Stand By Me (Daryl Dixon)

S i x t e e n

Carl steadily helped me walk to the infirmary. Watching Alexandrian's clean up the blood shed that happened yesterday. War was coming, we all knew it. Everyone eyes were fully on alert, bodies tired from being awake most of the night. Every time I took a step pressure in my knee would make me flinch with pain.

"I feel bad." I say to Carl.

"How come?" He asks as we take the step up to the infirmary.

"I can't help like this." I gesture to my busted up knee.

"You helped yesterday, that's what counts. You don't have to feel bad, hopefully it feels better soon so we can win this war." He stops me in front of the door, turning to me. "You're a good shot."

He opens the door and my eyes scan the room spotting Chase by the far window. I pat Carl's hand and I nod at him, I take a step in on my own. I hobble over to him sitting down and reaching up and touching his cheek. Not bothered from my touch, adjust and lay down beside him on the little room that was there. I hear the door close and someone walking up to the bed.

"Hey, you want me to look at your leg?" I shake my head at the young woman's voice.

"Alrighty, then. I'll be here when you're ready, the bullet is still in his gut. I'm preparing to get it out this afternoon." I nod, screwing my eyes turn.

•

I wake up to Chases smiling face, "Hey. I forgot how much of a bed hog you were."

I roll my eyes at him, "Shut up."

"Do you remember the time we made that fort in my room, we snuck in nails and the hammer from dads shed. We made it in the corner, we had every pillow we had, every stuffed animal, blankets, you name it just to be comfortable. We fell asleep in it and I woke up with no pillow, my bear was in your arms and you were covered with most of the blankets." He smiled brightly at the memory that I have forgotten. "Mom came in the room and had a cow when she saw the hammer and nails scattered across the floor."

I sob tears of joy while he tells me the story, the memory of mom screaming at Chase for hammering nails in the wall at seven years old coming back to me.

"I'm only a bed hog because I get cold." I say in a mocking manner. I sit up and turn waving over the woman who looks up from her medical book. "I'm ready to have it looked at."

I hoist my leg up onto the chair and wait as she examines the dark red-purple bruise and scrapes from landing hard to see if Chase was live on the road or not. She tells me that it's not popped out of place, just sprained. The scrapes aren't infectious and are healing nicely, and the bruising should go down in a couple of days. When she gets up from kneeling on the floor that's when the door opens and Daryl comes in.

"Rick called a meeting, he wants ya there." Looking right at me.

"She shouldn't be walking. She should keep her leg elevated."

"It's alright." I speak up, I look back to Chase who's starring up at me with worried eyes. "I'll be back before they get you fixed up, Daryl will help me get there and back."

I look back and smile at Daryl, when he nods I hold my hand out for him to help me up. I hop towards the door and head out of the infirmary Daryl getting annoyed with my pace as we walk to the armoury where the meeting is being held.

"Stop," he says to me, coming in front of me crouching, is if he's offering my to climb on his back right now, "hop on."

"A piggyback? Your joking, I'm fine." I continue limping around him. When I pass I hear him groan, and that when he take my hand wrapping it around his neck and picking me up bridal style. A scream of amusement, leaves my lips and I look up at him. "I am perfectly capable to walk myself."

"Too slow." And a smirk appears on his face.

"Carl was right, you do smile."

•

"Let's just hope that's they don't destroy this place. It has happened in the past to myself and my family, I don't want that here. This place has been home, where I can raise my children. Where people can build lasting relationships, work together and fight the dead without any worry of other people like Negan. I don't want to fight, but we have to do what we have to do to survive. So, Alexandra can thrive as a great community. The future of Alexandra depends on what we do today." Rick sits at the head of the table giving us the speech of a winner who has yet to win.

"What do we do?" I ask him, curiously.

"We need to secure the wall, just in case we are surprised at anytime of day or night. We don't want to take any chances."

Rick lays out the plan as follows: everyone gets a gun and a knife; secure the wall; scavenge for rations and weapons; scout the out posts from smallest to biggest; capture and kill Negan. Such a big plan that has to happen immediately. No rest for anyone.

•

When the meeting was over we all had one job; protect Alexandra and its people, but the one person I want to see was yelling in pain while I sat on the porch waiting. His screams echoing my ears as I patently wait. The bench shifts the evergreen aroma circles around me.

"He might die in there." My weak voice says out loud. "I can't be in there, and he may die."

"He ain't." Daryl explains. "Shay?"

Looking over to his sad eyes, "I want this to be over, I want the fighting to be over. But, that's not going to happen, the fight to live will never be over." I lean my head on the panels of the house. "I almost lost everything yesterday."

"That's the world we live in."

"We almost died yesterday." I place my hand on top of his. "But, that's not going to stop me from helping someone I love." I look over to the door of the infirmary. Chases screaming has subsided.

The door opens slowly and I stand on my good leg, "I got the bullet out, he lost a lot of blood. He's going to be out cold for a while. I suggest to come back in the morning and get some rest, elevate your leg and use a cold compress for it. Sleep is the best medicine."

"Do you have anything in there for pain?"

She nods and leaves to grab whatever to take way the pain in my throbbing knee, my heartache. Once I had the pain killer in hand Daryl was kind and walked me to my house.

"Did you want me to stay?" He asks as he carries my up the steps to the front door.

I shake my head and he sets me down, "I think it's best to be by myself for a while, I don't want to hurt your feelings or anything, I just need some time to myself. Okay?"

He nods and saunters off the porch and I wait till he far away enough to enter the house. I lean against the closed door, closing my eyes and sighing to myself. How can all this get better? How can any of this get any worst than it already is? I could have died yesterday, Chase could have died yesterday. What good is a war with those creatures out there? Nothing, but the power to be the leader of the dead world.

I chuckle to myself because of the thoughts in my head. I make my way to the couch and plop down on it, rubbing my hands over my face. I need to be out there, I want to be out there helping with the clean up and scavenging for more supplies. I just have to get better to fight.

A/n: First chapter with no guidance with the show. I want it to be October already. I need my Daryl fix, I've already rewatched the six seasons that are on Netflix. I missed last Sunday and I'm sorry. Life is getting hectic.. with two jobs, planing around work with my boyfriend, I'm going to the gym now.. no time to write or even read...

Briena x.