Chapter 9:Wings

Blurb: Hey! So, I'm just going to point out one thing about the story I really love. Daryl is a damaged individual, and this makes him weak in ways that Ellen is strong. Whereas, at this point, Ellen is too weak to survive in an apocalyptic world. Daryl has the potential to strengthen Ellen and visa versa. Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading! ~This chapter is titled after Wings by Birdy.

Also, it's my break right now so I'm posting a chapter. School comes first, but I'll stick with this story over vacations. I plan on taking it pretty far.

Hershel instructed Ellen to go straight up to her room, adding that he would be up with a medical kit soon. Ellen nodded and turned to face the long flight of stairs that lead to the second floor bedrooms. She gripped the banister for support and lifted one foot up to meet the first stair.

Daryl eyed her actions warily. He wanted to help her, but he wasn't sure how Hershel would feel about him taking Ellen up to her room. It was a silly thing to feel uncomfortable about. He'd been alone with Ellen in the woods before- when they were searching for Sophia. Daryl wasn't sure why he was suddenly self-conscious about it, especially with Ellen needing help. Maybe it was the change of setting? Being in the presence of the Greene family, although they were not actually related to Ellen. It was somehow more intimate than the solitude of the woods. Daryl found that he wanted to please Hershel, even if he didn't fully agree with everything the old man believed.

Maggie noticed Ellen's uneasiness on the stairs immediately, and she shot a look at Daryl, "Aren't you gonna help her?"

Daryl didn't need to be told twice. He was immediately at Ellen's side. He looped one arm through hers and brought the other around to steady her from behind, offering both support and balance. Daryl allowed Ellen to set the pace of their slow ascension towards the second floor. At one point, Ellen paused near the top of the stairs. She gripped the banister tightly with one hand and closed her eyes, letting her other hand dangle freely. She didn't reach out for him as she allowed the dizzy spell to sweep over her.

Daryl realized then that Ellen was conscious of his own discomfort with her close proximity to him. He hadn't meant to push her away or to act rashly towards her when she had touched his shoulder. The sudden contact had just surprised him, and even scared him. He had felt vulnerable suddenly, and naturally retaliated. To have the pressure of her hand making contact with his skin was all too real for him. And now she was trying to give him the space he needed- allowing him to come to her, not the other way around. Daryl felt the entire situation was pretty embarrassing. He was a man, God dammit! His brother, Merle, would never let him hear the end of it if he knew. But he wasn't the kind of guy to just sweep a girl off her feet, push her against a tree, and kiss her silly. He'd always been awkward when it came to… well, anyone.

Ellen took the final few steps cautiously, but they made it to the top of the staircase eventually. Daryl still had his arm laced through hers, and she let go of the banister. Ellen motioned down the hall, "My room is down there to the right."

Daryl grunted a reply and began moving forward, encouraging her body to mimic his movements. They reached a door in the middle of the hall, which was decorated with a single wooden plaque. The plaque was a light birch and had been carved with Ellen's name. It hung by a single nail and a light blue ribbon embellished it's top.

Ellen shifted uncomfortably as Daryl 's eyes traced the wooden decoration, "Maggie made it for me. She thought it would make the room seem more like mine."

Daryl fought down a smile. The way the Greene family had taken in Ellen after the walker epidemic was touching in a way Daryl couldn't really describe. They loved her like she was their own, and she them. Daryl appreciated this about the Greene's, even if Hershel had put the entire household in danger by locking up a barn full of walkers. Daryl's reply to Ellen was spoken softly, "It's real nice, Ellen."

Ellen let a smile grace her lips as she reached out to turn the doorknob, pushing the door open slowly. As the door shifted on it's hinges, it revealed Ellen's room. Daryl let his eyes roam over it briefly before proceeding inside.

The room had clearly belonged to a boy before Ellen had come to it. The furniture was all dark wood and the walls were a dark blue. Traces remained of the boy, including baseball and band posters on the walls. Daryl noticed Ellen hadn't removed the boy's photos from the bureau at the end of the room. The boy looked to have been around Ellen's age. Daryl briefly wondered if he should be worried or not. Had Ellen… loved this boy?

Ellen stepped forward without waiting for Daryl to register her movements or guide her. He kicked into gear quickly and steadied her as she walked over to the twin bed in the middle of the room. He noticed that the bed was the only feminine thing in the entire room. The bedspread was a sky blue and the sheets covered her pillows in yellow flower petals. Daryl briefly remembered the floral pillowcase that had been in his tent after he had been shot. Daryl smirked. Mrs. Greene must have a whole closet full of floral sheets.

Ellen turned to face Daryl so that her back was to the bed. She gently pulled her arm away from his own and nodded her approval, "Thanks, Daryl. I'm gonna sit down now."

Ellen made to lower herself onto the bed slowly. Realizing that Ellen was trying to take care of herself, Daryl jutted out two protesting hands. He caught Ellen under her arms and gently helped to set her down on the edge of the bed.

Ellen turned her attention to shifting her weight toward the headboard so she could lean against her pillows. She reached behind her to readjust a pillow, a job that Daryl promptly took over. Ellen thanked him sheepishly and settled into the pillows, simultaneously trying to prevent her bloody head from dirtying the sheets. That was a stain that would never wash out.

Ellen's head was pounding- not a good sign. She put her hand to her head, a weak attempt at relieving the pain. She spoke the words as if they were a simple fact, nothing of importance, "Daryl, I need Hershel."

Daryl's eyebrows knit together in concern and his eyes roamed her face quickly. Then he seemed to regain his senses, realizing that he could do nothing for Ellen the way Hershel could. He nodded and stood up from his crouched position near the head of her bed. "I'll be right back with him. You keep your eyes open, ya hear?"

Ellen smiled weakly as she watched Daryl's back retreating from her room in search of Hershel. She was left with the image of wings in her mind… the wings from the back of Daryl's vest. And she came to the realization then that she wasn't worried about her condition. Daryl would find Hershel for her. And they would do everything they could to help her. She wasn't in a fit enough state to assess her head injury for herself, but she guessed that she might have a concussion. Shane had really roughed her up in the end.

It didn't take long for Daryl to return with Hershel, and Patricia as well. Hershel immediately began shining lights in Ellen's eyes, asking her to follow his finger for a neuro assessment, rating her pain level. Patricia began shutting the curtains to block out sunlight, which she claimed could irritate Ellen while she was concussed. She was also given an ice pack to rest on her forehead, which Ellen found relieved the pounding sensation. Hershel began asking her questions relating to her orientation, such as: Where are you? What happened to you? What is your name? Do you know what the date is?

The final question stumped Ellen. She looked at Hershel like he was nuts, "Do YOU?"

Hershel just laughed in reply. "Well, I think you're going to be fine, Ellen. But you do need to rest. We'll have to wake you up periodically to make sure you're still alert and not suffering further symptoms from the concussion."

Daryl shifted his weight from one foot to the other and cleared his throat before speaking up, "I can do that."

Hershel was a bit surprised by Daryl's willingness, but he accepted it. "Alright, I'll need you to wake her up every 15 minutes for the first 2 hours, then every 30 minutes for the next 2 hours, then once every hour. At least until I check up on her again. Oh! And every time you wake her up, make sure she's alert, responds to your voice, and to touch. Find me if anything's off. Got it?"

Daryl nodded.

Hershel indicated Daryl's torso then, as if he was inquiring about the wounds he was currently suffering from. "Do you need me to look you over? You took a beating out there too. And you're recovering from an arrow wound."

Daryl shrugged, "It can wait until morning."

Hershel nodded in understanding, "As long as you're ok to stay up tonight."

Daryl was adamant. Hershel acknowledged it.

Hershel gave Ellen's hand a squeeze and stood up to walk out of the bedroom, "Watch her like a hawk. We're trusting you with some precious cargo."

Daryl met Hershel's eyes, understanding passing between them. Ellen was an integral part of the Greene family now that the world held nothing but death. He wouldn't let them down. This girl was important to a lot of people, including him.

Patricia interrupted Daryl's thoughts, "Do you need a watch?"

Daryl paused for a second, considering her offer. "Yes ma'm."

Patricia nodded, "Use this one. It's still running strong."

Patricia placed the small leather-banded wristwatch in Daryl's calloused hands. He gave her one approving nod, "Thank you."

Patricia smiled back at him, averting her eyes towards Ellen before exiting the room quietly.

Ellen was watching Daryl curiously. He seemed to notice then, and their eyes met briefly before he turned to sit in a wooden chair opposite her bed. Ellen took his silence as an opportunity to speak up, "So, I can really sleep?"

"As long as I letchya."

Ellen swept her eyes over her bed, seemingly confused about how she was supposed to get comfortable. "Can I sleep on my side?"

Daryl scoffed, "Hell if I know, you're the nurse."

Ellen shrugged, "I wasn't a nurse for very long. Maybe a few months…"

Daryl searched her face with his eyes then, studying her expression as he tried to read her. "That 'make you angry?"

Ellen was caught off guard by his question. She was quiet for a few seconds before answering, "Yeah, I guess it does. I didn't have much of an opportunity to develop the skills or experience I wanted… or would need… especially for this…" Ellen indicated the world around her with a limp arm.

Daryl spoke in low tones, "You worked hard to become a nurse, right? Then you didn't get to work as one for long because of all a' this. Now, every opportunity you get to care for someone, they're basically in critical condition. You have every right to be angry. Maybe even…scared. You might not feel totally prepared for these scenarios… not now."

Ellen watched Daryl as he spoke. Every word seemed to hit right to her core, like he was seeing exactly how she felt. She couldn't think of anything to say in reply. She was dumbstruck by him. So Daryl just kept talking… kept revealing more of what he saw in her, "Nobody expects you to be perfect, Ellen. Ain't nobody 'er nothin' gonna be perfect in this world ever again."

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Ellen was awoken for the third time by a gently nudge on her shoulder. Daryl was whispering her name in low, husky tones, "Ellen… Ellen, wake up."

Ellen's hands made their way to her eyes, rubbing away the sleep that clouded them. She turned towards Daryl then, who was still sitting in the wooden chair near her. The room was dark now, only a few slivers of moonlight crept in through the curtains.

Daryl began asking her the standard questions, "How are you feeling?"

"Fine. My head doesn't hurt. Also, I'm clearly responding to your voice… and I'm alert," Ellen stated.

Daryl reached out a few hesitant fingers to brush against her shoulder. Ellen sighed. They'd been through this before. "Yeah, I can respond to touch. I can wiggle my toes. Nothing is tingling. Nothing is pounding. Can I go back to sleep now?"

Daryl smirked slightly, "You got 15 minutes."

Ellen growled in protest and turned over aggressively.

The pair continued their routine, alternating between sleep and wake the rest of the night. With the exception of Daryl, who sat up all night in the dark listing to Ellen's deep breathing, watching her chest rise and fall, and waiting with for the next time to wake her.

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Hershel found Ellen sound asleep at 7 in the morning. Her mouth was hanging wide open, a trait he knew she only displayed when she was incredibly exhausted. It must have been a rough night.

Daryl was sitting a chair near the head of Ellen's bed, watching over her like a sentinel. He looked up when Hershel entered the room. Daryl spoke first, "She's got 5 minutes. Should I wake her up?"

Hershel nodded, "I'll just check her now and she can go back to sleep afterwards. You won't need to keep waking her up if she's in good condition."

Daryl reached over to nudge Ellen's arm, "Ellen, ya gotta wake up. Hershel's here."

Ellen groaned and stretched, slowly opening her eyes to the world. She then began sitting up on her own without any problems. Her first words were, "Was my MOUTH OPEN? My throat is killing me now."

Daryl chuckled, "I'll go down and get you some water. Hershel's gonna check you out to make sure you're good to go. I'll be right back."

With that said, the dark angel exited the room in search of water- wings trailing behind him.

Ellen turned her attention back to Hershel, who promptly began asking her questions and shining lights in her face. It didn't take long for him to come to the conclusion that Ellen was recovered enough to be left on her own for a few hours. But he did insist that she remain in her room the rest of the day, preferably asleep. Either he or Patricia would be in to check on her throughout the day, and bring her meals. She needed at least another day of rest.

Daryl returned with water as soon as Hershel had finished his instruction. As Daryl handed the water over to Ellen, Hershel updated Daryl on Ellen's condition. "You should get some rest today as well, Daryl. You've been up a long time."

Daryl shrugged, "I'll do what I have to."

"Let me take a look at your wounds. Don't want you getting worse on us. Otherwise you and Ellen will be reversing roles, and she'll be your nurse again." Hershel chuckled.

Daryl nodded in admittance; "You need anything while I'm out, Ellen?"

Ellen smiled, "I'll be fine, Daryl. Go take care of yourself… but, maybe you could check on Carol. I'm worried about her."

Daryl grunted, acknowledging her request. He shifted his weight awkwardly before giving her one last look and turning to leave the room.

Hershel followed after Daryl, ready to check up on his new patient.

Ellen was left alone with her thoughts, free to sleep the day away in peace.

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The next day, Ellen was free to roam the farm as she pleased. Of course, she noticed how the Greene's watched her like she was a lost duckling with a broken wing. They constantly had their eyes on her, ready to aid her if she looked uneasy. Their watchfulness was a continuous reminder to her that she was incredibly lucky. This family had taken her in. They loved her, and they protected her just like they did Maggie. It was nice to know she had a place in this new world.

But Hershel and Patricia's ever-watchful eyes became more burdensome than comforting after about an hour in the family home. So, Ellen decided to venture out onto the porch. From the front porch, she could see the campsite where Rick's people stayed. It looked relatively empty. Most everyone was down by the barn, digging graves for the walkers that had been killed there only a few days before.

Ellen was standing on the porch steps, deciding what she was going to do with herself, when a shifting movement caught her attention from inside the campsite's RV. Someone was inside.

Ellen decided she would go explore. Whoever was inside could probably offer her some sort low impact job to occupy her time. While she would rather be helping the others with the graves, she was on a strict post concussion recovery plan.

Ellen made her way down the porch steps and across the grass. As she entered the campsite, she looked inside the tents. Seeing no one, she continued on towards the RV.

The RV door was shut, so she knocked softly.

She was surprised to see Daryl answer. Upon seeing her, Daryl looked confused. "You 'supposed ta be out here?"

Ellen shrugged, "I have a wider leash now."

Daryl scoffed. "Uh-huh."

He moved out of the doorway and turned back into the RV so Ellen could follow. She caught hold of the side rail for support and began climbing the few stairs to the top.

Once inside, Ellen realized that Daryl wasn't alone. Carol was sitting at the small kitchen table. She didn't look up at Ellen when she entered. Carol kept her eyes downcast and her posture slumped. Everything about Carol's demeanor screamed 'grief'.

Ellen looked to Daryl for some sort of clue or indication that he had tried to console Carol. But Daryl just lifted himself up to sit on the kitchen counter, avoiding Ellen's questioning gaze.

Ellen decided then that she would have to embrace the tension in the room. So, she walked across the RV and sat opposite Carol at the kitchen table.

Carol didn't react to Ellen's proximity. She didn't even blink.

Silence hung heavy between them, and Ellen didn't know what to do to alleviate it.

Daryl seemed to realize that Ellen didn't understand the full extent of the situation, so he spoke bluntly, "Sophia's funeral 's today. They're settin' up out by that big oak."

Ellen met his eyes then. The realization hit her. Today would be a hard day for Carol.

Ellen's thoughts were interrupted by Lorie climbing up the steps of the RV's entrance. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she stated, "They're ready."

Carol just shook her head in silence.

Lorie encouraged her, "C'mon."

Carol challenged back softly, "Why?"

Daryl's husky voice cut in, "Cause that's your little girl."

Carol looked up at him then, no doubt in her eyes, "That's not my little girl. It's some other… thing. My Sophia was alone in the woods. All this time I thought, she didn't cry herself to sleep, she didn't go hungry, and she didn't try to find her way back. Sophia died a long time ago."

Lorie seemed to give up after that, retreating from the RV entrance. Her soft footfalls patted across the campground towards the barn.

Ellen felt helpless. She had no way to take away Carol's pain. So, she did the only thing she could do. Ellen reached her hand across the table towards Carol, lightly resting her hand over Carol's. The small contact let Carol know that she wasn't alone in her pain. Ellen was willing to provide as much support as she could. And Carol responded by gripping Ellen's hand a bit tighter, as if she needed something to ground her to reality.

Tears began streaming down Carol's cheeks slowly, and she looked up at Ellen. Carol's eyes seemed to ask, 'Is this ok? Are you sure you're willing to be here with me?'. Ellen understood her silent, questioning gaze immediately. She answered, "I'm not going anywhere, Carol."

Carol let out a small, breathy laugh, and smiled in response. Then, they went back to comfortable silence.

Ellen decided that she may not be attending Sophia's funeral, but she was supporting a grieving mother through the loss of her baby. And that seemed more important. Even if all Ellen had to do was offer her silent presence.