Healing Broken Wings [Daryl Dixon] The Walking Dead

Fifty Four| Attack On Hilltop

🕉️Kara🕉️

I stare, feeling helpless, as Michonne helps Carl sit up, leaning him back against the wall as he makes sounds of discomfort. Rick comes over and kneels down so Carl can speak to Judith. "You be good, okay? For Michonne. For Dad. You gotta honor him. Listen when he tells you stuff. You don't have to always. Sometimes, kids got to show their parents the way."

Tears fill my eyes when I notice how weak he's getting. He grabs his hat and looks down at it. "This was Dad's before it was mine. Now it's yours." He sniffles and I wipe a tear away. "I don't know just having it always kept Dad with me. It made me feel as strong as him. It helped me. Maybe it'll help you too."

He sighs and takes a breath. "Before Mom died she told me that I was gonna beat this world. I didn't. But you will." Judith whines softly and more tears slip from my eyes. "I know you will." Judith reaches out to him and begins crying.

Rick stands up and hands her over to Daryl. "Here we go." She continues to cry and I hang my head, feeling like my heart is breaking. "These people. You saved them all. That's all you, man," Dad tells him and when Carl nods I hear their departing footsteps.

Siddiq comes over and crouches down to be at eye level with Carl. "You were helping me honor my mom."

"Not just yours. Mine, too."

"You brought me here. You gave me a chance. I know I can never repay you, but I can honor you by showing your people, your f-friends, your-your family that what you did wasn't for nothing. It mattered. That it- that it meant something. Because it did. So that's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna honor you, Carl."

Carl smiles and holds his hand out which Siddiq takes. "Congratulations. You're stuck with us." Siddiq chuckles sadly and blinks back his tears before getting up and leaving. Carl slips his hand into mine and I look at him. "I-I don't want you to be here when I go."

My eyes widen and I shake my head. "What? Carl, no! I'm not gonna leave you. Not like this."

"Yes, you are. I don't want what comes next to be your last memory of me. Please, Kara, go with your dad. Help keep Judith safe for me."

"Carl." Tears spill down my cheeks and I shake my head. "I don't want you to be sad after this. I just want you to be happy, okay? There's gotta be something after, right? So please live what little life you have to its fullest."

"How can I possibly be happy without you? You're my best friend Carl. You've always been there. The person I always look forward to seeing when I woke up and the last person I talked to before sleeping. I love you."

"I love you too, Kara." I lean forward and press a kiss to his lips which he returns weakly. I pull away and bring my hand to his face, lightly brushing my fingers over the scars peeking out under his bandage from the gunshot. "Thank you for never making me feel different after I got it," he whispers to me and I give him a sad smile.

"You never were different, Carl. Not even with this. You were always the same to me." I brush the pad of my thumb over his scar tissue and he chuckles. "That's exactly my point." I press my forehead to his as tears continue trailing down my face. "G-goodbye, Carl..." My voice breaks and Carl wraps his fingers around my wrist.

"Bye, Kara." I pull back and look into his face as he brings his hand up to wipe the tears off my face. I stand up and turn around, heading for the tunnel. Before I reach it Michonne stops me. I look down as she holds something out to me. I take the envelope and look down at it seeing my name scrawled across the parchment in Carl's handwriting.