THE WALKING DEAD SOCIAL GAME IS OPEN FOR FREE BETA! :D It's about time I got to play, even if it's not the legit game yet! Been waiting since last Fall!
Anyway, I'm out of energy so I'll write while I wait for a refill!
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Carol blinked, trying to clear the fuzz in her brain as she regained consciousness, the first thing she noticed was Andrea sitting next to her, a wet rag in hand.
"Carol, you feeling ok?" she asked softly. "You passed out."
"I...how long have I been out?" Carol asked softly, then she remembered the events leading up to her loss of consciousness and she sat up, making her head swim. "Andrea! I saw Daryl! I saw him!"
Andrea looked at her with pity and pushed her gently back down.
"Carol..." she said softly, "I know you're stressed and losing Daryl was a very difficult blow...but you must have been seeing things."
Carol sighed heavily and slumped back into the pillows.
"I...I thought..." Carol felt her throat tightening and her heart breaking all over again. "Andrea, I think I'm going mad."
Andrea's face remained pitying for a moment more, but then Carol saw the corner of her mouth twitch and she immediately burst into laughter.
"Oh, Carol, I'm so sorry! I'm such an ass!" she said with a mixture of humor and apology, "Get up. Come one, get your butt out of bed and come with me!"
Carol nodded softly, wondering what Andrea was going on about, but she stood slowly, letting her brain adjust to the change in position. Andrea took her hand and led her down the hall, the door on the left at the end was open and there was a lot of commotion coming out of it.
"Everyone get out of here!" she heard Herschel snap suddenly and people began to file out, and they threw her giant grins as they passed her on their way towards the stairs. Lori squeezed her arm as she passed and Carol's half blurry mind wondered what she was so happy about. Andrea pushed her gently forward and Carol nearly bumped into the doorframe when she felt herself yanked inside by Sophia's small hand on her forearm.
"Sophia, what...?"
And the world stopped once again when she turned to the right and her eyes fell on the figure on the bed that Herschel was leaning over. There was blood on the blankets and towels that had been places under him and she eyed the table full of metal instruments Herschel was placing something sharp looking on at that moment.
"D...Daryl?" she breathed in disbelief. Daryl rolled over quickly, causing a wince to shoot over his face that faded quickly into a huge smile.
"Hey, babes," he said softly.
"Roll over!" Herschel demanded, pushing Daryl's shoulder, making him roll back onto his right side. Carol made her way dreamily around to the other side of the bed, her eyes taking in his form.
He looked terrible...but Carol thought she'd never seen something so beautiful in her life. He was filthy, covered in dried blood, and he looked thinner than when she last saw him, his skin was flushed and he was sweating a lot and she noticed he was breathing pretty hard. His left pant leg was cut up to his hip and laid open to reveal a large, deep gash on the outside of his thigh which was what Herschel was in there for. Carol felt a little bit sick at the sight of it, but her concern was greater than her disgust.
"Herschel..." she said quietly, "Is he going to be ok?"
"He's got a pretty nasty infection and a high fever," Herschel stated grimly, "He's lost a lot of blood and he's dehydrated but...I'll do my best, Carol. I think he'll be ok if he does as he's told."
Carol felt her gut clench when Hershel started threading a large needle with very thick stitching thread. Daryl weakly glanced over his shoulder to see what she was looking at and he jerked, recoiling from the needle as Herschel approached with it.
"I'm not doing any stitches yet," Herschel said grimly, "You're gonna be grateful when I do that compared to what I have to do next."
Carol looked at Herschel questioningly and Daryl turned to look at him too, distrust written on his face.
"What the fuck are ya gonna do?" he growled, pain thick in his voice and it made Carol's heart squeeze uncomfortably seeing him like this.
Herschel didn't reply because he turned to meet Patricia who was carrying a long piece of metal with a flat end on it, and a large cast iron pot containing what Carol thought was still burning chunks of charcoal both Carol and Daryl's eyes widened at the sight of it.
"What is that!?" Carol squeaked.
"Carol...you might want to step out..." Patricia placed a hand on Carol's arm and gave a little tug but Carol yanked herself from her grip.
"I'm not going anywhere," she growled, then looked down at Daryl and said softer, "I'm not going anywhere."
Patricia and Herschel looked at each other, unsure, but he then nodded and Carol watched in horror as she set the end of the metal thing into the small blaze contained in the black pot which she set on a large flat rock Maggie had just placed on the floor.
"You better not intend on gettin' within ten feet of me with that," Daryl warned, his eyes squinted in anger.
"Daryl you've got a very bad infection and quite a lot of dead tissue in that wound," Herschel explained, "Before I can stitch you up and get you started on antibiotics I've got to clean this out...and this is the most effective way. If this infection goes untreated...you will lose your leg."
Daryl's eyes widened in disbelief.
"No fuckin' way! It's not that bad!" he yelled, "Is it really THAT bad!?"
Carol bit her bottom lip when his eyes came back to lock on hers, searching for her support to his argument.
"It's bad, Daryl...I'm no doctor but it doesn't look good," she was sorry she couldn't back him up, Herschel was right.
Daryl sighed heavily but nodded, his eyes dropped to the floor and he seemed to be thinking deeply. Behind him, Carol saw Patricia hand Herschel to now red hot cauterizing tool. She gulped loudly and felt like she might throw up, but she knew she couldn't...she had to be strong for Daryl at this moment. She gripped his left hand firmly.
"Daryl, Daryl look at me, ok?" she whispered quickly, seeing that Herschel wasn't going to waste any time with this, he was moving the hot metal towards the gash in Daryl's leg at that moment. "You can do this, you're tough as nails!"
Daryl nodded, but his eyes were terrified and when Herschel pressed the metal down his entire face scrunched into the most pained expression she'd ever seen in her life and he let out a growling whine that broke Carol's heart. His grip on her hand became painful from the tightness and Carol squeezed back to ease the pain shooting up her arm. Herschel pulled back and Patricia pressed a cool, wet cloth to the burned area and Daryl's grip relaxed on her and she pulled her hand back.
"Ow," she said with a grim chuckle, "Are you alright?"
"Sorry," Daryl voice was small and he looked at her with an apologetic look that was hazy with pain.
Carol nodded and handed him the pillow he wasn't using quickly to grip because Herschel was about to continue. Carol bit her bottom lip and had to look away when she heard the sizzle of burning skin and Daryl let out a sharp yelp which became an angry, pained howl. If it was possible, she felt like her own skin was burning out of sympathy!
Six presses later, Herschel was satisfied that he'd cleaned it as best he could and he held out a hand for the stitching needle and Patricia handed it to him. Carol took Daryl's hand again and pressed a kiss to his forehead.
"Are you ok?" she whispered.
Daryl nodded quickly and Carol noticed a tear running down his cheek so she wiped it away before Herschel or Patricia would notice, after all he had an image to maintain. She kissed the salty trail it had left on his face and ended at the corner of his right eye.
"They're starting the stitches now," she warned him as Herschel leaned over with the needle.
"Awesome..." Daryl mumbled, giving her hand a squeeze.
Carol locked her eyes with his and winced every time he did. The stitches took a long time it seemed to her but finally Herschel announced he was done and Daryl's grip on her relaxed.
"Ok..." Herschel stated, washing his hands off in the basin Maggie had brought in at some point, Carol wasn't sure when because she'd been to focused on Daryl's eyes...those beautiful cobalt eyes she thought she'd never see again. "I'm gonna ask you to take antibiotics everyday and keep these stitches dry and clean. And for Pete's sake, DO NOT try and walk around a lot or do anything strenuous."
"Alright, doc, I got it," Daryl muttered. "Thanks for the patch up."
"And, Carol, make sure he drinks a lot," Patricia added as she followed Herschel out the door, pushing the metal cart of now bloody instruments.
Carol assured Patricia she would make sure he was following the rules and closed the door behind her. She pressed her forehead into the wood as it clicked shut and then glanced over at Daryl who was looking at her over his shoulder, a weak smile on his lips. She felt the weight of everything finally crush her and she slid down the door to her knees and let the tears fall as her body wracked with sobs.
"Woman, get over here," Daryl's voice interrupted her crying, he sounded stern. Carol recognized his no nonsense tone and she rose unsteadily to her feet, her legs still shaking from the shock of the day. She walked around the bed to the empty side and laid next to him, not meeting his eyes as she tried to stop sniffling. "C'mere."
Carol felt his arm slip around her and she was pulled tightly into his chest as he turned onto his back carefully, pulling her slightly on top of him as he lifted her chin and claimed her mouth slowly and sweetly. Carol returned the kiss in a fog of disbelief, her mind hadn't quite grasped the fact that she was actually touching him, that this was real. She pulled back from his lips and nuzzled her nose into his neck. He was filthy and the smell of his skin was strong with sweat, but she didn't give a flying fuck, she ran her lips and tongue over the muscles and tendons of his throat as her fingertips twisted slowly in the light colored hair on his chest.
"I thought you were dead," she whispered into the crook where his jaw and neck connected. "I...I didn't think I'd ever see you again."
"I didn't think I'd make it back either," Daryl admitted softly, his right hand was buried in her still short, but increasingly shaggy hair and his left traced her spine through her shirt. "All I could think of was getting back here to you."
"How?" Carol asked, putting her weight on her palms as she pushed herself up to look down at him. Her breath caught in her throat as he stared up at her, his gaze was intense and she saw all kinds of emotions running around in his eyes like he was trying to pin down one emotion to feel.
"It's a long story, ya better get comfortable," he said finally. She nodded and let herself lower down to him again, rolling off and tucking herself close into his side.
"I'm comfy," she announced, "Now...tell me what happened. Andrea told me she was sure you were dead."
"I don't blame her," Daryl muttered, "I was pretty sure I was gonna be too. I ran a diversion, tried to lure the walkers into the auto shop garage. Andrea snuck in the store around the corner so she didn't see it happen, but when I got inside I had t' climb out through a window and on my way through I got snagged on..well I'm not sure exactly what it was but it was metal and, as ya can see, it was pretty fuckin' sharp."
Carol waited, wide-eyed, for him to continue.
"Well it hurt like shit and I didn't make the most graceful landin' and not all the geeks were dumb enough to get in the garage before I closed it so all the ones outside still obviously smelled the blood and started headin' my way," Daryl continued telling his story like it was no big deal, "Well I managed to kill a few before there were just too many so I started making my way toward the loading dock doors. One of the fuckers got a hold of my crossbow and I lost it but I knew if I went back for it it'd be my ass so I dragged myself to those doors somehow, adrenaline is my guess, and got inside."
"Andrea said she thought you were dead because she saw a walker chewing on your crossbow and there was a lot of blood," Carol said, piecing the storied together.
"Yeah, it was pretty bad," Daryl agreed, "I managed to get the bleeding under control by making a tourniquet with my shirt and an arrow, but then I passed out. When I woke up, I looked outside and the walkers had moved on, they were stumbling around the front of the store again. So I went inside and got some bandages and tape and fixed m'self up a bit better before I snuck out the back and got my bow back. I stayed there for the night, figuring maybe Rick and them'd come back lookin'."
"I told them to," Carol said softly, "I didn't believe you were dead. But Rick said they'd gone back and not been able to find you."
"Probably went back while I was passed out," Daryl reasoned, "If they'd been callin' for me I wouldn't've heard 'em. So the next morning, I grabbed what food I could find off the shelves in the store and started making my way home. Which wasn't easy and took much long than I planned. I started getting this fever yesterday and I didn't think I was gonna make it...but I just kept thinking of you. I had to get back."
Carol pulled him closer, if that was even possible, and pressed her lips to his shoulder.
"I...Sophia and I...well, all of us, I guess...we had a funeral for you," Carol said, feeling dumb about the whole thing now.
"Yeah?" Daryl sounded amused, "Did everyone cry and say I was a great guy?"
"I cried..."
Carol felt his arm tighten around her.
"I'm sorry, Carol," he whispered, his voice sounded tight and Carol looked up to find his eyes glistening with tears. "I'm sorry you had to go through this. I wish I could've made it home sooner but this damn leg..."
"Shh," Carol demanded, pressing her finger to his lips, "I'm not mad. Daryl, I'm just so glad to see you that I don't want to think about these last few days. Just...hold me."
And he did. He held her for hours and they both fell asleep in each other's arms and that's how they were found by the rest of the group when they came to see how Daryl was doing, everyone would smile softly and back out without a sound, leaving them alone.
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"You smell pretty bad," Carol stated later after they'd been awake for a while.
"I imagine I do," Daryl muttered, "I ain't really had time t' clean up lately."
"Well you've gotta get cleaned up," Carol stated simply, throwing her legs over the edge of the bed and standing up. She turned around and pulled him up into a sitting position, careful to avoid jostling his injured leg. "I'll be right back."
Carol went down to the kitchen and grabbed the cling wrap from the drawer under the microwave and made her way back upstairs.
"Ok, get up," she announced as she came back in the room.
Daryl obeyed and shakily rose from where he was sitting on the bed's side, he favored his left leg and Carol stood next to him, wrapping her arm around him, acting like a human crutch for his right side as they made their way out of the room and down the hall to the bathroom. Carol helped sit him down on the chair next to the tub and she turned on the warm water, testing it with her hand until it was running at the right temperature before plugging the drain to hold the water.
She turned then and had him stand up. She gently undid the front of his bloody, ripped and ruined jeans and slip them slowly and carefully down his legs, making sure not to brush the material over the stitches on his thigh. Daryl sat back down and she pulled them completely off, tossing them aside. That was all he had on in the first place and she took in his bare form appreciatively. He was brown with dirt and dried blood, his hair was plastered down with sweat and oil and who knows what else, but his eyes were bright and happy as he stared back at her.
"Damn, feels good to be out of those things," he said with a grin.
Carol laughed and picked up the box of cling wrap. She handed him the corners and then stepped back to unwind a large section and then ripped it off, holding the other corners. She wrapped the stuff clear around his thigh to form a waterproof barrier to keep the stitches dry.
"Alright, get in there," she ordered.
Daryl stood slowly and eyed her with slight confusion.
"You're not gonna join?" he asked with a cheeky smile. Carol laughed and, after hesitating for a moment, began removing her clothes. Once she had dropped everything off to the side in a pile, she stepped forward and slipped into the warmth of the water with him.
"Here," she whispered, handing him the bar of soap off the rack and a washcloth. He lathered up the cloth, but he surprised her by reaching out and running it gently down her shoulder and arm. She giggled "Hey, that was meant for you!"
"You've got one, haven't ya?" he asked raising an eyebrow at her. She shook her head with a smile and grabbed the soap from him, lathering up the cloth in her hand. She rubbed it firmly over his chest and his skin where she'd scrubbed became many shades lighter than the skin around it.
"You are so dirty," she said, turning the cloth to look at the dirt caked on the part she'd used.
"Trust me, I know," Daryl mumbled. He took a handful of water and let it run down over his right arm watching the dirty drips discolor the water where it ran off his wrist.
"I mean, you're exceptionally dirty," Carol clarified, "You're usually dirty, but this is ridiculous."
Daryl fell silent and Carol began to feel slightly uncomfortable under his stare as she scrubbed the dirt from his chest and torso then worked her way down his arms. She sighed as he started running the cloth in his hand down her right leg and back up again, brushing teasingly over her when he reached the top, the slight twitch of his lips at her surprised jerk made her realize he'd done it on purpose.
"Daryl," she reprimanded him, "Let's get this done, ok?"
Daryl face lost its amusement and fell into a disappointed look and Carol immediately felt bad that he'd taken it wrong.
"Because," she continued, "The sooner we get clean, the sooner we can get back to that bed and have a proper reunion."
She winked at him and he immediately began to scrub her faster, his eyes glittered with anticipation.
"Well then c'mon, woman, let's get movin'!"
Carol laughed and reached out for a new washcloth since her first one was turning brown instead of the light blue it once was. She resoaped and got to work on his neck and face. She was very careful to avoid the plastic wrapped area when she scrubbed his lower half down and then she grabbed the shampoo to get that hair that she loved so much back into its clean, soft, grab-able state. He complained slightly as she worked the shampoo in because she tugged at it pretty roughly the first wash through, but the second wash had him closing his eyes and making soft little sounds as her finger massaged their way through his hair.
Finally, Carol reached behind her and pulled the plug, letting the water drain out as they stood and started drying off. Carol made him sit back down and she removed the plastic wrap to carefully clean around the stitches and only then was she satisfied and started dressing.
"I'll go get you some clean clothes," she said, picking the ruined jeans up gingerly. She held them at arm's length and made a disgusted face as she slipped out the bathroom door. She dropped them in the trash and was glad to see someone had brought in her box of stuff she'd packed just before she'd passed out. She grabbed the olive cargo pants with a smile and headed back to the bathroom.
"I don't know why I have to put these on," Daryl muttered as he pulled them up onto his hips and buttoned them. "Not like they're gonna be on fer long."
Carol gave him a sly smile.
"Ever thought maybe I like taking them off you?" she said with a wink. Daryl fell silent an didn't complain anymore.
As soon as he zipped them up, Carol grabbed his hand and tugged him out the door towards their room. He followed with a laugh and pushed the door shut behind him with his butt, stopping just long enough to turn and lock it before he grabbed Carol's shoulders and claimed her mouth with his.
Carol felt the desperation in his kiss, the pure need and a shock of desire shot through her from her core all the way to the tips of her fingers and toes and she slipped her hands into his still wet hair and took hold firmly, tugging it and earning a moan from Daryl into her mouth. She wanted nothing more than for him to throw her down on that bed and take her right now, rough, hard, fast...but she wasn't about to rick him overexerting himself while he was healing. With this in mind, she steeled herself and broke the kiss quickly, leaning away from him as he tried to reconnect.
"What's wrong?" he asked, disappointed.
"Lay down," Carol said softly, "Let me explain."
Daryl sighed heavily as she released his hair, but he sat down on the bed and then laid back, eyes never leaving hers. Carol climbed onto the bed after him and straddled his hips carefully, avoiding bumping into his thigh, she leaned down and kissed his chest gently.
"Daryl, you're recovering," she said softly, "You're not ready for what I know is running though your mind right now."
"But..." Daryl began to protest but she clamped a hand over his mouth.
"Just hush," she said, releasing his mouth and running her hands down his chest to his stomach.
"Then stop teasing, cause yer only making this harder," Daryl muttered.
"I can tell," Carol teased, feeling a completely different kind of hardness pressing hotly into where she straddled his hips. Daryl gave her a sheepish smile. "Don't worry, I wouldn't make promises I wouldn't keep."
"So..." Daryl started to question her but he fell silent when she lifted off his hip and pushed his knees apart so she could lip down in between them. "Oh...right..."
Carol giggled and popped the button of his cargos open as she kept her eyes locked on his, she saw an excited glint flash through them as his pupils started to dilate slightly. She pressed a kiss to his stomach just above the now opened button of his pants and pulled the zipper down at the same time, her lips going a little bit lower as she did. She felt him twitch under her chin where it pressed against him and she smiled into his skin.
"God, I missed you," she heard him whisper as she hooked her thumbs into the belt loops of his pants and pull them slowly down his hips. He sucked in a sharp breath when she'd pulled them low enough to release him from the confines of the material and the cool air of the room hit his skin. Carol peeled the pants off carefully and tossed them aside then looked up at him from where she rested her chin on his hipbone. He looked back down at her with a crooked smile and she smiled softly at him as she brought her hand up to take hold of him, earning her sigh and a small, sharp gasp and then a shaky exhale.
"I missed you too," she whispered, turning her head to press a light kiss to him at the base of his length where he hand wasn't covering.
"Yeah?" Daryl's voice was husky and Carol felt her stomach flip from the sound. She loved his sex voice, she could listen to it all day.
"Yeah," she replied, "I never thought I'd hear your voice again, never thought I'd kiss you again, never thought you'd hold me again...never thought I'd hold YOU again."
She gave him a squeeze to emphasize her point and she smiled as his head dropped back onto the pillow and he groaned softly.
"I don't think my leg's gonna be a problem," he tried to reason, "I promise I'll be careful, ok?!"
"Hush, Daryl," Carol said sternly, deciding it was probably best to stop teasing. "There's no need for you to do anything, ok?"
He raised his head and was about to say something when Carol ducked her head down and took him in her mouth, her tongue made a full circle around him and she felt his shoulders and head fall back onto the pillows from the small shake of the bed. She smiled, or at least her face muscles moved like she wanted to smile but that's hard to do with your mouth full. She looked up and saw his hands grip the sheets hard and pulled firmly as she moved her moth further down the length of him and she applied pressure with her tongue.
"Carol," she heard him whimper and she glanced up at him and he met her eyes.
"Mmm?" she mumbled, watching the way his face contorted with pleasure from the vibrations of her voice.
"You're fuckin' amazin'," Daryl said, his voice rumbled with something close to what Carol would call a purr...but like a tiger's purr.
Since she couldn't speak at the moment, she just sped up the bobbing of her head, taking him deeper every time as she let her throat muscles relax and fought her gag reflex as she took him all the way to the back of her throat. She was rewarded with a deep, guttural groan as Daryl's hips rose in response. She pulled back quickly as her throat threatened to gag but she didn't stop working with her tongue and she slightly grazed him with her bottom teeth as she moved slowly up him.
It wasn't long before he was panting and breathing hard, his hands had made their way into her hair and their grip there tightened as those panting breaths started to become punctuated with small whimpers and grunts and she moved her hands to cup his balls gently to feel just how close he really was.
"Fuck...Carol...don't..."
Yeah, he wasn't gonna last much longer. She looked up at him and locked her eyes with his and she saw there was hardly any color left there they were so dilated. She winked at him and started bobbing her head quicker than before, ignoring his warning s to back off.
"Carol! Shit. Shit. Shit!"
If she hadn't been so focused on what she was doing, she would have laughed because by that last exclamation his voice had reached a high breathy squeak, but then she felt him tighten in her hand a split second before he twitched between her lips and she felt the hot, sticky liquid flood the back of her throat and she swallowed quickly but purposely held the rest in her cheek as a wicked idea came into her mind. She let him ride it out and waited patiently until he had stopped twitching and finally pulled back, and leaned back onto her heels with her cheek puffed out obviously. He was still panting heavily but he pushed himself on his elbows shakily and met her eyes with disbelief, as soon as she was sure he realized her mouth was still full she dramatically swallowed with a loud gulp.
Daryl let out a loud groan and sunk back down onto the pillows and let out a heavy sigh. Carol giggled and laid down next to him, her fingertips tracing the hairs on his chin.
"Damn..." he breathed, "You're unbelievable."
"Not really," Carol said with a smile, "I just remember reading somewhere that it was sexy to swallow."
Daryl turned his head to looked at her, his eyebrow cocked.
"Actually, I'd rather you didn't," he said seriously, "I heard it can cause throat cancer."
"That's bullshit," Carol shot back, "Actually, it's a great source of protein."
Daryl's eyes widened and he burst into uncontrollable laughter, he laughed so hard he clutched his stomach and rolled onto his back to get a breath. Carol smiled, she loved his laugh.
"It's true," she said quietly as he tried to catch his breath.
"Sure it is, babes," Daryl chuckled, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
"Pretty bitter though," Carol commented offhandedly.
"Hush, woman, you're gonna make me sick," Daryl pulled her closed and she gasped as his hand slipped between her legs.
"Daryl..." she said warningly.
"Hey, you said I couldn't do anything exerting," he reasoned, pressing his forehead to hers, "Last time I looked my fingers weren't recovering from anything. Pretty sure they're in perfect condition."
Carol smiled softly as she relaxed her legs and let him push them apart. Heck, why would she want to stop him?
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Yay! He's alive! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter even though I got MAJORLY distracted a lot! Hope it's a good one, let me know what ya'll think!