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In the morning when he woke, Daryl found himself wrapped around her. Saint was laying on her left side with her back against his side. He had his left arm under her neck and his right arm thrown over her waist. He had put his right leg in between hers. Her small hands were resting against his arm. He yanked his arm away from her quickly as he turned onto his back. He moved his left arm carefully and slowly out from under her neck. She sighed but didn't move. Daryl ran his hand over his face than rubbed his eyes. He was thankful he had woke up first.
Saint was allowed to shower but she was told to make it fast because of her sutures. Hershel didn't want her sutures to get wet for long. She put on her clothes from the day before and felt disgusting. She couldn't wait to get home and change into some clean clothes. Daryl waited for her in the hallway. So Saint waited until he was done with the shower because she didn't want to be alone with the group. They walked through the house and outside together.
After breakfast it was decided that Rick would go with Daryl and Saint to her place. Shane, Andrea and T-Dog were going to continue looking for Sophia. Saint wasn't excited about Rick coming but she agreed to it. Saint planned on bring her horses back to Hershel's farm, with his blessing, so she was going to ride with Daryl on the way to the cabin. He brought a chair out and helped her climb onto the horse. The sutures in her stomach cause her some pain when she had to reach up.
Daryl groaned silently as he slipped onto the horse behind her. He tried to sit as far away from her as he could but once the horse started to walk they slid into each other. Her back went right against his chest, again. He sighed but let his arms rest against her waist as he held onto the reins of the horse. He had tried hard not to touch her but it was impossible.
" Daryl, when we get to the cabin, can you do something for me?" She asked quietly. Rick was following behind them.
" What?" He asked.
" Can you go into the cabin and fix whatever is a mess? I don't want to see it the way I'm sure I left it." She said.
" Yeah. Ain't that bad just so you know. But we'll go to the barn and you can take care of the horses while I take care of the cabin." He said. She sighed and he felt her relax against him.
" Thank you." She said. He smiled slightly when she almost settled into him.
" Your wounds holdin up?" Daryl asked.
" Yeah. My stomach one is hurting a little as the horse moves but there isn't anything I can do about it so I'm sucking it up." Saint said.
" You remember anythin?" He asked. He felt Saint tense up right away and regretted asking her.
" I remember." She said softly. Daryl nodded even though she couldn't see him and they didn't speak again until they came up to her cabin. If she wanted to talk about it, he'd wait until she came to him.
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Daryl led Rick to the barn where they would leave the horses while Daryl took care of her cabin. He slipped off the horse then both Rick and Daryl helped her to the ground. She whined a little but that was all. She closed her eyes and shook her head as she took a deep breath. It wasn't so much the wound that hurt her but the pull of the stitches. They checked over the barn, made sure it was clear then left her there to check her cabin again. They crept up to the front and went inside quietly. When they were sure it was empty Daryl started straighten things up for her.
" I know she wants to come back here but you should talk her into joining us. We can protect her." Rick said as he followed after Daryl.
" Oh yeah cuz you protected my brother, Jim, and Amy so well." Daryl snapped. Rick was righting a chair but froze at Daryl's words. Daryl sighed and shook his head. He face Rick. " Look, I'm sorry." He said quietly. He didn't mean to snap at Rick, he was actually starting to like the cop, but he didn't like the idea of her being alone either and he didn't understand that.
" No one should be alone right now, Daryl." Rick said. Daryl nodded.
" Yeah, I'll try and talk to her." He said.
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Saint changed her clothes in her bathroom then packed a few bags. They loaded up the saddle bags with some of her food then strapped her bags to her horses. She was going to ride on Sally while Daryl led Ty back to the farm. Rick had tried to talk her out of riding herself but she assured him she was fine. She locked up her cabin with a sad smile. She was raised to not depend on anyone and it was bothering her that she was needing them to care for her. No one spoke again until they reached the farm.
Saint nudged Sally to follow Daryl into the barn. Daryl dismounted than handed the horses off to Hershel. He hurried to Saint and helped her down. They emptied out the saddle bags with Rick, put the horses up than made their way back to the camp. Rick made sure he walked a head of them to give them some space and privacy.
" So am I just staying in your tent with you still?" Saint asked. Daryl was watching the ground in front of them as they walked.
" If you want to. Don't bother me." He said.
" I'd like too. I know you trust them but I need some time." She said. He nodded. " It's not that I think they aren't good people, I'm sure they are. I just...I'm nervous."
" You ain't gotta to explain to me. I didn't trust them for a while." Daryl said. Saint sighed as they reached his tent.
" I won't take up a lot of your space." She said. He smiled as he started unzipping his tent door.
" You ain't gonna take up any space. Shit, you're the tintest person I ever meant." He said. Saint laughed and followed him in. " You just put your bags under the cot if you want. I gotta talk to Rick about the plan for looking for Sophia. Shane's back and I wanna know what he found. Get settled in and I'll be back."
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Saint was sitting on her knees, looking through the tent window as she stored her few bags under the cot. She was watching Daryl walk away. His walk was relaxed but she knew better. He knew what was going on around him at all times. He was a hunter, it was his job to know. Her hands paused in her work as she saw Daryl meet up with two guys, Rick and the other cop. She couldn't remember his name and she didn't want to know it. Something about him bothered her. He made her uneasy.
Daryl rested his hands low on his hips as most of his weight came to rest on his right leg. She couldn't see his face but she knew he had to be squinted and frowning. That was his natural look. It always seemed like the sun was in his eyes no matter where it was in the sky. She smiled at the thought of him. He was strong and sweet but, like her, he didn't let that side out much. He didn't want anyone to know what he cared about. She understand that. If anyone knew he cared about something, they might use that against him.
Daryl nodded and looked back towards his tent. Saint jumped and dropped her eyes but she knew she was caught. He had to know she had been staring at him. Her cheeks flushed as she shook her head. She should not be lusting after anyone. Now was not the time to be losing her head over a guy. She was going to help them find their little girl, heal up, then head home. She glanced up and saw he headed back her way. His head was down and he was holding onto the straps of his cross bow that were around his chest. It was mid afternoon and sweat had plaster his hair to his head. His shirt was clinging to his chest.
" Oh damn." She whispered. " He's so hot." To her horror, her insides started to tingle. She shifted her position then looked down between her legs. " Really?" She hissed to herself. " He's just walking for fuck sakes. That's no reason I have to get wet." She shook her head and closed her eyes. Yeah, she wanted that man, sweat and dirt covered, it didn't matter to her. If he wanted, she'd let him take her against the tree beside his tent. She shook her head again, she hadn't been with a man in a long time. She raised her head up and saw him looking at her. He was close now.
" I'm headed out. You should stay here." He said through the window of the tent when he stopped walking. " The girls ain't bad. If the men freak you out, stay with the girls. But you can't go with me today." She sighed but nodded.
" Yeah, I understand. I will just slow you down with how I am now." Saint said. He nodded.
" I ain't tryin to say you can't handle yourself."
" No, I get it. You shouldn't have to worry about me when you're out there. Just go and be careful."
" You need somthin before I leave?" Daryl asked. She smiled at him.
" I'm not helpless, Daryl." She said. He smiled again.
" I ain't sayin you are. I'll see you later, Angel." He said before he walked away.
What she didn't see was how he rolled his eyes at himself. Did he really just call her Angel? What he didn't see was the smile on her face at his nickname for her. He just called her Angel.