A/N: The Walking Dead commercial for the Super Bowl was hilarious. It made me love Daryl even more!
I woke up slowly with the sunlight muted through the tent. I was under a thin blanket and Daryl was gone. I rolled onto my back and felt goosebumps on my chest and stomach. I looked down and saw the shirt spread wide. I blushed and grabbed it back together sitting up; I guess it never got buttoned up again. I blushed and flopped back onto the bed again.
Last night. I felt slightly embarrassed that I had grabbed at Daryl's pants last night, but had no regrets. As I thought about last night I realized I fell asleep immediately after I came, but what did Daryl do? He was obviously hard, I had felt it, but he didn't ask for me to return the favor. I was a terrible lover. I had basically demanded that Daryl take care of my needs, but had ignored his.
I quickly got up and dressed and got out of the tent. On most days Daryl would be waiting outside the tent for me and working on something. Then I would get us breakfast before he left to search the woods for Sophia. When he got back he would either teach me to make arrows or teach me about how to take care of his guns.
Every other day he would take me out to the highway to check the car we had left for Sophia. Mom and I would take turns going. It was heartbreaking to have to come back without her, but it was bearable to have time in between. I would trade out the food we had left there ever once in a while. Sometimes I would leave the Cherokee Rose that Daryl had given me.
Today when I looked around our small little camp I didn't see Daryl anywhere. There was a can sitting on the log that was my seat near the fire pit. It was already open and labeled peaches. When I letter up the there were some pears sitting on top and the juice was already gone. I smiles. Each morning Daryl and I would eat the same breakfast.
It was the same as that morning on the highway. We always got a can of peaches and pears, we always split them and Daryl always drank the juice. He still used a knife, but I had taken one of the forks to keep with my stuff. As I ate I realized that it must have been further into afternoon than I thought which would explain why Daryl was already gone.
I was taking my can back to the main camp when I saw Rick looking over over a map on the hood of the jeep. I put the can with rest rest of the collection that had built up over our time here. I then walked over to Rick and looked at the map. He looked over at me and smiled before pointing to a spot near the river.
"That's where the house Daryl found is." Rick looked up at me again. "We went out in groups today and looked around that area." He dropped his hand and looked down and it was obvious he felt terrible.
"I don't blame you Rick." He looked up at me with guilt in his eyes. "Mom doesn't either she's just upset. You were the first person to run after her. Nobody else even tried."
I looked down at the ground as I felt reward welling up in my eyes. Rick stepped forward suddenly and pulled me to his chest. He held me putting his head on mine and I slowly wrapped my arms around him. This felt different than when Daryl held me. I couldn't remember the last time I had been held like this. Rick pulled back and held my shoulders.
"I swear to you that we won't leave until we find her." He rubbed my cheek with his thumb and smiled. "When Lori was pregnant with Carl I always secretly hoped for a girl. I wanted a little princess."
He dropped his hands and stepped back turning back to the map. I watched him as he wiped his nose and pressed hard against the jeep. I leaned up against his side and kissed his cheek.
"You're a good dad." I turned and walked back into the camp and towards the Rv.
When I walked in I saw mom in the back patching a shirt and I walked back to her. She looked up and I saw her eyes were red and moist. I realized she must have already gone to check the highway for Sophia and I frowned as I sat next to her. She patted my leg and smiles before handing me a needle and thread. Mom laid a pair of pants on my lap and went back to her sewing. I copied her and we sat there together.
"We should start lunch." Mom said after a while sitting down her sewing and standing. I stretched and followed her out into the kitchen area.
Mom went through the cupboards and pulled out pans and setting them in to the dish tub. She then pulled out food cans and handed them over to me. She then lifted the dish tub and I followed her out of the Rv. She started the fire while I got things ready to cook, cutting up spam and opening cans of beans.
Once I started cooking she went back into the Rv and brought out her sewing. Lori came and took some of the water for laundry before kneeling close to us and we all chatted easily. Andrea came and sat with us for a while, but sat quiet and moody. When we sent Dale to get some more well water she quickly climbed onto the Rv. Lori made a face and rolled her eyes. I giggled and Lori smiled at me.
When Lori was done with the clothes I switched jobs with her and went to hang up laundry while she watched lunch. That's where I was when I heard Rick shouting and a shot. I turned back to camp and saw Lori and Mom staring into the field. I jogged over and stood beside them looking into the field. I panicked when I saw Rick and Shane supporting a body.
Daryl was the only one that hadn't come back yet.
I quickly ran out towards them as I started crying. When I got there I saw that it was Daryl slumped between them. I started sobbing and Rick held up his hand and shushes me.
"He's fine! He's a fine, just unconscious." I stood helplessly as they walked closer.
"Hey Anna, isn't this Sophia's doll." I turned and looked at T-dog.
I immediately focused on what he was holding and my mouth dropped. It was dirty, but obviously Sophia's rag doll that she got from me years ago. I rushed over to him and grabbed it. As I held it I started crying all over again. I looked down at the doll and remembered when I had given it to Sophia. It had been mine, but when she was four I gave it to her after Mom and Dad had had a particularly bad fight.
I felt T-dog put his arm around my shoulder as he guided me back towards camp. When we got close Mom rushed up to me and started comforting me and rubbing my arms. After a few minutes I held up Sophia's doll and she stared at it before taking it. She looked up at me teary eyed and held it close. I hugged her for a few minutes before leaving for the house.
I burst in through the front door and quickly went into the bedroom that Carl had been in. Hershel was working on Daryl's head and I quickly stood next to him. He turned and looked at me smiling slightly. He handed me a piece of moist gauze and stepped back. He moved around me and started to look at Daryl's side.
"Just wipe the blood off his head. It doesn't need stitches, but should be wrapped." I kneeled on the bed and gently wiped at the blood on Daryl's forehead.
He slowly rolled his eyes to look at me and I sighed. He must have regained conscious sometime since they brought them in. I smiled and stroked his hair. Daryl smiled lightly at me before wincing and sitting up on an elbow. He looked down at Hershel.
"Be careful, you don't want to pull your stitches before I'm even done." I rubbed Daryl's shoulder and he looked at the wall and glared.
Hershel continued stitching and I kept cleaning the cut before putting fresh gauze on it. I wrapped it quickly to keep the gauze in place before kissing the bandage. Daryl smiled slightly, but didn't acknowledge me. Rick came in, with Shane following, and set the map on the bed next to Daryl. He immediately pointed to a spot on the river.
"That's where I found the doll."
"That cuts the search area almost in half." Rick marked the spot with a pencil.
"You're welcome." Daryl then sat up and looked at the stitches Hershel had finished.
"I didn't know we would be going through the antibiotics so quickly." Hershel moved back to the table and put his tools down before moving to wash. "What happened to my horse?"
"The one who threw me? If it's smart it left the country."
"We call that one Nelly, as in nervous Nelly. I could have told you that if you had bothered to ask. " Hershel turned and looked back at Daryl, but he was still on his side facing the wall. "You can sleep in here tonight. You should try to keep still for a while to give the wound a rest."
"Thank you." I knew Daryl wasn't going to say anything and I was grateful that Hershel had helped him.
Hershel nodded before leaving the room. Rick and Shane followed after him. I asked Rick to tell my mom that Daryl was fine he nodded before leaving the room. I turned back to Daryl and he was still facing the wall. I rubbed my hand across his chest and he turned to look at me. I smiled and leaned down to kiss him.
"I'm so glad your OK. I went out to talk to you this morning and you were gone and when Rick and Shane were dragging you up I thought you were dead." I maneuvered so I was lying behind him and put my head on his shoulder. Daryl leaned his head against mine.
"I've been through worse than this on my own. I'll be fine."
"What happened?"
"Horse got spooked and threw me. I rolled down a hill and landed on an arrow. Had to fight off a couple walkers too. Horse ran off and I had to walk back, that's why it took so long. Then Andrea shot me thinkin' I was a walker." I rubbed my nose against his cheek before kissing it.
"My poor baby. Should I get you some pain medicine." Daryl whipped his head to the side glaring at me. I opened my eyes wide startled. Daryl looked at me for a few moments before his softened.
"Doc already got me some." He said softly then settled back onto the bed. "Hey what did ya want to talk to me about?" I blushed.
"Just about last night. It's not a big deal." Daryl smirked.
"What did ya want to talk about? When we get to do it again or how good I made ya feel?" Daryl quickly rolled over so his body covered mine. I blushed darker and closed my eyes.
"I just wanted to apologize." I felt Daryl's hand on my cheek and opened my eyes. He was looking down at me confused.
"Why would ya need to apologize?"
"I neglected you for my own pleasure." Daryl smiled slightly before missing my neck.
"Ain't the first time I went to bed with a hard on. I didn' expect ya to do much the first time anyway. We'll just say ya owe me one." He then bite my neck hard. I gasped and arched my back as Daryl licked the bite before blowing on it.
Daryl then rolled back onto his uninjured eyes and closed his eyes. I sat up wide eyed before looking at his back. I jabbed him in the back and he waved an arm at me.
"Leave me alone Woman. Go make yerself useful." I glared at him jabbing him once more before standing.
"I'll go get you a change of clothes." I turned to leave, but felt him grab my arm. I turned and saw him on his back.
"Bring one for ya too. Yer stayin' in here with me."
"I don't want to take up your bed space you need to rest."
"I'm not lettin' ya sleep in the tent alone so bring yer stuff." I nodded and he let go rolling back onto his side.
On my way out of the house I saw Mom carrying in a tray of food. She smiled at me as she made her way into Daryl's room. I was glad she was bringing him something because I hadn't even thought to. Daryl had been gone pretty much all day and was probably starved. I walked out to our tent and grabbed a new set of clothes for Daryl and my PJs as well as a set of clothes for tomorrow.
I got out of the tent with the clothes and zipped it back up for the night. I turned around and stepped back startled. Andrea had been waiting right behind me. She looked at me upset and I hugged the clothes to my chest. If she hadn't been up on the Rv pretending she knew what she was doing Daryl would be fine. OK that's a lie, but she almost shot him. I couldn't get over the fact that she almost killed him.
"Is Daryl alright?"
"He'll live."
"Will you tell him I'm sorry." I moved around her walking away.
"No you'll have to tell him yourself, when he's better."
I walked back into the sick room and saw that Daryl had fallen asleep. I set down the clothes at the end of the bed before going to help Mom and Lori with a dinner for Hershel's family. It was a going to be a big meal because we had missed lunch. Once the meal was cooked we gathered everyone to eat. There were two desperate tables and one seemed to be into kids and adults.
I moved to sit at the kid table, but the seats were filled. Instead I sat next to my mom and felt pleased that I got a place with the adults. It was odd though because Glenn was older than me and I was pretty sure Maggie was too. I guess the group counted me as older because of Daryl, like I was Daryl's wife. I blushed and looked down at the table continuing to eat.
"So Dale found a pretty cool guitar on the highway. Does anybody know how to play?" Glenn looked around at everyone. "Come on somebody has to know."
"Otis could play." Hershel put his hand over Patricia's.
"He was very good too." The table got even more silent and awkward, if that was possible. I quickly finished eating before I stood.
"I'm going to take a plate in to Daryl." I quickly refilled my plate before excusing myself with it.
I walked into the room and saw Daryl fidgeting with the edge of the sheet. He turned and looked at me as I came in. I smiled and set the plate on top of the empty one from lunch. I picked up the clothes I had left him and turned to him.
"Come on you need to put on some clean clothes."
Daryl threw off the blankets and sat up wincing. I put the shirt behind him before pushing him back down. I helped him put both arms in before buttoning it up. I then pulled off his jeans leaving his boxers on. I pulled the blanket back up to his waist before helping him sit up against some pillows. I then gave him the plate and grabbed the fork he had used from earlier. I left him to eat as I got him a fresh glass of water.
When I got back I handed him the glass and he drank it all. I smiled before getting him another. He took just one more drink before he started eating again. I sat next to him and watched. When he was finished I took his dirty dishes and brought them all out to the kitchen. When I got back to the bedroom I checked on Daryl's head and it had stopped bleeding. I took off the wrapping thinking it'd be good to let it air. When I pulled back I saw Daryl staring at me.
"What?" He looked down at the sheets.
"I've just never had someone coddle me before. It's kinda smotherin', but nice." I kissed his cheek before making him lie down again.
I turned away from him and sat on the bed. I pulled off my clothes and quickly buttoned Daryl's shirt up. I turned back and saw Daryl smirking at me. I crawled into bed next to him and laid down by his side. He grabbed my hand and held it up by his chest.
"I want to talk to ya about somethin' important."
A/N: I really don't understand how time worked opat the farm and I'm just making time periods up as I go...Well I have it planned out I just don't know if it matches the show. Anyway my point is the timing in the story may not match what the show's timing was, but get it's fiction so you get it! Thanks for the reviews and favorites and follows etc for last chapter!