my angel ➶ ➶ daryl dixon

s e v e n t e e n

Aspen's POV:
I was awakened by the sound of Daryl's heartbeat.

It was soft and steady, making me feel safer than I had ever felt since the start. I opened my eyes, and was met by crystal ones peering into mine. I could stare at them forever. Then I realized how awkward it was since he was practically laying on top of me.

I turned my head away and he sprung up, evidently realizing the awkward situation as well. He jumped out of the truck without even a glance backward at me. I huffed and sat up, sending a sharp pain through my leg.

"Shit." I forgot I had cut it. I peered out the front window and I saw the group meet in a huddle. Rick caught my eye and looked at me, puzzled. Daryl saw him looking at me and told him something. Rick nodded and turned back toward the group. I could barely make out what he was saying, but I managed to hear the end.

"We'll need to head out. The blaze will attract walkers." He announced, facing the group. They agreed with him, and headed toward their cars. Crap. I realized I would have to ride with Daryl. Then Rick came toward the truck and opened my door.

"Daryl told me what happened. You  okay?" I nodded my head.

"It hurts like hell though." Rick chuckled.

"You okay riding with Daryl?" He asked.

"Um, well." I hesitated. "I guess so."

Rick looked at me, then to Daryl who was leaning against the RV, waiting. "He'll keep you safe. That's one thing he's good at."

"Yeah." I agreed sheepishly.

"I would offer you a spot in my car, but with that leg, I don't want to move you." Rick said.

"Oh no, don't worry about it. I'll survive one trip with Daryl Dixon." Rick chuckled.

"Well, I guess I better get this group moving." He reached into the truck and gave me a hug. A hug. Something a dad would do.

He released me from his embrace and walked to his car. Man, I wish I could have him as a father, why did I have to be stuck with my idiotic father?

I was snapped out of my trance as Daryl slammed the driver's door. We sat in silence as Rick started his car and lead us away from the still flaming CDC. I looked back, thinking how I could have died in that blaze if not for Daryl. I only had just met this man a few weeks ago and I already owed him my life.

I leaned my head on the window. Now that the adrenaline had worn off, my headache had returned with a passion. It was killing me, and I let out a soft moan.

Daryl's POV:
I heard Aspen moan and I glanced at her through the mirror. She was deathly pale and I bet the hangover didn't help the cut in her leg. She was braver than she realized. I bet the other girls her age would have been in tears by now.

I knew that I was staring, but she didn't look back so I don't think she noticed. She was beautiful, truly she was. I couldn't believe I had told her "Not like this." Really?! What an idiot.

Although I didn't want our first time to be when she was stiff ass drunk, I basically had shut her down and made it seem like I didn't want anything to do with her.

What an idiot.

Aspen's POV:
I could feel Daryl looking at me in the mirror, but I didn't meet his gaze. I couldn't. The embarrassment still hadn't worn off. I didn't know if it ever would. Evidently Daryl wasn't feeling too comfortable himself because he didn't say a word to me the whole time until the truck stopped. I looked out the front window and saw that there was a major backup on the road.

"What the hell?" Daryl mumbled to himself.

He got out of the truck and went to meet with the rest of the group. It was really annoying the shit out of me that I couldn't walk. I just watched and waited until Carol came to the truck and opened my door.

"The cars are backing us up and the RV broke down again. Many of the people are looking for supplies in the cars around. Rick told me to come get you and clean your wound." She stated, helping me out of the car. I used her as a crutch until we reached the RV.

She sat me down on the grass beside the road and found some water, a bandage, and a relatively clean cloth. She ripped my pants a little more so she could reach my wound. She poured water into it and I let out a screech. It hurt like hell.

"Sorry! It's really deep and I need to clean it so it doesn't get infected." Carol said as she continued to pour water around the wound. I bit down on my hand so I didn't scream again.

It took a while, but Carol eventually cleaned the wound and was able to cover it with a bandage and tie the cloth around it. I inspected her work. "Not bad for a stay at home mom."

She looked at me and laughed. "Sophia would sometimes come home with some scrapes and I just figured it out as it went." She paused and her smile dropped. "Sometimes Ed would hit me and make deep cuts that I had to clean myself." Her voice a whisper as she finished.

"Hey, forget about him!" I lifted her chin up as a tear dropped. "He is gone, and was no good for you." I finished saying just as Rick ran over to us.

"Hide! Get under a car!" He whispered quickly.

"Rick, what's wrong?" I asked. He looked genuinely worried.

He pulled me and Carol up. "Walkers!"