Hey guys! Since I have had so much time off work I thought I'd update a little faster. Hopefully I can do this all the time, I've set aside an hour out of my days to write even if its a chapter a week. Let me tell you something, working for the state/gov is a life sucking nightmare (just kidding, kinda). Maybe my dreams of becoming an author and being able to stay home and sleep half my days away while I lounge by a huge pool drinking wine will come true someday. All right I'm rambling. Here we go. Thank you for the feedback and PM's and suggestions. I took all the advice and critique and tried to apply it to this chapter. Let me know what you think.
Stay
Chapter 4
Piece by Piece
Daryl followed Alice quietly down the hall, Beth cradled in his arms; she was still fast asleep but he took care not to jostle her around too much.
With the pack of food slung across his back along with his weapons bag and Beth in his arms, beads of sweat had already begun to build up on his forehead.
Alice carried the lighter rucksack as she maneuvered silently around the corner toward a door labeled emergency exit only.
She turned to him and put a finger to her lips and produced a small card and swiped it through a box on the wall.
The sign turned green and she opened it gingerly and paused as if waiting for an alarm to sound. Daryl held his breath but nothing happened and she motioned for him to follow her.
She allowed the door to click shut quietly behind her before leading him down the stairs. Daryl could have cried at the sight, it seemed to go on forever.
"Where does this go?" He whispered, adjusting Beth gently so her head rested against his shoulder.
"It goes to the basement, we keep all of our vehicles down there and it's how the supply runners get out, only trusted staff have access to the exit."
"Are there any walkers around?"
"There may be a few but you'll be in a truck so you can blow right by them," Alice continued down the steps ahead of him; he took his time so he wouldn't risk tripping and dropping the blonde in his arms.
"So we're stealing a truck?"
"No you're stealing a truck; I'm going to pretend you made me hand over the keys." Alice had her back to him but he could imagine she rolled her eyes. "It belonged to one of Dawn's dead cronies, he worked on it and it runs well."
Daryl said nothing to this but grunted. Alice stopped and turned around to face him, one eyebrow raised.
"Don't tell me you have an issue stealing a truck?"
He glared at her and didn't give a response. She continued down and just when Daryl thought his legs would collapse beneath him they approached a door.
Alice grabbed the handle and it opened with a loud groan. Daryl froze wondering if anyone upstairs could hear it. Alice seemed to have read his mind and shook her head motioning for him to follow her.
The garage held several police cars along with a few heavier duty vehicles.
Alice stopped in front of an old beat up looking Ford pick-up. It was an older model, the paint faded in a few places and it reeked of diesel fuel but Daryl loved it instantly. It was just the kind of truck he'd imagine having aside from his bike.
"Okay let's get you out of here," Alice produced the keys from her scrub pocket and unlocked the door. It creaked loudly as it opened and the cab smelled of cigarette smoke and oil but otherwise it was clean.
Alice grabbed the pack and weapons from Daryl and tossed them behind the seats along with the rucksack she had been carrying.
"I unlocked the passenger side, go on and get her in there."
Daryl carried the sleeping Beth over and pulled the heavy door open. He laid her down so her head would be resting near his leg. Making sure the blanket was tucked around her and she was safely secure he closed the door gently and walked over to Alice who held out the keys.
"Good luck Mr. Dixon," She said as he took them from her hands.
"Are you going to be okay here?"
"I'll be fine; I'm close friends with Dr. Edwards." She waved her hand dismissively. "I know he can be a total jackass but he's actually a good man."
Daryl didn't agree or disagree but thanked her for her help. He hopped into the cab and placed the keys in the ignition, sending up a silent prayer that it would start.
It rumbled to life immediately and Daryl sent her a wary look.
"Even if they hear it they won't be down in time, I'll make excuses like I said I wouldn't."
"Tell them I held you at gun point and forced you to give me everything. If Dr. Edwards is really the man you say he is then he'll forgive you."
Alice nodded and ran over to the door and slapped her hand against a red button. With a loud groan a large garage door opened up and Daryl could see the sky and smell the fresh air.
He closed the door quickly and placed the truck into drive before easing it out of the garage. He paused briefly when he saw a few walkers but Alice whipped a gun out and shot them before motioning for him to hurry up.
He pressed his foot down and the truck blasted through open door and into the night; looking back he saw Alice waving as the garage door slowly closed.
He breathed a sigh of relief and reached into his pocket for the map Noah had given him.
"All right let's see where we're heading…" He mumbled mostly to himself.
As he approached the gates to the entrance of the hospital he saw a light in one of the windows, a figure standing there. He knew it was Dr. Edwards and he couldn't help but smirk a little and speed up and he whipped through the gates and onto the main road, leaving the ugly concrete building behind him.
With a quick glance at Beth he turned down a road Noah had marked and eased off the gas slightly.
He'd gotten her away from the prison-like hospital, now he just had to take her home; wherever that was.
They'd been driving for almost two hours and Daryl was becoming less and less focused by the minute. He pulled over to the side of the road and pulled out the map. A few miles down the road into the woods was a marked spot labeled safe house. Daryl figured it might be an old abandoned cabin and was worth checking out, he didn't think he could go much longer.
It was still pitch black out and Daryl kept the low beams on to keep from attracting any wandering walkers. He slowly turned down a small dirt path and came upon a very tiny wood cabin.
Grabbing his weapon from behind his seat he made sure the windows were secured and approached the cabin carefully; his steps light and only the sound of his own heavy breathing could be heard.
He could tell someone had stayed here before, all around the cabin were strings with cans attached to alert anyone of a walker coming to the cabin. A pile of wood sat on the front porch; not much but good enough for one night.
He slowly approached the front door and opened it gently. The cabin was a little dusty and very small; a hunters cabin.
It had a bed in the corner, a small fireplace, a stove and sink and a small door that led to, what Daryl assumed, was a bathroom. It smelled of wood and damp earth and he suddenly felt an overwhelming longing for the cabin he and Merle used to live in together. It was home, and now he didn't know where home was.
After securing the perimeter and making sure the walker traps were still useful, he hopped up into the cabin of the truck and slowly drove it right to the front of the porch; in case they needed to get away fast.
He unloaded the supplies and set them inside by the door before going back for Beth. She was still sound asleep; whatever the doctor had given her really knocked her out.
Making sure to cradle her head gently he entered the cabin and set her down gingerly on the bed, pulling the blanket a little further up to her chin. She moved slightly when he did this and mumbled incoherently but did not wake up.
He set to work starting a fire; it didn't take long with the matches and supply of wood on the porch. He already felt the cabin heating up and walked over to the rucksacks sitting by the door. He quickly grabbed the worn jeans and a button up shirt and headed toward the bathroom.
It was small and he could barely move and inch without bumping his elbows but he managed to rid himself of the awful scrub pants and changed into the jeans. He pulled the button up over his t-shirt and rolled the sleeves up. A small faded mirror sat above the sink and he gave himself a once over before scoffing and leaving the bathroom.
He began to rearrange the supplies in each rucksack to even them out in weight. He left out a pack of bandages, antiseptic, and some clothes for Beth in case she wanted to get out of those awful scrubs when she woke up.
He felt restless and uneasy; although he knew he'd be able to hear a walker come through the alarm traps set outside. It was too dark to hunt and he didn't want to stray too far from the cabin.
After glancing at Beth's sleeping figure one last time he sighed and grabbed a pack of smokes and went to sit on the porch.
He lit one and took and drag and felt instant relief. This was what the world should be like; a small cabin in the woods, not a walker in sight, the smell of damp earth and the sound of crickets chirping all around him.
He pulled the map out and studied it again; the next road they'd be taking would lead them about four hours to the next safe house. Noah had labeled it possibly inhabited so Daryl made a mental note to be careful when approaching.
He reached for the walkie talkie he had kept on his hip and turned it on. Nothing but static came through but he pressed the button anyone and began to speak.
"I've got Beth safely out of the hospital, she is asleep, the doctor drugged her pretty good. I'm following Noah's map but I know you may not be able to hear this, just wanted to let ya'll know we're safe for now and we're coming as soon as we can."
He released the talk button and waited; silence.
He finished his cigarette and walked back inside. The cabin was warm now that the fire had really gotten going and he felt exhaustion hit him like a slap in the face.
Pulling his knife out of his pocket he laid on the floor next to Beth's bed and stared up at the ceiling; he found himself thinking of the funeral home and what would have happened if he hadn't opened the door that day.
He listened to the crackle of the fire and Beth's soft breathing and found his eye's drooping slightly; he didn't want to give in to the sleep but it was no longer in his control. The last thing he thought of before he allowed his exhaustion to take him under, was Beth's blue eyes and the sound of her laughter; then he was gone.
Daryl woke a few hours later, an uneasy feeling settled in his stomach. The sky was a pale pink; the sun just beginning to rise.
He grabbed his crossbow and peeked out the curtains for a moment but saw nothing but a lark perched on the porch steps. It spotted Daryl and chirped before taking flight into the greenery.
He turned and almost jumped out of his boots; Beth was sitting up and staring at him.
She said nothing and he became slightly uncomfortable; he couldn't quite place the look she was giving him.
"Alright?" he asked nervously, "I can get you some pain killers if you're not feeling well…"
"Who's Judith?"
His throat tightened suddenly and he forgot how to speak for a moment.
"Daryl, I asked you a question," She stared at him with those sky blue eyes and then pressed her hand gently to her head. "I was dreaming and I was singing to a baby, someone called her Judith; he asked me to give her to him."
He walked over to the bed and sat down at the edge. She moved over slightly so he could be comfortable; so trusting of him and she didn't even remember who he was.
"Judith is part of our family now; she was born when we were living in a prison."
"We lived in a prison?"
"Mhm."
"She wasn't mine was she?"
"No. She was Lori's, Lori was married to Rick." Daryl explained placing his crossbow on the floor next to the bed. "That's probably the voice you heard."
"No it was a younger voice, a boy's voice." Beth said looking down at her hands. "What do you mean was?"
Daryl sighed and rested his head against the wall. He turned his eyes up to the ceiling.
"Lori died giving birth to Judith. Maggie was the one who saved the baby."
Beth didn't respond to this, she continued to stare at her hands.
"Carl?"
"What?" Daryl looked over at her with one eyebrow raised.
"That was the boy's name; Carl."
"Yeah, Judith's brother."
She gave him the smallest of smiles. "Maybe my dreams will help me remember you someday."
Daryl felt his face flush bright red and he stood up quickly from the bed and stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jean.
"You hungry at all?"
"I actually have more questions, like how we got here for example."
"It was kinda exciting; you were passed out the whole time." Daryl gave her a small grin to try to ease the tension in the room and hoped she would stop asking questions but she just crossed her arms and waited.
"Oh all right, I kind of kidnapped you," Daryl rubbed the back of his head and Beth stared at him for three seconds (he counted) and then began to giggle.
"You say that like I'm a child or something, you did say you were taking me to my sister. And the doctor said we could go."
"Well he was lying and it wasn't safe there, I had someone help and now we're on our way to find the group." Daryl walked over to the supplies and pulled out two cans of peaches and tossed her one. "Eat up, you need to keep your strength up, I'll change your bandages after breakfast."
He had his back to her, sitting at the small table, while he popped his open and began to eat; savoring the sweetness of the peaches and studying the map while he ate.
Suddenly he felt the familiar feeling of someone standing right behind him and the hairs on his neck stood up.
"How long has it been?"
Beth's voice was soft and she walked to the other side of the table and sat down, opening her can as well.
"What do you mean?"
"How long has it been…since everything started."
Daryl chewed slowly and studied her for a minute. She waited patiently while he swallowed and cleared his throat.
"Bout two or three years, somethin' like that."
"So I'm like what, twenty?"
"Nineteen, at least that's what you told me when you felt like it was around your birthday," Daryl took another bite of the canned peaches and looked back down at the map. He could still feel her eyes on him and he sighed and looked up.
"So you have no idea what month or year it is?" She asked in a surprised tone.
"I'd say it's nearing winter time, it gets cold in the evenings." Daryl set his empty can down and folded the map up, tucking it into his pocket. "I don't know the year, we haven't really kept track of it; had other things on our minds."
Beth finished her can of peaches and set it by his, wincing slightly and pressing her fingers to her forehead.
"My head kind of hurts…" She mumbled. "I'm thirsty too…"
"I'll change your bandages and get you some water and a painkiller," Daryl reached for the supplies he had pulled out the night before. "I've got you a change of clothes and we'll need to clean that wound, I don't think the sink has hot water though."
"It's fine," Beth said standing up carefully, "can you help me?"
Daryl nodded and walked over to the sink with her; he turned the tap on and pulled out his knife. Beth jumped slightly and gave him a frightened look.
"I won't hurt yah." He said gently. She nodded and he slipped the knife gingerly under the bandage and peeled it back.
The entrance wound wasn't so bad, a clean hole that had begun to heal but would still need time. He pulled some gauze from a box; Alice must have stuck it in the pack, and wet it under the cold water.
He gently began to dab around the wound, she winced slightly but didn't make a sound. He cleaned as much of the dried blood as he could and grabbed clean gauze out of the box.
"I'll need you to turn around…"
Beth did as she was told and he gently moved her hair aside; this time she did make a hissing sound and whimpered slightly.
The exit would was messy and ugly looking. He could see the metal the doctor has used to replace the skull fragments and it was swollen and red around the edges. He used the gauze to clean it as best he could and then sprayed some antiseptic on and dabbed the scalp around the opening.
Beth gripped the counter so hard her knuckles turned white and he knew he was hurting her but it had to be done. He pulled her hair gently back over the spot and if you didn't already know it was there you'd never notice.
"I'm going to wrap a clean bandage around now," Daryl said turning her around. "I'll have to give you some antibiotics too; the exit wound looks like it might be gettin' infected."
"Okay…" She whispered not moving an inch as he gently began to wrap the bandage around her head. He took his time and her eyes never left his face while he worked. Being so close to her now, he could feel his own heart thudding rapidly in his ears and prayed she couldn't hear it too.
He tied a small knot at the side and washed his hands under the freezing water. Then he swiped some antiseptic over the cut on her forehead and cheek.
He turned away to start packing up the supplies and he noticed suddenly she hadn't moved away fro him.
"Daryl?"
He turned to look at her and she stepped into his arms and wrapped hers around his waist.
"Thank you for taking care of me…" She mumbled, "You're a good person."
He flushed and returned the hug with a quick squeeze before stepping away from her. "Ain't nothing, there's clothes on the floor for you if you want to get out of those scrubs."
She gave him a small smile and picked up the clothes before heading into the bathroom. As soon as the door shut Daryl let out a groan and rubbed his hands down his face. He hated that she didn't know him; that she didn't remember anything about the months they shared on the run together.
Daryl was just finishing packing up the last of the supplies when he heard the bathroom door open. Beth stepped out wearing a pair of extremely tight jeans with a shredded hole on the right thigh, a white tank top and a little long-sleeved button up collared shirt printed with yellow and pink flowers. She had tied it in a knot down by her waist. She wore her brown cowboy boots that Alice had given him back along with his vest and other gear he had taken away from him.
He realized he was staring at her and felt his face grow hot and turned around to finish what he was doing.
"Do I look okay?"
"Yeah; Fine."
She walked over to the dresser in the corner of the room and began to peek through. When she got to the third drawer she reached in and pulled out a gray knitted beanie and immediately pulled it over her head.
"See not you can't see the bandages." She smiled at him and he returned it, knowing his face was still bright red; she had braided her hair too.
"Here take these while I pack up the truck," Daryl handed her a pain killer and an antibiotic with a canteen of water. He threw their gear over his back and walked out the door and began to load up the truck.
Once he was done he turned and she was standing on the porch, the sun glowing off of her skin; maybe he did believe in angels.
"Ready?" He asked motioning toward the truck.
Beth took one last look back at the cabin before turning back towards him.
"Yes."
Thank you for reading and don't forget to review and tell me what you think! I haven't watched season finale yet but I heard it was disappointing. Which makes me sad. I'm going to watch it tomorrow after I get out of hell (I mean work).
For this chapter I named it Piece by Piece by Taylor Henderson (who by the way is an Australian heart throb and ALL of his songs off of his album Burnt Letters give me major bethyl feels)
Much love!