Healing Broken Wings [Daryl Dixon] The Walking Dead

Sixty One| Rescue Gone Wrong

🌱Kristina🌱

"So, how have the kids been?" Carol asks me and I look up from the papers on my desk, well Maggie's desk, I'm just using it for the time being. I know she's not coming back anytime soon, she's already been gone for four years and seems to be thriving in that community she went to.

When Maggie asked me to take over for her I really didn't think I was the right person for the job. I'm a doctor not a leader. But being here really has given me the freedom to spend more time with my kids. Enid doesn't usually ask for my help unless she really needs it. And yeah I've plans and expansions to deal with, but so far I've been handling it.

Not to mention Tara and Jesus have been helping me out a lot. "Shawn is a bundle of energy. Some days I can't even keep up with him." Carol chuckles and I smile, stacking papers. "Andrea loves going to school. She's made some friends and it's helped her overcome her shyness. Not a lot, but she's getting there."

"And Kara?"

"Well, she's a lot like me sometimes and then a little of Daryl flares up. She's just as good as Enid, but she prefers to be out there rather than stuck in the infirmary. She's basically an army medic. She helps protect the walls, keeps the kids entertained, and makes sure everyone is okay. Maybe she should be the leader," I half joke and Carol shakes her head.

"She's experienced, no doubt about that. She's been through things that not a lot of children go through even with the world like it is now. It makes her more mature than others, but she's still young. You've been doing a great job, Kris. I can tell."

"I hope so." I pull my hair back and put it into a ponytail. "Well, the people must think so. They elected you didn't they?"

"Yeah, hard to lose an election when no one else is running against you."

"Because they know just how much responsibility comes with this job and how hard it can be to lead. They trust you to handle it. Maggie picked you for a reason, Kris."

"Only because we were close friends."

"No, because she sees what we all see. You may not know it, but you are one of the strongest people I've ever met, Kris." I give her a pointed look and she gives me a warm smile. "I'm serious. You are."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are. Just like Kara you went through a lot of hardships. You lost your parents close to the beginning then your sister. After that you were on your own for quite awhile. It's hard surviving without people you know that."

I nod and absentmindedly fiddle with my pen as she speaks. "You survived being assaulted and beaten. Then it was you and Daryl for awhile before the Atlanta camp. Most people wouldn't have been able to keep going after what you went through. But you did and that takes strength."

"I only survived because of Daryl," I speak softly and scratch at my chin. If he hadn't found me and decided to take me in I don't know where I'd be now. "No. I know you, Kris. You would have found a way. You would've fought like hell to survive just like you always do. A group can only get you so far the rest is all up to you."

"Like Andrea?" I ask her and she nods slowly. "Like Andrea. She wanted to die, but Dale forced her to keep going. Now after that it wasn't Dale keeping her alive. She chose to fight. She chose to keep going despite everything that happened. That was her choice. Just like it would have been yours if you hadn't found Daryl."

"I think about that sometimes."

"What?" She asks curiously and I lean back in my chair, putting my hands in my lap. "Where I'd be if not for Daryl. Usually, I think I'd be dead, but I can't know that for sure. Maybe I would have ended up in Woodbury or some other group I depended on for survival. It's scary to think about an alternate world where I might never have met you guys. Never found Kara. Had kids."