Chapter 8 – The Visitor

When they got to the closed door, Andrea had him stand back for a moment. She went inside and made sure the woman was truly ok with the visitor. When she got the approval, she opened the door again for Daryl to enter.

Daryl took a deep breath steadying his nerves and straightening his spine as he tried to calm his anxiety. The woman didn't need to think he was some jumpy asshole stalker. He would make sure she was ok, talk to her a bit, then leave.

He walked in and immediately had to stop himself from sucking in a breath. Her face was more bruised than it had been earlier. The extra time had allowed for the contusions to fully form on her beautiful features. He caught his thought and kicked his own ass mentally. Sure, she was beautiful. He could see that under the network of bruising. But she didn't need some random guy having those thoughts about her now. Instead, he focused on giving her a small smile.

Andrea made the introductions. "This is Daryl Dixon. He owns the house you were found by."

Daryl noticed Andrea didn't continue the introductions with the woman's name. He realized then that the woman hadn't provided one upon waking. He tried not to think of the reason behind that. Instead, he took a step forward. He noticed she blanched a bit when he did so. He considered a moment before realizing that his height and her being in bed made it seem as if he was towering over her. He gestured to the chair by the bedside, wordlessly asking if he could sit. The woman nodded.

She was staring at him, recognition flooding through her. She remembered him. She remembered him standing over her with another man. She remembered his eyes, the same eyes looking at her now with kindness and compassion. This man, according to Andrea, had helped her. He had held her hand while she lay unconscious. He wouldn't hurt her. She could tell that now.

She finally got her brain and mouth to work together and managed a warm smile. "Thank you. Thank you for helping me and staying with me. Andrea told me about you and your friend. She told me what you did, how much you helped me."

"Didn't do nothin' nobody else wouldn'tve done," Daryl murmured sheepishly, warmed by her words.

Surprisingly, she let out a bit of a humorless chuckle. "See, that's where you're wrong. Not many people would have done more than dial 911. So, thank you."

"Andrea told you the guy was arrested, right?"

She nodded. "But he's here."

"Yeah. He is. But I've been watching him. Last I heard, the nurses were talking to him about a cavity search needing to be done before he got a bed. Said Jane Doe needed to be safe."

The woman looked up at Andrea in surprise, remembering what she had said about the nurse's pool. Andrea just grinned and said, "What can I say? Some things need to be investigated very, very thoroughly. We can't put our patients and staff at risk."

That worked. The woman burst out in chuckles and smiled widely. She thought of the nurse who'd helped her and decided on a version of the truth. Haltingly, the basics came out. They were blunt, but shined light on her situation to Andrea and Daryl.

"My husband. An ER nurse helped me escape him yesterday. Took the bus. Trashed my driver's license and bus ticket as soon as I got here. I don't have a real name anymore, so he won't find me."

It was Andrea who spoke. "I see. So, the hospital is referring to you as Jane Doe. Kinda a sucky name to call you if you ask me."

The woman laughed. "I came up with a new name to go with my new life. I have no idea what I thought would happen once I got here, but on the bus, I decided that my name is now Carol. Carol Mason."

"Well, Carol Mason; it's a pleasure to meet you," Andrea smiled. "The X-rays came back clean other than your finger which was already bandaged. We splinted that for you again since the taping came off. There are no breaks or permanent damage to your face. You had four stitches in your hairline that will be able to come out in ten days. The bruising will fade in a few weeks. You will be sore. I will talk to the doctor and make sure you are sent home with some good pain meds. Do you have a place in mind to go?"

"No. I um, I was going to just take the bus to Atlanta. I didn't really care where I ended up as long as I was away from him. Atlanta was the furthest I could go with the money I had. Doug, the guy who attacked me? He was my seatmate. I feel stupid that I trusted him when he said he and his wife would put me up for a couple of days. He's the one who suggested it, and I trusted him enough to… to get off the bus with him. Then… then he was just grabbing at me and…" Carol couldn't continue.

"Well Carol, Servants of Sacre Cour is a local organization that will provide you a roof over your head and food. They will even help you find a job as soon as you are on your feet. I can contact them and get you a placement. They contract with homeowners all around the area. Those with rooms to rent, or those with a place to crash at for a few days." Andrea didn't know what else to offer the woman.

Daryl could see the trepidation on her face at the idea of trusting another stranger. He forgot that he was essentially a stranger until after the next words were out of his mouth. "My house, the place I'm working on, is empty. I don't live there. If Servants of Whatever She Said would be able to provide a bed, Carol can crash there."

An unreadable expression came over Carol's face as Andrea's was shocked. She didn't know why Daryl thought Carol would trust him any more than the man who attacked her, but she was doubly surprised when Carol took in a deep breath and responded. "I won't take charity. And I won't be put in a position to cater to a man's advances."

Daryl looked like he had been slapped. To think that she could think he would do that to her, that he would expect that of her hurt. But then he reminded himself she didn't know him. He was half pissed off and half begging when he spoke again.

"I'll tell you what, Carol Mason. How 'bout I get a locksmith over there to change the locks out. Needs to be done anyway. He can change out those locks, and you would have the only key. I can pay for a bed for ya to crash on there. You can stay there until you are back on your feet. I am rehabbing the house and could use an extra hand. If ya can paint and help decorate the place, I will hire ya on. Pays fifteen dollars an hour for up to an eight-hour day. You choose how much you work. It would pay twenty an hour, but ya don't want charity, so consider the difference as rent. How's that strike ya?"

Carol looked at Daryl, shocked at the offer. She then looked at Andrea, who was smiling at Carol while getting over her own shock at Daryl's offer. Carol needed to know if Daryl could be trusted. She managed to convey that question to Andrea with her eyes. Andrea got the message and asked that Daryl step out a moment. She put her hand on his arm as he turned to leave, letting him know he didn't do anything wrong by offering.

"Did I upset him?" was Carol's first question. Andrea was struck that Carol seemed truly concerned she had hurt his feelings.

"Daryl's complicated. I don't think he would blame you if you didn't trust him, but he wouldn't hurt you. He hasn't had a lot of trust given to him in his life. I think even if he is upset, he can understand your issue given where you are and how you got here. But Daryl's honest. If he says he will do this, he will. It's up to you Carol. He would literally accept any answer you gave. Maybe this is a way for you to heal up and figure out where you want to go next."

Carol was reassured by the obvious trust Andrea seemed to have in Daryl. If she had learned anything from the last twenty-four hours, it was that the nurses she met recently have done nothing but help her. And really, how much did she have to lose? She had already taken a big gamble by giving up her home and her name. Her dignity had already taken a big hit courtesy of Doug. She didn't think Daryl was like Doug. She also didn't think Andrea would suggest anything that would hurt her. So, she decided to take yet another big gamble with her life.

"Can you call Daryl back in? I think I need to talk to him about this alone. Is that ok?"

Andrea nodded and left the room. Daryl came back, hesitantly. It looked like he was afraid of what she was going to say. So, she put his mind at ease.

"I owe you an apology. I was taken aback by your offer, and I in no way meant to imply you would take advantage of me. Andrea told me I could trust you, which means I would be happy to take you up on your offer. I however have a stipulation, if you wouldn't mind."

Daryl couldn't believe the strength of this woman. One minute she was scared, and the next she was thinking he would be capable of earning her trust. He tried not to let the nervous acid in his stomach touch his words when he said, "Go on."

"Well, Daryl; I don't know you. You don't know me. How about we remedy that situation right now?"