(1) Vita Brevis (D. Dixon)

Chapter Fifteen

Daryl grimaces and shifts away from Catelyn as she cleans up the arrow wound in his side. They don't have anaesthetic to work with, not even a numbing agent, so he has to take everything. Every prod. Every swipe of the cloth. Every drop of warm water. He feels it all. Though used to pain, so it is little more than an annoyance that has him squirming. She's already cleaned his head wound, it was the easier of the two wounds to clean. She has to focus more of her attention on the arrow wound. He's lucky it didn't hit more inside stuff. It just missed everything it could have. It could have been so much worse. And this could be so much worse. She could be rougher with her hands, with the cloth. It could be a lot more painful. It has to be done though. He knows it. So he bares it. He lets her clean him up. And he watches her as she works. She's different here. Now. Like some level of fear disappears from her when she does this, when she has to focus on her knowledge and someone else's care. When she has someone else's life in her hands. When she has someone else to focus on. She's softer. Less haunted. Less hostile. Like she really loves the medical stuff. She does. For Catelyn it was an escape from her life, she disappeared into that knowledge and that training. A way to protect herself from the injuries that Jack suffered upon her family. She could fix it. A way to make up for it all. Standing from the chair, she picks up the bowl of water with the bloodied cloth in and carries it over to the dresser, she exchanges it for her medical supplies before moving to take the seat again, setting the kit at her side.

"Why'd you pull it out anyway?" She asks him, he hums a little and shrugs.

"Was in the way" He answers, she snorts and shakes her head, fighting off annoyance. The doctor in her is wanting to scold him for pulling it out, but she knows the situation and she knows it couldn't be helped. He couldn't climb that embankment with an arrow sticking out of his side. He sets his arm over his eyes as she sews up his side and then covers the wound with bandages to protect it from the elements. Once finished, she smooths her hand over the bandage, to check it's going to stay put and he takes in a sharp breath, closing his eyes as a warmth floods through him. That's new for him. He's never been touched in a way that affects him so physically and so easily. It's not even a sexual touch. She's just checking on his bandages. What is it about this one girl that has him so affected? She pulls her hand away from him and he glances at her. His own fingers touch the bandage on his side. She has to kneel on the bed to check his head and it does bring her closer to him than she wants to be to anyone. But she has to. It's the only way she is going to treat that graze. It's uncomfortable but not in the way she expected it to be. It's unnerving. Because it's this person, because it's Daryl, and for some reason, whatever it is, things are easier around him. She doesn't feel so tangled up inside. So conflicted and pained. And that makes her uncomfortable. Because she was young and naïve and she trusted everyone around her, she felt safe and never thought a bad thing about anyone. And the world broke her. Jack broke her. Shattered her and now the pieces are protected by a cage and by walls and a bow. He's at her side, closer to her than she would ever let anyone else but she's placed herself here, because she has to. And it doesn't scare her, which in turn does scare her. "Need stitches?" He asks, she hums and nods.

"A couple, just to hold it together for a few days" She answers. He pulls a face and a smirk flashes on her lips. "If you're worried about it scaring up your face" She starts.

"Not worried" He stops her, she looks at him and raises an eyebrow. "Stitches mean sitting still"

"You already have some in your side, what's a couple more in your head...?" She asks him. He lets out an annoyed breath but she does have a point. He is already going to have to sit still because of his side.

"I'll stay put" He mumbles and looks up at her. "If you take my place," He asks of her, she frowns and looks down at him. "Out there" He nods towards the door. "Looking for Sophia" She sighs a little. He is going to need to rest and she knows him enough to know that he won't sit still. Unless she agrees to go out there and take his place. To give him a few days to start healing. To stop him from getting muck and dirt in his bandages.

"Why me?" She asks him, he shrugs a little and then cringes as she begins stitching his head wound.

"Dunno" He answers. "You want me to sit still, you take my place" She hums a little. Accepting that explanation. She gets it. But she can tell there is more to it. He trusts her to take his place. That even if she doesn't believe they will find Sophia alive, she'll still look because he's asked, because she's given him her word, because he can see that she sort of trusts him too, that they may even be somewhat friends. She's saved his life, that means something.

"Fine" She agrees and gives him a firm nod. She'll do it. She then leans back, setting her needle down. "There" He reaches up for his head, surprised that she managed it and he barely felt it.

"You know for someone so grumpy all the time, you have a soft touch" He teases slightly. Catelyn glares down at him but it doesn't seem to faze him. She pokes his side and he grunts a little turning to give her a teasing dirty look. She smirks and shakes her head as she stands. He glances down at the bandage on his side, reaching for it as he sits up, pushing himself back against the headboard. Catelyn packs up her supplies as he watches her.

"I could take those stitches back out" She warns, but there is less hostility in her words than usual. He would say she is teasing him. It's kind of strange to hear it from her. And she seems to agree. Her face twists up, as if disgusted with herself. She turns away, her back to him as she finishes up. She caught herself. She caught those crumbling walls. Hershel appears in the doorway, knocking on the frame to gain their attention. Catelyn glances at him.

"How is he?" He asks.

"He'll live" Catelyn answers. "Unfortunately" She adds and Daryl smirks to himself. That time he is sure that was a tease. She turns back to Daryl and bandages his head wound with the last of her bandages. Hershel watches her work for a moment, just like everyone else had. Like it is some weird fascination for them. Well, how long has it been since any of them saw a real doctor? Months. There is hope there too. Because before they had no way of fixing any injuries, if they happened, then it might mean the end of them, but with Catelyn around, there is a chance. It puts a lot of pressure on her but it's something. "Was there something else?" She asks.

"Your mother's cast" Hershel starts, Catelyn lets out a breath and nods.

"I know" She agrees. She's been thinking about it a lot. "I just haven't...." She shakes her head. "I wanted to be sure..."

"How long has it been on?" Hershel asks her as she sets the box of medical supplies back into her bag.

"Nine weeks" She answers and glances at him. "But it was a bad break" Hershel nods a little. Without an X-ray machine, there is no way to check if Marie's arm has fully healed. A break would usually need six to eight weeks in a cast to heal, but without knowing if it has fully healed, if it has, then taking the cast off is a risk. Without the support, the arm could easily break again if it is not ready. Hershel studies Catelyn a moment before he nods. Seemingly understanding that it is Catelyn's call here and that she wants to be sure about her mother. Which is fair enough.

"I have a bone saw that will cut through the plaster whenever you think she's ready" Hershel offers as he then leaves the room. Daryl glances at the open doorway and then at Catelyn.

"What happened to her arm?" Daryl asks, watching Catelyn as she sighs and pulls her bag onto her back. She doesn't answer him though. It's none of his business in her mind. It's none of their business. She heads for the door. Daryl's eyes follow her. "Hey," He calls when she reaches the door. She lets out a breath and glances at him. "Thanks" He offers with a small shrug. She hums a little and then closes the door behind her as she leaves him alone to rest.