Daryl Dixon's Weakness

Chapter 26 - Afraid

"DARYL!" I screamed so hard my throat hurt.

My instincts kicked in and I immediately sprinted over to Daryl and dropped to my knees. I got a good look at his face and saw the bullet had just grazed the side of his head. Could he still be alive? I was not prepared to lose the first man I had cared for and trusted in a long time. I quickly laid my hands on his chest and lowered my head to his face. I felt his light breathing on my cheeks and my heart skipped a beat realising he had survived.

"God I was only kiddin' bout shooting me." I heard him mumble as I stared at him incredulously, not believing the fact that he was cracking jokes at a time like this.

"You asshole." I mumbled with a slightly amused smirk on my face. His head lolled to the side and I realised he had become unconscious again. I swiftly turned to look at the others "Help me get him up! He needs help right now!" They all sprung into action at my words and before we knew it we were almost at the farmhouse.

"Get him inside! I'll fix him up immediately! Patrica! Prepare the room!" Hershel shouted after seeing the state of Daryl. I saw Andrea cautiously approach us, guilt written all over her face.

"I'm so sorry..I-I didn't mean to..." She whimpered, unsure of what to say. I slowly turned to her, anger etched onto my features.

"How could you?" I whispered, hurt laced into my voice. I continued to walk into the house and sat just outside the room that Daryl was being fixed in. And so commenced the agonising wait to find out if I would ever see him again.

* * * * * * 

It had been about an hour since Hershel closed the door and began his work on Daryl. My nerves were on edge to say the least and I had bitten my fingers to tatters. I was feeling slightly faint, like I had been for a few days but just decided it was because of my nerves. I heard footsteps approaching from outside so I looked up and so Rick walking towards me. He gently sat down next to me on the small sofa I was seated in.

"Heard any news about him yet?" He asked with a concerned tone to his question. I had noticed that Rick had put a lot more trust and respect towards Daryl lately. Probably because Daryl had proved to everyone how much of a good person he is through his dedication to finding Sophia.

"Not a peep. I think that worries me more than knowing to be honest." I sighed and rested my head in my hands.

"You really care about him, don't you?" I looked up at Rick with a worried expression.

"I... well yeah...I mean I guess so.."I stuttered, unsure of what to tell him. Rick just chuckled softly and put his arm around my shoulders to pull me into comforting hug.

"It's okay, ya know. To let yourself get attached to someone and feel this way. I can tell you're terrified, but I have a feeling Daryl won't let you down." He spoke, as if he knew something I didn't about Daryl.

Suddenly the door to Daryl's room opened and Hershel walked out with a large smile. "He'll be just fine. Needs a few days rest and he'll be as good as new. He's awake now if you want to see him, he actually asked for you Saskia." Hershel explained. My heart fluttered at the idea of Daryl asking for me but I tried not to show it. I walked up to Hershel and gave him a quick hug.

"Thank you so much for saving him." I spoke gratefully. I slowly entered the room and Hershel shut the door behind me. I saw Daryl laying on his side, facing away from me, the sheets pulled all the way up to his neck. He had a bandage wrapped around his head where the bullet hit him.

"Hey there stranger.." I spoke softly, careful not to alarm him. His body slowly began to shift and he turned towards me with a weak smile on his tired face.