupted. "Can I say one thing, and I don't mean to be rude..."
"What's that?" Rick asked as he set the cruise control and settled back in his seat.
"On the next run, someone needs to find some nose hair trimmers." she looked straight ahead.
"Excuse me?" he asked, turning to look at her.
"When you opened the door earlier, I couldn't help but notice..."
Rick just stared at her for a moment and went silent. She was afraid that she'd offended him, but he suddenly burst into laughter. "Thanks a lot." he shook his head.
"I said I didn't mean to be rude." Beth couldn't help but laugh as well.
"I'm sure there are a few beauty routines you've been missin' out on,too, ya know." he seemed to be settling into the driver's seat a bit more, letting his left arm hang out the open window as they drove along.
"But it wouldn't be gentlemanly to point any of them out." Beth replied with a smile.
"And it's the height of lady-like manners to comment on a man's nose hair?" he asked, giving her a skeptical look.
"Shhh." she said. "I'm gonna try to take a nap on the way back." she settled back in her own seat, half wishing she hadn't said anything. The other half was enjoying the banter they had going at the moment, but she really was quite tired.
"You do that." Rick said, looking straight ahead. "I'll be sure to tell you how much you drool and snore when you wake up. You know, not trying to be rude or anything..."
"I don't do either of those things!" she insisted.
"You're asleep, how would you know?"
"Well...snoring I guess I wouldn't know about, but I think I'd notice if I woke up with a soaked pillow."
"Well then I'll let you know about the snoring then." he promised.
"I don't think you can be trusted." she yawned and was soon out.
"What all did you get?" Carol asked as she closed the gate behind the returning party.
"A good laugh seeing the kid have her scrawny ass knocked back after firing the rifle." Daryl said as he got off his bike.
"Glad I could give you a laugh." Beth replied dryly.
"Are you okay?" Maggie asked as she appeared at her sister's side, looking her over for any marks.
"She's just got a bruised shoulder." Rick informed her as he and the other began to unload the supplies.
"What happened?" Maggie demanded as she began to search for the bruise.
"Kick back from the gun." Beth said, swatting her sister's hands aside. "Stop it, I'm fine!" she insisted.
"Come on, Bethy." Hershel said. "I wanna look at that shoulder, just to be safe." he motioned for her to follow him. "You boys okay?" he asked.
"Both without a scratch." Daryl nodded.
"Daddy, I'm fine." Beth sighed. "I need to help then unload everything." she insisted.
"It's fine." Rick said. "Let him look you over. Get it over with now, you know he'll just be waiting to do it."
Beth looked at her father and knew Rick was right. Sooner or later her father would force her to let him look at her shoulder. She knew this well enough and didn't know why she even bothered to argue. "Fine." she said. "I'll help you all sort the stuff out though." she called over her shoulder. "I know where most of the stuff goes."
"They can do it without you, Bethy." Hershel said as he ushered her inside. "Come on, you wanna get this over with, right?"
"Yes, daddy." she was resigned to being babied. Sometimes it was good to be spoiled, and other times it drove her mad. This was definitely one of the times it was driving her mad.
"Was it good to get out for a while?" he asked as he walked alone next to her as they went inside.
"You have no idea how nice it was for me to get out." she smiled. "I actually had fun."