Curative
By Kaimaler
Yep, that was the Sophia walker episode. Sucks right? But we'll all see how that goes with Laura around.
For a bit we'll be spending a lot of time with Laura and Sophia, and maybe a little bit of time outside and away from Laura for the first time. So, let's see how all this happens.
Review Replies:
MichaelMyers1234:
Glad you're enjoying it. Been trying to make it more and more detailed as time goes on! ;D
Dante's Desciple:
Yeah, I was too at first, but I felt that Laura wasn't doing much good laying around like that. xD
Actually, Sophia's future here has meaning, it really does. It's going to be a corner stone for Laura and the group, her relationship with everyone is going to change just a bit from here on out. :3
Lorem Tenebrae:
You'll find out now! 8k+ words on top of the 135k+ already written into this story. x.x
Man I need a life! xD
I hope you like this chapter too! It took a lot of work to get it right, but I think it makes its point just fine and adds more to Laura as a character. ;3
LadyoftheMist04:
Why thank you! I keep trying to make it better as I go along, diving deeper into Laura's character as time goes on.
And yeah, I wouldn't have expected any different from new asshole Shane. I mean, at first he was cool and all, in Season 1 he was actually a good guy, then he started to crumple around the end of Season 1 and, of course, in Season 2 he wasn't the Shane who spent time catching frogs and protecting camp that we all knew.
And we'll see what Daryl's done to Shane. ;3
Laura sat inside the barn with Sophia wandering around aimlessly, hissing and groaning.
She had put in her request with Rick and the others some time ago and was waiting for what she needed to be delivered. It didn't take very long for them to bring some of the supplies down.
Laura needed at least one syringe, a bucket of water, wash cloths, new clothes for Sophia in case this worked, a blanket, bandages, pain killers, drinking water, and some food. All for Sophia. Some in preparation if her plan worked, the rest to make it possible.
Jenner once told her that her blood, when he tested it against the others, had a cell in it that attacked the virus in the bloodstream and may even have the ability to reverse the virus, maybe bring back the person that was infected.
Like her father did to her when she was a walker.
She didn't know all the details about how she came to have her humanity returned to her, but she was going to have a shot at it. Sophia was too important not to try.
There was a knock on the barn door, Sophia turned and growled. Laura grabbed her and pulled her away, putting her in one of the stalls and closing the door. She hated doing that to her, but she had to for protection.
Laura hurried to the door and pushed it open, only to see Daryl standing there with the rest of her supplies.
"Hey." She spoke quietly, accepting the supplies in his hands. "Just brought these down, stuff you asked for."
She nodded, "Yeah... it's a-all... here. Thanks." Laura turned around and put the bucket of water down, but held onto the wash cloth, clothes and syringe. Her voice was cracking terribly, she ended up repeating words."Is... is th-there anythin'... ya needed?"
Daryl peered inside. "You alright?"
Laura tilted her head, "W-why... wouldn't I... be?"
He pointed to her face, the newly forming bruise on her jaw. "'Cause of that." He had that look on his face again, he was angry but more concerned about her to even sound angry. "I took care of Shane for that, knocked him around 'til they dragged me off." He smirked.
Laura huffed playfully, "Y-yeah?... I was... was hopin' I'd g-get the honor."
Daryl looked down, biting his thumb again. "I'm sorry... for not stoppin' him. He had that gun on you an' I couldn't get close enough." He looked downright guilty, but Laura put her hand on the side of his face, forcing him to look at her.
"It-it ain't... your... your fault f-for what S-Shane did... so don't... don't even th-think that."
He frowned, "You sound bad."
"I-I feel... bad." She retorted with a smile, trying to relax him some. Laura pulled him in close, leaning forward and kissed him assuredly. It wasn't heated or romantic, it was there to confirm that she was fine, Shane hadn't actually hurt her that bad. She broke the kiss and ran her hand down the side of his face. He was leaning through the doors now, but cautiously. "I'll... h-hold up h-here... until I s-see results."
Laura brought the crossbow off her shoulder and held it out for him, "S-suppose you'd... w-want it back."
He pushed it away, "Keep it, least for a bit longer. Can't use it yet anyways." A side gesture to his side, "I ain't goin' nowhere."
She pulled the crossbow back onto her should. "If-if you're... sure." Laura couldn't hold it back any longer and fell into a coughing fit, her throat hurt and she had to work that much harder just to utter a single word.
Daryl reached out and held her shoulders, unsure of what to do as she tried to calm her inflamed throat. "It's alright... I-I'm okay."
He didn't believe her answer, but couldn't press the subject, especially when Sophia began to make noise in the barn. He looked behind her but couldn't see Sophia in the stall Laura put her in.
"I s-should... s-start. Sooner t-the better."
He agreed and, for the first time, he was the one to grab her to him and found her lips with his. It was more forceful and hard, but she didn't mind it in the slightest. He held her tightly for as long as he could before Sophia began to hiss again.
"Be careful." Daryl backed away from the barn door and she gave him one last smile before closing the door.
She had a long day ahead of her or... however long it took for this to work.
Laura made sure the door was good and walked back over to Sophia with the syringe and clothes. She set the clothes and wash cloth down on a shelf before reaching Sophia.
She entered the stall and Sophia just looked at her, groaning quietly, but made no move to or from Laura.
Kneeling down, Laura put the needle to the crook of her arm and stuck it in as carefully as she could, wincing as she felt the pinch. She had gone to school to try and be a doctor, she knew where the veins were and yet, when she tried to draw blood, it took longer then normal. Much longer to actually fill the syringe.
She frowned, it was her blood pressure and low heart beat that was doing it. It wouldn't hurt anything now though, so Laura came in close to Sophia and tried to steady the girl as she worked.
Of course, Sophia kept moving, jerking around lamely as she hissed. Laura managed to get the needle in place and got it in without breaking the needle or causing any damage.
As Laura was trying to steady Sophia, the girl bit her, hard enough to break the skin. Laura hissed and withdrew her arm, recoiling from Sophia as she inspected the bite. It was small and only hurt a bit, it was on her wrist, the teeth marks would scar but Laura didn't care.
After the bite, Sophia showed no consideration towards Laura again until she came back to repeat the process.
Once the syringe was empty, Laura did it again, drawing blood and then injecting it into Sophia's bloodstream until Laura was satisfied that enough was enough.
Laura got up and went back for the bucket of water and brought it to the outside of the stall. She would have to wait until Sophia showed any signs of recovery before she started to clean her wounds.
She took off the crossbow and leaned it against the stall, sitting next to it while she waited.
Laura knew she'd be in this barn for a long while, she didn't know how long it took for it to work if it would work at all. So she laid back and rested her aching body.
She ended up just sitting there and listening to the sounds Sophia made, the hisses, the grunts, the groans, and after a little while the only sound Sophia made was ragged huffs every now and then.
Laura had no thoughts on the situation, no opinion. Either it worked or it didn't. This little girl was important to everyone, not just because she's a little girl, a child, but because her survival meant the world to them. It meant hope and represented their future, if Sophia was well and alive, then they'd all feel just a little bit safer in this hellish world of theirs.
If there was anything she could do, Laura would make sure they weren't deprived of that hope they all deserved so much. She had to do this, it had to work. Sophia meant so much to them and Laura felt like there was a small chance that she could actually help her.
Any chance, no matter how minute, was worth the time and effort.
So Laura sat outside the stall and waited.
She thought about the group, how this hurt them to see Sophia turned. She thought about what would happen if this didn't work, how it would devastate the group even further. She thought about Sophia's suffering, turning into a walker either by blood loss or through infection were both painful experiences and Sophia, if this worked, would remember it all and the pain she would have to go through to be able to reclaim her human side.
It made Laura angry knowing that Sophia had suffered, alone, and in order to bring her back she would only suffer more.
Temporarily of course, Sophia's pain wouldn't be permanent. Laura remembered that most of hers went away after the first few hours, then about a day later all walker-related pain disappeared.
But the hunger... Would Sophia have it to? How would she deal with it? And what about that voice, would Sophia have one too?
Would she listen to it?
Laura held her head in her hands, she struggled against the Voice in her head every time something even went remotely wrong for her. Shane threatening her, her father taunting her, those men hurting her, and she had heard it when she was just out with people.
She didn't want to listen to it, but it was so loud and it demanded her full attention when it spoke. Laura thought she was crazy for a while, that the voice was just her own mind snapping.
The voice wasn't normal though, it was violent and a completely different person then her. When Laura listened to it, she became a different person. One who clawed and hissed at her father, attacked him viciously then leaped out the car window, listening to the voice got her free from those men, but it made her the kind of person who listened to the screams of that man being eaten alive like it was Mozart.
Those few times where she listened to the Voice it made her something else that Laura was afraid of.
She didn't want to be violent, she hated violence and didn't condone it in the slightest. At least, she didn't before. Now she can look at dead bodies without a care in the world, when Rick and Daryl cut open that walker she felt nothing, she didn't care even a little bit at the grotesque sight. She just watched like she was flipping TV channels.
It was disturbing to her to think of people being butchered and not having any reaction whatsoever.
Laura needed to keep a leash on this Voice of hers, she needed to have it locked down so she couldn't use it anymore. Those times when she listened to it, she didn't even mean to listen, she just did and this other creature took over. She felt like she was watching a scene unfold through strangers eyes, she wasn't in control of herself.
That scared her the most, the lack of control. She tried to think about what would happen if she listened to the Voice again either purposefully or not, and hurt someone she cared about. One of the group, or the entire group, anyone at all really. She didn't want to hurt them.
Could she though, even if she listened to the Voice? Would they be able to stop her?
They had guns and weapons of all sorts, they could easily deal with her if she became a threat. So that wasn't a problem, but did she want to put them in a position to kill a member of their group? Someone they also care about?
Was it selfish to be thinking about her survival when, if she did become a danger to the group, she should really be thinking about them and their safety?
Does that even matter anymore? Selfish behavior?
Laura hated waiting, if this worked, if Sophia could come back to them, Laura would earn her keep. She felt a deep sense of self loathing as the thought of Sophia's survival, returning to the group and to her mother, was a way for Laura to prove herself to the group.
She smacked herself upside the head for thinking it, but it was true. To her at least. She felt like she barely did anything for this group anymore, like she wasn't particularly useful anymore since they left the city. Her strength was to walk with walkers, to make scavenging safe, supply runs no longer had any risk, but they were on a farm that supported itself with food, water, and shelter.
They didn't need her for this. She didn't belong.
If this worked and Sophia was alive again, then Laura would've shown herself an active member of the group, one who could do something no one else could. She could save lives after turning.
This reasoning made Laura angry. She didn't want to think of Sophia like a tool to be used to earn her place in the group, but she couldn't help it. Once the thought popped into her head, she knew it a true.
That didn't mean she wouldn't be thrilled if Sophia returned to them alive. Laura would love it, jump for joy, cry out loud, proclaim her excitement to the world. Anything, because it was Sophia and that was more important to Laura then anything.
They could kick her out of the group, they could kill her for all she cared, so long as Sophia was alive.
As time flew by, she noticed the sunlight through the cracks in the barn had begun to fade. It was getting late when she heard a knock on the barn door. Sophia didn't seem to pay it much mind and just stood in the stall.
Laura got up and walked to the door, opening it to see Daryl had returned. She smiled and leaned against the door. "Somethin' I can do for you?"
"You sound better." He commented, but it was obvious to Laura that Daryl was here for something. "It was just superficial damage, it came and went."
Daryl looked down to her throat, a bruise began forming where Shane had grabbed her. His jaw tightened as he stared at the black, purple, and yellow bruise that circled her neck and the smaller, less noticeable one forming on her jaw. Laura reached out to him, placing her hand on his chest. "Hey, I'm alright now. It doesn't hurt bad."
"Don't care, shouldn't of touched you." He growled then looked away, tearing his eyes from the bruise like it was a struggle not to look at them. "I came for my crossbow, goin' huntin'."
She nodded, "You up for that?" She glanced down to his side and he just shrugged, "Ain't hurt that bad. Need to eat."
"Lemme' get it." She turned around and went into the barn, leaving the door open and Daryl looked inside. The barn was pitch black, the only light was the little bit of sunlight that managed to fit through the barn planks. He didn't know how she could see in this.
She navigated in the dark fine, grabbed the crossbow from the side of the stall and returned to him, holding it out for him which he took and swung it over his shoulder. "I took good care of it, even practiced a little."
He glanced over her, "Yeah? Hit anythin'?"
Proudly, Laura raised her chin. "I did in fact, I didn't bring nothin' back though. I was able to hit a few squirrels and a rabbit. I didn't know nothin' about makin' them edible, so I had to leave 'em. Figurin' I'll see if you can't show me that stuff later on."
Daryl smirked, "Later on."
He turned and left, that smirk still on his face as Laura closed the barn door again and went back to Sophia who hadn't paid a single bit of attention to Daryl's intrusion.
Laura frowned and took up the syringe again, drawing blood from her arm and stepping into the stall.
Sophia didn't growl or hiss, just stood there looking around blankly. Laura kneeled in front of her, bringing the needle up to her arm, which Sophia offered up a little resistance and started to make noise again. Laura injected the blood into her arm, but Sophia bit her again, this time Sophia got her teeth into Laura's fingers.
Withdrawing, Laura checked over the new bite on her left hand, it ran across three fingers and was actually quite deep, but not enough to cause concern or any real damage to her hand.
Laura held her bleeding fingers to her shirt and wrapped up the bottom part of her shirt around them.
She left the stall and slid down to the ground, leaning against the stall and resting. Laura didn't think much about anything after that, she just had to wait, her mind went blank and Laura did nothing but run her fingers through the dirt and hay with her good hand.
When morning came around, Laura almost missed it completely.
She had a few more sessions with Sophia where she would inject the blood into Sophia's arm and Laura kept getting bitten every time. Her left hand had a few teeth marks on it, her right was littered with them as well. Only one of them got to the point where Laura was actually worried Sophia, being a walker, was trying to eat her.
But she hadn't been, the moment Laura pulled her hand back Sophia showed no interest in her anymore. It was a defensive bite, instinctual when introduced to pain. Laura had tried to combat it a few times, but after a little while didn't care if she was bitten. It didn't hurt her beyond her tolerance point, so she just let Sophia nip at her when she injected her.
Laura's eyes were closed, her head hung low, and she did not move an inch since the last injection. She felt mentally exhausted, so many things torturing her conscience that she eventually just gave up and stopped her mind altogether.
It wasn't until she decided another shot was in order and she stood to find Sophia, still in the stall, laying on the haystacks.
She raised her brow, walkers didn't lay down to rest.
Laura stepped into the stall, the syringe in hand and approached Sophia. She drew her blood again and lifted Sophia's significantly smaller arm in her hand, giving her another shot of her cured blood.
When she released Sophia's arm, Laura was a little worried. She wasn't moving and hadn't made a sound for quite some time now.
Laura neared her, being careful with the girl. She was laying on right side, so Laura gently moved her until she was on her back. Sophia was limp, there was nothing there, nothing at all. No movement, no hissing or groaning. Her eyes were closed.
Her heart stopped. She held her hand hovering above Sophia's mouth to feel for her breathing, but there was nothing.
Laura put her ear to Sophia's chest, trying to listen for a heartbeat. Again, she was met with a heavy silence that stole Laura's breath away. She had no heartbeat, she wasn't breathing...
Sophia was dead.
Laura sniffed, tears stinging her eyes. She stayed all day and night hoping that Sophia would come back, but she just laid there. She wasn't awake, no awareness, no signs of walker behavior, just... gone.
She fell back, using her arm to brace her as her back met the stall again. Her other hand covered her mouth, tears falling openly. She tried, there wasn't much she could do, she knew that, but she tried.
Laura speculated on what would happen if she brought Sophia back, but she didn't stop to think about what would happen if she didn't.
She held herself and cried, she never cried loudly, just quiet tears as she stared at the lifeless body in front of her. Laura hadn't much to give but she did all she could and it still didn't work.
How am I going to tell them? Laura gave them just a little bit more hope even when they saw Sophia turned and it was torn away again. Laura didn't know how to handle this, how tell them she failed.
For a moment she contemplated sneaking out of the barn and running, just straight up leaving this all behind and trying to forget about it. Moving on with her life, let the group survive without her. They could do it, they did it before.
She smiled at the though, it would spare her the pain of trying to face them after this. This mess I created. She'd just leave and let them deal with their own problems, she had no place here.
Abandon them. Laura's eyes screwed shut. Just like mom. She shook her head harshly, she couldn't run. Laura knew it, the guilt of running away from them would kill her, she wouldn't be able to look at herself without being sick to tears.
And Daryl, what would he think? She didn't much care for others thoughts on her actions, but him, she cared, she wanted to be everything he wanted in her. She wanted to be brave and strong for him. Not to protect him, but to please him, show him that she could be everything he wants in a woman. She wanted that.
Yet here she was thinking about abandoning them.
Laura sighed, she would never go through with it. She could've if those few moments she shared with Daryl, fleeting as they were, weren't there. Laura would've hit the road and never looked back.
But he is there and he is waiting for her to come back, to leave that barn, and she knew if she didn't come out with Sophia alive, there would be consequences. Their relationship, whatever it was, would be thoroughly damaged through this experience.
She couldn't do that to him, to them all, but she couldn't do anything then what she already did.
The agony of this failure would shatter her friendship with them, she just knew it. Everything she strived for would be in ruins because she had to go and give them hope where hope had been stolen away from them.
She didn't know how to leave the barn and tell them she failed them all.
So Laura stayed in that barn and didn't move. She sat still as stone and stared at Sophia's lifeless body, wishing that things could be different. Wishing that she caught up to Rick and Sophia in the woods, that they found her the day they went searching, that she kept a closer eye on the little girl; she begged for things to be different.
Another outcome, good or bad, anything was worth having Sophia back. Laura couldn't imagine the pain she would cause Carol when she did leave the barn. She couldn't conceive how much suffering the mother went through already and how much more she would inevitably face when Laura returned with grave news.
Laura didn't know how much time she spent just staring, but she did notice the sun was bright and high in the sky. She could see it through the cracks in the barn.
She had to tell them sometime, somehow. The courage to stand left her, the will to speak fled, she couldn't do anything. She failed so miserably that all she did was prolong Sophia's death and it ached knowing that she tried to give them something to hold onto when there was nothing there.
Shuffling. Laura imagined things, sounds of hay and clothes rustling. She didn't even think for a moment that there was anything causing it but her mind.
Until a hand twitched. Sophia's hand. Laura stared, wide eyed and just watched. The hand moved again, both of them, a foot twitched, an arm rose. A groan. Movement.
Laura shot forward and crawled over to Sophia, she didn't know if the girl was still a walker or what was happening, but she had to try.
"Sophia?" She leaned over the girl, her arm in the haystack keeping her up and her other hand barely brushing aside Sophia's hair, as lightly and calmly as she could. Her voice was broken, her emotions played out clearly on her face and in her voice.
The little girl's face barely moved at all, then, as minutes passed, there was a definite frown on her face and her expression turned to one of confusion and pain. Laura was worried, she knew that Sophia's bite was actually quite painful, it must've been, the walker who bit her had gotten the back of her neck and tore some of the surface skin with the bite.
It was bad, but Laura couldn't do anything about it until Sophia was awake. If she was going to come around at all that is.
She kept running her hand gently on Sophia's face, hoping for something, anything, to happen. Just some good news for once.
Her eyes fluttered open lazily, her golden irises caught Laura's attention, she knew they were just as unnatural as her white ones. The virus changed depending on the person, she had seen walkers with normal eyes, some with eyes like hers, some golden like Sophia's, others red or black. It just varied and Laura didn't know why.
She was glad that her eyes didn't look bad though, the sclera's were still white, like normal, people only understood that irises couldn't be yellow like Sophia's was, but that could be easily overlooked.
Sophia was confused, estranged, and Laura remembered that when she awoke for the first time she barely remembered anything at all. Only her father and being bitten.
Sophia didn't remember Laura, of course, they never actually met, so it was expected.
"Sophia, can you hear me?" She begged for Sophia to acknowledge her as a human would rather then a walker.
She got her wish. Sophia nodded carefully, her neck still hurt and Laura knew that the open wound was being pricked by the hay she laid on. Laura gently put her arm underneath Sophia's back and the other under her knees, lifting her off the haystack and brought her out of the stall.
Laura was careful with Sophia, she was hurting and Laura knew it. She took the wash cloth and bandages from the shelf and went to sit with her legs out next to the bucket of water.
She dunked the wash cloth in the water, which was clean and a bit cold. "I need to clean you up, it'll be cold, is that okay?"
Sophia just looked at her tiredly. Laura felt that tiredness before, it was Sophia awaking from death itself. She would feel strange for days before finally beginning to feel like a normal person again.
She rung out the cloth and lifted Sophia up into a sitting position with her back to Laura. She had to clean the wound, but the shirt was in the way. Laura grabbed the back of the neck of the shirt and pulled, tearing it open.
"Sorry, baby, I gotta' clean you up." She tore the shirt near in half and Laura could finally see what she had to do. Sophia's bite was angry and looked very painful. She had to be delicate with her.
Carefully, Laura began to clean around the wound, cleaning the dirt, blood, and grime off her back, gingerly washing it all away, dunking the cloth in the water occasionally.
Sophia flinched at every touch, the water was cold and she was hurting, Laura expected it, but the idea that she was causing pain made Laura's heart pound. She had to do it though, otherwise, Sophia would never feel better, she'd be stuck in the same boat Laura was when her father revived her.
She wasn't going to let that happen. She was going to care for Sophia, dote on this little girl even if it killed Laura. Nothing mattered more then getting her better, helping her recover from her experience.
It was bad, traumatic for anyone, but Sophia was twelve and didn't know how to deal with this kind of suffering. Laura wished she knew how to comfort the girl, but she knew from even before the outbreak that she was terrible with children, she just didn't know what to do with a kid.
Laura huffed, I'm not gonna' distance myself from her. She gently washed away the build up of blood and dirt, she was going to make sure that Sophia didn't have to be alone in this, that she had someone to watch over her.
Someone who could relate and comfort her through the process.
When Laura finished with cleaning up her back, she moved onto the wound. She was glad the cloth they gave her was very soft and light, it would offer some level of comfort.
"This is gonna' hurt an' I'm sorry for it, but I gotta' do it to get you better." Laura washed out the cloth thoroughly before raising it to the bite wound and very, very lightly began to press the cloth to her back. Sophia jumped, it would sting and burn, but Laura had no way to counter that. Sophia had to just go through it, in the end, it would all work out.
She made sounds, whining sounds that broke Laura's heart. Every peep Sophia made forced Laura to be lighter, gentler with her touches and she tried her best, but there was always going to be some measure of pain.
While Laura cleaned off the bite would, Sophia began to make more sounds, but not in pain from Laura's cleaning, but an attempt to speak. It came out scratchy and odd, but every now and then there was a syllable.
Sophia was trying to speak with Laura, but it all came out wrong.
"It's okay, take your time. No need to rush." Laura soothed, dunking the cloth and cleaning off the last of Sophia's wound. She was clean, partially. It was a relief to see that the wound wasn't as bad as Laura thought. It was actually mostly just a surface wound, it wasn't deep, but it did and would continue to cause a little pain and discomfort.
Laura took up the bandages and began to wrap Sophia's neck and upper back, making sure to cover the wound completely. The wrapping didn't take long at all and after she was done with it, she checked over Sophia for other injuries.
Thankfully, there appeared to be nothing else on Sophia. No scratches, breaks, sprains, and Sophia didn't respond in pain to Laura prodding some light bruises on Sophia's legs and arms. They were all very small and more then likely caused by little things, branches and bushes, no serious wounds or injuries on her.
Laura was relieved at that, she had to deal with her broken leg every day, she didn't want that for Sophia.
"Mommy?" Laura paused and stared at Sophia who turned around slowly to see Laura watch her. "I-I want m-mommy."
She smiled sadly at Sophia, she had a few more things to take care of before Sophia could leave the barn. "An' you will have her in just a little bit, but we gotta' finish up here, alright?"
She nodded, wincing at the movement. She was sore and aching just like Laura had been when she first awoke. "A-a-alright."
Laura held up the wash cloth and began to clean off Sophia's legs, arms, face, and neck. She wanted Sophia to look like she had before she turned as best she could. When the extremities were done, Laura held up the cloth to Sophia. "Do you think you can wash yourself?"
Sophia nodded and took the cloth, Laura stood up and turned away. Sophia was capable of cleaning herself and Laura did not want to make her uncomfortable, at least, any more so then she already was. Laura never gave a child a bath before, she didn't know how to really, so she left it up to Sophia who seemed to be able to do it.
"D-done." Laura turned back to see Sophia cleaned up a bit more and smiled. "Then let's wash up that hair of yours."
Laura sat beside Sophia and brought the bucket up to her, having Sophia lean forward while Laura poured water from her hands into her hair, slowly washing out the dirt and everything else that was caught in her hair.
When Sophia's hair looked clean, or enough so that it passed for healthy hair, Laura rung out her hair and the cloth, having Sophia sit back up.
She got the clothes from the shelf and handed them to Sophia, "Clean clothes, you'll feel better wearing them." Sophia took them and Laura turned her back again, hearing the rustle of clothing before she felt Sophia's hand tapping her back.
Laura took a long look at her, she looked so much better, cleaned up and breathing. Living. She smiled and crouched down in front of Sophia. "There's my girl, how're you feelin'?" Laura took up the blanket and wrapped it around Sophia, it was a comforting device, one Sophia readily accepted.
"I-it h-hurts." Laura noticed the tears stinging in Sophia's eyes and put her arms out, Sophia ran into her arms and hugged her. Laura just sat there and held her before reaching into her pocket and pulling out the pain killers she requested.
Laura released Sophia, who was sniffling, grabbed a bottle of water, popped the top. "Here, take these, they'll make you feel better." Sophia drank some water and swallowed the pills, it wasn't going to be immediate, but Sophia would feel that pain ebbing away over time.
"C-can I... s-s-see mommy n-now?"
Laura sighed and looked around the barn, it wasn't exactly the best place to wake up in like this. Sophia wanted Carol, her mother, back and Carol no doubt wanted Sophia back too. She couldn't keep them apart, it was never her intention, but Sophia... The pain she felt to move, to touch, to breathe. Laura knew it wasn't easy and the pain medicine would eventually make it better.
But the best thing she could do for Sophia was give her comfort, which was through her mother. She had to feed Sophia first, she would be starving at this point.
Laura took up the peaches they gave her and handed them to Sophia, who bit into them like she had never seen food before. She ate an entire peach and a half within seconds.
Laura was happy that she was eating right, "Sophia, I'm gonna' ask you some things an' I need you to answer me, okay?" Sophia nodded dutifully and Laura smiled at her. "Do you remember anythin'? Anythin' at all? About Carl, about the people you were with?"
She looked down, "I-I like C-Carl... h-he's my f-friend." Good, she remembers that much. Sophia looked sadly at Laura, she was afraid and Laura wanted nothing more then to comfort the girl. "I w-was in the f-f-forest... M-mister Grimes t-t-told me to g-go back to m-momma and I... t-tried, but I g-got s-s-scared and r-ran."
"That's okay, being scared is normal." Laura held Sophia's shoulders gently, "I just needed to make sure you can remember them all an' 'cause you do, I can take you to your momma."
Sophia's face lit up instantly, still pained, but so much happier. "R-really?"
Laura brushed aside some of Sophia's wet hair, "Really. Now come on." Laura put an arm around her, lifting Sophia up to carry her. She had an arm crossing Sophia's back and another on her leg to hold her up safely. Sophia put her arms around Laura's neck as they left the barn.
Laura was happy Sophia was back, ecstatic, but she felt guilty for putting Sophia through more pain. It was for the best, to return her to her mother and the group.
"Sweetie, you're gonna' wanna' close your eyes outside, let them adjust to the light, okay?" She nodded and closed her eyes as Laura pushed open the barn door with her foot and finally left the barn. Laura never wanted to step foot inside that barn again.
Sophia still had the blanket around her as Laura carried her up to the farmhouse, she couldn't wait to reunite Sophia with Carol. She could finally look at Carol without feeling like dirt.
Gradually, Sophia opened her eyes. It was slow and she tried to shield her eyes from the light and in the few minutes it took for them to leave the barn and near the farmhouse, Sophia was beginning to get used to the light again.
Right as she neared the porch, Shane burst through the front door.
Laura froze, she remembered what Shane had done to her, what he tried to do, and thought of Sophia who was like her now, but to Laura, she was different. So much different. Sophia was a living person again, human in her eyes, like Laura remained an ex-walker, not worthy of being called human anymore.
But when Shane came out that door, Laura turned herself to the side, shielding Sophia away from Shane.
He stared at her, glared at first, but then he saw Sophia in her arms looking cleaner and better. She looked at him too, watching him with sad eyes that conveyed her confusion and pain.
He took off his hat slowly and stood on the porch, just staring with wide eyes.
Laura could see his swollen jaw, a bruise forming on his temple. She nearly laughed at him, Daryl had gotten back at him, but probably couldn't do a lot of damage with the others around.
Laura wouldn't move so long as he was there, she'd go back to the barn if she had to, but she wasn't going to let him hurt Sophia. Not after everything they did to find her, not after being bitten, dying, turning, and coming back to life. Sophia had been through too much.
"... Sophia?" His voice was low, disbelieving of his own eyes. He blinked rapidly and took a step forward, only for Laura to recoil, holding Sophia tightly in her arms.
Shane glanced behind him. "R-Rick..." He stammered, "Rick!" Now he was calling for the man, Laura didn't want Shane here while Sophia was near, she wouldn't let him touch her even if she had to tear him apart with her bare hands.
He wouldn't lay a hand on her.
After Shane called for him, Rick came out of the house and Shane stepped aside. Rick looked agitated, sending Shane a very pointed look before Shane gestured to Laura and Sophia.
Laura couldn't read Rick for a moment, but he practically fell down the stairs from the porch to the ground. He came up to Laura and Sophia, his mouth open and struggling for words, finding none.
"Is that... Is she?" Laura turned again, letting him see Sophia better.
"M-Mister Grimes?" Sophia's voice was quiet, almost a whisper.
At the sound of Sophia saying his name, Rick crumbled. He smiled so brightly, tears in his eyes and nodded to her. "Yeah, yeah I'm here." Sophia looked around him, "Where's m-m-mommy?"
Rick couldn't formulate a single word without stuttering, "Inside- inside, s-she's inside. I-I'll go get her." Rick left, almost running back into the farmhouse and Laura was left with Sophia and Shane again.
She glared at Shane, but he didn't make any reaction to the murderous glare. He stared at Sophia in pure shock, he couldn't believe what he was seeing and Laura momentarily wondered if this would actually change his mind about her. She doubted it, heavily, but there was always that slim chance.
After a few tense seconds, the entire group came barging out of the house. Laura could see everyone was there, all of them looking as equally stunned as the next and no one made any attempts to near them.
Except Carol who came out of the house with Lori beside her.
"Sophia?" Carol approached cautiously, her hopes skyrocketing as she saw Sophia in Laura's arms. "Mommy!" Laura set her down, letting her run up to meet Carol who had already hurried down the porch stairs, fallen to her knees, and held onto Sophia as if letting her go would kill her.
Laura sighed happily, seeing Carol crying as she held her daughter who they all thought to have died the day before.
Everyone watched as the mother and daughter were reunited, their cries of joy were louder then thunder. It was heart wrenching to see them together again, the power of this reunion silenced every last person there. They were barely even breathing as they watched Carol and Sophia.
Laura felt such relief, she had given them hope and delivered beyond her expectations. It all seemed to have worked out.
She couldn't tell anyone the happiness she felt when she saw Carol holding onto Sophia again, it was what everyone spent their days at the farm praying for, and Laura gave it to them.
She felt such satisfaction knowing that Carol had her daughter back.
"Laura," Carol looked up to her, "Thank you, thank you so much for giving me my little girl back. Thank you." Laura shifted on her feet, she did it, she really did it, and Laura gave her a nervous smile.
"She needs to lay down, she's hurtin'. I gave her the pain killers, but they can only do so much." Carol nodded and stood up, Sophia still hugging her mother as she turned around to enter the house again.
Hershel ushered her inside with the others, while some left to join Carol and Sophia inside, others stared at Laura.
It was Rick, Lori, Daryl, and Andrea who just looked at her. Their eyes on her made her a little uncomfortable, but all she did was nod to them. Rick smiled appreciatively at her and joined Lori to check in on Carol and Sophia.
Andrea didn't do anything but stand there for a moment before heading inside too.
Laura gave Daryl an unsure smile. He came down the stairs fast, grabbed onto her and yanked her to him with such force Laura didn't have much choice in the matter. He crushed his lips to hers, his tongue invading her mouth and dominated hers. One of his hands dug into her hair and his other hand was around her waist, slamming her body into his and pressing her against him hard.
She attempted to reply in the best way she could, but her inexperience and his heat caused her to lose track of her own thinking. The kiss quickly became feverish, but he didn't let go, if anything he held her tighter to him.
After a few minutes of this passionate kiss, they parted, both panting heavily and looking each other in the eyes. She didn't know exactly what was going through his head, he initiated this contact, he did it at the barn the day before, but this was different. It was something else entirely and Laura wasn't sure where to go with this.
She realized, looking at him now, her time was spent worrying about him, thinking about him, he was the reason she didn't chicken out when she thought Sophia died for good. He was the reason she was trying so hard, why she even wanted to be here anymore with people like Shane running around.
Daryl was her reason to be here, to be alive, and to fight on for this group. She cared so much about him that it scared her, she never felt so strongly about anyone before... It wasn't something she spent her time wondering.
But now, finally back with him after their time apart, after everything that had happened. She couldn't ignore it, it was in her face threatening to ruin her if she made the wrong decision, but promising such joy if she made the right one.
She licked her lips, her mouth suddenly becoming very dry. "Daryl... I like you. A lot. I think... maybe more then I should when we've known each other for such a short amount of time." She took a deep breath, "I just keep thinkin' that... there ain't a lotta' time left for either one of us, we could die any day, so I felt I should tell you that I really like you more then anyone else I've ever known."
He looked thoughtful at her confession and for a little while she was worried she scared him off or admitted too much too soon. However, he didn't let her go, his grip was just as firm as before. He didn't move at all, just stood there looking at her, searching her face for something she didn't know.
Then, he pulled her back to him, kissing her again but this time softer, more compassionate. It was strange to have this from him, but she wasn't complaining. If he felt like kissing her hard, then she'd let him, if he wanted to be gentle with her, then she'd encourage it.
She responded in kind, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, one hand gripping his back and the other on his neck as they shared another few minutes in each others arms, sharing another passionate kiss.
When he broke it, he huffed at her. "I ain't goin' no where." His hold loosened, but didn't let her go. "You're mine, I told you that already."
She grinned, "Yeah, I remember."
"You're movin' in with me." She blinked, he was straight forward, but she'd be lying if she said it wasn't nice. "Get your stuff an' bring 'em to my tent. I'm keepin' an eye on you from now on, you ain't goin' anywhere." Daryl seemed adamant about holding her right now, he was tenser then he'd ever been, but not out of discomfort, he was actually worried about her still.
"I believe I can do that." She smiled to him, running her hand along the side of his face. "I really care about you, a lot. I ain't lettin' you go neither."
He shrugged a little, "I can deal with that." He released her, reluctantly, but he did and gestured to the house, he was going to check in on Carol and Sophia with the others.
She just chuckled and joined him, keeping close at his side. Laura was thrilled about the news, moving in with Daryl was definitely going to cause some commotion. She felt her face heat up, after everything that had happened, she made it only further into the group. She had affirmed her place with them now, she wasn't leaving any time soon.
Once they entered the house and found the room Sophia was staying in, Laura smiled at seeing the girl looking so much better, happy even though she was in pain.
Carol was sitting on the side of the bed, her hand running through Sophia's hair lovingly.
Laura almost couldn't believe it herself, Sophia was back, alive, with the group and with her mother.
Things really started to look up.