I Found You
Holding the boy's small wrist in my hand, I kept two fingers on his weak pulse, counting the beats in the span of a minute. After a minute passed, I placed his arm down on the bed, figuring out his blood pulse. At that moment, I heard the front door shut and two sets of footsteps make their way to the room. Looking up I saw Rick and who I assumed to be the boy's mother stand in the doorway. I got up as the mother made her way to the bedside, placing her hands on the boy's head. Gently placing my hand on Rick's shoulder before leaving the room, I whispered, "I'll let y'all be." He nodded, his eyes fixed on his wife and son.
Standing outside of the room, my head facing the floor, I looked up as a hand rested on my shoulder, "How is everything, Ava?" I looked up to see Hershel beside me. Shaking my head, I mumbled, "It doesn't look good, sir. I was trying to take his pulse but even with the extra blood that Rick's given, it's still real faint. I'm not even sure he might pull through." Hershel nodded, looking around the corner at the small family gathered around the bed, "Well, Ava, sometimes we may never know what's going to happen, especially in a situation like this. All we have to do is keep praying and have faith that miracles can happen. But that wasn't what I meant when I asked how everything was. What I meant was, how are you pulling through this?"
Looking back down at the floor, I could feel tears start to well up as I thought back to my family and how I had lost them, just like I had lost Daryl. In the back of my mind, I knew what Hershel was trying to get at. I had told him my story after I had woken up in the same bed that this family was gathered at. He wanted to know how I was coping with seeing this family together, even if their son might not make it. I shrugged before bringing my hand up to my face and brushing away some stray tears, "I don't know, Hershel. I just like to think that I might have someone out there looking for me but I don't think he is." Hershel smiled and placed a finger under my chin, lifting my head so I could look at him, "What did I say just a minute ago, Ava? All we have to do is have faith that miracles can happen." I sniffed before throwing my arms around him, smiling as I felt his wrap around me. Pulling back, he lifted his hand and brushed back some stray hair, "You know, even though you've only been here about a week and a half, I already think of you as my daughter. Maggie and Beth have always needed someone close to their age that they could count on besides each other. You, my dear, are a blessing from God in the midst of all this tragedy."
I let out a soft laugh as he pressed a short kiss to my forehead, "Now, I need you to get some juice and cookies together for Rick because Patricia and I are going to do another transfusion. Maggie is sitting outside waiting on the rest of Rick's group to arrive. As soon as Otis and Rick's man get back from their run, I'm going to operate on the boy. Will you be willing to help me? I already have Patricia helping but since you already have some medical training, I was hoping that you would be able to be my assistant." I nodded, "Yeah, whatever you need me to do, I'll certainly help." He gently squeezed my shoulder before stepping into the guest room.
I stood, leaning against the counter as Patricia and I waited on the water to boil so we could sanitize whatever instruments we had that we could use for the operation. I crossed my arms as Patricia let out a loud sigh, "Where are they? It's getting late and they should be back by now." I ran a hand through my hair, shrugging my shoulders, "They'll be here soon. Otis knows the way, he'll get everything that's needed." I moved away from the counter and motioned towards the living room ,"I'm gonna try to sleep a bit before they come back. Wake me as soon as something happens?" Patricia nodded and I made my way to the living room, laying down on the couch and shutting my eyes.
"Ava! Ava! Wake Up! They're back! I'm going to set up, you go get everything they brought back." I sat up, my heart pounding in my chest. They made it back! This is really gonna happen! Oh God, if you're listening, please help us. Help that boy pull through. I rushed outside and saw only Shane standing next to the truck with Otis' gun. I cocked my head at him as we take the supplies off his shoulder, "Say nothing to Patricia. Not until after. I need her!" I ran back inside with Hershel, carrying a bag of supplies. We got to the room and I shut the door behind us.
Time passed until we finished the surgery. I couldn't tell you how much time had passed but I could tell you that it felt like it took all night. I stitched Carl's side up as Patricia left the room with the used, bloody instruments. I took my gloves off and threw them away before going upstairs to change. Before I hit the stairs, Maggie handed me a pile of Otis' clothes, asking me to give them to Shane and to show him where the bathroom was. I nodded and went to find him. I ran into him as he came out of Carl's room. I backed up a few steps and handed the clothes out to him, Something about this man just wasn't sitting right with me. "Bathroom's upstairs. Here's some clean clothes. They might not fit well 'cause they were Otis'."
I waited a minute to see if he would say anything but he just stared off into space with a shocked look. I mouthed, "Okay" and walked off to my room that I was sharing with Maggie. Changing into a pair of shorts and a long sleeve shirt, I threw myself onto the spare bed and was out like a light, not even waking up when Maggie came into the room.
When I woke up, I made my way to the bathroom and took a quick, cold shower. As I finished drying myself off, I dressed back into the shorts and top I wore to bed last night. Opening the door to the hallway, my stomach growled at me, signaling that it had been hours since I last ate something substantial. Walking back to my room, I slipped my feet into a pair of boots, I've got the most mismatched wardrobe on the planet. But hey, if it fits. As I stood up, I closed my eyes as the room started spinning, I've got to get something to eat or else Hershel will have my hide. Walking down the steps, I stopped as I heard a noise that sounded like a motorcycle.
No! It can't be! Can it?
- Daryl's POV -
I kicked the stand down, balancing Merle's bike on the ground. I swung my leg over and walked with our group that was already scattered in front of the house as Rick and a few extra people gathered in the front yard. Dale spoke up first, "How is he?" Lori smiled, nodding her head, "He'll pull through. Thanks to Hershel and his people." I let out a sigh of relief. At least this kid was gonna be okay.
SLAM!
Everyone looked to the porch as the front door slammed shut. My eyes widened as I looked into the eyes of Ava who stood there, her whole body shaking as she breathed in and out, tears streaming down her face, "Daryl?" A hand flew to her mouth as my name escaped her lips. That was all it took. I don't care if there were people standing around me, looking at me like I was crazy. I didn't even feel the tears fall onto my cheeks as I made my way to her.
Before I could even realize what was happening, I saw her eyes roll to the back of her head before she fell at the top of the stairs. I flew the last few feet, mumbling her name, my hands hovering over her afraid to touch her. I saw hands reach for her out of the corner of my eye. I grabbed my knife and stood up fast, coming face-to-face with the man named Hershel. He swallowed against my knife, his hands in the air, "Son, I'm just going to take her to her room. She probably hasn't eaten since yesterday morning. And all of this excitement has probably taken its toll on her. So, if you want her to wake up, I think you best put the knife away and let me help her."
I took a few breaths before nodding and stepping away, putting my knife back in its sheath. I bent down and slipped my arms underneath her, moving so her head was resting on my shoulder. I turned to Hershel, "Where to old man? He motioned towards the door, opening it and letting me walk inside before following after me, "Up the stairs and the second door on the left." I nodded and walked up the stairs, being careful to not knock Ava's head into the wall. I heard Hershel behind me, telling someone named Beth to make Ava a sandwich with some juice to drink.
When I got to her room, I stood in front of the door, waiting on Hershel to turn the knob and push open the door. I walked in and laid Ava down on a bed as gently as I could. As her head rested on the pillow, I brushed some stray hairs behind her ear, studying her face that I hadn't seen in what seemed like years. I sighed, She's still just as beautiful as ever. I sat down on the bed next to her as Hershel rummaged through a bag he had carried upstairs, "So I take it you're the infamous Daryl Dixon. I've heard a lot about you." I looked up, scrunching my forehead in confusion, "You have?" Hershel nodded, "Yes. She's never forgotten about you, or forgotten about the fact that you were looking for her. She may have faltered in her faith along the way but that comes with the territory. Ahh! Found it!"
I turned to see that he was holding what looked like a vial of crystals. I cocked my eyebrow at him, "What's that stuff?" He popped the lid off, saying, "These are smelling salts, son. They may be a bit old fashioned, but they work. My wife, Jo, used to carry them in her purse. She used to say that you never know when the time would come to use smelling salts." Before he could even attempt to do what he was going to do, the door opened and in walked a young blonde girl, her hair up in a ponytail. She set the food down on the nightstand, "Here you go Daddy. Is she gonna be okay?" Hershel nodded, "She will be. I was just about to wake her up using your momma's smelling salts." So this must be Beth. She nodded and ducked out of the door.
Hershel turned and handed me the vial, "Here you go son. I'll let you be the one to wake her up, now that you're here." I took the vial and looked at it, raising my eyebrow "What 'xactly am I 'posed to do with it?" Hershel gave a small laugh, "All you have to do is pass it under her nose a couple of times. The smell alone will wake her up." I shrugged my shoulders and brought the vial up to my nose, pulling it away as soon as I smelled it, my eyes widening, "Wow! Yep, I'm sure that'll do it." Hershel chuckled and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.
I looked down at the small crystals in my hand, then over at Ava. Sighing, I knelt on the floor beside her muttering, "Well, here goes." I took the vial and passed it under Ava's nose a few times before setting it on the nightstand. As soon as I set it down, Ava gasped, her eyes flying open. I sat up straighter as she looked around the room. As her eyes landed on me, I smiled, whispering, "Hey." She smiled back, her hand moving to cup my cheek, "You found me" she said as a single tear rolled down her cheek. I nodded, my hand moving to cup her cheek, my thumb swiping away the glistening tear. Swallowing around the lump in my throat, I choked out, "Yeah, I found you and I'm never letting you go again."
zombiegurl: thanks so much for your review. If you want to read a Daryl fanfic that shows he has a life before the ZA, you should check out "Life I Left Behind" by Aint_It_Fun My story is nothing compared to hers! She is awesome!
