Chapter 4.1
Beth awoke to find herself in bed in a dimly lit room. As she opened her eyes her head throbbed with a pain so sharp she would have screamed out in agony if not for her keen awareness of what could happen when one makes a noise in this new world. After a few seconds she was able to focus on her surroundings. Maggie was asleep in a chair near the bed and Glenn was asleep on the floor. Part of her wanted to jump out of bed and hug her sister but then she felt that it was something the old Beth would do. She told herself ever since being trapped in the hospital. Time was precious and a every decision had a consequence, even a decision like waking her sister before finding out what happened to Daryl.
Beth had virtually no strength left as she carefully crawled out of the bed and slowly made her way to the door and out of the room. She had become very good at being light on her feet and agile without making hardly any noise. She had one thing on her mind. She needed to know if Daryl made it or not. If he didn't, she would go on living, living for him, just as she was living for her father. No one could take the place of her father in her heart and Daryl had a place there too, permanently.
She made her way down the hall and noticed three other doors. As she was about to place her hand on the doorknob nearest her, the door a few feet away slowly opened and Rick appeared in the doorway. Beth didn't need to speak. He understood completely. After a few seconds he took a few steps back and held the door open. Beth held her breath as she used the wall to steady herself. She prepared herself for what she was about to see. Rick's expression didn't reveal anything and she was determined to handle whatever was in store for her.
Daryl lay in the bed near the dark corner of the room. Beth stared at him until she noticed the slight rise and fall of his chest. She immediately took a deep breath and turned around to look at Rick. Rick gave her a slight smile and whispered "I think he's going to be okay". She returned his smile with a slight one of her own. Rick delicately put his hand on Beth's arm and kissed her forehead just before walking out of the room and shutting the door behind him.
Beth quietly stepped towards the bed and stared down at Daryl. She stood there for a while hardly making a move. She scanned the whole length of him and every new bruise and scratch that wasn't there before during their time together. She missed him terribly and felt as though things might be different once he woke up. He may not feel the same as he once did. This world had a way of changing people, of slowly numbing what once resembled as feelings. It was a survival response and Beth was prepared for Daryl to be what he needed to be and she wasn't going to ask anything more from him.
She suddenly felt weak and knew that she didn't have the strength to return to the other room. She really didn't want to leave him anyway and now felt as though she had no choice. Beth slowly crawled into the bed next to him. She was careful not to wake him but as the seconds passed she could no longer stay awake. The dark room with the only sound coming from Daryl's deep breathing lulled Beth into a deep sleep of her own. For the first time in weeks she felt a semblance of calm, no longer wondering if Daryl had made it out of the funeral home alive.