Born up on the Blue Ridge

At the Carolina line

Baptized on the banks of the New River

Brought up on the bluegrass

And the clear moonshine

Yeah, tough as iron but a heart as soft as leather

Levi

Somebody was crying. Not loud sobs or a weeping, but for sure crying. There were sniffles and nasally mumbles. A small movement alerted him that the person was leaning on the bed where he had been laying for the last four days. A warm liquid dropped onto his hand; whoever was crying was holding his hand as they cried.

Daryl cracked his eyes open. The dark hair with the sun-bleached strands on the head that was leaning against his hand was hair he well recognized. It took a lot of the strength he felt like he had, but he slowly turned his hand and gently caressed her cheek.

"Don't cry," he told her. It came out on a breath in a low, husky tone, but he did indeed say it.

Macyn lifted her head and wiped her tears with her free hand. "You're awake?"

"I guess so. How long have I been out?"

"Four days," she informed him. "I wasn't sure we were going to get you back."

"I got shot."

"You did. Willy shot you – he was aiming for a walker and he shot you instead. 'Least that's what he says." She swallowed hard. "That's not what's important. What's important is that you're conscious again. Let me get your vitals …"

Macyn flitted around the room like a hummingbird, gathering all the equipment she would need to check his vital signs. She recorded everything on a notepad and studied the numbers for almost a minute before breaking out into a full-on grin.

"Daryl Dixon, you are going to be just fine."

"Why were you cryin' then?" he asked as she helped him sit up before helped him drink some water.

Macyn pursed her lips. "You got worse before you got better. Some of the wound got infected. I had to cut some of the muscle tissue out around the gunshot wound but not too much. You won't even notice the difference when it heals."

"What about the kidney?"

"Never showed any signs of internal bleeding once I stitched you up, so it must be okay, but we'll keep an eye on you." She let out a deep breath. "I'm glad you pulled through, Daryl."

"I'm sorry, Macyn," Daryl said before she could leave the room.

"Sorry for what?" Macyn frowned.

"For scaring you like that. I told you I'd come back, never thought it would be like this. I'm sorry I put you through that. And, thank you, for keeping me alive."

Macyn had to wipe a last stray tear that fell at how genuine Daryl sounded. "You keep me alive, Daryl. It's the least I could do. I'll tell Merle and the others that you're awake."

.&.

While Merle and the others visited with Daryl, Macyn sat in the tripod position on her bed, trying to catch her breath. The relief was overwhelming. When his temperature had skyrocketed and then his other vital signs began to reach dangerous numbers, she would have thought that all was lost. Still, Daryl hung on. She sat at his bedside night and day for the three days after his initial injury with Willy only excusing her because of the infection. Lori and Carol were in and out to help her. They both had encouraged her to get some rest, but she refused to budge. Daryl had consumed her whole heart in the days he had been in her life, and it wasn't just about getting her away from Willy – it was that he cared enough to get her away from Willy. Carol had told her how Daryl snapped on Merle to defend her honor after they had come back from crossbow hunting, and Macyn knew that said a lot.

The tears fell again, this time from a mix of exhaustion and relief. She told herself over and over to relax, but it was only when someone knocked on her door that she attempted to quickly compose herself.

"Come in."

The door opened, and Merle took a tentative step into the room. "You saved my brother's life. Thank you."

Macyn nodded. "It was my pleasure, Merle. Really."

Looking out into the hallway first, Merle moved the door so it was closed only a crack. "Do you love him?"

"I do," she answered quietly. "And you can tell me I'm crazy, I don't care. None of us knows how long we have on a day-to-day basis. Sometimes it's by the hour. I know that however much time I have left here on this earth, I want to be with Daryl for all of it.

"He's a mess. Why would you love him?"

After her shock that Merle would even have this conversation with her wore off, Macyn took a deep breath. "That's where you're wrong. I see Daryl differently than you do – for who he really is. He isn't a mess. He isn't a fighter, either. Daryl fights because he has to, because he's always had to. Not because he wants to or has ever wanted to. I'm not saying you were wrong to instill that in him. It's what kept him alive all this time – and I'm not just talking about walkers. That's why Daryl gets so torn and angry sometimes. He doesn't know what to do with a good thing when he finds it because no good thing no one person who was supposed to love him, has ever lasted. We have that in common. When someone makes a choice to love Daryl, to let love happen with Daryl the way I did, he fights it because he doesn't know any different. Once he saw that I was serious as death and believed I wasn't going anywhere and I wasn't going to change or change my mind, that's when he let me in. When he realized that I wasn't going to leave but he could still lose me. Daryl may have some struggles, but he isn't a mess. That's why I love him – he is the first man in my life, even since my brother, who never left me behind for any reason. He fought for me."

Merle's softened countenance hardened back over. "And what, you're just going to leave Willy? Good luck with that. He ain't the kind of man to let something that belongs to him go easily. You almost got my brother killed once, Macyn. You gonna let it happen again? Because if Willy thinks that he will lose you to Daryl, he won't stop until Daryl is dead."

"Why is this on me?" Macyn frowned. "Maybe you should do something about Willy, for your brother's sake."

"That would be an easy out for you, wouldn't it," Merle growled. "I'm not going to kill a man who brought me here to this. For the same reason Daryl won't leave you behind. You think he stays because he wants you? You can talk them pretty words all you want, but Daryl getting shot is on you. You're letting him think he could have something good with you but once you make it out of here, he'll see you're nothing more than a burden."

"That's what you think will happen," Macyn corrected. "You never had someone in your life who cares about your well-being other than Daryl. I think you're afraid, Merle, that if Daryl and I get out together, he won't give a shit about what happens to you. And why the fuck would he? The brother who left him behind to fend for himself with a group of people who were little more than strangers. You're right, though, to be scared. You haven't given him anything; I have. I've saved his life three times over now. I gave him a purpose to stay alive other than just living day-to-day because it's better than being eaten alive."

"You got guts, girl, I'll give you that." Merle shook his head, and Macyn didn't like the look in his eye. "Daryl's asking for you. He wants you to stay nearby in case things go downhill again. It'd be in your best interest to make sure he knows you're nothing but a doctor to him now."

She rose from the bed, holding eye contact with Merle as she waited for him to leave the room in front of her. His words played over in her head, and the more she thought about them, the more she wondered which one of them was right.

.&.

Daryl smirked when she walked in the room. Carol excused herself, telling Macyn to just let her know if she needed help. Macyn nodded and shut the door behind her.

"Feelin' okay?" she asked, palpitating around his wound some to make sure nothing was swelling or otherwise out of the norm. "Merle said you wanted me here in case it went bad again."

"I feel good, considering I just got shot through the back a few days ago," Daryl replied. His tone held a hint of humor to it.

Macyn gave only the ghost of a smile. "You're in good spirits, that's a good sign. You don't need me in here, so I will just come back and check on you in a while. Get some rest, Daryl."

He made a painful reach for her hand. "What's the matter with you?"

"Just had a pleasant little chat with Merle. He seems to think it is my fault Willy shot you. Wants me to tell you to leave without me."

Daryl frowned. "And what did you tell Merle?"

"Told him he was scared that you were the only person who ever cared about him, and he was afraid you would leave him behind."

"Good for you. So what's the problem?"

Macyn sat back on the bed. "What if Merle is right? You think you want me now but once we're out there and we have nothing ..."

Daryl pursed his lips together. "Merle is wrong. I want you because you're strong. You're caring and you deserve better than what you've had. I want to be the one to give that to you."

He took her hand again and pulled Macyn against his chest. She let out a deep breath and forgot about what a risk it was to be here with Daril, like this. She let herself soak up his warmth and comfort, waiting as the doubts drifted away.

"We're going to be okay," Macyn finally breathed.

"Just fine," Daryl agreed. He nudged her up gently. "C'mere. Been wantin' to do somethin' for a while now."

Macyn sat up and looked at him curiously. Daryl grinned before cupping her face with his hands and slowly leaning towards her. Macyn's breath caught in her throat and her eyelids fell closed.

Daryl's lips first brushed softly against Macyn's, testing out the waters. Her lips were soft and inviting; he didn't wait before kissing her full-on. She responded eagerly, leaning into him again and anxious to have him hold her.

"We really should be careful," Macyn told him between kisses. "Between Willy and your injury, and number of things could go wrong here."

"Just quit worryin' and kiss me," Daryl smiled.

Macyn couldn't help but grin as she obliged him. They took it easy, careful not to get too fired up. When Daryl started to get tired, Macyn backed away but still lay beside him. She played with the charm on the necklace she always wore and listened to Daryl tell a story about being lost in the woods for nine days before coming home to find no one had missed him.

"So, I marched in the kitchen and made myself a sandwich. Wasn't much else I could do besides that. Just went on with life."

Macyn nodded. "I tried to runaway once. Got about as far as the barn before my daddy came stormin' out after me. Even in the dead of night that dirty bastard knew that I was sneaking out."

"What happened?" Daryl asked.

Macyn tucked the necklace under her shirt. "Robbie. He told Daddy that he had been the one sneaking out of the house – that I was going after him."

"Your dad believed that?"

"He believed everything Robbie said. He patted Robbie on the back, told him to get in the house. Locked me in my room for three days but he didn't hit me anymore. Not for getting out of the house anyway."

Daryl did his best to roll to his good side. He ran his finger along her collarbone, pulling the necklace back out from under her shirt. "What's this?"

"It was my mama's. Robbie had gotten it before she died, and he gave it to me at her funeral. It's called a Miraculous Medal. Mama was a real devout Catholic. I'm not so good at it as she was. Anyway, there was this saint – can't remember her name – she had a vision of Mary, and she designed this medal. It supposed to bring special graces at the hour of death. I didn't start wearing it until all this started happening. I was too afraid Daddy would take it away."

Daryl looked carefully at the medal before letting it drop back down to her chest. He pushed the hair out of her face and kissed her softly. "You better make an appearance out there before Willy comes crashin' in."

"You're right," Macyn said, kissing his cheek and getting up. "You get some rest. I'll come in to check on you soon."

Daryl smirked. "Hope so."

Macyn smirked back before shutting the door behind her. Looking to make sure no one was lurking in the hallway and had any idea of what had just gone on in that room, she smiled to herself before making her way back out to the main room.

.&.

Merle pulled back into his room when the light from Daryl's room signaled an open door. He had walked into Daryl's room just as his brother pulled Macyn in for that first kiss. He had made sure to be quiet in case Macyn was in the middle of an exam or taking vitals, so he was able to silently backtrack out of the room and process what he had just seen. Of course, Merle didn't know how many times that had happened, or if it had ever gone further. All he knew was that if it continued, Willy Slater was going to kill Daryl, and Merle just couldn't have that.

Something had to be done.

A/N: I just had to get a little fluff in there! I finally finished Season Two of TWD and watched the first episode of Season Three, so I'm on my way to getting caught up. Can't wait to keep watching more! Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, and thank you again for the reviews - they're very encouraging.