Torn Apart (A Daryl Dixon/ The Walking Dead Fanfiction)

Chapter 6

Daryl's P.O.V
I wake up to see the blackness of the night. I rub my eyes, trying to gage what time it is. It's still the middle of the night, judging by the blackness. I hear the noise that woke me up, trying to identify it. It sounds as if it's coming from next door in Cat's cell. I get up and walk out of my cell, grabbing the torch to see what I'm doing. Before I can turn it on, I hear the noise again. Sniffling and hiccuping, crying. I turn the torch on and adjust my eyes as I walk into her cell.

I see her facing the wall, curled in a ball. The blankets wrapped tightly around her, as if trying to keep her warm despite the heat. She turns her head to see me, her eyes red and blotchy. She turns back to the wall and curls tighter. I walk in and sit down on the edge of the bed, placing the torch on the floor. I turn to face her and I can see tears falling down her nose and onto the cot.

Seeing a woman like this makes me uncomfortable. I never really know how to deal with women. The first time I ever had to deal with an upset woman was when Carol lost Sophia and even then I didn't do much.

"Hey, you alrigh'?" I ask.

I got a sniffle in response.

"Do you wanna to talk abou' it?"

She shakes her head. I get up to leave when she grabs my arm. I turn and see her looking at me, her eyes pleading.

"Please don't go."

I nod and resume sitting on the bed. She pulls the blankets out from underneath me and holds them open. I cock my eyebrow at her.

"You don't have to," she says, putting the blanket back in place.

Sighing I turn in the bed and get in next to her. I pull the blankets over us, tucking it in behind me. She places her head on my chest and lays a hand on my heart, clutching at the material. She begins to sob quietly, her tears soaking my shirt. I turn the torch off and wrap my arms around her, holding her to me. I run my hand up and down her back, soothing her. After awhile she becomes quiet and her breathing becomes steadier.

"I'm sorry," she mumbles.

"Don' be sorry for cryin'" I say.

"It's just..." She trails off.

"Nah, I understand. You don't have to say anything."

"No I do. You're laying in bed with a stranger whose crying on you. The least I can do is explain to you why I'm crying." She says.

"Okay," I say.

She takes a deep breath, "Before the outbreak, I was married. My husband... James was the greatest husband I could ever ask for. And when we got... Pregnant... We were over the moon." She says through the tears. I continue to rub her back and listen intently.

"About six months after it all began, I went into labor. We were on the run from walkers and we went into an abandoned office building. He boarded the doors and delivered the baby. But when the baby was born..." She broke down.

She was shaking, her cries becoming louder. I push her face into my chest, trying to muffle the moans. She had only been here one day, she didn't need everybody coming in and seeing her like this.

"S'okay. You're alrigh'" I say rubbing her back.

I lay my head on top of hers and kissed it softly. Her arms tighten around my waist. I roll on my side and pull her closer. She looks up into my eyes, searching for something.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" She asks.

"I know what you're going through." I say.

"You were..." She asks.

"No, I wasn' married. But I did lose ma brother not to long ago. He was trying to save us, but he got turned." I say.

She looks at me puzzled, "It was you."

"What was?"

"The day I came here, you were the one that was talking to Michonne. I saw your brother drop her off. I don't think anything of it at the time. I'm so sorry." She said.

"You saw ma brother?" I ask.

"Yeah, for a second. I didn't recognise you."

I stare at the ceiling and try to push the pain away. I take a deep breathe and look at her. Her hand wipes a tear away from my face. She smiles at me and snuggles closer. After a little while, she falls asleep, her soft snores filling the air. Not long after, I drift off as well.