Days passed while Daryl went in and out of consciousness.
When he opened his eyes, he would see Rick, Sophia, Beth, Patricia, Hershel or Lori sitting on the chair next to the bed or Carol would be sitting next to him on the bed.
When he opened his eyes again, he saw Carl sitting next to him and Carl was reading a comic book to him. When Carl noticed he was awake, Daryl barely nodded his head and Carl would start reading again.
One night, he woke up feeling something snuggled next him and he looked down to see Sophia curled into a small ball. She had her right arm placed carefully on his stomach and her left arm was supporting her head.
"Daryl?"
He moved his eyes to see Carol standing next to the bed and she looked down at Sophia.
"Do you want me to move her?"
"No."
He slowly moved his right arm to wrap around Sophia and he closed his eyes, going back to sleep.
He didn't mind if Beth, Patricia or Carol gave him a bed bath or feed him, but he did mind when Hershel turned him onto his right side to check the wound on his back.
The only thing which bothered him besides being tired all the time or in pain was the dreams he had of Merle.
Merle would get angry with him about what happened on the roof or about him not going to look for him.
Merle kept telling him he was Rick's bitch then he would laugh.
Merle also told him he was no good for Carol, that he was the only one who cared about him and he was the only family he would ever have.
But it was Merle telling him he was nothing more than a freak and the groups' pet redneck which hurt the most.
He knew Merle would never say things like that, but a part of him believed it and he would wake up with tears in his eyes.
A week later
"You sure he's awake?" T-Dog asked, looking at Daryl. The blankets were pulled up to Daryl's left shoulder and the intravenous drip was gone.
"I don't think so," Glenn said.
"Maybe we should go," Dale said when Daryl carefully rolled onto his back and he looked up at them.
"'m awake," Daryl grumbled, wiping the sleep out of his eyes. "What're you doin' here?"
"We just wanted to see how you're doing," T-Dog said.
"I went to take a piss in the bathroom by myself just a little while ago."
"Excuse me," Maggie said as they looked at her and Daryl noticed the look Glenn was giving her. "Jimmy needs some help in the stable."
"Ok," Glenn said and he and T-Dog left the room. Daryl noticed Dale didn't go with them as Dale sat on the chair next to the bed and Daryl frowned.
"You got somethin' to say to me, Old Man?" Daryl asked.
"Yes, I do. I want to talk to you about Andrea," Dale said.
"What happened to Andrea? Did she get bit?"
"No, but she's worried that you'll hurt her."
"What the hell are you talkin' about? Why would I hurt her? She ain't done nothin' to me."
"She… She's the one…"
Dale saw the angry and frustrated look on Daryl's face as Dale sighed and he leaned back in the chair.
"Andrea's the one who shot you," Dale said. He watched the conflicted look on Daryl's face and he was surprised when Daryl snorted a breath of air.
"No wonder I ain't dead," Daryl grumbled.
"This isn't funny."
"Not sayin' it is."
"Are you going to hurt her?"
Daryl saw the protectiveness and anger in Dale's eyes and Daryl carefully rolled onto his right side. Dale waited for him to say something, but Daryl just looked at the wall and Dale sighed.
"Daryl?"
"Go away," Daryl said. Dale frowned when he saw the scars on Daryl's back and his eyes widened.
"Shit," Dale thought.
"Uh…"
"What part of go away don't you get?"
Standing, Dale headed for the doorway when he looked back at Daryl then Dale left the room. He headed down the hallway when he saw Carol walking closer and she frowned.
"Dale, what's wrong?" she asked, looking at the doorway to Daryl's room.
"I was talking to Daryl about Andrea," Dale said.
"And…?"
"I just wanted to know what he's going to do about what she did."
"What he's going to do?"
"I will not let him hurt her. Or you."
"Are you kidding me?!"
"Carol, I know you like him, but the fact remains. Daryl is…"
"Daryl is recovering from his injuries. Or did you forget he fell off a cliff and got shot in the head? It's a miracle he survived. But that doesn't matter, does it? You… All of you… You think Daryl's nothing more than garbage. That he's dangerous. That he's just like Merle. That we're better off without him. Well, do him and me a favor and leave him alone."
Carol walked by him as she walked into Daryl's room and she closed the door. Sighing, Dale shook his head then he walked down the hallway.
In the bedroom, Carol stood near the bed as she looked at Daryl, but he hadn't moved to see who was in the room. She looked at the blankets when she moved the blankets up to his left shoulder and he blinked his eyes a few times. She walked around to the other side of the bed, gently climbed onto the bed and she sat next to him. Daryl looked at her when she moved closer and he curled his arms up in a defense position.
"I'm not going to hurt you," she said in a soft voice and he lowered his arms. They became silent as she went to card the top of his head and he sighed, closing his eyes.
Two days later
Carol listened to everyone talking or laughing while they ate the dinner that she, Sophia, Andrea and Lori had made to thank the Greenes, Otis, Patricia and Jimmy for letting them stay at the farm then she looked at the empty chair.
The chair was for Daryl.
She was angry with them for not even noticing he wasn't there and she stood up. She was also angry over the fact there was no silverware, glass and plate set for Daryl.
She headed into the kitchen when she walked to the counter and she looked through the cabinets and drawers.
"Here," Patricia said as she handed her the small tray and Carol nodded.
"They didn't even notice," Carol said.
"Hershel did tell him he could join us, but he said no."
Carol nodded as she placed the silverware, the napkin and the plate on the tray then she frowned.
"Is he allowed to have any wine?" Carol asked.
"No, but he can have some ice tea."
Nodding, Carol poured the ice tea into the glass then she added the glass to the tray and she went to put some food on the plate.
"Mom," made her look at Sophia as Sophia walked in the room and she looked at the tray. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making a tray for Daryl," Carol said.
"Why didn't he want to join us?"
"I guess he's still feeling poorly," Patricia said.
"Oh," Sophia said as she removed the chocolate bar Daryl had found the last time he had been out on a run and she broke off a piece. She placed the piece of chocolate on the napkin and she smiled at Carol. "Tell him that's for dessert."
"Thanks, Honey," Carol said, picking up the tray and she left the kitchen. She noticed Rick looking at her as he nodded and she headed for the hallway. The door was open as she walked in the room and she saw Daryl didn't turn to look to see who it was. "Hey."
"Hey," Daryl said.
"How are you feeling?"
"As good as I look."
"Brought you some dinner."
He didn't move as she placed the tray on the small table near the bed then she headed for the bed. She leaned over to look at him, but he flinched and curled his arms up.
"I'm not going to hurt you," she whispered.
"You keep tellin' me that."
"You keep flinching."
He looked at her then he looked back at the wall and she reached over to touch his left shoulder.
"Careful. I got stitches," he said.
"I know," she said, lightly rubbing his left shoulder. "Want to know something? You are just as good as Rick, Glenn, T-Dog, Dale or Shane. No. You're better."
"No, I ain't."
"Yes, you are. Do I need to remind you that you have done more for me and Sophia then Ed ever did?"
He was surprised when she moved to kiss the left side of his head and he turned his head to look at her.
"Why'd you do that?" he asked.
"Thought you needed it," she said with a smile.
He looked at the wall as he blinked his eyes and she looked at the tray.
"You sure you're not hungry?" she asked.
"Yeah."
"Gee. Sophia's going to be upset if you don't eat."
"Why?" he asked, turning to look at her.
"She worked so hard helping me with the mashed potatoes."
"You cooked dinner?"
"The two of us, Andrea and Lori made dinner for the Greenes, Otis, Patricia and Jimmy for letting us stay."
Daryl carefully turned onto his back when he slowly pushed with his arms to sit up and she slid the pillows behind his back. She picked up the tray when she placed the tray on his lap and he looked at the food. He picked up the fork when he scooped up some of the mashed potatoes and he placed the mash potatoes in his mouth. She watched him chew then swallow and he leaned back against the pillows.
"They're good," he said with a nod. He saw the piece of chocolate as he picked up the piece of chocolate and he tilted his head to one side. "Where did this come from?"
"Don't you remember finding some chocolate bars?"
"Yeah," he said with a small smile.
"Well, it's your dessert. But only if you eat all your dinner."
He placed the piece of chocolate on the napkin when he started eating, but he frowned after putting some chicken in his mouth.
"Lori cooked the chicken," Carol explained. He swallowed then took a drink of the ice tea and he had a disgusted look on his face.
"Had worse," Daryl said. She watched him eat until he was done and he broke the piece of chocolate in half, handing her one half. She placed the chocolate in her mouth as they ate in silence and he looked up at the ceiling.
"You sure you don't want to join us?" Carol asked, looking toward the doorway.
"No thanks."
He watched her remove the tray from his lap as she headed for the door, turned and she looked at him. He looked at the wall as she sighed and she left the room. He looked at the doorway when he moved the blankets back and he got out of bed. He slowly headed for the doorway while he went into the hallway, cleared his throat and she turned. Seeing him wearing just his underpants, her eyes immediately went to his face as he saw the blush moving across her cheeks and he arched his eyebrows up.
"Need help washin' up?" he asked with a small grin.
Nodding, she watched him go in the room and she placed the tray on the floor. She went back in the room as she helped him put on the bathrobe and pajamas bottoms Maggie had found and they left the room. She noticed he hadn't closed the bathrobe as she picked up the tray and they walked down the hallway. They walked in the dining room while the others looked at Daryl and he followed her into the kitchen.
Patricia had cleared the table as she placed the dishes in the sink then she turned and she looked at them.
"Look who wants to help with the dishes," Carol said, looking at Daryl.
"Well, thank you, Honey," Patricia said and Daryl nodded. He walked to the sink as she handed him the washcloth and he started washing the dishes.
"Can we help, too?" Carl asked while he and Sophia stood in the doorway.
"Yes, you can."
Daryl glanced at Sophia as she stood next to him and he handed a dish to dry.
"You sure you should be up?" Sophia asked.
"I'm good," Daryl grumbled with a nod.
"You're not wearing slippers," Carl said and Daryl looked down at his feet.
"Fergot 'em."
Daryl started washing dishes again when he started to feel dizzy and he held onto the edge of the sink.
"Daryl, are you ok?" Carol asked.
He didn't answer and she noticed he was swaying slightly.
"I'll go get Hershel," Patricia said as she quickly left the room.
"Daryl?" Sophia asked, but Daryl only looked down at the soapy water.
Hershel quickly walked in the room as they led Daryl to the chair and Carol helped Daryl sit down. Hershel examined him when Daryl blinked and he gave them a confused look.
"What're you lookin' at me like that?" Daryl asked.
"You spaced out on us for a few seconds," Carol explained.
"I'm fine."
"No, you're not. We need to get you back to bed," Hershel said.
"No," Daryl said as he looked at Carol for help, but she gave him a stern look and Daryl sighed. Daryl slowly stood up and he placed his hands into the pockets of the bathrobe. He headed out of the kitchen when he saw Rick, Lori, Shane and Andrea then he headed for the screen door. He opened the screen door when he walked out onto the porch and he headed for the stairs.
"Where're you going?" Rick asked, walking to him and Daryl stopped.
"I'm goin' to my tent," Daryl said.
"No, you're not."
"You don't tell me what to do. I ain't yer bitch."
Rick felt like Daryl punched him in the stomach. Daryl looked at the stairs as he headed for the railing and he held onto the railing. Breathing in the cool night air to clear his head, he looked into the darkness and Rick went to stand next to him after he had opened the screen door.
"Where did that come from?" Rick asked, but Daryl didn't answer. "Daryl…"
"I'm fine."
"Bullshit."
"Stop tellin' me how I feel."
"I'm not doing that. I'm trying to find out what's going on with you."
"Nothin's goin' on. I just realized that I ain't nothin', but a freak an' yer pet redneck an' I'm sick of it."
"See, this is what I'm talking about. Not once have I or anyone else called you either of those things. If I didn't know better, I would think Merle…"
Daryl noticed the look on Rick's face as Rick thumped his right fist on the railing and he shook his head.
"Shit."
Daryl headed for the stairs when he sat down and Rick went to sit next to him. Daryl pulled the bathrobe closed as they sat in silence and Rick tried to figure out what to say to him.
"You've been dreaming about Merle, haven't you?" Rick asked.
"Yeah," Daryl said with a small nod. They went silent again and Daryl sighed. "Sometimes, I back on the roof. Sometimes, I'm back at the quarry. The rest of 'em, I'm back at the bottom of the cliff. He keeps gettin' on my case an' tellin' me that I'm shit. That none of you give a fuck about me. That I ain't good fer Carol an' he's the only family I'll ever have."
Rick nodded when he turned and he smiled when he saw who was standing behind them.
"That's not true," Rick said.
"What ain't true?"
"You are not shit, you are good for Carol and Merle isn't the only family you have."
Carefully, Daryl turned to see Hershel, Patricia, Otis, Beth, Maggie, Jimmy, Carol, Sophia, Carl, Dale, Andrea, Lori, Glenn and T-Dog standing behind them and he sighed. Carol had a pair of slippers in her hands as she walked closer and she helped Daryl put the slippers on his feet. Rick helped him up as they went down the stairs and they headed for the camp.
Two days later
Daryl looked out the window of his tent while he twirled the crossbow bolt between his fingers and he poked the end of the crossbow bolt at the screen. He made a few little holes when he placed the crossbow bolt against his chest and he sighed.
Hershel had removed the bandage from around his head and replaced the bandage with two smaller ones and he told him the wounds on his chest and his left side were healing nicely.
Slowly, Daryl got up as he sat on the side of the camp bed, placed on his boots, stood, picked up the vest with the cotton wings on the back and he carefully placed the vest on. He opened the tent flap when he walked outside and he noticed the others looking at him. He walked to the camp chair as he sat down and Carol brought him a plate of food. Nodding, he started eating as Sophia walked closer, carefully slid her arms around his shoulders and she gave him a small hug. He gave her a tiny grin as she walked away and Carol placed a mug of coffee on the small camping table.
"Feel like doing some chores?" T-Dog asked and Daryl looked at him.
"No thanks," Daryl said with a shake of his head.
Rick knew Hershel didn't want Daryl to do any heavy lifting as he walked to Daryl then he knelt down on his haunches.
"You sure?" Rick asked.
"Yeah. Just want to go back to bed."
Daryl placed the dish and fork on the camp table when he stood, walked to the tent, went inside and he went to the camp bed. He went onto his back as he tried to get comfortable when Andrea walked in the tent and he looked at her.
"You look like shit," Andrea said with a small laugh.
"Feel like it," Daryl said. He wasn't sure why she was there as Andrea sighed and she looked down at her feet.
"Daryl, I am sorry."
"Hey, we're good. You were just protecting the group."
"Right, but it still doesn't excuse what I did. I could have killed you, Rick, Shane, Glenn or T-Dog."
"Then it's a good thing you're a lousy shot."
She saw the tiny smile he gave her and she nodded.
"Look, I know it's not much," she said, walking closer and she handed him a paperback she found in Dale's RV. He opened the paperback as he blinked then he looked at her.
"What? No pictures?" he asked. She knew he was trying to tease her as she nodded and he placed the paperback against his chest. "Thanks."
She turned to leave when he cleared his throat and she looked back at him.
"Just one thing. Shoot me again, you better pray I'm dead," he said and she took it as a warning. She left the tent as he opened the book and he started reading.
Three days later
Daryl walked in the stable as he walked to the stall and Nellie looked at him. He looked at the saddle sitting on the stand when he walked to the stand and he placed his hands on the saddle.
"Daryl? What are you doing?" Carol asked as she walked to him. He was wearing a gray, sleeveless shirt, jeans and his work boots and she could just see the scabbed over scratch on his chest.
"Wanted to go fer a ride," he said.
"No."
"Why?"
"Hershel said you're still healing."
"I know."
"Then why do you want to hurt yourself again?"
Sighing, he moved away from the stand and she followed him. He stood in front of the stall while he looked at Nellie then he turned to look at Carol.
"Why do you keep babyin' me?" he asked after a few seconds.
"Do you want me to be honest?" she asked and he nodded his head. "I know it's no big deal, but I did just lose Ed. I should be mourning his death, but I can't be bothered. But I do know I would fall apart if I lost Sophia. I was a mess while she was lost in the woods and that was because I was too scared to go look for her."
He saw the shame in her eyes as she looked down then she sighed.
"I don't want to lose you, too."
"You almost did," he reminded her and she nodded, looking at him.
"Which is why I don't want you to risk hurting yourself again."
He swallowed the lump in his throat as she moved closer and she carefully slid her arms around him. She felt him move her closer as he held her and they stood in silence until Nellie whickering caused them to laugh.
"I think someone's jealous," Carol teased.
"Yeah," he said with a small laugh then he lowered his head. "I… I don't wanna lose you either. You or Sophia."
She felt the tears rolling down her cheeks as he started moving her side to side then she thought of something.
"I think I get why you want to go for a ride," she said.
"Why?"
"Nellie bucked you out of the saddle."
"So?"
"So, you might feel a tiny bit scared."
"I ain't scared of nothin'."
She gave him a doubting look and he sighed.
"I ain't scared. I just want her to know I don't blame her for what happened."
"Hold on," Carol said. He watched her walking to the shelf when she picked up a brush and he titled his head to one side. She walked back as she handed him the brush and she pointed to Nellie. Nodding, Daryl opened the stall gate when he walked to Nellie and he started brushing the horse. Nellie looked back when she lightly nudged Daryl and he patted her back.
"Yeah. Yeah. I know. You're sorry," he whispered and Carol smiled, watching him groom the horse.
Later that night, Dale sat on the lawn chair on the roof of the RV when he saw Daryl walking closer and Daryl stopped at the bottom of the ladder.
"Ok to come up?" Daryl asked.
"Sure," Dale said. Daryl slowly climbed up the ladder when he went to sit on the other lawn chair and they sat in silence.
"Uh… Sorry," Daryl said.
'What are you sorry about?"
"Just sorry," he said with a shrug of his shoulders.
"I'm sorry, too."
"No. You were protectin' Andrea. Just like she was protectin' the group."
"I'm also sorry for thinking you are just as dangerous as Merle. He is… Was..."
"Was? Merle ain't dead."
"We don't know that."
"Yeah."
They went silent as Dale sighed and he looked up at the dark sky.
"My wife would have been so disappointed in me. She could see good in nearly everyone and she would have known you are a good man," Dale said.
"That mean you're gonna be nice to me?" Daryl asked.
"Yep."
"You're gonna stop comparin' me to Merle?"
"Yep."
"You don't mind me bein' with Carol?"
"I did at first. Then I saw how you are with her and Sophia. Never saw either of them that at ease or happy when Ed was alive."
"I ain't Ed."
"I know."
"Then we're good."
"Yep."
They sat in silence as they looked out at the darkness and the sound of crickets filled the air.