High Hopes ~Daryl Dixon~

Chapter Five

Lori and Rick immediately rushed into the house their thoughs completely focused on Carl. I gripped Nelly's reigns and walked her back over to the field from before. As soon as I had opened the gate andhad taken everything off of her, she took off galloping over to where the other horse's were grazing.
I stood there for a moment just watching them. It wasn't like there was anything I could do to help in the house, so I thought 5 minutes wouldn't hurt anyone.
And it was nice. This was something that I always tried to do because it was peaceful and it took my mind off of how the world is now- because this looks just how it used to...How it should. Not everything seems effected by this apocolypse and I wished i could be like that. I wish it could all go back to how it used to be, everyone living happily -or close to it- everyone alive. I think that's what I want the most. Everyone that I had lost to come back to me...To Elle.
Elle is completely clueless with what's happening.She has no idea that the world around us is otherwise dead. And i've been trying to hard to keep it like that. She's too young to know. To young to have to know. She deserved to still be a child, to have her childhood lived how it would have before. I know that that isn't going to happen because eventually as Elle gets older, she'll slowly cotten on to what I've desperately tried to hide from her. But there was no way I could tell her now, it wouldn't just be unfair -it would be cruel. Elle wouldn't be able to take the information, i know that. But I also know that eventually everything is going to catch up to us. We're not as safe here as I've made her think. She trusts me, and i'm trying to do what's best for her but that does stop the thoughts from rushing through my mind either.
"I thought I would find ya out 'ere." Maggie's voice spoke out from behind me.
Her footsteps crunched on the overy dry glass as she approached me. I kept my back to her and continued to watch the horses idle around the field.
She came to a stop beside me and leant her elbows up against the wooden fence, watching the horses aswell. "Elle's wondering where you are."
A sigh fell from my lips. "How did ya know I was back?" I asked.
Maggie chuckled. "Aside for the strange woman that just appeared in our house? Nelly ain't the quietest."
"No," I agreed fondly. "No, she ain't." I turned to the side and leant my hip against the wood facing Maggie. "Hows the boy?"
Maggie's face fell and she pursed her lips. "Stable for the moment. But he needs ta be operated on ta survive."
That wasn't good news. "What they plannin'?"
"Daddy's gonna operate but they need some specific equipment first. Otis and Shane-"
"Shane?" I questioned.
"The big guy, dark hair -Rick's friend." She explained. "They're gonna head out ta the high school and see what they can find."
I frowned. "Why not the hospital?"
"Over-run." She said simply.
That thought made me sick. For the hospital to be over-run a lot of people would have died there. Ill adults and children with no chance, being slaughtered.
I shook my head to rid the thoughts. "When they leavin'?"
"Soon," Maggie replied. "The sooner the better."
I pursed my lips, thinking. "Do you think they'd let me tag along?"
Maggie's brows shot up in surprise. "Ya wanna go?"
"Yeah." I said. "I ain't really gotten off the farm properly since this whole thing started."
Maggie pushed herself away from the fence and looked at me sternly. "I don't think that would be a good idea, Nora. There's no garentee you'll come back -Elle needs ya."
It was almost like Elle had some kind of built in radar that picked up whenever someone mentioned her name because the next thing I know she was calling out for me, running across the field in out direction. "Momma!"
Maggie and I turned to face her and I plastered a smile on my face.
"Like I said -she needs ya." Maggie said, she placed her hand on my shoulder.
"Momma!" Elle shouted again as she got closer.
I crouched down as she ran into my out-stretched arms. I gently hoisted her up as I straightened out and balanced her on my hip, her arms were wrapped tightly around my neck.
"I thought I told ya to stay upstairs until I came and got ya?" I said sternly to Elle.
Her grip around my neck tightened and she quickly hid her face into the crook. She knew she was in trouble. "Janelle," I warned
She pulled away from me and her eyes were wide with her bottom lip trembling. "I was bored, momma."
I shook my head at her. "But that don't mean ya can disobey what I tell ya to do now, does it?"
She shook her head and dropped her gaze. "No momma. I'm sorry." She sniffled after the words had left her and I knew instantly that the tears were about to start.
I jolsted her up higher on my hip. "Ya forgiven." I said with a slightly lighter tone. But it didn't seem to do much. Elle had the tendancy to start crying once she's gotten introuble and I had always found it extremely hard not to give in and give her everything she wanted when that happened. Chase couldn't stand to see her cry either. It was his breaking point and he would always do whatever he could to make her stop...But he wasn't here anymore, it was just me.
"Did you eat all of that chocolate I gave ya?" I asked.
Elle's head snapped up, tears shined in her eyes but at the mention of chocolate she seemed to have forgoteen briefly about her problems. She nodded quickly. "Aunt Maggie helped me." She answered.
I turned to face Maggie. She was looking anywhere but at me. "Oh, did she now?" I inquired.
Maggie pursed her lips and sent a look towards Elle who just giggled. "Yup. She told me not to tell you."
Maggie huffed childishly and pointing a finger at Elle. "Ya really bad at keepin' secrets, ya know that?"
Again Elle nodded along happily, unashamed of it or completely oblivious to what was actually being said.
The sun was beginning to set in the background, falling low behind the trees, lighting the sky up in pinks and oranges. "I think we should get you indoors with some supper, how does that sound?"
"I'm hungry." Was all Elle responded.
"I thought as much." I said with a smile. "Do you wanna walk?" At the word walk, Elle's arms tightened and she held me closer, refusing to let go even for a moment. "I'll take that as a 'no.'"
I shuffled Elle's small body around until she was at my front, her legs wrapped around my waist and her arms still around my neck but this time it was more comfortable for her to lay her head down on my shoulder. "That better?"
"Yeah." She mumbled.
She must have been tired, she didn't get around to having her usual nap today and it was and unusual occurance that Elle was able to go all day without just falling asleep anywhere. Because when she's tired she's an instant sleeper. No matter where she is or what she's doing, she'll fall asleep as quickly as the snap of fingers. It was amusing sometimes, other times it can be a real pain. 
We started the short walk back to the house with Maggie trailing behind us. I tried walking slower than usual to avoid jolting Elle to much but it didn't work as well as I hoped it would. She kept whinging and whining most of the trek. She actually went as far as to tell me to stop walking and let her sleep. I ignored that suggestion completely and continued on.
The walk was quiet for the most part, the only sound being the animal surrounding us. The horses, birds, the pigs and chickens. If i was honest with the amount of noise that it makes up here, i'm surprised that we haven't been found yet -not that I want that to happen because I don't want anything close, but it was slightly unusual. I mean we weren't really that far off from civilization, just slightly off of the radar.
All of a sudden the noise of the animals was interrupted by giggling and Elle's body shaking slightly
"What are you doing?" I threw over my shoulder.
"Nothing." Elle and Maggie both replied immediatly and Elle moved to cover her mouth with her hand to hide her giggles.
"I find that hard ta believe." I said.
I approached the porch and Elle let out a loud snort. I spun on my heels to try and find what was so funny to came face to face with Maggie, although she looked different. She was using her fingers to distort her face. Both her index fingers were pulling at the corners of her eyes and her thumbs was pulling the edges of her lips upwards. It was a pleasent sight but Elle seemed to find it hilarious.
"How old are you? 10?"I asked, turning back around to walking to the house and letting Elle face Maggie again.
"22 actually." Maggie said quickly as if to defend herself. "And I just happen to be older than you." She walked past me, ruffled Elle's hair and poked her tongue out at me.
"Only by a few minutes!" I shouted after her as she walked down the hallway towards where the young boy was being kept.
"Still older!" She replied before disappearing into the room.
"I'm hungry." Elle whined again into my ear. 
"I know." I said, walking into the kitchen. 
I placed Elle down carefully by the table and pulled out a seat for her. She didn't need to be told what to do next and she clambered clumsily on to the chair, waiting me. 
"What do ya want, baby?" I asked, scanning the cupboards. 
"Chocolate."
I turned my head to look at her over my shoulder. "No, proper food."
She frowned. "I want chocolate."
I closed the cupboards and leant back against the counter. "'I want,' don't get. Plus you ate the last of it, already."
She pouted. "Sandwich." She said dejectedly.
"Good girl." I praised with a grin. 
She didn't return it and instead kept her focus trained on the table, sulking. 
I shook my head at her antics and started preparing her her food.
 

"I want that all gone." I said, placing the plate holding her simple cheese sandwich.
"Yes, Momma." She immediately tucked in, shoving as much as she possibly could into her mouth. 
I patted her shoulder and leant over, kissing her forehead. "I'll be back in a moment, Gonna go and see Aunt Maggie."
Elle was too taken with the food to answer, so I slipped out of the room and left her too it. 
I quietly walked into the room and Daddy was in the middle of checking Carl's blood pressure. Rick and Lori sat still beside him, their eyes watching daddy's every move -Almost untrustingly and Maggie was stood beside him, holding a crimson red wash cloth. But just by glancing at it I knew that wasn't it's original colour. 
"When are they heading out?" I asked quietly.
Everyone turned to face me. "Soon," Daddy replied. "They're just getting ready."
I nodded. I opened my mouth to continue but Daddy cut me off. "You're not going, Nora."
My gaze instantly fell on Maggie who refused to look at me. "You told him?" 
"She was worried." Daddy cut in. 
I looked at him. "I just want to help."
Daddy stood up and took the towel off of Maggie, putting it in a metal bowl. "You have helped, but you have responsibility here."
My mind flashed to Elle eating in the kitchen.  "But this is a child's life, Daddy. They need all the help they can get," I argued.
"I agree with your dad," Rick spoke up. His voice was just above a whisper. "Two people are more than enough. It makes it easier for them to get in and out without having to worry about other people."
"You're stayin' here, Nora." Daddy said, his tone implying that it wasn't debatable. 
"Fine." I said giving in. "J-just let me know if there's anything that I can do, alright?"
Rick and Lori gave me a small smile each and then turned back to watching Carl closely. 
Daddy walked over to me and held the bowl out. "You could take this into the kitchen and rinse it for me."
I smiled and nodded. "Sure." I reached out and grasped the cold metal bowl in my hands and walked out the room.
"Hey!" Maggie called after me.
I stopped and waited for her to catch up. "Yeah?"
She walked around until she was stood in front of me. "I'm sorry about bringing Chase up earlier, you didn't have to remove your ring."
My body froze and instantly my eyes flickered down to my hand to find my ring finger naked. My eyes widened and my breath hitched in my throat. "I-I never took it off. I stuttered. I hurried to the kitchen put the bowl on the counter and started patting down my pockets. But I couldn't find it. 
My heart was hammering in my chest as I began to panic. "Maggie -I can't find it!"
Maggie hurried over and placed her hands on both of my shoulders, comfortingly. "Where did you last have it?" 
My bottom lip trembled. How could I have lost it? That was all I had left. "I-I don't know."
"Just breath, Nora." She mumbled slowly. And i tried to listen to her but my body wasn't co-operating. It was starting to hyperventilate. 
And then it hit me. The only place that it could possibly be. "I think it might have fallen off." I whispered. 
"Okay," Maggie said with a small smile. "That's good. Where?"
I looked at her sadly. "In the woods when I knocked down an infected."