Her heart was racing and she felt like her throat was slowly closing. When she had laid eyes on those blond strands the world had stopped paused in its ever turning motion. She reached her brother and relived him of his crossbow making it easier for him to carry her. She was motionless and dirty. Her eyes weren't even moving below her lids. Zoey looked up into Daryl's eyes, a silent question burned brightly. He nodded to confirm her question. As he shifted the little girl in his arms getting a better grip on her small frame he said. "Better get her back, so the old man can have a look. She fell and hit her head pretty good." Zoey nodded and followed behind him as he made his way through the forest making his way to safety.
Zoey's hands were full so she couldn't use her bow. She adjusted the crossbow and her compound bow about her body allowing her one hand to grip her gun properly. She kept watch on her surroundings while at the same time watching to see if the little girl would move, wake up, to her brother's movement. The child did not even so much as stir. With a frown, that's when she noticed Sofia's hair slowly turning pink.
Zoey grabbed Daryl's shirt slowing him to a stop. Grabbing gently at the girl's head she rolled it away from her brother's arm to get a better look. There nestled on the crown of her head within her blond hair was a deep gash, the tip of it rested just where the hair had started turning a light red. When Zoey lifted her head further up to get a better look she realized the extent of the cut. It was three inches long and in the middle the skull peaked out. In a panic she looked up into Daryl's eyes, she didn't even bother to use her hands, she mouthed "run".
No need for any more encouragement her brother nodded, carefully shifted the girl higher on his chest, he burst into the woods towards the farm. Zoey followed closely behind him in blind panic. They had to get her to Hershel, head wounds tend to bleed longer and heavier than most. If they did get there soon, Zoey feared, Sofia could bleed to death in her brother's arms.
It seemed like hours before they finally crossed the border of trees that bordered the farms fields. Daryl was running off pure adrenaline at this point his legs burning and his arms and back screamed for a break. Sofia was light but having to carry her so long at such a brisk pace were defiantly taking its toll on his body. He could hear Zoey's harsh breath behind him covering his back, just in case. Not even three steps out of the woods and the entire camp noticed them and taking only a few more seconds before a few of them moved in their direction. He turned his head back towards his little sister and spoke loud enough for her to hear him. "Go get Hershel and try and keep Carol busy until the old man is done with the kid." In his peripheral he saw her nod and hurry on a head of him.
He slowed his pace now feeling as though no matter how fast he was going what was going to happen was going to happen now that they reached safety. In a hazy tired motion he trudged on watching his sister pass what looked like Rick and Tdog pointing and moving her hands frantically, before taking off for the house. He could hear the slamming of the front door from down in the field where he was standing.
Rick reached him first, "here let me have her. You have done enough." Daryl relinquished hold on the girl's small body. "Watch out for her head. She fell out of a tree and landed on a rock." He said barely above a whisper as he watched the man carefully arrange her limp body and take off from the field himself. That's when he saw Zoey standing next to Carol with her arms around the women's shoulder. Carol was sitting down in a camp chair her hand covered her mouth.
The farm buzzed with commotion as Hershel emerged from the house. Zoey hurriedly moving her hands in the air just as Beth exited the house. Hershel placed a hand on the red head's shoulder trying to calm her. "Don't worry we will do what we can. You and your brother did well today, young lady." He said. Beth smiled at her and put her hands around her newest friend's arms in an attempt to help relax her. Zoey turned to her then and signed, 'help he tell her mom.' Beth simply smiled with a nod.
Once Zoey had explained what was going on to Carol, with a little help from Beth, she had the women sitting down and with a comforting grasp on the older women's shoulders kept her in place. Beth dismissed herself to go help her father with whatever needed to be done. At this time Rick had reached the house and he and the little girl disappeared into the home. Her brother slowly made his way to the camp nodding in their direction before roughly placing himself down away from everyone, chewing on his thumb impatiently. Zoey now felt guilty for smoking their last cigarette because her brother looked like he could use one.
After a few moments Carol assured Zoey that she would give the doctor time before she went looking in on her daughter, although the reluctant sound in her voice told a different story. So the red head took her seat next to her brother on the opposite side of the tree from him. Lori exited her tent and made her way over to where they were sitting. A smile plastered on her face. "Today is a good day." She stated smiling at Zoey. She answered with a small smile and a nod. Lori tilted her head to the side and smiled a little more. "Someone has been asking about you." The brunette tilted her head and let out a small chuckle at Zoey's confusion. "Come with me." She said with her hand extended. The red head took her hand and stood.
She followed Lori back up to the house leading her into the building and to the room where Carl had been recovering. With much surprise Zoey noticed that Carl was not only awake but he was sitting up reclined against some pillows eating some kind of soup. His face illuminated as he noticed his guest. "You found her didn't you?" he asked getting excited. Zoey placed a mock frown on her face, 'calm down you don't want to pull your stiches.' She signed at him. He seemed to get the point taking a deep breath but his smile only widened.
Zoey took a seat at the end of the bed as Lori took her place back in the chair next to the head of the bed. Folding one of her legs under her and leaning on her hand she watched as Carl ate what was left of his lunch, after his mom told him to finish of course. Zoey smiled at the boy's exuberance after he finished lunch, keeping most of his topics away from Sofia for now.
A couple of hours after she had entered his room she left while Carl slept, after totally exhausting himself playing go fish with Zoey. A deck of cards that Beth had brought in after a Carl became too adamant about standing up. She walked into the front room where the coffee table had been pushed up against the wall and the couch turned into a bed. A queen sized mattress that had been folded up in the couch that didn't even look like a pull out couch with as much floral that had covered it.
Sofia rested comfortably with Carol taking her place beside the girl's side holding her hand, stroking it lovingly. Zoey smiled and before anyone could noticed she slipped out of the house. Sitting down on the porch she rubbed both hands down her face. "Today seems to be exciting for everyone." Glenn's voice popped off from behind her. She turned slightly to see his face. He had a stupid grin on his face as he sauntered over to her from the porch swing. "I got you a piece of paper and a pen just in case you wanted to say anything." Zoey smiled and took the items before quickly scrawling, 'how nice of you.'
Glenn smiled with a snort. "Yeah I kind of get that a lot." With a quick release of air the red head snorted and then wrote again on the paper, 'what's got you all happy.' When Glenn read this his face burned almost brighter than her hair. "Well it's been a good day for one." He stated simply before rubbing his neck nervously. Zoey eyed him closely before writing with a smile. 'Either you got laid or someone gave you a Popsicle.' She nudged him with her shoulder gaining his focus back on her. Glenn read it and Zoey didn't think it possible as he turned a darker shade of red. "You are defiantly a Dixon. Sounds like something Merle would said." He choked out looking around nervously before replying. "Ok maybe." He chuckled a little as he quickly dismissed himself as Dale called him over.
That night for dinner Lori and Carol decided that to thank their host, by making dinner for everyone. Zoey, not doing anything, kept them company while her brother helped Rick with something or other. Beth, Lori, Carol, and Maggie were all in the kitchen talking and smiling. All talking and smiling just passing the time while the food was cooking. For the first time in forever Zoey was making friends and she was enjoying it tremendously.
She liked Lori and no matter how much Andrea or anyone else for that matter said she did wrong. Zoey knew she had her reasons and she was making the best of the world. She was a caring mother and she even seemed to except the wild temperament of the two Dixon siblings that were with them. Even if one of them hardly talked them. Carol was motherly figure always willing to help take care of everyone in the camp, whether they deserved it or not. Her daughter being lost seemed to almost break her and Zoey hoped in the future the women could get stronger. She wouldn't be able to see those caring eyes harsh and cold. Maggie was her favorite beside Beth so far. She was close to Zoey's age and could understand her thought process and didn't need to talk to her, it seemed, to understand what she was thinking. The red head could tell that she had a hard crush on Glenn, and she quickly put together what had happened on the run they both had gone on that day. Then there was Beth. A soft spoken intelligent young women, who even though only being sixteen or seventeen understood a lot more than the others thought. She kept that quiet though and smiled. Zoey could see the slight mischievous glance that the petite blond got in her eyes every now and then and she could tell there was a fire that was waiting to burn.
Dinner was made and the table set. All the younger adults and even Carl, who was finally allowed out of bed for little bits of time, sat at a smaller table. The rest of the adults sat at the huge mahogany dining table talking amongst themselves in easy conversation. Zoey had been quiet watching and eating as she observed everyone around. Carl to her left and Beth to her right while Glenn sat next to Carl's other side with Maggie on his other side. The young man who Zoey hadn't talk too much, Jimmie, sat on Beth's other side. Glenn and Maggie had been passing notes while everyone talked almost all night. Zoey tried to hide her smile when she looked at Glenn. He noticed anyways and he gave her the look that said 'stop', Zoey couldn't though and just kept on smiling.
When dinner was finished Zoey helped Beth and Maggie with dishes before heading out to her tent for bed. In her mind she kept chanting to herself that Sofia would be ok and that the gash on her head would heal perfectly. There shouldn't be anything to worry about she was in capable hands. Even with those words it took hours for her to fall asleep, and when she did it was fitful and long.
A/N: I am sorry to those of you that I haven't responded to your comments. I just wanted to let everyone know how much I appreciate how much you liked it so far, it has given me the courage to keep writing on this idea of mine. I also wanted to apologize for the somewhat short chapters I had so many ideas for later on in the story that it's hard to get my mind focused on the beginning and to keep it there. Well hope you enjoyed this chapter.