A/N: Enjoy!
Daryl tracks whoever crashed the car he found on the road with Rick to the outer fringes of Atlanta, before heavy rains wash all traces of them away. Without a plan or point of attack he knows charging the city will be suicide. He needs somewhere to dry off and hold up to think things through. No way is he leaving without Beth.
Daryl maneuvers effortlessly around the mud and up over the moss covered rocks and fallen logs like he was born to it, leaving no trace that he was ever there. He follows the highway, but remains inside the tree line so he can observe any strange goings on without being detected. If he is going to do this he will need the element of surprise.
The hunter is on high alert, yet when he finds an old camper butted up against a tree in the ditch, he breathes a small sigh of relief. It looks to have been there for quite a while, probably crashed sometime near the start of the turn and the more he stares at it, the more appealing it seems. The camper sits on low ground which means it will not be easily seen from the road so he deems it worth a closer look. Cautiously he checks out the exterior shell and listens for noises, all the while scanning the surrounding area for signs that someone else might have been here recently. He thinks maybe there had been, but the heavy rains make it impossible for him to be sure.
Before entering the rusted camper, Daryl loads a bolt into his crossbow and takes aim at the door. He tries the rusted handle first, but it breaks off in his hand and so he is left with little choice but to kick it in. Then he takes a step back and waits for a walker to emerge. He thinks he hears a noise come from the back of the camper, but with nothing coming at him he decides that whatever it is must be trapped. With cunning and stealth, Daryl slings the bow across his back and pulls out his knife, a much better weapon for such close quarters.
When the hunter enters the camper he sees a trail of blood smeared along the floor and the walls that lead behind a partition in the back.
The hairs on his neck prickle a warning, but if its a walker in there then he needs this trailer more than it does, and if its a person than maybe it's the one he's been following.
Daryl doesn't make a sound as he pads along the lanolium floor. He stops an arms reach from the partition and takes in a deep breath, preparing himself before promptly pulling it back. His knife falls to the floor and Daryl falls to his knees. "Beth."
He's dreamed of her for months, prepared himself for the worst, but seeing her now... like this is more than he can bare. The mere sight of her is best left to horror flicks such as Hostel or Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The dirty mattress on which she lays is stained red with blood. So much blood that he thinks maybe she is already turned and the guilt he feels is immeasurable. How could he let this happen to her. She is his light, his hope. After the prison fell it was Beth that pulled him back from the edge and now... How long has she been laying here like this?
Tears of relief well up in his eyes when he feels her pulse beat against his fingertips. It is faint but at least she has one.
What the hell did they do to her?
Beth turns her head into his touch, "Daryl...?" and is suddenly overcome by a series of short wet coughs that cause a painful moan to fall from her lips. "How...?"
The cough worries him, as does the amount of blood seeping onto her clothing. "Hush now. Save your breath. I got yah." Daryl strokes Beth's damp hair out of her face, and as he does he feels the heat that radiates off her skin. She is burning up with fever. The hunter smiles down at her like nothing is wrong. He can't let her see his fear. "Just relax and rest up while I find something to take care of these scratches."
Frantically Daryl begins to open every cupboard door in the damn trailer until he finds a half bottle of whiskey in the fridge. The smell in the fridge is rancid, but no worse than walkers. He brushes a couple roaches from the bottle and returns to Beth's side where he promptly removes his vest and shirt. He is disheartened by the filthy state of his flannel, but knowing he has nothing better to work with, Daryl begins ripping strips off of the cleanest portion of his sleeves and prepares to clean her up as best he can.
With a feather-light touch, he gently rolls the girl onto her side and she lets out another cry of pain. "I gotta see it Beth."
Tears trickle down her cheeks, but she nods her permission and Daryl begins to lift the back of her shirt.
"Eeeshh!" Beth shutters, as the cotton lightly brushes over the abrasion.
The large gash across her back is pink and puffy around the edges, worrying Daryl all the more as infection can kill as quickly as walkers these days.
Daryl tries to play it off as best he can, but she sees the worry in his eyes when he meets her gaze and she thinks to herself that it must be pretty bad.
Unscrewing the cap off the bottle, Daryl offers her a deep pull of the liquid before leaving the camper and returning minutes later with a stick in his hand. "It's gonna hurt. Might wanna bite down on this."
Beth trusts his judgement and is glad she does when Daryl begins pouring the alcohol over the area. The sting of whiskey is excruciating, but Beth is brave and she doesn't make a sound. Daryl cannot help but admire her in this moment. For such a small woman, Beth's stubborn tenacity and shear strength of will gives her the tools she needs to fight through the pain. He thinks her amazing. Hell, he finds himself in complete awe of her. It's only then that he remembers the promise he made to himself on the road. No one will ever hurt her again. He will make sure of it.
Once the task is complete Daryl binds the cloth around her torso several times, making sure the wound is completely covered before he moves on to the hole in her thigh where a bullet is still lodged. He repeats the process once more, and by the time he's finished Beth has passed out from the pain. He covers her body with the dirty blanket and as soon as the rain subsides, Daryl picks her up in his arms and begins the long journey back to the church on foot.
/
"Beth... Beth you gotta stay awake for me a while longer ok."
Her body is limp in his arms as they near the church where Rick said the group would wait.
"Don't you give up on me girl! Don't you dare!"
The hunter begins to panic when Beth fails to respond. "Damn it Greene! Maggie's waiting on yah, and I don't need the hassel of her trying to kick my ass if you don't make it. So quit pretending you're already dead and man up!"
Beth's eyes flutter open and she lets out a small giggle, but then cringes from the throbbing pain in her back and leg. "No need to yell, I'm just resting is all."
The hunter lets out a huff of relief, but his worry is far from gone. Daryl can hear the pain in her normally sweet voice, and he can feel her blood seeping through the scrubs and onto his arm as he carries her. "Yah, well if I have to do all the heavy luggin' around here, than the least you could do is shine your baby blues my way every once in a while so I know you're alright."
"Such a sweet talker you are Mr. Dixon," Beth rasps out.
"Pheff!" Daryl blushes. "I think I liked it better when you were resting."
As the pair near the outer gates of the church, a large red-headed man who Daryl has never seen before shouts out, "People coming," and before Daryl can think too much on who this person is or what to do, Rick exits the building with Glen, followed by Maggie, who barrels past them both and straight at her sister. "Oh my God, Beth."
Quickly, she ushers them inside the building. "There's an office in the back with a couch Daryl. Put her in there. Sasha, get Bob, Quick!"
It all happens so fast. Bob enters the office and promptly ushers Daryl and everyone but Maggie out of the room. He takes a quick look at Beth's injuries and immediately goes to get the first aid kit.
Daryl paces like a caged animal just outside the office door when Bob enters the sanctuary. "Can yah fix her?"
"I can remove the bullet, if that's what you mean, but as for her back... to be honest Daryl, it doesn't look good." Bob looks down at his feet, then back to Daryl, and then Glen. "It's badly infected. Without proper antibiotics she may have a day or two before it goes into her bloodstream. I'm so sorry, but we just don't have what she needs."
Daryl looks to Glen, and Glen to Daryl, and just like that it's decided. "Write down what we're lookin' for," Daryl says curtly.
"Daryl you just got back! You can't possibly leave again so soon. Your body needs rest."
Daryl grabs Bob by the scruff of his shirt. "I ain't losin' her!" He growls.
Glen stands at his friend's side. "You heard the man. Best not argue. We're goin'!"
"I'm going too." Rick states firmly. "Bowman's pretty close. It's a small town, but I'm sure we'll be able to find something there.
"Thanks brother." With that the three men gather their weapons and exit the church.
Maggie plops down next to her sister, holding her hand and stroking her cheek while Bob, with Sasha's aid begins the unpleasant task of removing the bullet. Maggie doesn't leave Beth's side for the next three weeks.