Beth followed the doctor into the lift and down the corridors, occasionally glancing into some of the rooms as she walked through the wards. Each room was like looking through a window, showing a glimpse of another walk of life. Televisions were playing to vacant eyes, family members crowded around beds while nurses hurried past. Beth knew all too well of the sadness that could befall people in this place, and she could feel it weighing on her as she walked through the corridor. However, this time it seemed that she had been dealt a different hand, and despite everything she was feeling cautiously optimistic.
The doctor pushed through a pair of swinging doors and they entered a ward that was much quieter than the ward they had just been walking through. A lot of the rooms were dark, with the blinds drawn shut in the windows. There was a scattering of visitors standing around the open area, most looking quite sombre. The doctor, however, took Beth to a room that was filled with light. Before they even stopped outside the room, Beth knew it was the one. Sitting across the hall from the doorway was a police officer keeping watch. The blinds were open, the horizontal slats showing a glimpse into the room.
The doctor stopped her before she could approach the door.
"He is stabilised, but any surgery, especially surgery such as what he's had, can leave a person feeling weak. I would strongly recommend you only spend…maybe twenty minutes with him, and then you can come back tomorrow if you wish. But he is not to be tired out." The doctor looked down at Beth seriously, his eyebrows raised as if in warning. Beth's eyes drifted past his shoulder before she looked back up at the man and nodded. If nodding would let her past him, she would agree to anything.
The doctor continued once she had nodded. "Ask at the desk for me when you next visit, as I'd still like to check his condition before he has any visitors. After a week, or probably just a few days, he should be fine to go home if he continues showing signs of improvement as he has been."
Beth nodded once more before something occurred to her. "Sorry what was your name? For when I ask?"
"Dr Haywood," he replied. "So, twenty minutes, no longer."
Beth felt a flash of irritation, but smiled a thin-lipped smile. Dr Haywood seemed satisfied and gestured for her to enter the room. Holding her breath for some reason, Beth stepped into the doorway.
What she had expected, she wasn't quite sure. The room was filled with enough natural light to be able to see everything clearly, though the blinds in the window were half drawn, blocking half of the view. The fluorescent lights were still on, though they seemed dim in comparison. The white walls appeared even brighter against the light. The machine next to the bed beeped steadily and reassuringly, yet simultaneously unsettlingly.
Beth could only really look at the figure lying in bed.
He wasn't looking at her. He was staring out the window, his face pressed against the pillow.
"Hey." She greeted him softly.
He turned his head at the sound of her voice, shifting slightly in the bed. "Hey," he rasped. He shifted again and she realised he was trying to push himself up in the bed. She walked further into the room, coming to a stop at the foot of the bed. His head dropped back on to the pillow and she could see the muscles in his jaw clench before he looked at her again.
"You all right?"
Beth nodded quickly. "Yeah."
Daryl stared back at her. "Saw you…on the ground," he coughed, before clearing his throat hastily.
Beth looked down at the white bed sheet. "Yeah. One of those guys –"
"Fuckin' assholes."
Beth looked up at him. "I fell and hit my head." Not exactly the truth.
She probably shouldn't have said anything, but it wasn't as though he already knew who had attacked them. The muscles in his jaw clenched again.
"Do ya…do ya know how they found you?" She asked, smoothing down the bed sheet with one hand. To her puzzlement, he looked away.
"Daryl?"
He didn't say anything for a long moment. "Told him my name." He muttered finally. "Didn't want you…t'be worried, when you asked me. But he knew my name."
Beth stopped smoothing the bed sheet and stared at him. "Oh."
There was silence for another long moment.
"Well, the doctor said you could go home by the end of the week, maybe even a few days." She smiled slightly, and he turned his head back towards her but still couldn't seem to look her in the eyes.
"If you want, I can drive you." Beth shifted on her feet when he didn't reply. "It's no trouble."
He looked up at the ceiling.
Beth glanced over her shoulder. "Did you speak to the police yet?"
His eyes flickered. "Talked to the Sheriff."
"They'll find them."
He snorted.
Beth blinked. "They will, I mean, they know where they live right?"
Daryl sighed, before looking at her. "Reckon they were squatters. Went back, not long after we were there. No trace of 'em."
Beth felt her stomach churn unpleasantly.
"Figured they'd moved on." He looked back up at the ceiling.
Beth frowned as she processed this new information. "Well…they won't get in here."
Daryl furrowed his brow, looking at her.
"The guard outside," she elaborated. "That's in case they come back, right?"
He rolled his eyes, exhaling heavily. "Told him I don't want no fuckin' guard."
Beth fiddled with the bed sheet again. Daryl seemed to be in an even worse mood than usual, and she was starting to feel a bit unwelcome. His foul mood didn't appear to be directed at her specifically, but he seemed (understandably) tired and she thought perhaps she wouldn't even make it to twenty minutes.
"Um, well I just wanted to see that you were doin' okay. You should get your rest though, and I'll come back tom- tomorrow." Beth stuttered on her words as Daryl abruptly flung back the blanket.
"Um…Daryl?"
He ignored her as he slowly took the IV out of his arm, throwing it aside. He sluggishly shifted his legs out of the bed, his feet coming to rest on the floor as he sat up. Beth stared at him in disbelief.
"What are you doing?" She asked him urgently, stepping back a couple of paces to steal a glance out into the corridor.
"What's it look like?" He breathed, supporting himself on his hands splayed out behind him. Beth caught a glimpse of the police officer sitting out in the corridor reading a magazine. She looked back at Daryl in a silent plea to stop whatever he was doing. He didn't seem to be even close to finished though. He stood up slowly with a wince, twisting around to use one arm as support as he did so until he was standing next to the bed.
"I'm discharging myself."
.
.
.
Beth couldn't believe her ears. She stood in stunned silence, watching as he opened the cupboard in the corner.
"But…you can't." Beth looked back at the officer still reading his magazine, apparently unaware of any happenings in the room.
Daryl yanked his pair of pants off the hanger, pulling on them insistently when they did not come all the way off. Beth blinked, before looking around abruptly.
"Daryl, I don't think this is a good idea."
"Ain't gettin' dressed in here," he told her, causing her to jump, as he was far closer to her than she thought he would be. Beth turned to face him completely. He was gripping his clothes in one fist, walking towards the door deliberately.
"How're you gonna get home?" She asked, folding her arms across her chest. "How're you gonna…" she trailed off, lost for words. When he didn't answer she followed him out into the corridor. The police officer abruptly folded the magazine, getting to his feet.
Beth gaped at Daryl's retreating back, before turning to look at the police officer.
"You'd better get the doctor, miss." He said, before following Daryl down the hall. Beth squinted after them. Down the corridor past Daryl and the police officer, hobbling towards them, was her father.
.
.
Beth stood outside Daryl's room with Hershel while the doctor spoke to him inside.
Hershel regarded his daughter contemplatively. The decision to discharge himself from hospital seemed to have upset his daughter, and Hershel briefly wondered when the last time was that Daryl Dixon hadn't upset his daughter. But then, perhaps he didn't want to know.
He sensed something else though as well. She wasn't just upset, she was determined. Her chin was jutting out just slightly. Once the doctor left that room he could imagine her striding into the room and insisting that he stay, pleading when the equally stubborn man wouldn't listen.
Hershel sighed heavily.
Just then, the door was opened and the doctor stepped out into the corridor looking unhappy.
"His mind is made up," he said, shaking his head. "I'll get the paperwork, but in the meantime you're free to try convincing him to stay."
The man left to retrieve the paperwork, still shaking his head occasionally as he strode down the corridor. Almost immediately after he left, Beth started towards the door to Daryl's room.
Hershel put his hand on his daughter's arm gently, bringing her to a halt.
"Bethy, give me a moment."
Beth looked up at him with wide eyes for a moment, before nodding shortly.
.
.
Hershel entered the room to find Daryl leaning sideways on the bed, his elbow balancing his weight. He cleared his throat and the younger man pushed up off the bed suddenly and quite clearly with some effort.
Hershel considered his words carefully. What the man was doing was crazy and quite frankly, stupid. If he were to develop an infection, he would be lucky to survive if he were to remain alone out in the cabin in the woods. He could recognise the set of his shoulders and jaw, it was one he often saw in his daughter standing outside that very room when she was determined to do something despite all the warnings given beforehand.
"I ain't stayin' here."
Hershel inhaled deeply, his eyes crinkling as he looked at the younger man who glared at his feet.
"Wastin' your time, coming down here." He continued as though he didn't want to even hear his voice. "I don't need your help."
Hershel remained silent for a moment, until the only sound in the room was Daryl's breathing, inhaling and exhaling deeply through his nose.
"My daughter was worried about you."
Daryl's hand clenched around the bed sheet.
"I came here to help her. If you want to discharge yourself, I can't stop you. But I did want to thank you."
The younger man seemed to freeze.
"While things didn't…go well, I know that you were trying to protect my daughter."
Daryl scoffed.
Hershel continued as though he hadn't heard him.
"It means a lot to me, and for that I am grateful."
Daryl shook his head. "Did most of it herself. Got nothin' to thank me for."
"I know you think that, but try not to be so hard on yourself. It wasn't an easy situation, but the two of you pulled through."
The younger man glared up at him. "It was your daughter that saved me out there. I didn't do shit. She's…you're both better off stayin' the fuck away from me."
Hershel returned his heated glare placidly, his hands folded in front of him.
There was an abrupt knock on the door, and the doctor took a tentative step into the room holding some papers. He cleared his throat, looking between the two men uncertainly.
"Hope I'm not…interrupting anything." He looked at Daryl with a frown. "Here is the paperwork you need to fill out. If you have any questions, or change your mind, I will be back shortly and we can go through them together. Or, I can continue treating you." He raised his eyebrows, pursing his lips together before putting the paperwork on to the bed next to Daryl.
"I'll leave you to it." The doctor gave Daryl one more disapproving look before leaving the room.
.
.
.
Once Daryl had completed the paperwork, Beth waited outside his room with her father for Daryl. She wasn't quite sure what had been said while Hershel had been in the room with him, but it had ended with Hershel telling the doctor that Daryl wouldn't need a wheelchair to leave. Or a taxi.
"We'll drive him," he'd said.
The doctor seemed confused but he'd agreed, saying that he'd prefer they drove him to Daryl taking a taxi. Overall though, once the paperwork was signed the doctor didn't seem too concerned whether
When Daryl was finally ready to leave, Beth and her father walked with him through the hospital.
"Could at least have offered a god damn wheelchair," Daryl muttered, his gait slow and his face pale.
Beth opened her mouth, turning to look at her father who shook his head imperceptibly. She narrowed her eyes, her brow furrowing as she looked back at Daryl. They weren't even halfway to the hospital exit. Beth wondered if it were possible for the sutures to burst.
In the elevator, Daryl braced himself with one hand planted on the railing, his knuckles white.
Beth wrung her hands together, her own knuckles white as she struggled not to say anything, her father's eyes warning her not to.
His walk became increasingly deliberate, though he never faltered as they walked through the final corridor. The exit lay ahead of them, the light outside so bright it was hard to distinguish the doors from the white light.
At long last, they reached the exit. Daryl pushed the door open with his shoulder, wincing against the sunlight.
Beth started to point to the car park, but her father put his hand on her arm, pushing it down firmly.
"Taxi should be here soon." He said, watching Daryl carefully.
Daryl stood still, looking around. "Should be here now," he grunted. He looked at a bench a few metres away and started to walk over to it.
"We could drive you," Hershel offered, matching the younger man's slow stride. Daryl didn't answer.
"You think you're gonna be able to take care of yourself out there?"
Daryl clenched his jaw. Beth realised what her father was doing, but she felt so useless watching him.
"You got any food you can eat?"
Daryl shrugged, grunting as he reached the bench. He sat down heavily and Beth sat next to him.
"Can you just get the car please Daddy?" She asked, giving him an imploring look.
Her father sighed, looking down at Daryl for a moment before nodding. "I'll be back."
Beth watched her father walk away as they sat in silence.
After a few minutes, she turned to Daryl. "We can drive you home if you like."
He nodded, not looking at her.
"I think…I think you should stay at our place." Beth said quietly, looking down at her lap. "If something happened –"
Daryl nodded resignedly.
Beth stopped, catching the movement out of the corner of her eye and slowly looked at him. "You'll stay?"
"One night." He stated, squinting at her. He looked incredibly tired, and she realised he knew that he wouldn't be able to do everything himself.
Beth nodded eagerly. "Okay, one night." She smiled in relief and shuffled closer to him, leaning carefully to rest her head on his shoulder. It was barely a moment before he leaned against her and she allowed herself to fully rest her weight against his body, supporting him.
A/N: Hello! So, I know Daryl has a pretty quick turnaround in this chapter and I could have dragged it out a bit longer, but I think Daryl got the point just trying to get out of the hospital. If you felt no sympathy for him during this chapter, that's perfectly fine! He was being pretty stubborn.
Another thing about him giving the guys his name...that'll be clarified a little later on (probably).
Many thanks for all your follows, favourites, reviews and for reading! I sincerely love reading your feedback and comments!
Hope you enjoyed reading :)