Love is Patient (A Daryl Dixon Love Story)

Chapter 30 - That Feeling

OMG!! CHAPTER 30!!!!! By the way, we made Merle's injuries less extensive then they were in the show...

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"Oh my god" Makena's voice sounds from the doorway. She approaches her brothers slowly, her eyes glued to Merle's wound.

"What happened?" she asked.

"The damn bastard shot me. Went straight through the top of my shoulder. Hurts like a bitch, that's fer damn sure" Merle complained.

"You're lucky that's all he did to you. How did escape him?" I asked him.

"Well, my baby brother here saved the day. He swooped in like a damn knight in shinin' armor and started pickin' off his men one by one, makin' the prick get distracted" Merle explained.

"Sounds like you're lucky to be alive" Rick piped in.

"That's right, Officer Friendly. I've got nine lives, don't ye know" Merle smirked.

Only a couple group members found that amusing, me being one of them. You have to learn to appreciate Merle's stupid humor. Rick turned and led the group away from the cell, probably giving me and Makena some alone time with them. 

"I was so worried about you guys" Makena said.

"Sorry I didn't tell either of ye where I ran off to. It happened so fast, I didn't have enough time to come and find ye" Daryl apologized.

 "You're both back, safe and alive, that's all that matters" I said, looking them both in the eye. I could see Makena nodding in agreement with me.

"Hershel said recovery time was about a week" Merle says.

"You better follow his orders, you need to heal" I threatened.

"I can't just sit here for a week!"

"Oh, yes you can. And you will. Trust me, it won't be fun, but you need to heal properly"

"What if the Governor shows up, huh? Wha' am I supposed to do then?"

"Stay behind us, do as little as possible" I placed a hand on my hip. He mumbled inaudible words, but I chose to ignore them.

Daryl spoke up, "A'ight, just get some rest or somethin'". He ushered me and Makena out of the cell, leaving Merle to "rest".

~~~~

As we enter the cafeteria, I see Beth, Dale, and Carl huddled around Maggie. I look down at Makena questioningly, she only shrugs. We cautiously make our way over to them. We stand next to Beth and Carl, seeing what they're gathered around her for. It's a ring. On her left hand, on her ring finger. I gasp and a hand shoots up to cover my gaping mouth.

"Oh my gosh, Maggie! Congratulations!" I squeal and pull her in for a hug.

"Thank you" she laughs.

I pull back, "Seriously, I'm so happy for you. This is the best news we've had in a long time"

She smiles and laughs, then turns to show the ring to Makena and Daryl. I turn around and see Glenn standing a few feet away, I rush toward him and engulf him in a hug. He seems surprised, but returns the favor nonetheless.

"Congratulations, Glenn" I whisper.

He pulls away, "Thanks, Ally. That means a lot"

Daryl comes up behind me and hold out his hand for Glenn to shake, which he does.

"Congrats, chinaman"

"Chinaman?" I laugh.

"Long story" Glenn smiles.

~~~~

Later that evening, we stayed in the cafeteria listening to Glenn explain the story about how the nickname "Chinaman" came about. About an hour ago, Carl shuffled up to bed, later followed by Makena. It was just the adults now, plus Beth and minus Merle. As the conversations seemed to die out, Daryl stood up,

"I'm gonna get to bed"

A chorus of "goodnights" followed. He kissed the top of my head and went up to his perch. Maggie and Beth grinned at me, I looked at them confused.

"What?" I asked.

"You guys are adorable" Beth smiled.

I laughed, "Adorable?"

"Definitely" Maggie agreed.

My face burned up from a deep blush. I motioned to my scorching face, "This is my queue to leave. Goodnight, guys"

They all said goodnight as I stood up and quietly made my way up the stairs. Daryl was already sleeping, he must of been really tired. When I got to my cell, I changed into a pair of sweatpants and a long sleeved t-shirt.

I peeked up to the top bunk to check on Makena, but she wasn't there.

What the hell ?

Almost immediately, I think of a place she might be. I quietly make my way down the stairs once again and approach Merle's cell. There she is, sleeping next to him. They're barely touching, but the closeness between them looks comforting. I find it sweet that she wants to comfort her injured brother.

I grab the blanket at the foot of the bed and lay it over top of them. I exit the cell, not wanting to wake either one of them and make my way up the stairs again. But when I get to the top, Daryl isn't there. I hope I didn't wake him up. When I reach my cell, Daryl's figure sits on the edge of my bed, looking down at the ground.

"What're you doing?" I softly ask.

He looks up at me, "I just, uh, I..." he lets out a frustrated sigh.

"You what?" I whisper.

"I sleep better with ye next to me" he admits.

My stomach exploded with butterflies and my heart melts. I break into a face splitting grin and make my way toward him. I stand between his legs and wrap my arms around his neck, while his hands find my hips. I lace my fingers in his hair and bend down, kissing him with so much passion it makes my knees buckle slightly.

He almost immediately kisses me back, making my heart flutter even more. We pull back at the same time, catching our breath. I untangle my hands out of his hair and pull out of his grasp, climbing onto the bed with my back facing the wall.

He turns and lays down, facing me. His arms wrap around my middle, while mine go around his waist. He pulls me close so my head rests on his chest, and his chin sits on the top of my head.

"Goodnight" I whisper.

"'Night" he whispers back.

We peacefully drift off to sleep in each others arms, both of us afraid to let go of the other.