Chapter Thirteen: A Room of Her Own
Alison enjoyed her dinner on the steps of the infirmary since the inside was feeling a little stuffy and claustrophobic. Todays dinner was a treat like all the others: mash potatoes, peas and some kind of meat, Alison guessed rabbit. She still couldn't believe the food this community had on hand. She piled the mashed potatoes, peas and the meat on her fork and took a bite, getting a bit of everything as she watched people go about their business.
Since waking up Alison had learned a lot about the people of Alexandria just by watching them, piecing together their lives piece by piece. Siddiq and Rosita were in a secret, not so secret relationship. Alison noticed many glances and lingering touches between the two of them while Rosita visited, but the guy with the mullet and the priest both had feelings for Rosita. There were other secret relationships happening, for awhile Alison thought that Maggie and Daryl had a thing going on but recently she scratched that idea out.
She cleaned off her plate as always, scrapping the last bits of food into a pile and scooping it onto her fork and quickly finishing it off just as Daryl made his way over and sat down beside her. "Enjoyed dinner tonight?" Daryl asked in his usually gruff voice. Alison set her plate to the side before giving a small nod, using the back of her hand to clean off her face.
"...Where have you been? I haven't seen you since this morning." Alison asked.
Daryl let out a slight grunt before answering "Was finishing something up." He was silent for a couple of seconds before speaking again. "What do you say we get you out of the infirmary?" Daryl asked. He and Maggie had spent the day getting Alison's room ready. Maggie, with the help of Carl, moved a bed into the room. They also carried a dresser, a small desk and a bookshelf which was his idea since the kid seemed to like reading. Daryl focused on cleaning the space. He realized just how much of a pig he was living like. How Maggie put up with him, he would never know. After runs or a predictably long day, he would pull off his jacket and shirt and toss them anyway, and it showed. Clothes piled up in corners. Dust coated forgotten corners. The basement was more of a storage space than a home. He had no problem living like this. He didn't even notice, but he didn't want Alison to have to live like this, the girl deserved a home.
"Really?" Alison asked, suddenly perking up.
Daryl nodded, "Siddiq gave you the all clear. Theres no need for you to stay in the infirmary anymore." Daryl explained, "Go and pack up your stuff and I will take you to where you'll be staying."
Alison couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face, "Alright, I don't have much." Alison explained as she pulled herself up. "I won't be long," Alison said as she hurriedly made her way inside, fearful that Daryl may change his mind.
Daryl smirked to himself as he waited for Alison to collect her things before leading her to one of the larger houses that sat in the middle of the community. "Maggie and I live here." Daryl explained as he led Alison up the steps and into the house. "Maggie and the kids live on the upper levels. I live in the basement, but I come up for meals or to help with the kids." Daryl explained.
Alison's eyes grew wide as she turned in a slow circle, looking around in amazement. She never seen a house so big before. "So….where am I going to stay?" Alison asked nervously as she stepped further into the house.
"You be in the basement with me," Daryl explained, leading Alison towards the stairs. "Here, you give me that," Daryl said as he took Alison's bag from her, tossing it over his shoulder. "Take it easy going down, we don't need you falling." Daryl warned, not wanting to move Alison back into the infirmary so soon.
Alison pressed her hand against the wall as she slowly made her way down the steps. She took it easy, still feeling a little wobbly on her feet. When she stepped off the last step and rounded the corner, a giant smile appeared on her face when she saw a german shepherd sitting on the couch. "You have a dog?" Alison exclaimed. "I haven't seen a dog in forever." Alison said as she rushed over to the dog and knelt down. "Who's a good boy? Who's a good boy? You're a good boy, yes you are." Alison spoke in a baby voice as she scratched behind the dog's ear, causing his tail to thump against the couch. "What's his name?" Alison asked.
Daryl hesitated for a moment before answering. "Dog…his name is Dog."
Alison paused, looking back at Daryl for a moment. "You named him Dog?" Alison asked, disbelief clear in her voice. "That's not a proper name for him, he's more of a Charlie or a Cooper..Max." Alison explained before turning her attention back to the dog.
Daryl let out a grunt as he gave a slight shrug "He comes to it." He muttered under his breath. Daryl held out his arm. "Come on, I'll show you where your room is." He walked ahead, leading her to a door at the end of the hall. A large poster was taped crookedly to the door. "Welcome Home," was written in big colorful letters with drawings of flowers and butterflies. "Judith wanted to help." Daryl quickly explained.
"Welcome home." Alison muttered under her breath. The words felt wrong. Her dad always said, "Home isn't just a place. It's the people we love." This place wasn't home, not without him. No where will ever be home again. Daryl pushed the door open and Alison stepped inside. The room was small but much bigger then she ever had before. A twin bed sat in the corner, a bookshelf standing across from it. Against the wall was a dresser and exactly across from that was a small desk with a chair that sat next to the door. Alison felt a strange mix of emotions. The room was lovely, it was hers. Yet, it wasn't home.
"I know it's not much but ya can make it your own, decorate it in any way you want." Daryl explained. "Would…would you like to see the rest of the house?" Daryl asked.
"Actually…" Alison hesitated for a moment, visibly uncomfortable. "Could….could I take a shower or something?" Alison asked, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks. " I haven't been able to clean up since waking up." Alison explained.
"...Of course." Daryl responded. "You still can't get your arm wet but we can cover that up for ya and get you some clean clothes as well." Daryl explained. He was quick, grabbing saran wrap from the kitchen along with duct tape and some fresh cloths from Carl before heading back to the basement with the items.
Alison held out her arm as Daryl carefully wrapped it with saran wrap, using the duct tape to seal it around her arm. "Alright, that should keep the water out." Daryl spoke, pressing firmly on the tape to make sure it stayed in place. "Try not to move your arm too much." He instructed before handing her one of Carl's flannel shirts and sweatpants. "Everything you need should be in the bathroom. If you need any help, let me know and I can go get Maggie for you." Daryl instructed.
"...I should be fine," Alison muttered, lowering her head to hide her embarrassment, "...thanks." Alison added quietly before entering the bathroom and closing the door behind her. It was a surprisingly small bathroom, just a sink, toilet and a shower. Alison tuned on the shower before going though the cabinets under the sink, finding a couple of towels for herself and setting them down on the sink before shedding off her clothes and stepping into the shower.
She couldn't help to be a little surprise by the temperature of the water. Hot showers were new to her. Before the world ended, she was still taking baths. After things fell apart, lukewarm water was a luxury. Most of the time she had no choice but to use cold water. She stood under the stream, enjoying the feeling of hot water on her skin for a moment before grabbing the body wash that sat on the side of the tube. She uncapped it and gave it a slight sniff, the scent of strawberries washing over her before squeezing some out onto her hand and washing herself.
Alison took her time. First, she washed her body with care. Next, she turned her attention to her hair. She massage the shampoo into her scalp, closing her eyes for a moment as she used her nails to dig into her skin. She could hardly remember the last time she properly washed her hair. She turned off the water once she was finished and stood there for moment, letting the water drip off before reaching out and grabbing one of the towels and doing her best to wrap it around herself before stepping out of the shower.
She used the extra towel and used it to clean the steam from the mirror before staring at herself. She reached across her body and wrapped her hand around her stump. It was a strange and unfamiliar feeling. She closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath before digging threw the draws and finding a hair brush. She took her time, brushing out the tangles. The brush tugged at the knots but little by little, the tangles came loose and her hair dropped past her shoulder blades. By the time she was finished, she was pretty much dried, changing into the fresh pair of clothes that was given to her.
Alison made her way to what would be her room and laid down on the bed with a sigh. She worked the duct tape off, wincing a little at it pulled at her skin. She unwrapped the saran wrap from her arm, crinkling it up and tossing it to the ground before laying her head down on the pillow and closing her eyes for a moment.
Daryl couldn't help but to worry, Alison should of been finished with her shower by now. He got up and slowly made his way down the hall to see the bathroom door wide open. He gently knocked on the bedroom door. "Alison?" He called out only to receive no answer. He pushed the door open slightly to see Alison passed out in bed with Dog by her feet. The corner of his lips twitched up a little as he got a blanket from the couch and draped it over her, wanting to make sure she stayed warm during the night. "Come on Dog." he muttered before leaving only for Dog to stay put. "Dog.." He called again, shooting the animal a confused look.
Dog looked up at Daryl, letting out a little whine before lowing his head onto the girls legs.
Daryl shifted a little. "...Fine…traitor." Daryl muttered before going off to his room for the night.