Have any of you had too much to drink and woke up not remembering what you may have said to somebody…? Well I have, and even though I knew there was a conversation, I didn't quite remember the details. Sadie would be more than embarrassed if she knew what she actually said to her Mr. Daryl. Please shoot me a review. It would make my day.
Chapter 6
Daryl continued to nurse Sadie back to health. After that day in the living room her color had returned. Thanks to Hershel, the fever was gone and the balm she found in the bathroom when she first woke was working wonders, as she made sure to apply it liberally.
It had been 10 days now and Daryl told her that the stitches needed to come out.
"So, you just cut them and they slip right out right?" Sadie asked hopefully. But damn well knowing it wasn't going to to be that easy.
"Well, they would slip right out, but I think some tissue might be attached, so you're gonna feel it. You're tough girl, you can take it." Daryl turned away from her and grabbed something. "But just in case."
Sadie's eyes lit up when Daryl produced a bottle of Jack Daniels. She was more of a vodka girl, but any kind of numbing right now was going to be A okay, okie dokie smokie.
"You are a good man Mr. Daryl." Sadie flashed a smile and snagged the bottle from him. The first sip burned like hell. Because, well it's whiskey and if anybody says it doesn't burn they are lying.
After Sadie's third generous sip Daryl began snipping the thread. Not bad, no pain there. Just a little tugging. Awful feeling, but not painful.
"Y'ouch!" Sadie wailed spraying a small amount of whiskey. She had just taken another sip and even she was caught off guard by her loud yell. "That really hurt." Daryl had pulled the first stitch out while she wasn't paying attention.
"Sorry, I thought if you didn't know it was coming it might not hurt as bad." Daryl did appear a little sheepish, but that didn't stop him from ripping out the next thread.
"I hate you." Sadie glared.
"Sure ya do." Daryl knew she was in pain, Hell, he knew what it was like getting backwoods stitches taken out. He let her call him all the names she wanted because he knew that she was doing everything she could not to scream out again, or even worse… cry.
After he was through he realized something. Sadie, miss princess Sleeping Beauty was good and hammered. She sloshed the alcohol toward him and slurred. "I lied. I don' hate you. You are 'hiccup' a good man."
"Ok, Sadie, give me the bottle."
"Sure, you gonna have a drink with me. Let's celebrate." She pushed the bottle into his chest.
"Celebrate what, exactly?"
"We'll celebrate you. Even though you're not God." She laughed. "I did not think you were God."
"Ok kiddo." Daryl stood up and gently picked her up by wrapping his arms underneath hers. He pulled her stitches out on the bathroom floor just in case there was bleeding. "You've had enough for one day. Let's go to bed."
"You're gonna take me to bed." Another dopey smile.
"Uh, yup. I'm taking you to bed."
"I think my leg hurts too much to have sex right now Daryl."
"Um, yeah, Sadie? I'm putting you in bed. Where you will sleep." He was in dangerous territory right now. His tanned face was blushing profusely. This was getting weird. But she was so blitzed he didn't think she would remember any of this when she woke up tomorrow. He sure as hell wasn't going to bring it up again.
"Ok, sex later." She agreed confidently.
Daryl placed her in bed and checked the bandage he wrapped around her leg. He had to lift her leg a little to tighten the bandage around the back. When he did, his hands we definitely in the upper thigh region.
"No Daryl, sex later."
His embarrassment forced him to drop her leg. "Ooowwww." She mumbled and slipped into a drunken sleep. Daryl ran from the room. Not being able to remember the last time he had been more embarrassed.
When Sadie awoke the next day her head was pounding and her mouth was dry. Desert dry. Water. She moaned as she looked at the bedside and saw how far away the glass of water was. Moaning again she rolled toward the glass. Realizing immediately that there was no tugging sensation from her leg. She lifted the blankets and saw that she was wearing a t-shirt and shorts and her leg was clear of any stitches.
But, when did that happen. Sadie closed her eyes. Ahh yes, yesterday, Daryl gave me that stupid bottle of Jack Daniels and removed my stitches. That hurt. She drank the water and saw two tylenol on the dresser. Popped them both into her mouth and drank them down.
Hmm, she thought… he knew I was going to be hungover. How kind of him to leave me water and aspirin. It has been years since I've had a drop of alcohol. I hope I wasn't an ass. She sighed, took another sip and then snuggled back into bed for a couple more hours of sleeping it off.
While Daryl was tending to Sadie's wounds, his family was being stalked.
Joe's group had also rediscovered Rick's. They saw that the traitorous Daryl had joined them. Figures. Joe had known something was a little off about Daryl.
After Rick had bested Joe, he was out for blood. Nobody took what was his and lived to see another day. Rick had taken a person that belonged to Joe and Rick had gotten away. Joe had vowed to find him. Him and that little bitch up a tree. He couldn't think about her now she was long gone… but Rick was right here.
Joe had planned with his men to pick off the members one by one.
"When one of them goes to piss, we'll be there. When they sleep, we'll be there. We will string up their bodies and fucking address those presents to Rick the Dick." Joe was exhilarated by the thought of a little payback. He was sick and fucking tired of people getting the better of him. And as for Daryl. Well, he'd make him watch as he slit Rick's throat and then his.
He didn't realize they were going to journey so far away. He also didn't realize that it was harder to catch them alone than he thought. People were always on the lookout in a circle of protection. Daryl was the only one that ventured off on his own. But they could never keep track of him. If they stayed too close Daryl would hear them, almost saw them a few times.
So Joe made them keep their distance from him. HIs time would come.
They weren't around when Daryl found Sadie, lucky for Daryl and Sadie, but they were still stalking Rick's group like a pack of hyenas.
"Why do I feel like this is goodbye?" Sadie looked into Daryl's eyes. Desperately searching for the truth that she knew was in there. She knew he wouldn't be coming back.
"It ain't goodbye. 'Specially not for us." Daryl hitched his crossbow tighter to his shoulder. "I told you, I'll be back for you in a day or two. I have to find my family, and when I do, I'll come back an get ya."
"No. This doesn't feel right. You shouldn't go right now." Sadie knew how pathetic she sounded, but she didn't care. They finally agreed to stick together. That is always when everything goes wrong. It always goes wrong when people come together. Sadie was desperate to keep her life from falling apart now that she found somebody.
Her and Daryl were getting to know each other. It was slow going, but it was happening.
One night as they sat on the couch, Daryl had lit a fire. I was nice. The popping of the logs created enough distraction from a full conversation. Sadie noticed that Daryl had closed off a little bit from her since the stitches came out and she figured it was something stupid that she had said.
"Daryl, I gotta ask you something." Her gut twisted into knots, because who wants to hear what stupid thing they said or did when they were drunk.
"Yeah." Mr. Short and sweet again.
"Did I say or do something to make you uncomfortable when I was, well, ya know… drunk?" She quickly continued. "I know I probably called you some names, but I don't think you're the kind of guy to take offense to that. So, well, how did I make you uncomfortable?"
"You didn't." Short and not so sweet this time. Daryl was ending this conversation.
"Yeah, I did. Because you barely talk to me now. You barely make eye contact with me." She leaned in front of him to look him in the eye.
"You're imagining things." Daryl looked back to the fire.
"Did I come on to you? Tell you, you were cute or something?"
"No." hmm, his answer was very quick. So this was it. He didn't want me to get any ideas, Sadie thought.
"Daryl, I was drunk. If I came on to you I'm sorry. Sometimes I get a little flirty when I've had too much. Besides, you must've provoked it." This will work.
"I didn't provoke nothin'. You were the one that mentioned sex." He turned to look at her, eyes wide, not believing he just said that.
"SEX! I did what?" Now it was Sadie's turn to blush.
"We didn't have sex or nothin. You just, you misunderstood when I told you I was taking you to bed. You just said no sex now, later."
Sadie sucked in her lower lip and bit down. Oh God. How embarrassing. Not like it's a first in front of this man though. She always seemed to be embarrassing herself. "I'm sorry. That was really stupid of me." Then she began to laugh.
Daryl joined her. "You poor guy, just trying to do the right thing. I wasn't that bad was I?"
Daryl thought on it. He didn't want to make this worse. He actually wanted to make it better and fix the gap between them. "Nah, you just said that and then passed out. I've seen worse."
Sadie bet he had too.
She was a smart girl and she thought she was finally beginning to figure out Daryl. Now that they have cleared the air, more information came out. About their families and friends. What activities they enjoyed. An easy friendship was forming after a their first year had come and gone.
"We need supplies and I need to try n find my family. They'll be wondering where I am. I couldn't leave 'for you woke up. But I gotta." Daryl moved closer to Sadie. He almost second guessed himself but he's learned to stop doing that. Daryl set his hands on Sadie's shoulders. She was wearing a spaghetti strap tank top and his hands touched a lot of skin. "I ain't leavin ya. I'll come back for you. But ya can't come. You won't be able to keep up yet."
Sadie dropped her head, she knew he was right about that. "Just doesn't feel right."
Daryl moved his hand from her shoulder to just under her chin. He used his index finger to slowly lift her face to his. In an instant his lips brushed against hers. And just as quickly Sadie was looking at his back as he yet again walked away from her.
Only this time… he stopped at the edge of the woods.
Turned to look at her.
"I'll be back for ya." Not knowing if she heard him. Then he was gone again.
Sadie had no idea what the hell that was. A Kiss or just, a kiss. Was it all comfort and reassurance or was it more? And why did this feel more like goodbye than all the other times?
She couldn't believed he had kissed her.
He kissed her.
Sadie went back into the cabin an lay down on the bed. She was now rubbing the excellent balm over the wound on her leg. The infection was gone now and it just needed to heal.
Rocking on the wooden swing on the porch one clear and cool evening the smell hit her. It was that protein and shit smell again… then she heard it. The soft hum of a thousand groans carried on the wind. It was coming from the SE. Sadie knew that with that many biters she couldn't stay in the house. They could get in, just by the pressure of shear numbers. Climbing a tree was a possibility, a painful one, but around the cabin there were only pine trees. Either the branches were too far off the ground or they were too dense for her to get into. She would have to move further north to find some Oaks. Daryl had moved south. That was 3 days ago.
Her brain filled with thoughts of him as she gathered as many belongings as she could. Was he okay. Did he come across the herd? No time for that right now. She bolt out the front door and off the porch just as the front line of the dead appeared over the hill.
They would see her, but they wouldn't catch her. Even though she was slower with the bum leg and bruised ribs she was still much faster than the limping, shuffling dead.
Half a mile into the woods she found her tree. Shimmied up it, well, less of a shimmy and more of a pulling, grunting and lurch. Found her branches high above the forest floor and settled in.
It took about a half an hour for the herd to get to where she was. By that time she was nestled in and on the 6th chapter of the novel she swiped from the cabin.
Her thoughts began to wander again, the way they always did. She couldn't help but wonder where her mountain man had gone now. She knew that he was alive and ok. He always will be, but the herd was coming straight for her. No way he would be able to go back and try to track her down.
Guess it's going to be another 3 months.
Chapter 7
Daryl had been fiercely searching for Sadie nonstop since the herd came through. He had found Rick on the third day away from her and was explaining that he needed to go back for her. Rick was agreeing as he knew Daryl didn't accept anybody lightly. This girl must be alright. When they heard the familiar sounds of a herd headed in their direction. It was passing to the north of them. Between Daryl and Sadie.
It took much convincing by Rick to stop Daryl from trying to get ahead of the herd and beat them to Sadie.
"Daryl, she seems like a smart girl, she'll be ok. You can't risk it." Rick pleaded.
"She's hurt dammit. She can't take care of herself like she used to." Sweat dripped down Daryl's forehead and he knew that he was pacing.
"Daryl, we'll find her. Just not now. We gotta wait this one out." Carol tried to join the conversation but Rick waved her off. He remembered what Daryl was like trying to rescue his brother. This girl must be very important to him, because he is acting the exact same way. "We'll find her."
Reluctantly Daryl agreed to move further away from Sadie in order to wait out the herd. He did try several times as it thinned out to get the group moving to go get her, but everybody was still nervous. There had been so many. They had to wait for it to clear out more.
After he could wait no longer Daryl slung his pack over his shoulder and pulled Rick aside.
"Rick, I'm leaving. You know I can't stay. She's in danger, I can feel it. Don't move. Just stay right in this area and I'll find you again."
"Ok brother, be safe." And like so many others Rick watched Daryl's back as he disappeared into the trees.
Daryl had no idea how right he was when he said Sadie was in danger. She would very soon be in a fight for her life that she was sure she would not win.
