17.

He heard voices, faint and distant at first, then loud and disturbingly distorted.

"Save him…or I'll cut you all down…."

Niko.

"…too risky…nothing I can do…"

Hershel.

"Let go off me….you damn…"

Niko again.

"Take her away…"

Rick.

"Daryl…Daryl! Oh, my God… can't feel his heartbeat…."

Carol.

Pain, nothing but pain.

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He grasped at each conscious thought as if he was climbing a steep rock with very few and small holds. There were times he wanted to let go and slip into a comforting abyss below. Only his stubbornness prevented him from that.

Pain. Assess the situation….he has to assess the situation. What was the last thing he remembered? Niko. They were in that store. The blondie. Niko cut her head off. Knives…he got injured. Have they returned back to the prison? He could not remember that. Have they been captured? Did he loose her? Fuck!

He set his mind on opening the eyes. Did he do it? He couldn't tell. Everything was still dark. His mouth was dry, so he settled for a few words...Niko…water… where… water….Niko…

"Daryl…Daryl!

A touch on his hand and then over his forehead. A pleasant one, accompanied by a caring voice. Was that her voice?

Lots of voices around him. If he could only open his eyes.

He let go and slipped into the abyss again.

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There were times he thought he was conscious, because he felt a presence of somebody else close to him. He tried to look but it soon all dissolved into darkness.

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His whole body was violently shaking. An earthquake? It was cold, so immensely cold. Thoughts started to depart from him, one by one.

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Something pulled him up the wall of consciousness again. His thoughts were clearer somehow. He was in a bed. Somebody was lying next to him. The body of that somebody was entangled with his. He felt warmth.

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He opened his eyelids. Finally. A ray of light over the bed. Sleek, black hair beneath his chin. He buried his face into it. All black again.

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He found himself staring into her eyes. Those discolored, vague eyes, were looking at him… or through him. He pressed his body even closer. Her skin felt smooth against his.

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"Daryl, can you hear me?"

A wet cloth dripped over his forehead. Yes, I can hear you. "Carol?"

"Yes, oh my God, Daryl…no, no, don't get up…Hershel, come quickly…"

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Something was poured down his mouth and warmed his body from the inside. For the first time in a while he felt conscious of his whole body. Everything seemed fine. No limb missing, but he was too weak to make even the slightest movement. Shit. Was he bitten, was he changing? He coughed, spilling the liquid from his mouth all over himself. Dammit!

"It's fine, just take it easy…."

That was Beth. It was another voice he hoped for. Where was she?

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The pain awakened him. Somebody was touching him where it hurt the most. He lifted his head a little. Hershel. He managed to grab his hand.

"Take it easy Daryl. Don't strain yourself. I just need to put a clean bandage."

Hershel gently removed his hand and placed it on the bed.

"Bitten?" he uttered with difficulty.

"What? No, no….nothing like that. A knife wound… your liver was badly damaged….a kind of miracle that you…."

"Niko?"

"She's fine. Don't you remember…"

Sleep.

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Short moments of interactions with the outside world were coming and going. Once during night time he opened his eyes and saw her. He recognized her silhouette on a chair next to his bed. Her head was leaned sideways on the back of the chair and her hair was covering her face. She was asleep. He didn't want to wake her.

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"You're one tough bastard."

Rick. His intense stare was softer than usual.

He tried to smile.

Where was she?

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"One more spoon, come on."

He felt hunger for the first time. Looking into the caring eyes of Carol, he wanted to thank her, but it still required too much energy he didn't yet have.

She took his hand. "Daryl, when you were…I prayed every night…I didn't know-"

He squeezed gently her hand. Tears poured down her cheeks.

"Tell me…"

"What do you want me to tell you?"

"How…came back…"

"Oh, well…" she wiped her tears. "We heard Niko calling for help. Apparently, the moment you entered the fence and stopped the bike, you collapsed. It didn't look good, your injury was grave and Hershel said there's little hope. You lost a lot of blood…and there were a few times…we had to bring you back…"

At least he brought her back...

One more spoon and he had to sleep.

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Beth fed him, staring at him with her glittering, deer-like eyes. She talked about everyday things, and she went on and on. This time he didn't mind.

He was still a bit dazzled, and there were times he sank into a deep sleep and couldn't recall any of it. His time perception was blurred, but he felt his strength growing.

Once he began to recover visibly, they were all coming to see him. Most of the time he felt odd about it. He wasn't exactly much of a talker before and neither did he feel like talking much now.

One night, when his sleep was not as profound as usual, he noticed Niko. She came in as silent as a mouse and sat on a chair besides his bed. She just sat there, looking in his direction, her glasses on, her hands crossed in front. From then on he saw her almost every night. She always came when nobody was around and while he was pretending to be asleep.

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"You recovered well," said Hershel, checking his wound.

"A little stab wound like this ain't gonna kill me."

Hershel smiled and bandaged him, causing him enough pain to wince a few times.

"So what's the situation?"

"Your liver is healing….I don't see any bleeding, but you need to keep still not to reopen the wound." As he finished tying the bandage, he gave him a wise look. "I do believe now, when they say God favors the foolish…"

"God just don't want me up there with him…"

"I doubt God's kingdom is where you go to after this world." Rick approached his bed with a smug smile on his face.

"Wherever I go, I'll sure as hell be seeing you there." As he attempted to laugh the pain in the abdomen returned.

"Can we talk now, without you passing out?"

"He's still weak, Rick," said Hershel quietly.

"I'm fine. Hershel…when I have enough of him, I'll just pretend to fall asleep."

Hershel gave a look of warning to Rick and left.

"All right," said Rick and sat on the chair, moving it closer to his bed. "Now that we're alone, I'd really like to hear some details about what happened out there. Your blind girl wasn't very revealing."

The last sentence affected him. "What did she say?"

"That you two encountered a hostile human, killed her and that you got injured in a process. You should have seen her when you got here…do you remember anything?"

"Umm, I remember leaving the town…"

"Well yeah, you looked pretty…dead by the time you got here. When Hershel said he can't do anything she almost cut him down. We had to restrain her and take away her sword. Wasn't easy either, she gave a nasty cut to Glen …was not very smart of you let her have a weapon-"

"Where is she?"

"Right now? Outside…in her cell, don't know… She comes to check on you, usually at night, when nobody is here. For the rest of time, she lurks around avoiding all of us, same as we avoid her. I'd thrown her in a cell, but..."

"But?"

Rick scratched the back of his head. "Well…she kinda saved your life… I mean… even I lost hope… while she was here all the time…didn't let you go, you know…not when you went unconscious for days…and when you had a fever, she lay with you … I don't know…I had to let her be. Her concern was genuine….heh… seems you two really bonded."

"Shut the fuck up, Rick…"

"Is there anything else, I should know… regarding the incident?"

There was no more confusion in his thoughts and memories. He remembered it all. The piece of paper he found on the blondie's body. Somebody was after her. She was safe for now, here in the prison, but the matter worried him. It smelled of evil and he had a gut feeling that taking the blondie's head wasn't the end of it.

"Nope."

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There she was, in the semi-darkness of twilight, on the chair next to his bed, as she had been many times before. They were looking at each other, well, at least he was looking at her. Her glasses were pushed up on her forehead and he couldn't stop staring at those eyes.

"You're awake," she suddenly said.

"Mh-mmm."

Her void gaze moved slightly up from him into the room and then there was silence.

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He took a can and a spoon from Beth and ate on his own. Her persistent and overly caring stare unnerved him. She looked at him as he was some helpless baby and he hated it, but didn't say anything not to offend her.

"I'm so happy, you feel better," she said after he passed her an empty can. "You know, if…if you haven't pulled through, I don't know what I'd do. "

"Beth, stop whining," he said in a humorous tone. "I'm fine, really."

She took his hand. "When I thought we're going to lose you…" She chocked at the words and her cheeks became red. "All I could think of…. was that you gonna leave this world, without even knowing, how much-"

"Beth," he immediately cut in. "How long was I out?"

"It's gonna be almost two weeks…I think…"

"No fuckin way!" He was genuinely surprised. He let go of her hand and pushed the blanket away.

"What…what are you doing, Daryl? There's no way I'm letting you-"

She tried to prevent him from getting out of the bed, but his feet were already on the floor and he tried to stand up. His legs didn't hold him and he collapsed back on the bed. He tried again.

"Hershel!" screamed Beth.

Nope, he ain't gonna give up that easily!

But his stubbornness was not enough this time and with Beth assisting him he lay back on the bed, cursing.

"Daryl, how foolish can you be!" Hershel immediately checked his bandage. "You need at least a week more in bed. If you pull something like this again, I'll bring Rick here to talk some sense into you."

He chuckled and let Beth adjust his pillow. It's fine… he'd tried it again later. There was no way he was going to stay in bed for another week.

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It was late night time when she came to sit by his bed again. And again, she said nothing.

He smirked. "I thought by now, you'd do or say something to get yourself closed in the cell."

"That's awfully judgmental of you. I'm at my best behavior, they have no reason to lock me up."

"So, what do you do all day?"

"Huh…" she crossed her hands and turned her head away.

"I see…."

"You see less than I do…anyway…. I keep to myself, that's what I do."

"An excellent decision."

She stretched her hands and puffed air out of her mouth loudly. "So when are you getting up already?"

He sighed. "Thanks, I guess."

"What for?"

He didn't answer.

He caught a glimpse of her sitting on the chair as he woke up briefly during the night and then again in the morning light just as she was leaving.

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"Hershel, dammit, I just need one crutch…"

"And I'll give you my own, as soon as you'll be healthy enough to walk around…"

"I'm getting up with or without it."

"Daryl, for once, do as I say. Your body needs rest. You still don't get it, do you? You being alive is a miracle, but this can quickly change, if you won't listen to me."

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He felt in his sleep somebody was watching him and peered through half-open eyes. A figure above him. Niko? No. It was a man. Wait…Merle? Must be just a dream.

Beth woke him up, as usual, with a breakfast.

"You know, Beth, you don't have to be here all the time. I'll eat it all even if you're not watching."

"But I want to."

He couldn't do much. The girl was relentless in her care for him. "Tell me, is everything fine? Enough provisions? Has Rick taken care of it?"

"No worries about that, your brother came back and he brought full of stuff with him."

"The fuck you didn't tell me that before?" He pushed the can into her hands. "Where is he?"

Surprised at his reaction she began to stutter:" Well…I…I'm not sure…around, I guess."

"Help me up, Beth."

"No, Daryl, I'm not allowed to. Hershel prescribed at least another week-"

"Beth, help me up!"

She stood up from the chair and shook her head. "I'll go get Hershel," she said and ran out of the room.

He pulled the chair closer to the bed and grabbing its back he pushed himself up. His legs were shaking but after a few seconds he felt stable enough to let go of the chair and staggered ahead, using the wall and any other furniture on the way to prevent him from falling. He found a stick in the corner, a left-over of a broom or some other utensil, and with its help walked out.

He bathed his face on the sun outside the block for a whole minute, then, sheltering his eyes with a hand, he looked down toward the fence and saw most of his friends fighting off an increasing number of walkers. She was not among them.

He walked to the detention room and upon entering saw what he feared the most.

Merle just smashed Niko into the chair. Her glasses stood crookedly on her nose and drops of blood appeared on her lips. The violent act did not erase her small, derisive smile, which, he knew, will make his brother's blood boil.

Merle pressed a knife to her throat. "An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth, bitch!"

Sorry it took so long for the update, but thanks for all the comments and thanks for continuing to read this story. Leave your reviews, I'll be happy to read them! :)