Beyond Terminus (Book Two)

Chapter 56: Reoccurrence

"Mr Dixon?"

I feel Daryl shift next to me as my eyes flutter open. Elliot stands next to the bed, his hands clasped in front of him. Daryl snorts and opens his eyes, sitting up and blinking sleepily. Elliot chuckles.

"Hey. Good morning," he greets, moving to the blinds and opening them.

"Is the group back?" Daryl asks, standing up and stretching.

Elliot's gaze grows dark. "Yeah...they got back."

"Glenn? Tara? Eugene?" I mumble. "Noah?"

The doctor shakes his head. "Noah...didn't make it. Neither did Aiden. Tara's hurt bad. She's in the other room with Pete right now."

Daryl tenses, turning away from him and putting his fist to his mouth. I choke and cover my face, feeling my chest constrict. Daryl sits down next to me and pulls me into a tight hug. I can hear his breath coming out shakily too, and I just know that he's holding back tears.

"Is Tara alright?" I manage to ask.

"She's stable, holding on. She'll make it." Elliot sighs. "Don't move around too much. I'll come by your house and check on you later."

"Thanks Doc," Daryl says thickly.

Elliot smiles. "It's no problem."

He turns and leaves briskly. Daryl sighs heavily and I reach my hand up to his face. I touch his cheek gently, to which he grasps my hand and keeps my palm against his face.

"He didn't deserve it..." I say.

"No one does," he responds softly, his voice thick with sorrow.

I brush some of his bangs from his eyes, my eyes burning with held back tears. He lets my hand fall from his face, looking out the window.

"I'll take you back to the house now," he decides. "A'ight?"

I nod, feeling my head starting to pound again. He scoops me up and carries me out, careful to avoid Lightning as she circles his feet lovingly.

We reach our house swiftly. He carries me up to the bedroom, settling me down on the bed as gently as possible. My tailbone protests against the movement, but I grit my teeth and bear it.

I lean back against the pillows, my body aching again. Daryl kisses my forehead, his eyes clouded with worry.

"I'll grab you some food. Be right back," he promises.

"Ok..." I mumble.

He leaves the room, where our bedroom door has been replaced, I should add. I hear him moving about downstairs and I shut my eyes. I hear him come back into the room soon enough. I open my eyes again, seeing him holding a plate of what looks like casserole.

"Carol left it. Said she made too much for Deanna," he explains.

I smile and try to sit up, wincing. He props the pillows up behind my back, handing me the plate. I eat quietly as he moves to the window, looking outside. We don't speak, but I'm ok with the silence.

I finish the food swiftly, the casserole feeling good in my stomach. I put the plate on the side table, feeling my eyes growing heavy. It's probably the medicine I was given earlier.

"Damn it," Daryl mutters, breaking the quiet.

"What is it?" I ask, noticing him looking out the window.

"Aaron...I'll go see what he needs," he says quickly.

I arch an eyebrow, watching as he leaves the room. He seems to already know what Aaron wants. I hear the door open and muffled voices float through the still atmosphere.

I take a deep breath and push myself from the bed, walking shakily to the door and pushing it open with a soft creak. I wince as I move to the stairs, gripping the railing so I don't fall.

"I can't," Daryl's voice says as I get to the bottom of the stairs.

"We have to. Deanna isn't happy that we didn't find anyone," Aaron retorts, his voice tired.

"Hope's hurt. I won't leave her. I can't leave her."

"Daryl, I need you out there. Just...one more run. Then, you can stay here with her until she's fixed up. We can be back by tonight."

There's a long silence. I worry for a moment that they can hear my heartbeat, which I can feel thumping in my ears. I know it's Daryl's job to go out there, but is it really so bad for me to want him to stay?

"Fine," Daryl says finally. "I'll...I'll tell her."

"I'll meet you by the gate." There's a brief pause. "I can ask Elliot to stick around, watch out for her."

"Sure."

"Thanks again, for doing this."

"Yeah."

The door slams. I step out from around the stairway entrance, seeing Daryl watching the door, his shoulders sagged.

"Be safe," I say.

He spins, his face creasing with guilt when he sees me.

"Hope, I-"

"It's your job. I'm fine here." I smile sadly, taking another step towards him. "I can only ask that you stay alert."

He moves to me and pulls me into his arms. I return it, burying my face in his chest.

"Why do you worry so much now?" he asks.

I let out a long breath, pulling away. "I don't know. Maybe...maybe it's just me realizing just how much pain I'd go through if I lose you."

His eyes soften as his thumb grazes my cheek. "Angel..."

"I don't want you to die before you get to see our child. I want to see you holding him or her in your arms..." I shut my eyes as my head droops.

He reaches forwards and tilts my chin back up to look at him. "Hey...you ain't weak, so you gotta be strong. If anything ever happens to me, you've gotta keep livin'."

"You ain't weak, so you gotta be strong."

I feel my chest constrict again. For a split second, it's as if I can see Daryl from back when we first met. I can feel the light breeze as we stand on the hilltop where we left Jim. I can feel his hands on my shoulders and hear his voice telling me to be strong and to stop crying. His infamous orders to me; "What'd I say about not cryin' anymore?"

His tone had sounded almost angry then, like he was commanding me to toughen up. Now, Daryl's tone is soft and loving, like a soft blanket.

"I don't want to think about that," I admit. "Just be safe."

I kisses my forehead. "I never stop tryin'." He scoops me up. "Now you're goin' back to bed and gettin' some rest."

I sigh, letting him carry me back up the stairs. He sets me down and makes sure I'm as comfortable as I can get. I keep my arms around his neck as long as I can, and he has to physically remove them from around him.

Before he leaves, he leans down and presses a soft kiss to my lips.

"I love you, Hope," he murmurs. "So much."

"I love you too, Daryl," I reply quietly.

He gives me one more soft peck before turning and leaving the bedroom. I shut my eyes, sending up a silent prayer for him and Aaron's safety.