The Places We Hide

Chapter 2

Pairing: Daryl x OC

Rating: M

Location: The Quarry

"Harper! We need your help!" Harper jumped up from where she was stringing more cans on twine and looked for who was calling her. A few men were helping Morales over to her; he had a death grip on his hand. She noticed blood dripping from between his fingers leaving spots all along the ground as they rushed over to her.

"What happened?" She asked, reaching for his hand. Within the first few days, the camp made her their go-to medic because of her five year experience as a trauma nurse. It wasn't a crazy amount of experience for the medical industry, but it was more than any of the others had. She was happy to do anything other than the domestic tasks all the other women were stuck with.

"I was trying to shave one end of a branch into a point to use for the traps, and I caught my palm with my knife," Morales explained and showed her the wound. Harper inspected it and quickly wrapped a clean cloth around his hand and led him to sit down so she could grab their first aid kit. One that Glenn was nice enough to keep stocked from his frequent supply runs into the city.

"It looks like it's deep enough to need stitches. I don't have any lidocaine to numb your hand so you're going to need to grin and bare it," Harper explained, looking over the split and bloody skin. Morales nodded and grabbed a clean rag to stuff in his mouth.

Harper grabbed a suture packet and then removed the cloth once again from his hand again. Opening the bottle of antiseptic, she poured it over his hand, cleaning it as best as she could. Morale winced and bit into the rag in his mouth. Holding the back of his hand in one of hers, Harper used her other hand to start the sutures.

Morales grunted in pain but didn't jerk his hand away. He clenched his teeth down on the rag harder and breathed heavily through his nose. His wife was notified by the men that brought Morales to Harper and she appeared by his side, rubbing one of his shoulders and speaking softly to him in his ear. Harper wasn't fluent in Spanish, but she'd picked up enough working in the hospital to understand she was comforting her husband.

Nurses didn't usually give stitches, but she'd seen enough doctors do them that she was confident enough in her abilities. A PA even took her aside one day to show her the different knots they tied when she was curious enough to ask about them.

Harper cut the needle from the thread and grabbed a bandage. She placed it over the sutures and then used an ace wrap to wind around his hand to keep the bandage in place.

"Sorry I had to torture you. That should be good for now. We have some pain killers you can take but try not to use your hand too much. I don't want you to pop a stitch and make me replace it. I'll check it throughout the week and make sure there aren't any signs of infection," She explained.

Morales nodded and lightly cradled the now bandaged hand. "Thanks, Harper. I don't know what we would do without you." Harper waved him off and watched his wife take him over to their tent.

"Hey Miss Nurse, I gotta boo boo I need ya ta look at for me," Merle's raspy voice called from behind her. Rolling her eyes, she turned to face him. A perverted grin covered Merle's face, and he grabbed the crotch of his pants and pouted.

"It hurts; I think it needs a woman's touch ta make it feel better."

"Go fuck your hand, Merle and leave me out of it." Harper walked away from him towards the woods in the direction she'd seen Daryl leave earlier.

"I'm gonna have ya screamin' ma name!" Merle yelled after her.

Harper walked as quietly as she could through the trees, eyes alert and looking for signs of her redneck friend. Her left hand rested on the snap button of her knife holster just in case she needed to quickly release it.

It was quiet. No cars or snarling walkers to be heard; not many walkers made it this far into the wilderness. She paused and looked at the ground to see if she could tell if Daryl had been through here earlier, but it just looked like the forest floor to her. Lots of dirt and leaves everywhere... She continued on her way, keeping her eyes forward.

"Damn girl, yer like a fuckin' bull inna china shop," Daryl said from her right. Harper grabbed her knife and spun towards him. He raised an eyebrow and glanced down at his former knife that was pointed right at his chest. Seeing that it was the man she was looking for, Harper put the knife away.

"Jesus, Daryl. Trying to give me a heart attack?" She paused for a minute and thought about what he'd said, "What do you mean? I was being as quiet as I could!"

"If that was ya bein' quiet, I don't wanna see ya bein' loud." Harper's eyes widened and she broke into a smile.

"Did you just tease me? Are we becoming friends, Daryl Dixon?" She asked, walking closer to him. Daryl just grunted and moved to keep walking; Harper followed closely behind him, trying to match his steps.

"Pick yer feet up more," He grumbled, eyeing their surroundings, "You'll scare all the game away at this rate."

"So you're saying I can stay out here with you?" Harper asked with an easy smile. Daryl ignored her and lifted his crossbow, looking for anything he could shoot and bring back to camp. Harper never lost her smile and studied Daryl, trying to walk like him.

After a while, it was completely silent. Harper was pretty proud of herself; she couldn't hear her footfalls anymore, and Daryl hadn't commented on her being noisy either.

Daryl was still leading them further into the trees, tracking something Harper couldn't see or hear. Everything around them looked still to her so she finally decided to speak up.

"What are you hunting?" Harper whispered, causing Daryl to falter a step or two almost like he'd forgotten she was behind him.

"Deer tracks." That was all he said, but Harper didn't question him anymore. Not hearing her ask anything more, Daryl slowed down and pointed to the dirt, crouching down to get closer. Harper followed him, almost kneeling on the ground.

"See this hoof mark? This is a deer, big one too. He's headin' that way; you can see where he's brushed against those bushes and snapped some branches." Harper looked at all the clues he pointed out and grinned.

"I never would have noticed all this. This is amazing, Daryl!" Daryl stood up, looking a little pink and eyed the ground.

"S'nothing," He mumbled, voice much softer. Harper didn't mean to embarrass him, but she'd never taken the time to see any of the things Daryl is always looking for. It's no wonder he's so good at this. His eye for detail is so much more than anyone's at camp; the kind of eye that most law enforcement officers try to have when looking at a crime.

Harper followed Daryl again and took a moment to really look at him. He was such a different person from his brother. He wasn't loud or brash; if anything he was socially inept, and it made her wonder what his life was like growing up for him to be the way he is now. She imagined someone like Ed being his dad. Merle obviously coped with their family dynamic in a different way than Daryl did.

Now he seemed like Daryl was almost afraid to let others too close and that's why he pushed them away with his narrowed eyes and harsh words. Harper saw right through it though; she saw the barrier he was creating around himself to protect against those unwanted feelings and friendships.

Daryl held up a hand for her to stop walking and pointed ahead. Through the trees, Harper could see the buck. She held her breath, not wanting to make any noise to scare it off or distract Daryl before he could take the shot.

Daryl silently lifted the bow and took his aim. Harper could hardly see the arrow fire before she heard the thunk of it hitting the animal. The buck immediately fell to the ground and Harper squealed. The noise startled Daryl, and he turned to her like she'd grown another head.

"Oh my God! That was awesome! Let's go get him!" Harper took off jogging, Daryl right behind her.

"Hey! Don't jus' go runnin' off! There're still walkers out here," Daryl warned, but Harper was still all smiles. She looked around while she ran, but she didn't see any of the dead around or heard any of their snarls. She darted through the trees and lept over fallen logs, feeling carefree for the first time since the end of the world. Daryl was hot on her heels, not trying to stop her after she refused to listen the first time he said anything.

The two made it to the deer, and Harper frowned seeing it was still alive. Daryl sighed and knelt down with his blade unsheathed.

"Gotta end its sufferin'. Go for the artery," Daryl told her, showing her where to place the blade and make the incision. He quickly ended the buck's life and got more supplies out.

"Ya ever field dressed a deer?" Harper nodded softly.

"I went hunting a few times with my older brother." Daryl glanced up when she mentioned family but didn't ask any questions. He handed her a small, collapsible shovel and told her to get digging. The two worked to clean and gut the deer enough to take it back to camp.

Daryl avoided cutting the deer into pieces, instead opting to let it rest on his shoulders. He tried to maneuver his crossbow to keep it out of the way, but he ended up handing it off to Harper. She placed it across her chest and immediately felt the weight of his weapon pressing down on her. She couldn't believe he carried this thing daily.

"Careful with it," He told her and led them back towards camp. Harper chatted his ear off about wanting to learn how to track like him and become more of an asset. Daryl was quiet, but she could tell he was still listening to her because she could feel his eyes on her every now and then.

Harper adjusted the crossbow strap that ran across her chest and looked out at the trees. A low noise had her stopping altogether and looking out into the trees. Daryl stopped walking with her and looked to see a walker stumbling towards them.

"I haven't seen one in a while," Harper said quietly and got her knife out. Daryl went to set the buck down to help her, but Harper stopped him. There was only one. The two watched the walker get closer to them, starting to reach out hoping to grab one of them. Stepping to the side of the walker, Harper raised the knife up and shoved the blade into its temple. The walker fell to the ground, finally dead.

Harper wiped the knife off on a clean area of its shirt and placed it back in its holster. She rejoined Daryl again but was quiet this time. Daryl walked with her, sensing the change in her mood but keeping silent.

"The world will never be the same," Harper finally commented. Daryl didn't have to reply; she could see by the look in his eyes that he agreed with her.

"One day we'll all just be walkers, roamin' around, looking for our next meal," Harper mumbled, picking at the crossbow's strap.

"Nah, jus' gotta survive long enough ta be able ta live again," Daryl replied, keeping his eyes forward. Harper looked at his profile thoughtfully and ended up smiling. Survive long enough to be able to live again. She liked it.

When they made it back to camp, Dale was the first to greet them.

"Look what the cat dragged in! What a wonderful catch, Daryl," He praised, looking over the buck. Daryl grunted, falling back into his routine with the rest of the camp. Harper could see the walls falling into the place. It was a wonder she was able to sneak past them even a little bit.

A few of the other men showed up around Daryl to help him with the deer and started cutting it into different sections. Daryl let them do what they wanted with his hunt and turned back to Harper, gesturing for his bow.

"Oh! I almost forgot I had it! Funny with it being as heavy as it is," Harper said, huffing when she lifted the strap up. Daryl's lips twitched, going to help her get the crossbow off her. He shouldered the heavy load, and Harper thought he was going to say something to her, but he ended up nodding and moving away.

"Hey Harper!" Turning her eyes away from her silent friend, Harper saw Glenn walking over to her with a bright gleam in his eye.

"I'm going on a run soon. Do you need anything for the first aid kit? Or anything for you?"

"I have a list! Thank you for checking, Glenn. I really appreciate you helping me." Glenn cleared his throat and shrugged his shoulders, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"The camp needs to be ready for any injuries, and it looks like you've already put the kit to good use. I heard about Morales' hand."

"Yeah, we need more antiseptic and bandages for sure. Some of the stuff on the list will be hard to find outside of a hospital so don't worry about finding everything. But if you happen upon a pharmacy, they'll have a good chunk of it." Glenn nodded and took the list she'd pulled out of her pocket.

"Thanks for the book too. Dale told me you found it for me." This time Glenn flushed a little, looking down at his ratty converse.

"He said you'd like it," Was all Glenn got out. Harper smiled and squeezed his shoulder.

"I love it. Reading almost makes me forgot how the world's gone to shit," She laughed and let go of him. Glenn joined in and told her he was leaving in the morning if she thought of anything else she needed.

"Miss Harper?" She was getting lots of visitors today. Glenn left her so she could focus on Carl. The little boy was looking up at her nervously, wringing his hands together.

"What's wrong, Carl. Where's your mom and Shane?" She asked, looking around but didn't see them anywhere in sight. Surprise, surprise.

"They had to go check the traps, but I fell…" Carl trailed off. Harper crouched down and told him to show her where he got hurt. Carl moved his shorts up a bit and showed her his scraped up knees. They were bleeding and had little pieces of gravel embedded in them. She was surprised he wasn't crying. His eyes were red and watery, but he was holding himself together pretty well.

"C'mon, let's go sit down, and I'll help you clean them up. We can wait for your mom too." Carl nodded and took her hand. They sat down at the fire together and Harper got out the first aid kit. She had tweezers ready for the small rocks and a couple of bandages to put on afterward.

"You're really brave. No tears at all," Harper told him with a smile, using a little antiseptic to clean the first knee. He winced but smiled back at her.

"My dad told me to always be brave. So I could take care of my mom when he was at work. He was a sheriff's deputy like Shane. He wore a cowboy hat and had the coolest gun," Carl gushed. Harper let him talk, it took his mind off the pain in his knees.

"Your dad sounds really cool."

"He was!" Carl's smile fell a little, "I really miss him." Harper bandaged his knees and sat up.

"Come here, Sweetie." Carl sniffled and sat in her lap. He was close to being a preteen, but he didn't care. The first few tears fell, and Harper rubbed his back, letting him cry. She looked up and saw Daryl watching them from his tent. He quickly looked down and kept whittling a stick.

"I lost my mom when I was your age. I know how you're feeling; you'll always miss him, but it'll get better over time." Carl sniffled and nodded against her shoulder.

"Carl?! What's wrong? What happened?!" Lori came running over to them. Carl looked up at her with blood shot eyes. Lori pulled him into her arms and looked to Harper for answers.

"He hurt his knees pretty bad while you were gone. I cleaned him up; he should be good to go now. He did really well," Harper said, wiping a tear from his cheek. Carl smiled a little at her, happy she didn't mention him crying about his dad.

"Thank you," Lori told her sincerely. Harper nodded and stood to leave them with each other. As she walked away, she caught Shane's eyes, not realizing he'd been standing so close to them.

"Maybe you should keep your hook ups at night so Carl isn't left alone," She mumbled to him. Shane's hand shot out and grabbed her arm tightly enough that it could leave a bruise.

"Your mouth is going to get you in trouble one of these days," He growled. Harper raised an eyebrow and jerked her arm from his grip.

"I'd like to see you try, Shane."

Shane didn't stop her from leaving this time. Harper walked to her tent and zipped it closed behind her. She wasn't a stranger to men like Shane. Men who had to be in control and used force to ingrain it in others' heads until they got their way. Men like Ed and Daryl's father.

It didn't work on her before, and it won't work on her now. She refused to be backed into a corner until she gave in. If Shane thought he could bully her into submission, he was sorely mistaken.

Note: Thank you everyone for the feedback I got this past week for the first chapter. I just love Daryl... Like it's a pretty bad obsession. Even being caught up to the most current season, he's still my favorite. I decided to keep this chapter about as long as the first one just to keep myself organized with the next few that I'm working on. Thank you again everyone! Please leave a review and let me know what you think!

~LL