Penance (Book One): Daryl Dixon x Sage Wilson

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"Is she stable?" A voice echoes, as if it came from a tunnel.

"Yes, for now. She needs to be on bed rest for a while- a week at most. If she over exerts herself, the wound can reopen. She hit a lot of major organs- the girl was lucky you kept that arrow in." I could hear an old man who I presumed was Hershel talk as cold hands touch my side.

"Good." I hear Daryl's grumpy teenager tone, and I try to open my eyes.

The light slowly intrudes my eyes, forcing me to squint and induce a mild headache. Daryl sits at my side next to Rick, Carol, and Lori.

"Why the hell do we have a party going on?" My voice rasps as I start to grasp reality once again.

"Holy shit, you're okay." Rick breathes as he shakes his head.

"Andrea tried to take a shot thinking y'all were walkers- you got lucky." Lori says with her arms crossed in the doorway.

"Yeah. Definitely lucky." Shane walks into the room and agrees. I can't help but try to glare at him through the pain; I was unsure of why he was here- he knew I hated him. And he knew to stay the hell away from me. My chest starts to tighten remembering that night in the CDC.

But of course, it took my brain just a few measly seconds to kick into gear. "No, no!" The next moment all I could do was shake my head rapidly, my eyes locked in on a monster. I try to scoot back against the headboard, but I notice there were straps at my side just in case I were to turn. I look at everyone in the room who stares back at Shane, who now looked at me as if I was a mad woman and he did nothing wrong. I start to pull my wrists from the restraints, looking to Daryl.

"Get the fuck out before I feed you to the damn walkers," Daryl looks back to Shane, immediately standing up and shoving him out of the room harshly. Everyone around us starts to exchange glances as I try to gain back my composure. Only Daryl knew what happened that night, and at this point I was surprised no one guessed.

Daryl comes back over to the bed, almost shooing everyone out of the room before questioning could take place. I look over to Carol who held the doll in her arms, giving her a small smile. She smiles back at me and nods; I knew she was thankful. Thankful the group was willing to put their lives on the line for her little girl- hell I'd do it for any kid. And I'd do it again.

"How you feelin'?" Daryl leans back in the chair next to the bed, a fresh bandage on the right side of his head.

"Like I got ran over by a truck. Three times to be exact." I try to laugh, but my chest feels like it was splintered into pieces.

"Damn mud. If I had just gone there by myself this wouldn't have happened." He picks at his nails, biting his lip.

"Well I'm not dead. So there's that." I try to make his mood lighten, but his expression remains the same.

"I don't need more blood on my hands, I've had enough." He gets up from his chair, immediately leaving the room and shutting the door behind him with force.

What the hell was that? I look up at the ceiling, trying to fathom what I would do the next seven days laying in bed and doing absolutely nothing. I didn't like feeling helpless- not with Shane around.

I sigh as I close my eyes, feeling the pain in my body pulse like a heart beat. I look down at my torso, seeing I am in nothing but my bra. I could feel my face grow hot at the fact that these people I still barely knew saw me in such a way. But it disturbed me even more with Shane in the room. I examine the bandages that were already bled through, seeing stitches peaking from the corners.

I hope Sophia is alive somewhere. Especially with what we just went through. What I went through.