A/N: Hope you enjoyed the last chapter :) I DO NOT OWN THE CHARACTERS. THE WALKING DEAD DOES.
Daryl pushed the door open and closed it behind him quietly. He knew Beth was out for a while but he didnt want to be the reason she woke up in pain. He turned looking at the girl...no, the woman in question. She had a gray blanket tucked around her up to her armpits. He hair no longer in the ponytail but was bunched on top of her head in a messy bun that he was sure Carol had done to keep the blood out of her hair. He was grateful for that. Thankful that someone was trying to help him shield her from the horrors of the world that would now be scarred on her forever. Scarred. Just like he was. He let out a sigh as he approached the side of her bed. Her once milky skin was now a sickly pale and her collar bones were sticking out more than they had the last time he saw her. It was apparent that the time she had here in the hospital before he and the group arrived was very hard on her. When she woke up the first thing he was going to do was force her to eat. Eat until he could physically see her stomach expand from being overstuffed. He let out a light chuckle. Who was he kidding he couldn't force her to eat but he would do his best to make sure she would. He pulled the chair behind him up to her bed before sitting down and looking over her face. The cut on her cheek was pretty big and the severity of it reminded him of the gashes that had once riddled his back and now left him with scars that would scare anyone upon first glance. He stared at her as his eyes burned. Afraid that if he gave in to his exhaustion he would wake up and she would be gone again. He crossed his arms and leaned them on the bed in front of him, next to her arm. He gently laced one of his hands with Beth's he needed to touch her. He needed to know she was real, she was really with him. He laid his forehead on his arms and finally gave in to sleep as he held Beth's hand.
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"Maggie?" Rick whispered walking into the room she and Glenn were in. Maggie sat up wiping the sleep from her eyes as Glenn continued to snore.
"Yeah?" She said standing up from the bed with a stretch.
"They are done with Beth, shes sedated pretty heavy to help her rest to heal. The Doc said he wants keep an eye on her due to the blood loss and to make sure she takes our blood well." He told her walking her out from the room.
"Well if he just used mine she'll be fine. We are both a B Positive. Did he have to use and Carl's too?" She asked.
"Just yers and mine." He said softly.
"Jesus! That's 2 pints of blood!" Maggie said running her hands over her face in utter disbelief.
"She lost quite a bit of blood. The doc is going to keep an eye on her to make sure she doesn't need more. And if she does we've got you, me, and Carl that can donate more." He said now feeling a sense of relief knowing Beth got the right blood type during the blood transfusion.
"Can i go see her?" She asked in a whisper while looking down the hall.
"Shes out of now. Daryl is in there with her. The Doc said shed be out for a while. Why don't you get some rest and see her in the morning. " Rick said giving Maggie a warm smile.
"Whatever happened between them? I mean i know they got out together, Daryl told me that much, but he wont leave her side." Maggie said thinking out loud.
"I dunno but i know one thing forsure. Hes beating himself for her ending up here and her life being on the fence right now." Rick answered knowing that Daryl was in love wit Beth, even if Daryl didn't understand it himself. Maggie gave him a small nod and opened the door to her room to get some more rest.
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"Hey sleepyhead" Carol's soft voice jolted Daryl awake. He stood up fast, swift on his feet pulling his knife out and blocking Beth from the intruder in the room. "Whoa Pookie!" She said stepping back a few steps. "Was just coming to check on you. Let you know that the hospital folk are offering us dinner." She said with her hands up in surrender. Daryl shook his head a few times trying to wake his brain from his slumber.
"What they wantin'?" Daryl asked in a sleep filled voice?
"Nothin'" Carol said quickly.
"Noah done told me that ain't how they operate." Daryl retorted giving Carol a look that said he was doubting what she was saying while he placed his knife back in its sheath.
"Honestly, they feel super bad about the situation and are just grateful they don't have to deal with Dawn anymore." Carol said with a shrug.
"Ain't hungry." Daryl said returning to his chair by Beth. He stared at her cataloging everything again and seeing if there had been any change. "Ya know staring at her isn't going to will her awake right?" Carol asked standing at the door with her hand on the handle. Daryl glanced over at her without a word. "Well ill leave you to it." She said before she closed the door behind her. 'Dinner?' Daryl thought to himself. Had be seriously been asleep that long? He knew it hadn't gone to sleep until the middle of the night but that would put him at almost 18 hours of sleep? He couldn't remember ever getting sleep like that, especially since the turn.
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"How is he?" Michonne asked Carol in the dining hall.
"He's in protector mode." She answered before taking a bite out of her mashed potatoes. Michonne nodded with a look indicating she was hard in thought.
"i walked in to check on Beth this morning and he was sound asleep holding her hand." Maggie said speaking up without looking at the two women. "I'm not sure whats going on there but there is definitely something. Something i plan on figuring out." She added.
"He's changed." Carol said. "When we were hunting of her, ya know before j got taken, he was just so positive. Don't get me wrong, i love Daryl to death but the only positive bone in that man's body has only been in regards to Judith. Beth's somehow made him reprogram or something." She said thoughtfully looking at nothing.
"Yeah, I've noticed that to. But i don't know, i have to. But it ain't been Beth that pulled me from that rut. Guess we've all done a little changing. It could be nothing. Seems like Daryl's just putting Beth as his responsibility since hes the one that lost her. Ya know?" Michconne said standing up from her chair.
"We gotta have a group meeting tonight." Abe spoke up. Eugene looked over at him and quickly back down at his plate. He knew he was about to be outed to the rest of the group. "We gotta make a game plan for after all this." He said looking at all the faces surrounding the long table. "DC is outta the question. So we need a new survival plan. I don't know bout ya'll but hospitals give me the creeps. Rather leave as soon as we can." Abe finished.
"We aren't splitting up again." Glenn said sternly.
"Yeah I'm not leaving without my sister." Maggie said though gritted teeth.
"We ain't leavin Beth. If Beth stays Daryl stays. I ain't going anywhere without them. So i suggest ya get used to havin the creeps." Rick said before picking up his place and taking it to the dish washer. He walked out of the cafeteria and out to go to his room. Maggie had told him about Eugene and his lies. Rick wasn't really sure if he could look the mullet baring man in the eyes. He had promised a cure, a cure that would help him keep his kids safe that would rid the world of the walking corpses. But Eugene had lied, just to save his own ass. He could understand why, the man was damn near useless. Rick had almost made it to his room when he was stopped by one of the hospital officers.
"Need to go out on a run, wonderin if you would come." The officer asked.
"Don't trust ya'll, ill pass." Rick said, his voice stern with uncertainty.
"I get that, how about you and another one of your group. It'll just be 2 of you and 1 of me. Ya know so you're more comfortable out numbering me." The cop said with his thumbs looped through the front of his belt, the stance of a cop. He remembered that stance well, he honestly couldn't remember when he stopped.
"Ill haveta think about it." He grunted out before going into his room.
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The latch of the door clicked grabbing Daryl's attention before it even opened. Maggie entered without a word walking to the other side of the bed.
"She's gonna make it, you know?" Maggie said looking down at Beth's pale body.
"Mhm." Daryl hummed in agreement.
"She won't have a reaction to our blood, so shes just resting because of the wound more than anything." She said softly looking up to Daryl. Daryl gave her a slight nod and went back to looking at Beth.
"You need to go get some rest Daryl. She wont be up for a while and i will come get you if anything changes." Maggie said to him.
"Ain't leavin her again." He grunted out in reply.
"Daryl you're no use to her if you aren't well rested." Maggie said.
"Ill sleep jus fine here." He said without looking at her.
"What happened to you two?" She asked.
"A lot." He replied. He ignored her presence for the rest of the night until she finally gave up and went to bed. Daryl laced his fingers with Beth like the night before and drifted off to sleep. He knew his back would hurt him in the morning. But he knew it would hurt worse if something happened and he wasn't here with her. Daryl had been in a heavy sleep when he heard the sweet angelic voice he hadn't heard say his name in so long. Beth. He raised his head looking up to her through sleepy eyes. Her eyes were still closed and she hadn't moved an inch. But her lips had moved. Or so it seemed to him. She had a faint smile as she slept and he hoped this was a sign she was starting to come to. He stayed awake again for a few hours until he finally gave back in to sleep deciding her voice was a trick his sick mind was playing on him. What he didn't know was the weak whisper of the angelic voice had been real.
A/N: Reviews are love :) Let me know what you think! Merry Christmas & Happy holidays Ya'll! This will probably be the last update for a week. My mom is coming into town for the holidays so i wont have time to update but i promise i will be back next week! MUCH LOVE AND BETHYL ON MY LOVELIES!