KEZZ 1: As always, thank you for reading and reviewing.
Azureskye21: Comeuppance will be given, don't worry.
Happy holidays all! Sorry for the prolonged delay. A.) I wasn't entirely sure how I wanted to do this. B.) I had all my holiday celebrations this weekend as my trucker husband was home and it was the start of holiday break for my kids. C.) Well, to be fair, it's over 11k words. I hope I've done justice for this chapter as it's a total brain child. Elsewise, enjoy!
Ani could feel her body tremor as the darkness subsided once again, a voice she didn't recognize saying, "She should be better in a day or so with the antibiotic drip. The infection isn't as bad as it seems. Her body's taxed, from stress and the baby. She's a bit dehydrated, but aside from that, the only reason I can think of for her having slept so long was merely shock. I'm not sure how long she's been sleeping, but Dwight said he killed someone in front of her and her parents said she doesn't have the most stable of minds. So I'm assuming since then, since she got shot."
"You shouldn't believe everythin' you hear," another voice sounded. "When do you think she will wake up?"
"Any time, to be honest," the other man said, Ani trying to open her eyes, the fire seemingly subsiding as she tried to groggily lift a hand to her stomach.
"And the baby in her belly?" the second man asked.
"As far as I can tell, growing on track. My son was the obstetrician, so he would know better. But, yeah, everything seems to be fine. Are you sure you don't want to-"
"No," Negan cut Dr. Carson off with a dirty look. "Like I said, don't believe everything you hear. She wants that baby, and if you do anything but help her get better, she looses that baby while in your care, it's on you," he threatened viciously. "And the price? The price will be your head."
"But I thought-"
"And I thought I was the one in charge?" Negan said threatened. "Simon."
"Yes, boss?"
"Go get Laura. I want her in this room at all times."
"She's, uh, she's out on a run, sir," Simon told him.
"Call her back. She's got some medical training and is one of my best soldiers. She'll keep our little—what'd he call her? Ania? Well, she'll keep her safe and make sure those slimy assholes don't get near her. By the way, how're Tom and Ellie doin'? They likin' their new accommodations?"
"Not exactly. They've both been hollerin' away about how they want to see their daughter. Ellie's screamin' about being in the dark, Tom's actin' like he's being wrongfully accused, sayin' somethin' about an election all over again."
"There's one other thing, sir," the doctor said, interrupting the other two. "She is covered in scars. Many of them are old. Very old. During my examination," he told him, moving over to the sleeping girl, Ani feeling him move her hand off her stomach and groaning in protest, trying and failing again to open her eyes, "I noticed she had some very interesting scars you're gonna want to see."
When he began to flip her, Ani started struggling, causing Negan to put his hand out, stopping the doctor's movement, "You awake, hunny?"
Ani tried to open her eyes, but she could only manage to flutter them open before squinting them closed all over again with a groan. The room was too bright and fuzzy all at the same time. She could barely concentrate on the fact that someone was touching her, making her skin crawl, but her tongue lay thickly in her mouth. She heard the second man tell someone to get her some water, a straw being placed at her lips a moment or two later. Even if there was danger in drinking what was proffered to her she couldn't stop herself from sucking greedily.
"That's it," Negan told the girl, smiling down at her as she drank. "That's good. You okay there, sugar? Need the lights turned down?"
"Please," she managed to say, her voice hoarse. "The baby?"
"Oh, it's fine, it's fine," Negan told her soothingly, taking one of her hands up in his as he sat beside her.
"He," she corrected as the lights were turned out, tears of relief gathering in her eyes as she opened them, attempting to pull her hand free and failing, her body quite weak for some reason. "He's fine," she whispered to herself, her hand returning to her stomach and rubbing there.
"A boy? Well, I'll be. That is a precious gift. A mighty precious gift indeed."
"Daryl? Where's Daryl?"
"Oh, he's bein' taken care of, don't you worry about that."
"Nah, nah he was with me. He was with me," she repeated, her breathing getting heavy as she recalled the ride in the dark van and Daryl's bloody form, recognizing the man who told her she was going back to her parents as well. "Wh-Where'd ya take 'im?!"
"Oh-ho, you are quick on the uptake, aren't you?" Negan smiled charmingly, though there was sarcasm dancing behind his eyes as he patted her hand. "But it don't matter much, now does it? He's where he is and you're too sick and weak right now to do anything about it. And even when you're strong enough to try, if you do, I'll take off little bits of him and bring them to you on a silver plate! Or I'll have Tom and Ellie do it for me," he said, watching as her face turned ashen and the same horrified expression back at the clearing graced it as she tried once again to pull her hand from his. "So you just lay here, keep those drugs pumpin' through your veins, keep that baby in your belly, just like you want it to be. You know, Tom and Ellie, they wanted to pull that thing out of you. But see, me? I'm generous! I'm treating you free of charge because, frankly, children are our future! See, we don't tend to make sick, pregnant women work. It doesn't bode well for the baby. I'm not heartless afterall," he told her, his smile softening just a little. "Now, you rest up. I'll be back to talk to you in a while. Until then, there's gonna be someone in here with you," he told her, standing up. "We'll check out them scars a little later. Simon, stay with the little lady and keep her company until Laura gets here. Make sure no unsavory types get in. Give her the best hospitality we have to offer!" Negan chuckled before he ushered the doctor out of the room and shut the door behind him.
Ani's body felt heavy as she fought the darkness from creeping back up on her. While the man, Simon, tried to talk for a while after the doctor left, all Ani was willing to do was stare blankly at the wall once she was propped up enough. After a little time had passed, the man realized he wasn't going to get anything out of her and decided to try to get her to play a game with her instead. He offered everything from solitaire to checkers to chess to poker, but Ani just stared at the wall. She was determined not to give into anything these people had to offer if she didn't need it until she knew how Daryl was doing. Even if it looked nicer than the safe house she'd been taken to after the satellite station, it was clearly the same kind of area the people of that cult would pick. Whoever Negan was, this was probably his base of operation, and if he was taking her to her parents, that meant that he was not only in league with them, but enthralled by their tales of woe at her behest.
"How about I get you something to eat?" Simon said, smacking his legs and thanking God that the girl's eyes snapped to him; it was creepy as all hell sitting in a room with someone who would stare at the wall for several minutes without blinking, even, slow breaths barely ascertainable, face and eyes devoid of any emotion. "Come on, you gotta be hungry. Haven't eaten anything since yesterday, at least. You got shot in the shoulder, hmm, three days ago now? When Dwight caught you guys on the tracks. Could be you haven't eaten since then. Gotta get something in that stomach if you're gonna keep the baby healthy."
"Three days?"
"Uh, yeah."
"I've been out for three days? Have...have Daryl and I been 'ere this whole time?! Was that clearin'-"
"Whoa, whoa, easy, easy," Simon told her. "Come on, take a couple deep breaths. Yeah, that's it, just in and out," he said, trying to calm her down. "You only got here this morning, and it's barely even noon. Had medicine in your veins since about eight for the mild infection you got from your shoulder. It's nothing we couldn't handle, even got the doctor to give you a once over." Taking pity on the girl who had tears flowing from her defiant eyes as she glared, Simon sighed and said, "Look, I know things are hard, right now, but they'll get better. I mean, Daryl just needs a bit of re-education and Negan needs to look into a few things," he told her as if it was all just another day. "After that, who knows? Maybe this'll become yours and Daryl's room permanently. Now, how about I wrestle you up some grub?"
"Not hungry," she said darkly as her mind dwelt on the word 're-education' and what she knew of that word to mean; Daryl was going to be tortured and abused until he came around to Negan's way of thinking.
"Come on, you gotta eat. If you don't, the baby dies, if the baby dies, the doctor dies, if the doctor dies, well, you see where I'm going with this." He was caught off guard by the darkening look in her eyes, one he'd seen Negan get before he killed someone, before he looked away, saying, "Look, I can't promise anything, but I have a little leeway with the big boss. You eat, I'll talk to him about letting you at least see Daryl. How about that? You eat, I talk to Negan. So, what do you want?"
"Ya got squirrel?" she asked quietly, deciding there and then she was going to get Daryl out somehow, and put an end to her parents once and for all; she needed her strength back if she was going to manage that.
Simon looked at her blankly, thinking that she was like a child in some ways, but the defiance in her eyes, the way they hardened, almost as if she'd become determined was definitely something he hadn't seen before. Sure, there'd been the people who fought, the people who came in looking like Rick had, all big and badass. But each and every one of them either ended up dead or looking as terrified as Rick ended up being. There wasn't much in between for a man like Negan, not even for himself.
"We've got a lot more than squirrel. Chicken, eggs, even some fish, and, yeah, we have squirrel," he told her.
"Jus' want some squirrel."
"Well, how about I see what I can wrestle for you and see if we can't add more to that plate. We got fruit and vegetables, any of them meet your fancy?"
"Ya got any strawberries or peppers?" she asked, knowing she needed to get her nutrients up not just for the baby, but so she could heal faster.
"Yeah, we got those," he said with a smile before leaving the room, Fat Joe coming around the corner. "Hey, Joey! Good boy, you stand right here and don't let anyone in this room but me or Laura. Boss man's newest soon-to-be wife's in there and already we're havin' problems with people," he told him, assuming Negan's game plan before heading down to the market.
~x~
Negan walked to the floor they kept the 'cells' on, cells being rooms that were most likely a utility closet for the old steel factory. As far as defense went, it was one of the best places they could get. Size too, as far as being able to house the workers and their families along with the soldiers and theirs. He knew it wasn't the most ideal as far as their ability to grow crops, but they had a few plots for a garden, some fresh vegetables that they could produce relatively easily enough in the confines of the concrete palace he'd built up. The rules were simple, too. The workers did just that; they worked for points and were provided protection, food, and a roof over their heads. Then there was the grunt soldiers, the scavengers, the ones at the outposts and such. They got better treatment than the workers, but they still had their rules to follow, still slept on cots, still had to answer to Negan and his upper level force. The soldiers who did the fighting, the ones who helped keep the others in line, they were the ones granted their own rooms with proper beds and the best of the best of the best. On the opposite end, there were the fencers, the ones that worked the fence line hanging new walkers in their courtyard to keep people away. They were treated like shit, were fed shit, were shit for all intents and purposes.
Rapping Lucille on the door to the tune of 'A Haircut and a Shave', he sang, "Oh, Tommy-boy...You got a bit of answerin' to do." Opening the door, he saw Tom with a split lip and nursing his side. "Well, look at you."
"I don't know what happened that made you not trust us," Tom said while on his knees, "but you can't trust her."
"Oh, see, she didn't say much. Didn't say much at all," Negan said. "Actually, she only asked about three things. Do you want to know what they were?" When Tom just stayed in the situation and looked up at him as if he didn't understand, "She asked about the baby. Then she asked about Daryl. And how quickly she was able to figure out that I'd taken him away from her! Not once did she mention you, but she was scared shitless when I mentioned ya. So, tell me, why would she be so terrified at the mere mention of you, yet you claim she was terrified of him?"
"I don't know. Maybe he did something to her. Maybe he convinced her it was us. Maybe...maybe he used some form of reverse psychology on her. I don't know!" Tom cried. "She's my baby girl, my last child. Her sister was killed by a bitch who was jealous of her. All we have left is Titania!"
"Is that so? Well, she's awake, but not in the mood to talk. As it is, the cost of her treatment? That's on you and Ellie," he told him. "I mean, someone's gotta pay for it and she is in no position to. And Daryl, well," Negan chuckled. "He's not a worker yet, not a soldier. Hell, he ain't even shit I'd scrape from my heel. So it's left to you and Ellie. How about the two of you go with Simon to Hilltop tomorrow night. He's got a little something he needs help setting up," Negan smiled as he watched Tom's face contort into anger. "And don't even think of going anywhere near Titania. Laura's gonna be standing guard, and you know how good she is with her aim. See, she's gonna be keeping our little mystery box safe until I get a chance to take a crack at solving it. So! You're left with stayin' in this cell like a little pussy-ass bitch who's lyin' through their teeth, or you keep bein' the soldier you signed up to be and go get my shit. Up to you," he said before walking down the hall leaving the door open and to another, similar cell.
Once again tapping in the same way with Lucille, he called out, "How ya doin' Ellie?"
"Please, Negan, le' me out! You know I cannae stand t'e dark!" came the reply. "Why am I bein' treated li'e t'is? What did I do wrong? Please, I can make it right! I promise, I can make it right!"
"Oh you sure as shit can!" Negan said as he threw open the door. "You and Tom, you're goin' with Simon to Hilltop tomorrow. Got a little lesson planned for helpin' Rick with their little raid of the satellite station. So, you head out with them. I'll give you another assignment when you get back. You can even head back to your room for the night. But Titania is off limits. Stay away from her room, stay away from her if she's in the halls. Until I get to the bottom of the pile of shit you've left on my doorstep, you stay away from her. That is, unless you want to be locked in this room for the better part of your days and you want me to start taking bits off Tom and feedin' them to ya," he told her menacingly.
"No, I'll go! I'll go! As long as she's safe!" Ellie cried, tears of what seemed to be gratefulness pouring from her eyes as he narrowed his eyes at her.
"Well, alright then. You're free to go!" Negan said with a smile. "Go get your gear with Tom and head out."
"Thank you, Negan! Thank you!"
"Oh, just one last thing," Negan said, turning back to his bat to level with Ellie's face. "Why is she so scared of you but so worried about Daryl?"
"H-how should I know?" Ellie stuttered, no shock, only anger crossing her face for a split second under Negan's watchful gaze before it turned back to worry. "I-I jus' want me daughter ta be safe!"
"So you don't mind payin' for her treatment?"
He watched as her face soured for a split second before it returned to that pitiful look of despair he'd have missed if he'd have blinked, her voice a little harder than it had been a moment ago as she said, "O' course! T'e rules have ta be followed!"
"Atta girl. Go on now," he told her, watching her like a hawk as she started walking away.
He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was definitely something off with the two of them. It was the way they looked at the girl initially, the way Ellie had taunted Daryl, the barely concealed anger held deep in their eyes after learning they were responsible for providing for her treatment. He'd seen looks like that on parents back in the day, back before he had become what he was. Back then, he'd had a soft spot for kids like what he suspected was true of Titania, though he hadn't done nearly enough for them before the world went to shit. There'd been one or two kids who'd come through that he'd protected since the turn, a couple husbands who were too rough towards their wives that were knocked down a peg or two, or who worked the fence as a dead man because the lesson just didn't sink in. After what Laura had been through thanks to his actions and his desperate quest to save his wife, he'd made sure rapists got what they deserved, too. Abuse in any form just wasn't okay, unless he was the one behind it, and he considered it more training and breaking than abuse. After all, it only lasted until he got what he wanted, and then they just had to follow the rules and it'd never happen again!
Taking a stroll around his empire, he couldn't help the smirk that graced his face as he went from area to area watching people kneel. Whether they knelt out of fear, out of respect, or out of plain old acceptance that this was in fact how things were, he didn't really care. He ended up in the back courtyard where Dwight was smoking a cigarette, making a few innuendos to him about Sherry and asking how their little prisoner was doing. Apparently Daryl was filthy as a dog and had a similar wound to Titania's, but they'd caught it quick enough that the antibiotics the doctor gave him should kick in before he caught any infection. All in all, both the newcomers would be right as rain by the end of the weak if they just did as they were told. Coming back around to the west courtyard, where they parked all the vehicles.
Laura's convoy was entering the gate as he walked in, the woman hopping out of one of the vehicles and walking right over to him, "Simon said you wanted to see me?"
"Yeah, the girl the Parker's wanted. We brought her in," he told her.
"So, what?"
"So, I want you to keep a watch over her. She's sick, and something just doesn't quite smell right. Give her a few days, try to talk to her. Find out what you can for me. Most importantly, try to get her on our side, 'cause once she is, we'll have the man eating out of our hand! So do me a solid, Laura," he told her with an honest smile. "Get her talkin', any way you can without stressing her out."
"So I'm babysitting now?"
"It's more complicated than that," he told her, giving her a look she'd grown to know very well, one that told her just to do what he said and he'd tell her what he thought later.
"Okay," she told him. "Anything I should know other than she's unstable and was raped?"
"Yeah, see, that's what I need you to figure out. Something about that just doesn't add up. She's only asked about the guy and the baby-"
"She's pregnant?"
"Yeah, stay with me," he he told her before going right back into what he was saying. "She's only asked about the guy and the baby, hasn't even worried about where she is, only if they were safe. And she was absolutely terrified at the mere mention of her parents. As you know, that shit can't fly around here. I need to know what I can believe. The sleazy assholes who, albeit great at scavenging and gettin' shit done, are, in fact, sleazy assholes. Or, Dwight and what appears to be an actual couple. Hell, you should have seen the desperation in that guy as he tried to fight to kick Tom's ass. I almost want to see who could win with that. But, back to your task. Even though I've got said sleazy assholes goin' out with Simon once you relieve him, they will inevitably be comin' back home. Your job is to keep those assholes away from the sleepy little fox in our wolf den," he told her, pointing over towards Tom and Ellie's bikes. "Just to be safe."
"Okay, you got it," Laura said. "Where is she now?"
"She's over in the living quarters, set up in one of the rooms at the end."
"The empty one with the fan?"
"That's the one."
"Alright," she said as she walked away.
~x~
"Here you go," Simon said as he walked back into the room carrying a tray of juice. "I got you some fried squirrel, some strawberries, some red and green peppers, added a couple pickles, chips, and orange juice to round you off. You know, we've had a few pregnancies roll through here. You gotta keep your intake up for you and the, uh, little fella," he told her, a smile and mock friendliness, though Ani couldn't tell if it was mock because he just wasn't a friendly person or mock because he was told to be polite.
"Thank you," she said anyway once he set the tray in front of her.
To be honest, it did look good. It didn't smell off either, so there wasn't much chance that it was drugged, though, to be honest, she didn't think these people would go quite that far, at least not with her. Ani was more worried about Daryl. No way in hell was he getting the same treatment as she was. Eating in silence, all she could think about was Daryl and how she wanted him in the room with her, not the weird guy with the mustache that stared too much for comfort. She cleaned her plate before she managed to get her emotions in check enough to speak to the man.
"How's Daryl?" she asked him quietly.
"He's alive," the man said, as if that was supposed to be a comforting piece of information.
"Can I see him?"
"Oh, you'd have to ask Negan about that."
"And when will I meet him?"
"You-you just did," Simon said, mildly confused before realization hit him. "You were sleeping during career day, right. Well!" he said, slapping his knees and smiling. "The man who told me to keep you company is the Negan, but we're all Negan."
"Yeah, I know ya a cult," Ani said, rolling her eyes. "Ya know I'm gonna kill 'im, right? I know what re-education means. I know what ya doin' ta me husband. And I'm gonna kill every single last one a ya who eva even touched 'im for it," the conviction in her darkened expression sending a shudder down Simon's spine.
"Wow," Simon told her. "You actually mean that."
"I neva make a promise I can' keep."
"Little lady, you might think you are tough, but you can't beat Negan."
"I've killed a hundred twenny one people since this whole thing went down," Ani told him, her eyes dark as ever. "Fifteen a them have been Saviors. Do ya really think ya people scare me? I mean, how many has Negan himself killed? How many have ya?"
"You kept count?"
"I'm still human. I ain' a monsta who don' give two shites 'bout the people I killed, not even the assholes who tried ta shoot me up with me man. Not the assholes who were eatin' people and planned on eatin' me people out in Georgia. There's only one death I don' count, but I still rememba perfectly clear in me head. Me sista, Chrystal."
"You were the jealous bitch who killed Chrystal?"
"Jealous bitch?" Ani laughed. "Oh gods, that's a good one!" She couldn't help but chuckle for a few minutes as Simon looked on in shock, "So they told ya a jealous bitch killed Chrystal, huh? Well, let me set it straight. Apparently, they'd been lookin' for me since all this shite started. Me parents got separated from me sista on their trek down from Michigan, where they lived. Though, ta be fair, they might a already been in Georgia, who knows? I didn't keep track a where they were, bein' honest. But anyways, Chrys found me brotha in law, Merle, and found out I was still alive 'cause a that. We had ta rescue some a our people from 'er group and when we did, when we got out, she found 'er way back ta our base. Rick, 'e took 'er in believin' 'er sob story much like all a y'all believed Tom and Ellie's. Only difference was that 'e'd jus' lost 'is wife, so he wasn' all there in the head, unlike ya. Anyways, she corna'd me when I was on watch that night. Threatened ta carve me up some more, like she did when I was a kid, like they all did," she said with a scoff. "I could a jus' let 'er walk away if she'd a left well 'nough alone and only threatened me, but she went and threatened Daryl. I ended up kickin' 'er off the side a the guard towa we were in, broke 'er neck when she hit the ground. That's how Chrys died. If anyone was a jealous bitch, it was Chrysie."
"Knock knock," came a feminine voice right after a couple raps on the door sounded. A blonde girl with a barcode tattoo walked and introducing herself, "I'm Laura, your new babysitter. You're free to go Simon. So, you're Titania, right?"
"Ani," she corrected.
"Just Ani? How'd you come to that? I would have thought, like, maybe Teeny, Tiny given your size. Ania if you wanna base it on your name."
"Only Daryl gets ta call me Ania," Ani spat out visciously.
"Hey, it's cool," Laura said, raising her eyebrow at the girl's reaction. "How old are you anyway?"
"Twenny three? Twenny four? I was twenny two when it all started, don' really know what month it is, but if two Augusts have past, I'm twenny four," she rambled, not really sure the month they were in.
"It's September."
"Twenny four!" Ani said joyously before getting a whimsical look on her face. "Makes Daryl thirdy six. Damn fine for a man nearin' 'is fordys," she laughed.
"He's thirty six, and you think he's hot?" Laura asked, this being her first real hint at what Negan had been saying.
"Well, when ya graduate early and start workin' early, ya kinda end up 'round olda guys all the time. I went on a date or two with guys me age, but they were jus', well, yuck," she said making a face. "When the world went ta hell and I met Daryl, didn' even know I'd already met 'im on me twenny first. Wanted ta kiss 'im that night but I was three sheets ta the wind and on me way out when 'e got called away."
"You didn't start out with your parents?"
"Hell nah! Been on me own since I was fourteen! Why in the hell would I wanna be with them assholes?"
Ani didn't talk for the rest of the day, only turning on her side away from the newcomer and going to sleep after that question until she was woken up to eat a couple times later in the day. It was obvious that Negan was at least honest in his desire for her to get better. Laura didn't seem to mind the fact that she kept silent, either, preferring to turn on a radio that began playing rock music to whittle the hours away. Ani was trying to keep herself in check, not show that she was being affected by everything, but the little flutters in her stomach combined with the almost unnatural cold she felt at the emptiness of the bed beside her was getting to her with every passing second. All she was left with was her thoughts, and the longer she dwelt on what could be happening to Daryl, the harder to control her emotions became. Closing her eyes, she forced herself to think about what she knew both was happening and had happened thus far.
Tom and Ellie had lied through their teeth, but what exactly was the lie? She had pieced enough together to know that they had turned Daryl into an abuser, possibly worse, that they didn't want her to keep the baby, and that she was unstable. Knowing that, it was easy for her to make a plan of counterattack. She was already winning on one front; her parents wanted the baby gone, but she was the mother. If anything, she could admit that Negan had at least enough humanity in him to pick the mother's side over someone else's, at least for now. As far as being unstable, well, just being around her would prove that to be somewhere between true and false. She had her moments, exacerbated by being away from Daryl and being in stressful situations, both of which she was in now, but at the same time, she had to keep her mind focused for Little D. Rubbing her stomach as she thought about what she had to do, she couldn't help the tears that fell from her eyes as she fell asleep, cold and alone.
In the morning, she woke up to Laura bringing her breakfast and tossing her a bottle of prenatal vitamins, "Take those. You need them."
"I'm already somethin' like twenny three weeks," Ani tried to reason.
"And you've been sleeping for a while, right? You need the vitamins for both you and the baby. Trust me."
"Why should I? Ya a doctor? Ya been pregnant before?"
"My dad was one. And once. Didn't take, though I'm still not sure if I'm happy about that or not."
"How could ya say that? I mean, I get it, this day and age people don' wanna be makin' babies, but I mean, why?"
"I didn't choose the guy," was all Laura said on the matter, turning back towards the woman, knowing first hand that telling her own truth was the easiest way to get other women to talk.
"Oh. Ya prolly already heard 'sorry' 'nough ta last ya a life-time," Ani told her nonchalantly before becoming serious. "I'm jus' happy ya came out a saviva, not a victim, even if it took ya a while ta come out. Not many women manage ta do that, and the ones I've met that have, well, they weren' exactly savivas, ya know? Hard ta become a saviva afta bein' a victim. And it's okay that ya didn' want that baby. No one should have ta carry a child they don' want, let alone by a rapist."
"Huh," the blonde said as she turned back towards the small window in the room she was standing by. "Don't think anyone's ever actually told me that before. It's always the 'I'm sorry for your loss,' or 'Sorry you went through that.' It's all just bullshit. But then again, takes one to know one, right?"
"Huh?"
"Your baby," Laura said as if it was obvious. "It's your rapist's right?"
"Ra-rapist?" Ani scoffed in confusion before smiling and shaking her head. "I've been touched by the people Tom and Ellie tried ta sell me virginity ta, but I ain' neva been raped. Only been with one man eva, me husband. Daryl. This baby," she said rubbing her lower belly, "it's ours. We've been tryin' for 'im foreva and finally got 'im and didn' even know it 'til 'bout a week ago."
"Seriously? How could you not know?"
"Well, I was sick durin' what we think were the first few weeks, then on the run for me life the next week. Spent a few days in a church and then a couple weeks on the road. Been in Alexandria for a few months, but got me head banged pretty good a couple days in. Thought the smells, the cravin's, the emotional shite, thought it was all 'cause a this," Ani said while motioning to her scar. Tom and Ellie might be excellent liars, but nothing could hide the truth as she said, "Tom and Ellie, they were at Alexandria."
"We know. Daryl and someone else took you from them and got them exiled by telling lies."
"That's not what fuckin' happened!" Ani snarled at the woman. "They fuckin' body checked me while I had me back turned. I was helpin' one a me people, Glenn. I was helpin' 'im with a conflict 'tween him and a couple douches from Alexandria that are both dead now. I didn't kill 'em; one died on a run he turned bad and the otha realized he wasn't meant ta deal with walkas and blew 'is brains out. But anyways, soon as I managed ta help him, I'm bein' body checked inta a wall at full force. Barely managed ta block the next swing 'fore I was checked again and me momma grabbed me head and raked it against a jagged piece a the wall. All them years growin' me hair out, and it took only a split second ta lose a part a it. Got this, though," she said, holding up her wrist to show the bracelet she still wore. "Darly's got one jus' like it. Me best friend made 'em for me. One a ya men killed 'er. I'm gonna kill 'im when I get back. Me man tried ta help 'im once upon a time and they fuckin' left 'im high and dry and then 'e came back and killed me friend. He's dead. I'm gonna snap his fuckin' neck."
"You can do that?"
"Yeah, it's actually pretty easy for someone like me. I don' exactly know me own strength, so breakin' bones has neva been difficult when I get in a fight. It's not breakin' 'em I have problems with," Ani stated, only rolling her eyes internally at her lack of restraint when it came to answering honestly but deciding it wouldn't be a bad thing; they'd either believe her or think she was lying, which she could use to her advantage. "But anyway, back ta Tom and Ellie and Daryl. They got exiled for attackin' me, not 'cause a Daryl. Daryl and Merle, me brotha in law, they did take me away from 'em. Afta Tom and Ellie beat me bloody. Afta Tom and Ellie attacked me completely unprovoked. Daryl took me ta the fuckin' infirmary ta get me head looked at! He's neva once touched me when I didn' wanna. He always gives me the space I need 'less I'm pullin' away from 'im, and I haven' been doin' that for a while. Not since I realized I was tryin' ta run away from 'im all along."
"So you are afraid of him," Laura said flatly, her arms crossed as she observed Ani, trying to get more information seeing as the girl was willing to spill.
It was obvious enough to Laura that Tom and Ellie had lied about who the abuser was. The woman in front of her would get a hard look on her face, her eyes almost looking through everything with a slight edge of both malice and terror to them every time she talked about the two. Yet when she talked about Daryl, when she talked about how he'd taken her away, she had this small smile and soft eyes. Her hand on her belly just rubbed away as she looked down, Laura could tell that Ani really did want the baby there. Until she'd said she'd been trying to run away from Daryl, Laura was pretty positive everything Tom and Ellie had said was a lie, but now that she'd said that things had changed. Or at least, she thought they had until Ani began to laugh.
"I think that is the funniest thing I've eva heard in me life," she said, holding her stomach as she continued to laugh, Laura smiling along with her. "I ain' neva, neva eva eva neva! Neva once have I been afraid a Daryl. He's me happy, safe, and dependable place all rolled inta one. I feel safest when I'm tucked up unda him, whetha it's walkin' unda his shouldas or sittin' unda his chin or when 'e's smotharin' me in bed 'cause we jus' can get close 'nough ta each otha at night." Laura watched as the tears formed in the woman's eyes as she spoke, "They turned 'im inta a rapist, didn' they? That he was the one who abused me, didn' they? They made 'emselves out ta be betta parents jus' lookin' out for their little girl and tryin' ta get 'er back from the monsta. Ain' no bigga monsta in this whole place than me. Ain' a betta person than Daryl. When I say I was tryin' ta run, I mean I was tryin' ta find a way ta run from bein' with him 'cause I was so sure he'd jus' get sick a me one day. So sure 'e'd walk away that I was runnin' or pushin' 'im ta run. Took a big fight that lasted almost a month for me ta realize it," Ani said, bringing her knees up to her chest as her tears fell. "I jus' want 'im back."
Laura looked at her for a bit before sighing and saying, "Eat. You need to get as much in you as possible after the last few days. There'll be someone outside your door. I've got a meeting to go to."
"Ta tell Negan everythin' I said and whetha or not ya think I'm tellin' the truth," Ani said, sniffling and turning her head to watch Laura.
"You're pretty smart."
"I should hope so, I graduated high school at thirteen and got me first degree a year lata. Only reason why it was takin' so long ta get me PhD was 'cause I was in love with me work at the Atlanta Police Department."
"Wait, you worked with the police?" Laura laughed, leaning back against the doors. "Do you have any proof?"
"Back in Alexandria, Daryl hung 'em up on the wall when 'e found 'em in me pack. Didn' even know I had 'em 'cause I neva showed 'im. Thought 'e'd be angry since 'e neva even got ta finish high school," Ani said, her sad smile returning. "I wanna see Daryl."
"I'm not gonna make any promises," Laura told her. "But I'll see what I can do."
~x~
Simon, Laura, and Dwight were standing in a room a while later discussing the two newcomers to the Sanctuary. None of them could understand the way the two had gotten together, Laura mentioning the twelve year age gap while Simon commented on how Ani, after Laura's correction, reminded him of his niece. When Laura said that Ani was actually awake and talking, they were all pretty happy about that. Both Laura and Simon bitched Dwight out for shooting her, to which he defended that he was aiming for Daryl, not the pregnant lady. It wasn't until Negan came in that they quieted down from their heckling.
"So, tell me what's goin' on with the super hot pregnant lady married to the super hung hunter guy. I mean, have you seen the tits on that girl? And that face! Man, she really is super hot. The only way I can see them bein' together is because he damn near puts my manhood to shame," he told them. "How's he doin' anyway?"
"Takin' longer than I thought, but he's gonna break. Been askin' about her, 'bout the baby," Dwight told him. "Do I answer him?"
"You know, that's funny," Laura said before Negan answered. "She keeps asking me about him, too. She really misses him. Like, crying mess when I left because she misses him."
"First thing she asked after you left yesterday," Simon agreed. "Promised to kill anyone who had a hand in his, uh, re-education, as I called it."
"She's pregnant, tears, threats, it's all to be expected," Negan said dully. "Now, what about her parents?"
"Well, here's the thing-" Simon said at the same time as Laura started saying, "They gave her the scar-"
"One at a time," Negan said. "Simon, go."
"Well, you know how we were told Chrystal was killed by some jealous bitch? Turns out, Ani's the one who killed her protectin' her home. Kicked her right off a damn tower," Simon chuckled.
"Ani?"
"Her preferred name," Laura informed him.
"Claims she's killed a hundred and twenty one people since this all started," Simon told the group. "She doesn't seem like she's lyin' either. I mean, she's a bit off, there's no doubt about that. Sat and stared at the wall for hours before I mentioned food. Had to promise I'd mention to you about lettin' her at least see Daryl to you to get her to eat, not that that's gonna happen as far as her seein' him. I mean, you are plannin' on marryin' her, right?"
"No, not her. Not yet anyway. Still need to get to the bottom of all this. What about you, Laura?"
"Dude, there's a lot," Laura told him. "She smiles when she talks about Daryl, rubs her belly, and then when she's talking about Tom and Ellie, she's almost protective of her stomach, holding it with both arms, this look on her face that just screams murder. That scar on her head, she said they did that, that they knocked her into a wall and scraped her head against a jagged piece. Cost her her hair. She actually has a bracelet like the one you've got on her wrist," she told Dwight. "It's made of her hair."
Dwight took the bracelet off his wrist and threw it with a disgusted look on his face, it landing in the middle of the table, "That thing's made of hair?! Why the hell keep it?! That was on Daryl's wrist!"
"Yeah, well, apparently her best friend, you know, the woman you killed, made them for her. She plans on breaking your neck for that," Laura asked.
"So she's really with that guy? Huh, I mean, with how big he is, I'm sure he's got ladies linin' up for miles around," Negan chuckled as he grabbed the bracelet and sat back.
"If he does, he doesn't know it," Dwight said. "Only thing he's said all day was 'how's Ania?' That's it. Any other time I go in, he's just starin'."
"That's what she was doin' to me yesterday," Simon said. "Really creepy sitting in a room with a woman who's just starin' at a wall. Even her breathin' was slow, steady. Almost like she was sleepin' with her eyes open."
"Think giving that to her might help?" Laura asked, motioning towards the bracelet now in Negan's hand. "Or should we just keep a hold of it and use it against her?"
"Don't need her more emotional and stressed when we want her to recover. We can be nice and give it back. Has she said anythin' else about anything?"
"She hasn't been raped," Laura told him with a shrug of her shoulder. "She's been sexually assaulted when, get this, her parents tried to sell her virginity."
"What now?" Negan said with a smile, finally paying full attention and taking his feet off the table they were sitting at, turning to sit in the chair properly and leaning in.
"Yeah, apparently she's only ever been with Daryl and they got together after all this started," Laura told him. "Said she's been on her own since she was fourteen, too, and she worked with the Atlanta Police Department. Has a bunch of college degrees she first started getting when she was fourteen; said Daryl hung them on the wall in their home. I mean, I want to scoff at her, but she knew where I was going and what I was doing when I left the room. She also put together and pulled apart what Tom and Ellie told us pretty easily. Oh, she also said that they'd been trying for a child and only found out like a week ago even though she's something like twenty three weeks along."
"How'd you get her to talk? All she did was sit and stare at the wall when I was with her?" Simon asked.
"That's a woman's secret, Simon," she smiled back at him.
"Alright, here's what we're gonna do," Negan said after taking in all the information. "You and me," he said, motioning towards Laura, "are gonna go talk a little more to our little, most likely soon-to-be orphan Ani. I wanna see those scars Carson found so interesting yesterday. After that, Dwight, you're gonna take Daryl to see the doctor. Get that wound checked in. We'll see where it goes from there."
They all left the room, Simon being told to get a move on with gathering supplies for the trap at Hilltop tonight. Dwight headed out to do whatever he had to before he went to get Daryl, which included getting the man some clothes to put on to go to Carson's office. Laura and Negan headed towards the room Ani was in, Fat Joey trailing along behind. When they got to Ani's room, he did his typical rap on the door, telling the guard standing there to get lost as he had been talking to Tom and Ellie, who quickly left the premise as soon as they caught sight of him coming around the corner.
"Don't stand guard for this room again," he told the man before he entered the room and turned towards the bed with a smile. "Hey there, darlin'. Feelin' any better?"
"Yeah, thanks," she said, even though she didn't want to.
Negan huffed a chuckle at her attempt at manners before saying, "You know, you're a mystery to me."
"Yeah, well, ya an open book ta me."
"Oh?" Negan outright laughed. "And what do you know about me?"
"Ya don' care 'bout killin', prolly 'cause what was keepin' ya in line ta begin with died. Me guess is ya wife; jus' sayin', ya named a damn bat Lucille if I heard right. Things are a little fuzzy from that night. But still, that ain' normal behavia," Ani told him, watching as the smile fell from his face as her eyes hardened, watching for the next clue she was on the right track. "Ya prolly think a all a this as some kind a system where ya the king commandin' 'is army and 'is generals and nobles from on high while the workas below muck through the mud jus' ta get somethin' ta eat. Might seem like a fair system, but the more one needs, the more they fall behind, the worse they get treated 'til they eitha give up the fight or they try ta run. And then they die or ya chase 'em down and bring 'em back and punish 'em like ya did ta Dwight and his face. I know that ya do all this 're-education' bullshite 'cause ya think makin' people think and act like ya, listen ta ya, report ta ya, ya think that's how ya keep in control and keep 'em safe. But it's gonna lose ya people. A lot a people."
"Hu-oh-oh, you really think you are smart, don't you?" Negan said, realizing firsthand that this woman wasn't unstable at all.
"I've got an IQ high 'nough ta rival Einstein, autism, ADHD, and damn near had me PhD in forensic psychology 'fore the world ended," Ani told him with a sneer of her own. "If ya think ya can turn me against Daryl, use me against Daryl, I promise ya, it ain' gonna work."
"I could always give you back to your parents rather than keep you protected from them," he said sinisterly, though it only made Ani chuckle and lean towards him.
"Go ahead. Bring 'em 'round me. Ya'll find 'em eatin' ya in ya sleep when I'm done with 'em."
"Wow. You really do mean that, don't you?" Negan asked her with a smile. "What kind of heartless bitch threatens to kill their parents?"
"The kind that already killed 'er sista ta keep 'er family safe, ain' 'bout ta let 'em sick fucks hurt me man. Ain' lettin' 'em touch 'im."
"Yet they say he raped you, from as young as twelve. That he left all sorts of scars on you," Negan said. "What's that about?"
"They tried ta sell me ta a sick fuck when I was twelve. Friend a the family that had been pervin' on me for a couple years. Wanted me 'fore I 'grew inta a woman's body,'" she told him with air quotes to emphasize what she was saying. "Ended up in jail for three months while the cops determined it ta be self-defense. And ya know what me parents did the whole time? Cry and moan about how I'd neva kill anybody, yet they were the ones who told the cops ta take the 'murderous little bitch' away, claimin' I'd been chasin' 'im even though 'e was married and fat as fuck. Me scars? Hell, the clustas were me birthday gifts from me sista. The lashes were me daddy; he loved usin' whips when 'e knew 'e could get away with me not havin' ta show me back. And then me momma, she was the wildcard. Sometimes it was whips, sometimes knives, sometimes worse knives. But all three loved chainin' me up and carvin' at me. Yeah, I got a few scars that were caused by Daryl, but they weren'..." Ani stopped in the middle of her sentence, "Well, I guess in a way he did give me some scars, but it ain' jus' 'is fault when we both get carried away and fall off the bed or slam a little too hard inta somethin'. I mean, he's gotta some scars from me, too," she chuckled. "There's damn near a perfect impression a me bite mark on 'is hand from tryin' ta keep me quiet. And I wish I hadn' said that."
"So you do like a little freaky-deak," Negan chuckled. "Good to know if you ever wanna jump to my side and become one of my wives."
"Nah thank ya," Ani denied, looking like she was about to retch. "Only man I'm eva gonna be with willin'ly is Daryl. Only man I'll eva give inta is Daryl. I can keep goin' with that, but I'm sure ya get the hint."
"So he's the only man for you, huh? Well, that's a damn shame. I'm not much of a one woman one man kinda guy myself."
"Well, I don' like sharin'. What's mine is mine. Daryl's mine. This baby is mine, but also ours, we're the only ones allowed ta be handsy with 'im and tell 'im what ta do without havin' ta get permission," Ani told him with venom dripping from her tongue. "Daryl is mine."
"Well, he can be, if he makes the right choices. I'm not tryin' to keep him from you, but he needs to learn his lesson."
Ani scoffed, "Only lesson 'e'll learn is why he's gonna fight ya."
Negan took a deep breath while pinching the bridge of his nose before looking back up at her, "Let's see these scars, shall we? Don't worry, we don't rape here, number one rule. Too many women have dealt with that out there and, to be honest, I wouldn't want to live in a place where that wasn't a rule. So let's have a little looksie."
Ani just rolled her eyes before moving, albeit a little stiffly, to turn her back towards the man, lifting her shirt high enough to show her back and the numerous scars on it. She heard both Negan and Laura's sharp intakes of breath as her back was revealed. She brought the shirt up over her head and held it over her chest even though she still had her comfort bra on. Even though it was necessary to prove Daryl's innocence as an abuser, it was still completely demoralizing and objectifying to have people staring at her scars as if they meant anything more than what they did. Her body was hideous and had been since before she could remember. The only one who had never said anything about her scars, the only one who just kissed her skin as if it wasn't marred, the only one who touched her without reacting to the bumps and lines covering every inch, had been Daryl.
"Can I see Daryl?" she asked.
"I'm thinkin' about it," Negan said. "What's this at the bottom? These letters?"
Taking a shuddering breath, Ani responded, "Thomas, Eileen, Chrystal Parker. They..." she scoffed. "They branded me. Marked me as theirs 'fore they tried sellin' me off. Ya know, they had the drugs ta knock me loopy 'nough not ta feel it when they were doin' it, but they didn' use 'em. They wanted me ta feel it as they carved their initials inta me. Two days lata, and I'm bein' drugged up so bad me body feels like its on fire and a fat guy's got 'is hand down me pants holdin' me against a desk. Freaked out so bad I grabbed the first thing I could and stabbed it through 'is eye."
"How old were you?" Laura asked.
"Twelve."
"This one line here," Negan said, gently poking a singular line on her shoulder. "What's that?"
"Me first birthday."
"What?"
"It's the mark a me first year," Ani reiterated.
"So they did this, for fourteen years?" Negan asked after a moment, having a bit of a hard time navigating through the patchwork that was her back until he found the final bundle of scars that were obvious tallies.
"Uh-huh. And me daddy wanted ta rape me when I ran away. All 'cause somethin' flipped in me head and I'd jus' had 'nough. I was done with their shite and was headin' ta college anyway on a full ride complete with specialty housin'. Don' really think 'e was thinkin' straight with that one, though. None a the people on 'is side a the family could handle their liquor and he was pissed as fuck when all that went down. Sure me sista told some story ta me brotha in law when they were at Woodbury tagetha, but that sick fuck didn' stand a chance, and neitha did she. They both had broken bones and bruises and all it cost me was me shirt. Oh, he eva tell ya the story a how I cost 'im an election?"
"Yeah," Negan said, still looking at her scars, taking note of a few spattering of bruises along her shoulders that were a few days old and smirking.
"Which version 'e tell ya? That I hurt meself and blamed 'im or that me gym teacha found me ribs wrapped and bruised and I blamed 'im even though it was bullies at school?"
"Damn, there's two versions of that story?"
"There's as many as 'e needs ta make it real," Ani said with a shrug of her shoulders, though Laura could see the tears streaming down her face and Negan could hear them in her voice. "Ya done lookin'? Or ya want me ta turn 'round so ya can look at me front, too?"
"No, no, you go ahead and put your shirt on. I've got them on a mission right now, so they aren't gonna be anywhere near here. And when they come back, well, we'll make this right," Negan told her, taking her shirt and quickly lowering it as soon as it was over her head again. "I'm sorry to make you do that. Hell, I'm sorry you had to go through that. Can I ask, what is the true story to that election?"
"He'd broken three a me ribs on one side, two on anotha, and I was still goin' ta school with 'em jus' wrapped up," she told him, turning around to face him. "Well, I got jostled all ta hell on me way ta class and me favorite teacha in all the world, me Spanish teacha, Mr. Skinna, he saw how pale I was and how I was cryin' and tryin' ta catch me breath while holdin' me sides. I was only eleven at the time and 'e jus' scooped me up and took me ta the nurses office," she cried. "Ya know, Daryl's the only otha person who eva scooped me up ta take me ta get help, and the only one ta do so immediately afta it happened. Skinna was too late ta make it ta where I didn' have ta go through more pain when they made sure the bones were set propaly, 'cause they weren' and were already startin' ta mend, minus the one that'd been broken again by the jostlin'. A CPS case was opened up when they saw me scars, when they saw all the bruises. And me parents, they jus' acted like they had no fuckin' clue. Like, somehow, they had this child they knew nothin' 'bout even though she was a prepubescent genius. Got off with that shite scott free like I neva had been injured in the first place. Fucka neva even ran for election that year, was jus' thinkin' 'bout when 'e wanted ta start 'is campaign ta run. I think 'e ran two years afta I left and got crushed by his opponent 'cause I refused ta support me daddy," Ani chuckled. "I actually was on record supportin' the otha guy."
"What happened to your teacher?" Laura asked.
"They ended up gettin' 'im fired," she huffed. "Used the same lie they're prolly usin' 'bout Daryl as far as usin' the 'olda guy lures innocent child' away trope. Said they had proof that the whole thing with CPS was actually his doin', that 'e'd beat me up and was tryin' ta get me inta his house ta start a sexual relationship with me. I was pretty fuckin' scarred by an extremely graphic sex ed course that showed full blown pictures a nasty ass infected genitalia! I didn' have sex 'til I was twenny fuckin' two partly 'cause a that! I wasn' willin' ta take the risk."
"And yet you're with a man like Daryl, who I must say is absolutely filthy," Negan said. "I mean, not even his junk is clean right now. It looks like he literally took his clothes off and rolled around like a little pig in mud."
Ani couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her as she pictured it in her mind. "I could totally see him doin' that!" she laughed. "Though, ta be honest, I'd be right there beside 'im if he did. We're both pretty damn feral like that. I don' know why he's filthy right now, though, 'less 'e didn' take a showa afta we got back from the run with Denny. That's when I conked out 'fore I got 'ere, so I doubt 'e botha'd with it."
"You know he left you there in Alexandria, right? Went off on his own tryin' to find the man who shot you."
"Well, he couldn' sit around jus' waitin' for me ta open me eyes and let the trail run cold, now could 'e?" Ani defended, not in the least bit upset about the fact. "For all 'e knew, I was gonna die. I don' blame 'im for not wantin' ta see that."
"Would you sit around and wait for him?"
"If there was somethin' else I could do ta make it right, hell nah. If all I could do was sit 'round, if 'e asked me ta sit 'round, yeah, I would. And then I'd blow me brains out afta makin' sure 'e stayed dead. I'd neva let 'im turn," she said with conviction. "Is that what happened ta ya? With ya wife? Ya had ta try ta make somethin' right and found 'er when ya got back?"
"Yeah, somethin' like that. Stick around long enough, maybe I'll tell you the whole story," Negan told her, realizing he needed to be more careful about what he said around this girl; she was already closer to the truth than he wanted her to be.
"Or maybe I'll tell ya," she replied snarkily.
"Maybe," he said with a chuckle before handing her the bracelet and saying once again, "Here's this. Rest up. You need your strength for what's comin'. By the way, stay there for a few minutes. Laura, you know when to get the door."
Before she had a chance to ask, he stood up and walked out of the room. Leaving her door open, he was correct in his assumption that Dwight was coming through with Daryl, the man in baggy clothes marked 'A'. Asshole, Negan chuckled to himself before calling for Dwight and telling him he wanted to talk to him. As arranged, Dwight took the man around the corner, where he could only assume the man and Ani would be having a hard time sitting in their assigned spots, but at least he was being generous enough to let them see each other. There were a lot worse things he could do.
~x~
Ani was still reeling from Negan's visit and the command that she stay where she was. She was sitting at the foot of the bed, facing the doorway, staring at an empty spot. She looked over at Laura, who was standing by the door looking at her in pity. It was a look she absolutely hated seeing people look at her with. She hadn't been there to know what Ani had gone through. She hadn't been there to make it stop. What was the point of sorrow and compassion for things that had ended a decade ago? Even before the world went to hell, Ani had been over the past and moving forward. She didn't want or need anyone else's pity. She was about to open her mouth to say it when she was pulled from her thoughts.
"Sit there and stay put," she heard Dwight's voice say, bringing her attention back to the outside and causing her to cry.
"Daryl," she said as she went to stand.
"Move and I close the door. No talking either," Laura said, a look of true apology on her face as Ani sobbed, and simply stared out the door.
I'll get you out, he mouthed to her.
Love you. Trust you, she mouthed back before he was taken away.
Even Laura had to leave the room, sitting in front of the door as Ani broke down into sobs, clutching the bracelet Negan had given back to her. Ani couldn't figure out what Negan's game was. Why would he allow her to see Daryl, but not even speak to him. She knew Laura had seen their little soundless exchange, but she'd done nothing about it. The woman seemed a bit apologetic towards their plight too, though she didn't understand why. Maybe it was the pregnancy, maybe she'd lost someone she'd loved due to Negan, too, or been ripped away from them while they were tortured because of him. And the way Negan tried to clam up at the end, though his face was as expressionate as a dog's. She wondered if he'd ever been able to lie when it came to matters that hit close to home. There were so many questions running around in her mind as she held the bracelet against her lips while the tears fell down her face.
All she knew was that Daryl was alive, he wasn't in bad condition, and he was still working on a way to get them out. She knew he wanted her to rest and get better, which was something she knew she had to do herself. Already feeling stronger than she had yesterday, she knew she couldn't be emotional like this. Putting the bracelet on her right wrist, she held it close to her heart as she drifted into a restless sleep. She startled awake a short time later when someone roughly pressed their hand to her mouth, though the reaction that normally would have her breaking the hold the person had was nonexistent as she recognized the feel of the hand.
"Gotta go, baby girl," Daryl gruffed in her ear. "Gotta go. Come on."