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Chapter Forty-Nine
(Daryl's POV)
Carol glares at him from the end of the hallway.
"Why would you do that?"
"She almost passed out just walking to the table, aint no way she's feeling well enough to drive almost two hours without being in pain."
"You didn't ask her, you just…"
"You think she'd have said yes?" Damn girl was stubborn as a bull.
"Daryl, you can't do things like that…even if it's probably for the best; she's going to be furious when she wakes up."
"I'll deal with it." He moves past her, conversation finished. Maggie and Glenn both look up when he carries her out to the yard.
"She alright?" Maggie starts towards him shielding her eyes from the low afternoon sun.
"Fine, open the door." Maggie pulls the truck cab open, stands back watching him place her carefully on the seat.
"She's gonna be pissed at you." Her soft southern accent grates over his nerves.
"Stay out of it."
Maggie looks at him a second longer before turning back to the station wagon. He's grateful he's driving separately today so he doesn't have to be a part of the conversation about to take place in the other car.
Glenn takes point as the pull out, keeping the speed relatively low for the empty roads. Probably mindful of both Maggie and Carol fussing over the sleeping Mika in the back seat.
Fin's breathing remains slow and even throughout the trip, even when the truck bounces across the occasional man sized pot hole. The jolt makes him grind his teeth, he's even less sorry at the end of the trip he decided to drug her beforehand.
She's still fast asleep when they pull up to the back lot of the warehouse. Glenn and Maggie pulled in first.
He waits in the truck cab, staring down at Seraphim fast asleep laid out on the seat; head pillowed on her arm while they climb up the ladder to the warehouse roof to get Rick and Tyreese to help them.
Carol is out of her car, and checking Mika in the back seat, he's about to get out of the truck to see if she needs help when she straightens up and waves him off with a small smile gives him a quick thumbs up…Mika must still be fast asleep as well; and in relatively good shape after the trip. Whatever concoction Seraphim made that afternoon it works beautifully. Only a small part of him is left wondering just how long the effect will last before she's awake enough to throttle him.
He climbs out of the cab when he sees Rick and the others coming back down from the roof.
"You look better, looked like shit last time I saw you."
Rick gives him that crooked grin squinting in the sunlight.
"Yeah, still think I'll pass on arm wrestling anyone for a while. Where's Fin? Tyreese said she was injured…"
Rick showing concern shouldn't burn his insides, twist around in his gut, she's part of the group now. Rick shows concern for everyone on a regular basis maybe more then he should it weighs him down often times.
"She's in my truck."
Rick slants an odd look at him, but doesn't say anything further they all head towards the back wall of the warehouse.
A large green dumpster pressed against the cinderblock obscures a service door so no one would notice it. It takes all of them to shove the large green dumpster away from the back wall; he can't help but wonder how the hell she got the dumpster there by herself in the first place.
Rick raps on the steel door once the dumpster is moved and Beth opens it smiling instantly when she sees him.
She practically skips towards him and gives him a quick tight hug and a kiss on the cheek…he'll never understand why she does that shit…does it to Rick too sometimes…maybe it's some Irish thing? He'll have to ask Maggie…
"Thank you, for finding my sister." She's smiling up at him with those big blue eyes. He grunts in response uncomfortable with her arms around his neck, pushes her away gently taking a step back.
"Wasn't nothin."
"Where's Fin I want to thank her proper." Beth is looking around the lot.
He inclines his head toward the truck. "She's asleep have to do it later."
Beth nods following him back to the truck anyways right on his heels. Rick is already there pulling open the door to the cab. Daryl's steps quicken, he grabs Rick's shoulder, stopping him from reaching into the truck to disturb her.
"Hey, I got it."
Shit; he didn't mean to growl that at him.
Rick steps back, keeps hold of the door so he can grab her off the bench seat, very carefully pull her against his chest lifting her up.
"That's pretty hard sleep." Rick's expression irritates him. What business is it of his?
"Drugged her for the trip."
"And she's gonna kick your ass when she wakes up and figures that out again." Carol calls over her shoulder shooting him a pointed look still helping Tyreese and Glenn carry Mika inside on the taut sleeping bag; trying to keep her as straight and un-jostled as possible.
"She can try."
"We've got someplace set up for you to put her, 'til she can make it back upstairs comfortably. Figure she took care of us, time to return the favor."
Daryl can't help but grind his teeth at that; if it wasn't for them she wouldn't be injured in the first place. He follows Rick inside to the back storage section of the building; not much more than a long hallway the length of the warehouse a concrete block wall about 12 feet tall separating this section from the rest of the open space. Rick leads him to one end, behind a section of stacked boxes filled with paper products and ink cartridges at least 7 feet high.
They've dragged a mattress from somewhere else in the warehouse into the corner, it's hidden from the rest of the long wide hallway by the box wall. It's made up with clean sheets and a heavy blanket, two large boxes on either side sit like end tables with a kerosene lantern on one; the inside unlit and dark. There's a pile of books on the other…probably Carl or Beth's doing.
The thoughtful gesture tugs at him; would he have thought to do the same?
He moves to the bed's edge, sets her down as gently as he can, she doesn't make a sound, still sound asleep.
She's definitely going to kick his ass when she wakes up.
"We put Mika and Carol in the office down at the end by the kitchen area but I figured that might feel a little too constricting for you." Rick is standing behind him when he straightens up. He must remember Daryl's comments at the Prison about not wanting to sleep in a cage; he's never been a fan of tight spaces.
"You Good?"
He glances up at Rick's expression, realizes he's more referring to his outburst in the lot then the current room set up.
"Yeah Man, we're good."
"Anything you want to tell me?"
The stare at each other for a full minute.
"I'll be sleeping down here."
"Already figured that."
Damn Glenn.
"Alright, I'll be upstairs, you need anything…" Rick trails off waving his hand.
Yeah he knows just ask…if it was just for him he wouldn't bother…but it's not.
He nods, glances back down at her sleeping form, can't stop himself from reaching out and checking her pulse quickly against her neck. Pushing a few loose strands behind her ear with his fingertips.
She'll probably be out for a while still.
He leaves the tiny alcove of boxes follows Rick back down the hallway to check in on Carol and Mika, now that the prospect of her waking up to scream at him looms closer he's not eager to wait for it; can't stop the nervous twist in his stomach.
"How is she?"
"Asleep, peaceful the whole trip; another thing I have to thank Fin for." Carol smiles at him sitting on the cot next to Mika's sleeping form her fingers gently sliding through the little girl's blonde hair, tucking it away from her face in a motherly gesture that tugs at his insides. It reminds him of Sophia to see her hovering over Mika's tiny form in the darkened room.
"You can't hide from her down here. I don't want to be collateral damage when she wakes up and starts throwing things at your head."
She's half kidding; but the possibility hasn't completely escaped him.
His fingers raise to the door jamb over his head, elbows bent. He leans his head against one of his forearms for a second, not exactly hiding his face…more collecting his thoughts. It doesn't help, he's still not sure what to say a minute later, with either of them.
"Daryl, start with I'm sorry."
He looks up, face twists in discomfort. "Even if I'm not?"
"Yup, you start with that and then listen to what she has to say, if you still don't know what to say then say it again."
He stares at the wall hands tightening over the wood under his fingertips. Never thought he'd be standing here with Carol trying to tell him how to apologize for sticking his foot in it. But he can't say he's sorry, even if that's her advice because he isn't; can't be…not when he did it to protect her.
"And Daryl? You might want to hide her bow...and your knife."
He finds a noise escaping his chest at that, not quite a grunt, maybe an agreement, he's not sure.
She blinks up at him watching his expression like she always does; like she's reading something under his comment; seeing something in the conversation, in him he doesn't see; maybe doesn't want to.
It makes him fidget when she stares at him; always has.
The itch between his shoulder blades drives him to move away from the conversation.
Some things don't change.
"It'll be okay Daryl," Her words of reassurance follow his back down the hallway.
He's less sure with each second that tick by, deep twisting knots have long since taken up residence behind his ribs. He backs out of the doorway with a stiff nod. Walks back down the hallway to check her again, make sure she's still sleeping when he hears the heavy steel door clang against its frame echoing down the concrete hallway.
His pace picks up, he glances at the empty bed confirms his fear. She's awake, and she's outside.
:: Walking Dead ::