Stand By Me (Daryl Dixon)

S e v e n t e e n

"How you feeling?" I sit next to Chase, bringing my leg up on to bed to elevate my knee, the swelling has gone down since yesterday and the pain is only there when I step.

"Like my gut are scrambled, but she did a good job for a forth year nurse." He smiles over to her, I nod and look over to her.

Her light blonde hair shined in the morning sun coming in from the window. Her ocean blue eyes scanning the pages of the medical book in her hands. She's beautiful, I didn't see her beauty yesterday or the day before. Cheeks red from frustration.

I lean in closer to him and whisper, "Subtle."

"Shut up." He nudges me by my shoulder.

"You guys talked?" I ask, quietly.

"I woke up early this morning, and she was awake. We talked for a long time before you hobbled in here."

"You like her? You just technically met her."

"And you don't see that you technically just met 'he-man' Daryl. I saw you guys watching the stars the other night, and Maggie told me that you left with him to the Kingdom, where ever that place is. Plus, the smack you gave him when he came back without you, that was the one that confirmed it for me." He caught me in some what of a lie, not really a lie due to the fact I didn't tell him anything about my attraction towards Daryl. Chuckling he says, "You didn't think I'd notice. You're funny."

My face is heated with embarrassment, "I didn't think it would happen so fast. It just did."

"Woah, it's cool, Shay. Love is a hard thing to find now a days. Don't trip over yourself, it's okay to feel the way you do." He smiles at me and then over to the woman.

"What's her name?"

"My name is Ashley." She says and looks up from her big book. "I'm from the Kingdom, King Ezekiel had me stay here. How you feeling, Chase?"

"Good, better now."

•

I drop my clothes in the corner of the bedroom and ruffled in my bag for my brothers black hoodie. Huffing and throwing my bag across the room, I sit there frustrated, hammering the wall with my fist. I look down to my black and blue knee. I shouldn't be wallowing in self pity, I should be getting ready to fight. To fight for a home, to fight for Chase. They did this, they hurt innocent people. Monsters. We need supplies, and a whole lot of it. We need guns, and a whole lot of those! I get up from the floor and pick up my dirty t-shirt, throwing it on. I leave my house, limping down the street to Ricks house.

I bang on the door and wait.

The door clicks open, "Shay?"

"I need a map." I say as I brush past Carl, "I also need your dad."

"I'll go get him, he at the watch post. There's a rolled up map in the corner by the window."

I grab the map and pull it out, unrolling it on the dining room table, I search for the place where we can find everything we need. From guns to medical supplies to heavy armed vehicles to food. My finger lands on my home town: Bowling Green. Which is North of Richmond. Just a few miles North of Bowling Green is an Army Training Facility.

The door bursts open and I spin to see Rick and Carl, "What is it?"

"Have you ever heard of Fort A.P Hill?" I start to give Rick and Carl the details of the place when Daryl comes through the door, "Not a lot of people would know about the place but, I lived in this town." I point to Bowling Green, and Rick tilts his head to read the name. "When it first started, the shit that the world is in now, my brother and I were on a road trip with a couple of friends. When it first started we were in Florida. We were stuck in this shitty motel, we didn't even had a chance to fill our tank so we can get out of there and make our way home." Rambling on, I look over to Daryl who rummaging through the fridge, "It took us a long time before we got home, but by then it was just Chase and I, and that's a story in itself."

"And what about this place A.P Hill?" I look back to Rick when he spoke eagerly, interested in my find.

"It's an army base, across the road from it is an airfield. After we left we checked the base out because a lot of the people in Bowling Green were army families. My fa-" I pause, speaking about him makes my stomach flip, "My father was based there, instructing new recruits. Chase and I know that facility."

"There won't be anything there," I turn to Daryl who's listening from the island.

"The place is over run with walkers, a lot of them. Nobody is stupid enough would take on a herd like the one in the fences there." I poke at the map and look at Rick, "This is how we win, and we're stupid enough to try! I need Alexandra and I need you. I need this place to be home for Chase and I."

"And how do you expect to take that place?" Carl questions. "It's just like the prison."

"I don't know anything about a prison." I shrug at Carl and look back to Rick, "We open the front gate and let them walk. Or do you have flares? We can lead them away."

"We already tried that with one herd! We ain't doing it again!" Daryl shouts and stands from his stool.

I step closer to him and glare into his eyes, shouting back, "And what's your plan genius? Sitting on our asses while Negan can roll over the front gate with more people to kill us all? At least this plan can give us a chance!" He stares at me dumbfounded with my outburst. "That's what I thought! So, sit your ass down and listen!"

"Look here, little girl, what makes ya think that that long of a trip is even worth it!"

Before I even know it my hand flies across his face once again. Ricks arms are around my waste before I try to lunge at Daryl, which makes him stumble backward into the stool. Not caring at the pain in my knee, but the pain that has formed in my heart. 'Little girl'.

"I wasn't a little girl the other night! Don't you remember! You didn't have to shower with me!" I struggle against Ricks arms, "You didn't think I was a little girl when you kissed me the first time either!"

I go to punch him, missing in the process due to Rick pulling me back. Giving up I look down to his boots and take a deep breath. Calming myself down, I feel Ricks grip loose around my waist, and I begin to walk towards the door. I stop when I grab the door knob.

"Just think about it Rick." I look back to him breathing heavily, "This is me trying to help." When I step in the porch, I bring my hands up to my face and rub my face.

Back at my house, I slam the door and lean against it. A piece of my shattered heart has just fallen out of place, but I don't feel sad. I just feel hurt by one of the people who holds that piece where it's supposed to be. I don't feel tears coming either.

A/n: Short chapter. Wanted Shay to be a bigger part of the group by giving Rick an idea of the place she knows about.

I'm not writing as much as I want to. Work is taking much of my time.
Comments are welcome.
Let me know how you like it, but only if you wish!

Briena x.