Please hold my hand || Daryl Dixon

25.

Daryl and Maggie scurry into the prison, a hurried manner about them as the babies cries echo about the stone cold walls.

Hershel watches as Daryl hushes the baby, cradling her close while feeding her the formula. The older man can see clear as the clouds on a bright blue day the sadness, the grief, the hope in the Dixons eyes.

There's nothing new about how he holds the Grimes baby. Hershel tally's it up in his head, quick math.

Daryl doesn't know what to do with the absence of Daphne. Subconsciously the man is busying himself with the new child to cover the loss of the one he aches for.

Hershel was stitching Nina up but a few hours ago. He saw with his own two eyes how the woman fought tooth and nail for Daphne. He might be old, but his eyes are perfectly fine, and they see the similar ways the two deal with things.

Nina fights for the ones she truly cares for as does Daryl. Nina tries leaving her issues- cue her trying to leave to prison, as did Daryl, even for just a couple hours. Nina is trying to cover her sorrow with denial and illusion whereas Daryl is tending to Carls sister, trying to fill a gap that is all too large.

No, Hershel sees it that Daryl isn't attempting to replace the Kenyon child. He's simply trying to use the newborn to busy himself so he doesn't have time to recognize the hurt feeling he doesn't have time to understand.

But looking closely, it's obvious Daryl fights to keep his face calm as he holds the newborn in an all too familiar way. His eyes distracted as if thinking of other things, imagining Daphne instead maybe.

Daryl cracks a joke. A small, forced smile to lighten the mood, a distraction from his ever so growing emotions.

Hershel decided now is a good time to butt in before Daryl caves. "I need to talk to you."

Handing the baby to Carl, Daryl bites the inside of his cheek. Already having an inkling it's about Nina as she's missing from the group.

"Nina lost a fair amount of blood, she's dehydrated as well. I've stitched her up. She was too overwhelmed and her body couldn't keep up, she passed out. Now, she needs lots of rest, but I can only imagine how she'll be when she wakes up. She won't stay in bed and she'll tear her stitches."

Daryl lets his eyes wander to the cell she rests in, unstoppable worry drawn to the muscles of his body. "What do we do?"

"Glenn said she was trying to leave before she fainted. I imagine she will try again when she wakes. The best thing to do would be cuff her to the bed and lock the cell." Hershel hesitates to say, knowing it was wrong to do. He wants her to heal, and get better properly, but taking away her freedom is a little far. Though he does know she won't stay put if they don't. The moral and the logical sides toss and turn in his mind.

Daryl doesn't seem too keen on the idea either. He can see in his mind how aggressive she'd be if she woke up tied to the cell door and locked in a cage like an animal. Hell, he'd do the same.

But when push comes to shove and she tears her stitches, making Hershel redo them, she'll lose more blood. Therefore, her health overcomes it all.

"Think Ricks got the cuffs." Daryl voices out loud.

Maggie stands by her fathers side. All day she's been thinking about Nina. She just lost her daughter and Maggie can't even imagine how she feels. The farmers daughter was with Nina the whole step of the way, watching Nina easily slip into the role of being a mother- and doing a damn good job too. The bond between a mother and daughter is unbreakable, and that was proven with Nina and Daphne.

Maggie wishes to stand by Nina's side through this just like how Nina was there for her when her father was recovering.

Maggie turns to face Daryl, "No, we put all of the extra sets in the empty cell next to Ricks. Why do you need them?"

"Need to keep Nina in bed until her stitches heal." Daryl informs, not looking the woman in the eye as he can imagine she will see it it just like how Nina would.

Maggie's eyes widen and her brows pull down. "You can't tie her there. Daryl, she'll go mad." Her tone is knowing, having a feeling he already knows the information she tells.

Daryl rethinks his options, again voting for the one where she gets better quicker. He turns on his heel, not ready for getting backlash in that moment.

Maggie shakes her head, crossing her arms. She turns to her father, conversing with her eyes. Eventually Maggie just scoffs and walks to Nina's cell.

How could they even imagine of doing these things- especially knowing how she will react? The mother just wants to search for her baby. Maggie knows Nina needs rest, but locking her to the place she openly dislikes won't make anything better. What's worse, being physically wounded, or mentally and emotionally? And which one is worse to have stay open? Physically, right? If you peek through Nina's eyes you'd see physically isn't even on the table.

Like Nina said, she wouldn't stop unless she was physically unable or being torn apart. And these stitches are nothing compared.

Maggie pulls a stool beside the bed, seeing how peaceful she rests compared to how distraught she was earlier.

Maggie lifts her hand and sweeps away the hair that stuck with dried sweat, gently detangling the knots after.

What did Maggie's dear friend could have possibly done to deserve this pain?

The woman sighs, the sound bouncing off of the walls and going back to the only awake one in the room.

Maggie stays with the sleeping woman, even when Daryl comes in to drag the bed beside the cell door, and shuts the cuff end around her wrist, connecting the other to the cell bars. Maggie agrees to be the one to lock the cell behind her, because even though she doesn't agree with it, she should be the one to do it.

Maggie continues brushing through Nina's longer hair until the sun comes up, ignoring Glenn's attempts to have her leave.

Maggie makes a pact to herself. Nina wouldn't be alone during all of this no matter what. Maggie will cuff herself to the room too if that's what it takes. But from now on it's her mission to have Nina feel seen, and have someone by her side through every painful breath.