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[ season three, episode nine ]
While the group discussed what they were going to do with Merle Dixon ── a dead weight on their shoulders and a downright nuisance ── Marley patched Sage up as best she could.
She used the last of the gauze the group packed as an apparent last resort, and carefully wrapped it around her sister's throat, making sure not to bind it too tight. The laceration itself was around an inch in length, and approximately as thick as a piece of string. In order to prevent a nasty infection and staunch the stubborn flow of blood, stitches would be a necessity, but for now it was okay ── they would overcome that hurdle when they got to it. When they got back to the prison, Hershel would know what to do.
He always did.
Marley wished he was there right now. His comfort was a rarity; he was able to heal the deepest of wounds, the ones not always discernible to the eye.
Since the whole ordeal, Sage hadn't once looked up from her blood-stained hands, which lay frozen atop her knees. Marley was worried to say the least. Her sister was pale as a ghost, if not even paler. Skin like chalk. Mouth drawn tight. Miserably unlike herself.
The last time Sage had looked this despondent was when Dale picked them up off the side of the road right after their parents died.
Look how that turned out.
With a stoic expression, Sage swung her feet back and forth from where she sat at the edge of the front passenger seat of the green Hyundai. She was turned away from the outside world rather than facing it head-on, staring broodingly between her hands and the gnarled asphalt. Occasionally, her fingers would brush over the glass face of Dale's watch, and then she would draw her hand away after a long moment, looking more detached than ever.
Sighing, Marley tied the bandage off and sunk down to her knees, crouching in front of Sage. She rove her gaze up to meet her sister's, and surprisingly Sage didn't move her eyes away ─ they stuck to Marley's face like glue.
"Are you okay?" she signed.
Sage didn't respond.
"I'm sorry about what happened."
Still nothing.
Marley mouthed Sage's name and reached out to gently touch the side of her face, but her sister furiously swatted her hand away. She crossed her arms and turned to the front window, gazing into the surrounding forestry. She looked like she wanted to cry, but no tears fell. A familiar hollow glaze slotted over her emerald eyes like film, and Marley became another irritant on top of everything else.
