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THE DARK NIGHT had rolled by as slowly as Ellie anticipated — a night filled with gentle whimpers from Coda, whose nightmares had begun to overwhelm her. She had witnessed the most gruesome, chaotic scene that any child would be disturbed by, and it pained Ellie to know she couldn't soothe her thoughts. Daryl and Ellie had sat up through the night, waiting for the moments where she would call out in fear in order to soothe her.
The two had stayed awake the entirety of the night, waiting anxiously in fear that Coda would succumb to the nightmares once again, after she had barely been asleep for a few minutes. They had watched obsessively over her, with their love for her keeping them awake. Before they had realised it, the sun had begun to peek through the white clouds above them, and Coda had begun to stir awake once again.
"Dad?" she called out through a quiet, sleepy voice, and began to reach out towards Daryl. He scooped her up into his arms with care, and she sleepily placed her head on his shoulder, "Can I sleep here?"
Daryl chuckled slightly, and cradled the child in his arms, holding her close, as though he never wanted to let go. The truth had been — he simply never did want to let her go. The adoration he felt for Coda was tenfold, and would carry him through the rest of their lives. Ellie couldn't help but feel the sharp sting to her heart as the two bonded so easily together. She had never been jealous of those who connected with Coda, but it appeared as though Coda had truly picked her favourite parent, and that stung Ellie's heart.
"Do you want breakfast?" Ellie asked the small child, to which she merely received a sleepy nod, and a small yawn. She glanced up at Daryl through irritated eyes, and raised an eyebrow, "Do you?"
"Nah, thanks," he muttered, as though he hadn't been paying attention, and continued to run his finger over Coda's cheek, earning small giggles as it had tickled her.
In irritation, Ellie stood to her feet with a huff, and exited the tent, leaving Daryl to roll his eyes at her absurdity. He recognised the signs of jealousy, and he found it comedic that Ellie had been jealous over his relationship with Coda, but he chose not to press further on the matter out of fear of an argument. Shortly after Ellie had greeted the group, and sat down to arrange breakfast, Daryl strolled over with a babbling Coda hanging off his arm.
"Great," Ellie muttered under her breath, earning concerned glances from Lori. She sighed, and leaned in to whisper, "I think Coda is a daddy's girl, and it's just getting to me. It's been us against the world for so long, I feel like I'm being replaced."
Lori let out a soft chuckle, and shook her head at the woman, "It's normal to feel bothered by that, but she loves you both the same. Weren't you a daddy's girl?"
Ellie clenched her jaw as she attempted to withhold the cry that dared escaping her lips as her mind wandered towards the last time she saw her father alive. It had been true that Ellie was a daddy's girl, but having lost her father left her with a resentment towards favouritism, as she knew it was only a matter of time before life would have an impact on the relationship.
