A/N - Thanks again to everyone reading and reviewing. For anyone reading my other stories, I will be updating, 'Something in the Sun', very soon too, once I get over my writers block :)
The hospital hallway was long and empty. Eerily silent except for the sound of a few muffled voices coming and going. Daryl was perched on the edge of his seat. His tense body was on full alert, his palms together as he sunk his face into them to wait for news. It had been over an hour since Aaron had been rushed in and Daryl had no idea what was going on.
It had all happened so quickly. Daryl had woken from a deep sleep earlier that morning, to bright sunlight streaming through his blinds and the sound of the birds singing outside his window. He had glanced across to Aaron's bed opposite to see that his friend was groggy and disorientated. At first Daryl had thought possibly he had just needed to eat or drink, so he had left their new apartment in search of food.
However when he had returned Daryl had found Aaron collapsed and unconscious on the floor. That was when Daryl had raised the alarm, realising something was seriously wrong and Aaron needed urgent medical assistance.
Sat in the lonely and deserted hospital corridor, Daryl replayed the scene over and over in his head - Aaron's bruised and bloodied face lying lifeless on the floor. Was there anything more he could have done? He should have spotted sooner that something hadn't been right with Aaron. Instead he had been too pre-occupied with planning their trip back to Alexandria.
Now he was left in this strange alien place, figuring that out and planning for it all alone.
He lifted his head slightly, hearing the sound of the entrance door opening, and he looked over to see blonde hair and blue eyes rushing towards him. It was Sienna.
"I'm so sorry. I came as soon as I heard," she said breathlessly, her cheeks were flushed and her hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail. "How is he?"
Daryl allowed his eyes to meet her's, "Dunno." He answered truthfully.
"He'll be okay, they'll save him," she reassured, sitting down next to him. The scent of sweet vanilla and coconut filling the air around him, taking him back to the night before.
He shrugged and sniffed, allowing his gaze to slide sideways to take another look at her, before fixing his eyes directly in front of him again in silence. He didn't feel much like talking or interacting.
Suddenly the double doors at the end of the corridor swung open and a short asian woman in dark blue scrubs wandered out towards them.
"What's going on?" Daryl said gruffly, jumping to his feet to face her.
She raised an eyebrow, looking from Daryl to Sienna, before she said, "I take it you're the friend he came in with?"
"He dead?" Daryl asked roughly. He tried to sound brusque and surly but there was an underlying tone of fear and panic in his voice.
"I'm Dr Cheung," she said, ignoring his question. "I've been treating your friend. We performed emergency cardiopulmonary resuscitation, he had suffered an intracranial hemorrhage and we had to immediate decompression and he is now in a prolonged state of unconsciousness."
"In english, Amelia," Sienna cut in briskly, noting the confused look on Daryl's face.
"He's not dead. He's in a coma," the doctor said bluntly.
"When's he going to wake up?" Sienna asked quickly, addressing the other woman directly and informally.
Amelia Cheung had arrived the same day as Sienna. She was Canadian, but had been working at a hospital in Zurich. Although on the face of it she couldn't be more different to Sienna, the two had formed a kind of firm friendship. Despite pretending otherwise, Amelia needed the bright outlook Sienna offered most of the time and Sienna liked the tough no-nonsense attitude Amelia always possessed.
Amelia eyed Sienna curiously for a moment. She didn't need to ask what she was doing here, the blonde reporter had a reputation for getting too emotionally involved in things.
She looked back to face Daryl in response to Sienna's question, answering, "That's difficult to predict. It could be a couple of days, or we could be looking at weeks, month's even. But we're doing all we can for him and we're hopeful when he wakes he'll return to his original state of functioning."
"I wanna see him," Daryl blurted out gruffly.
Amelia nodded.
Daryl's eyes rested on his friend lying motionless in the bed. It was a typical hospital room, sparse and functional. There were various wires and tubes attached to him, and a couple of beeping monitors that Daryl didn't quite understand. One thing was for sure though - it looked serious.
'No Aaron, don't die. Don't you fucking leave me too.' He thought, his eyes full of emotion as he hid behind his long hair.
He felt utterly helpless.
Everyone he got close to ended up dying in the end. Perhaps it was him, maybe he was cursed and he should just never let himself get close to anyone again.
He sniffed, suddenly feeling a warm hand tentatively touch the exposed skin on his forearm. His eyes moved to the side to see Sienna flash him a kind and reassuring smile.
He didn't say anything but he couldn't help but secretly be glad she was there. That he wasn't completely alone. He couldn't deny the sensation of her touch wasn't comforting either. Even if he had no desire to show that in any way.
"He's in good hands. Amelia was a world renown Neuro surgeon before. We're lucky to have her here. If anyone can save him, she can." Sienna explained softly.
He nodded once in acknowledgement. Before turning back to stare at Aaron again.
When Daryl had lost people before it had been sudden and unexpected. He hadn't witnessed them fighting for their lives like this. He hadn't stood by watching, knowing there was nothing he could do to save them. He hadn't known Aaron long, but he knew he was a good person and he didn't deserve to die like this, all alone.
He'd never found the chance to tell him that, and perhaps now he never would.
Daryl had planned to discuss their trip back to Alexandria with Aaron that morning. Suggesting they made their way back as soon as possible. Now that wasn't going to happen. But looking at his friend, Daryl made him a mental promise.
Whatever happened he would make it back to their people and he would make sure they knew what had happened to Aaron.
"I need to get some air," he mumbled, moving towards the door to exit the room.
"You eaten anything?" Sienna asked when they were back outside in the bright midday sunshine.
Daryl shook his head, realising suddenly how hungry he was. It was surprising how quickly his body could get used to having regular meals again.
"Me neither," she replied. "I've got food at my place," she announced with a knowing smile, gesturing with her head for him to follow her.
Daryl didn't have the strength to protest as suddenly Suki the dog appeared at their side too. She had waited for them outside. "Hey girl,' Daryl said quietly, ruffling the large dog's fur, taking a small comfort from her gentle ice blue eyes staring up at him.
"Where d'ya get eggs from?" Daryl asked a little shocked, watching as Sienna cracked four into the pan in front of them.
"Out there," Sienna explained, pointing out the small window in front of her.
The place she lived in was bigger than the place Daryl had been allocated. He presumed she lived there with someone else as it was on two levels and had an open plan kitchen/diner big enough for a table and chairs, and three sofas. She had told him the buildings around this area were mainly occupied by the few media that came and went.
He turned his head to look out the window to see to his amazement a huddle of around four or five squawking, clucking chickens. He hadn't seen a live chicken for years and feared like most animals, he might never see one again. But this lot right in front of his eyes, were very much alive and kicking.
Before the change Daryl had killed and eaten many a bird like that. Now, as with most foods, he'd given up any hope of tasting fresh chicken or eggs again. Thinking back to the many unquestionable things he had been forced to eat to stay alive.
"What the hell?" He asked, and he wrinkled his brow in confusion. The chickens roaming around casually outside, were clearly another sign that this place was completely free of walkers. Such creatures wouldn't have lasted five minutes with any walkers around able to sniff them out.
"Aint seen one of those making noises like that for a long time. What you keeping em alive for?" He asked gruffly, a little annoyed, as he thought how those birds would have provided days worth of meals for his group back at the prison.
"Because they have their uses," she replied unfazed.
"Yeah, like being fried and eaten," he responded brusquely.
"Uh-uh," she said, shaking her blonde head, "They have better uses at the moment, like laying every day. Until they stop doing that, these bad girls are staying right here." She stated firmly.
Daryl looked away from them and shook his head again. He frowned, if she was the kind of person that wanted to keep a group of dumb chickens alive then they weren't going to get along too well he thought, irritated. But something told him that was a conversation for another day. Right now his empty stomach was getting the better of him.
"Here," she handed him a plate with some kind of steaming omelette on it. "Did you know eggs are one of the only foods that can provide a near complete nutrition, you could live off them alone," she explained.
"Thanks," he mumbled, taking it from her, he put a forkful straight to his lips, it tasted good. "Don't tell me y'dont eat no meat neither," he muttered with a mouthful.
"Of course I eat meat," she was quick to respond, looking back at his unimpressed face.
"Bet you wouldn't eat those chickens though?" He asked with a smirk.
She just shrugged with a mouthful of food.
They ate some more in silence.
"Thanks," Daryl mumbled again when he was done.
"You're welcome," Sienna replied, looking back at him through her long dark lashes and biting her lip. "Actually, there was something else I wanted to show you," she said tentatively. "Come with me."
...
Daryl's eyes widened with curiosity as he followed her upstairs and into another room he presumed was her bedroom. He watched as she opened a cupboard and took something out, handing it to him with a nervous smile. "This is yours?"
He took it from her and her cheeks blushed. It was a leather vest with angel wings on the back.
Examining it in his hands, Daryl's harsh eyes grew round and glassy. It was just a piece of tattered clothing, but it signified something - who he had been, what he had been holding on to. He had presumed it had gone along with his crossbow, his bike and everything else he had lost the day he had nearly died out in the woods. Now it was back, reminding him once again of who he was.
"Yeah," he eventually croaked out. "Thanks," the wrinkles around his eyes deepened as he smiled subtly back at her in careful gratitude.
Fixing his gaze on her, he awaited further explanation.
"They took it off you, right before they put you on the stretcher and into the helicopter. You were pretty out of it, but I figured it would be important to you, so I kept it. I washed it and cleaned the blood off it."
"Was my brother's actually," he explained in a low voice. Remembering how he had taken it along with some of Merle's other belongings right after he had gone missing in Atlanta and Daryl had first joined Rick's group. He felt a lump form in his throat, and a surge of emotion hit him all over again about his dead brother.
"You're into bikes?" Sienna asked, avoiding the subject of his brother, sensing it was painful for Daryl.
He nodded, "Yeah."
"You had one, didn't you? That's how you were travelling when we found you?" She guessed.
He didn't respond.
"There was actually something else I came over to talk to you about earlier too," her sapphire blue eyes looked over to meet his again as she changed the subject.
Daryl's heart raced a little with the tone of her voice in anticipation of what she was about to say.
"I just found out this morning there is another trip planned to area 3."
His eyes narrowed with confusion.
"Area 3 is where you were when we came across you," she explained. "Intelligence has come in that there is a dangerous rebel group there increasing in numbers, possibly the same group that tried to kill you, and there have also been more sightings of the infected. A field team is being dispatched tomorrow. My team and I are going along too….."
She hesitated.
Before she had come across to the hospital building to find Daryl, Sienna had successfully managed to win her place back on the trip from Alex, and she had also had another idea at the same time.
"So, I'm sure if you speak to the guy in charge, they'll let you go too. You're already on their radar as someone worth recruiting with all the skills you have.." She gushed before pausing as she noted the slightly uncomfortable look on his face.
Daryl furrowed a brow, speechless for a second he felt his heart rate pick up even more. No-one had ever said he was worth recruiting before.
"I dunno, what would I have to do?" He eventually asked.
"Just come along, they'll give you weapons, equipment to help them track and locate anything of interest. Then when we're back in the same area again, you can find your bike and stuff again and travel back to your community in safety," she said slowly, her blue eyes widening.
"It's got to be a better option than just breaking out on your own with nothing," she continued.
He went quiet for a moment, thinking it through. He wasn't quite sure why, but he wanted to trust her and he didn't think it was a trick. He had heard that other survivors had ended up working with the military and intelligence services here. It didn't seem like such a bad or crazy idea. But he also knew he still had to have his guard up at all times. No matter what, in this world now he had to always remember - trust no-one.
"Why d'ya care so much what happens to me?" He asked defensively, studying her face intently for her response. He wasn't used to people giving a shit about him.
She shrugged casually. "I saved your life, so just wanted to at least try and make sure you have a semi decent one. Anything could happen to you out there without back up."
He shot her an almost relieved look.
"So what do you say?" She asked again.
"Don't have many other options," he mumbled in agreement. "Thanks," he added with a genuine and grateful smile.
She smiled back and her cheeks were rosy, her eyes alight. Whatever happened now, Sienna hoped this way he would at least make it back to his people in one piece.
"I'll join you," he said out loud, his voice softer.
It sounded a little ridiculous just agreeing and he knew it was likely to blow up in his face, but as he saw the kindness in her eyes, he decided it was worth the risk.
A/N - Thanks for reading, please review if you can :)
