"Georgia…." Rick trailed off, his eyes tracing over her frame, covered in sweat and shaking slightly.
"I know what I have to do, Rick. DJ, baby, Momma's gotta get up now. I have to go away now."
"No!" his shout rang out in the area as he sat up and everybody looked over at them.
"Oh, baby. Shh, shh, shh. You have to calm down. You have to stay calm. Here, baby, you and Daryl help me up."
She raised her hand up and Daryl encased hers in his to drag her up. DJ followed so that he could wrap his arms around her waist. Georgia ran her fingers through his hair again and took a deep breath. Tears ran down her face as she clutched at his head. "Baby, I can't stay. I'm sorry. I can't stay. I can't stay. You have to let me go. You have to let go."
"No, no, no. Mommy, I need you. You can't go."
"Rick, please," Georgia plead. "I need Daryl to help me. Please, please help me."
Rick stepped forward and grasped DJ's shoulders. He pulled him away and DJ turned to punch him in the stomach. Rick doubled over and DJ latched back onto Georgia. She scolded, "DJ!"
"It's okay, Georgia. It's okay," Rick waved it off. "He is Daryl's son."
He reached out again and grabbed the middle of DJ's arms so the small boy couldn't swing on him. DJ shouted meaningless words into the air and Georgia turned her attention to Daryl. She ordered, "Grab him, please. Talk to him."
Daryl stepped forward and knelt in front of DJ. He murmured, "Boy, ya can' be shoutin'. Ya gotta be quiet. Ya shout an yer gonna draw 'em on us. Ya shout an some things worse are gonna come down on us an then we're gonna have to leave yer momma all on her own."
DJ's voice dropped to a hoarse whisper. "Daryl, Dad, she's leaving. She's dying. You're letting her die!"
"I ain't lettin' her do nothin', boy. I could stop her, I'd bring down the sun from the sky to do it. But I can'. Ya know how yer momma is an, this time, she's right. She stays, she's gonna hurt me an she's gonna hurt ya an then we're both gonna have to put her down. Ya know what happens when the bite takes hold. Ya know what happens an it's gonna happen to her."
"I still need my mom, Daryl."
"I still need her too, boy. But we can' keep her here. She's gotta go."
DJ's body collapsed in on itself and Daryl reached out to catch him, pulling him close and actually hugging him. Georgia muttered, "Well heaven above, I never thought I'd see the day Daryl Dixon hugged somebody willingly."
Rick smiled weakly at her and watched DJ cry into Daryl's shoulder. They stood in silent reverence until DJ had cried himself weak. Then, Daryl stood up and pushed DJ towards Rick. DJ looked up at his mom and she said one last time, "I love you, baby. I love you. Please, never forget that."
She nodded at Rick and he pulled DJ away, still sobbing. Then, she turned to Daryl and asked, "Can you help me a little ways into the woods? Not too far. I don't want you out there by yourself. I just need to get far enough in to walk the rest of the way by myself."
"Ya ain't gotta do that. I kin take ya the whole way. I kin stay with ya," he objected.
"No. No, I'm not going to have you do that. I don't want you to remember me like that, Daryl."
"Georgia Rayne…"
"Not a chance in hell, Daryl. Now come on. Help me." She held her arms out to him, expecting him to wrap his arm around her waist and her to support herself on his shoulder. Instead, he walked forward confidently and swung his arm under her knees. He lifted her bridal style and stared down at her.
"I can walk, Daryl."
"Ain't gonna make ya, Georgia Rayne. I see ya wincin' like ya do. Ain't making ya walk." He began their journey across the campsite and into the trees.
"It's been a very long time since you carried me like this, Daryl."
"Since we moved into the trailer," he acknowledged. "Now hush up an close yer eyes. I know yer tired an I want ya to be comfortable til ya get where ya gotta go."
She rested her head against his shoulder and did what he said. As they walked across the camp, everybody turned their eyes away from the silent tears that were rolling down Daryl's cheeks.
"It's ridiculous that I have to wear this, Daryl. Shouldn't I get to know the way to our trailer? To our plot of land? What if I have to run out and get eggs today? What if I have to go back home? I won't know the way."
"I drove ya, woman. If ya gotta leave, I gotta leave too." Daryl was glad she couldn't see through the blindfold he'd made from an old work bandana, freshly washed, because he didn't want her to see the grin that stretched from ear to ear. He could barely keep his lunch down worrying she wasn't going to like the trailer or the land, but he couldn't stop grinning at the fact that she'd agreed to move in with him. She could have chosen to stay in her daddy's nice, three bedroom, two bathroom, old Southern style house. But she'd agreed to move into a trailer with him. A two bedroom, one bathroom, piece of shit trailer. Even if she took one look at it and decided it was the ugliest thing she ever saw, it meant she wanted to live with him. She wanted to be with him.
He reached across the seat where her hand was lying palm up and entwined their fingers. Even though she couldn't see, he'd checked by bouncing a pillow off her face four separate times, she turned her face towards him and smiled. She asked again, "Tell me about the trailer, please. Tell me about it."
"Georgia Rayne, I done told ya ten times since I told ya I bought it," he fought to keep the smile out of his voice.
"I know, I know. But I like hearing you say it! I like hearing it in your voice!"
"It ain't that big. Two bedrooms, one bathroom. Got a nice bathtub. Lil, but nice. Kitchen an livin' room connected. Ain't got a dinin' room. Sorry bout that."
"Who needs a dining room anyway," she waved off. "Keep going."
"Got a lil garage fer me. Ain't too big but I kin fit my truck in there an yer truck. Do some work in there. Got my shit moved in already, an the stuff ya wanted moved in. Didn' unpack nothin' though. Ain't got a bed picked out yet either 'cause I didn' have one at the apartment. Gotta get a new couch too. Old one smelled like ass. Threw it out. Figure we kin go pick one up together."
"I have some money saved up! We can go to Ikea! Can we? Please, Daryl."
"We kin do whatever ya wanna do. Yer house too."
He thought about telling her that he loved her in that moment, but instead he just squeezed her hand a little when she laughed and answered, "My home too. It's our home now, Daryl."
"What if ya don' like it?"
"Will you be there?"
"What?"
"Will you be living there with me?"
"Well fuckin' duh."
"Then I'll love it."
The rest of the drive was taken with her randomly asking, "Are we almost there?" up until the point when he parked the truck and finally answered, "Yeah. We're here."
He climbed out first and helped her out slowly, leading her around to the front of the truck and then standing behind her to take the blindfold away from her eyes. As much as he wanted to see her face when she got her first look at the trailer, he was terrified that she wouldn't like it. That she'd take one look at the tan trailer with the red undersiding and be disgusted. So he didn't see the grin that lit up her face when she saw the porch he'd fixed so that it wouldn't sag and the dusty curtains that hung across the window.
She spun around and threw her arms around his neck. She cried out, "I love it! It's perfect! It's beautiful! It's ours! Come on!"
She grabbed his hand and made to pull him into the house but he stopped her and pulled her back to him. When she looked at him confused, he picked her up bridal style and walked forward. She threw her head back and laughed, the sunlight glinting off of her hair and her laughter filling the air. He carried her up the steps and made sure her arms were locked around his neck so he could let go with one hand and open the door. Once they'd stepped through the door, he bent his head down and kissed her before warning, "Ya better not tell no one I did this girly shit."
"It's our little secret," she promised.
He put her on her feet and she instantly bounced away from him, exploring the trailer and exclaiming over little things. 'I love this arch!' 'A couch would look amazing here!' 'Can we paint this room green?' 'Can we get the peach curtains for the kitchen?' It took thirty minutes to calm her down and for her to race towards him again. Her voice was soft like her eyes when she said, "It's perfect, Daryl. And it's ours. And we should christen it as ours."
"Woman, we ain't got a bed or a couch."
"We have a floor, Daryl." She kissed him soundly and dragged him down with her.