Finding Myself, Finding You *Daryl Dixon X OC*

Chapter Twenty-Seven

*TW—nausea/vomiting, discussion of (all past events) r*pe, drugging, suicide attempts, medical torture, non-consensual medical procedure, amputation

*A/N—This chapter primarily just consists of Vec discussing her history. There are no details of the actual assault discussed, just the before and after. Regardless, proceed with caution and take care of yourself first <3

After a very, very long time, I lifted my head from my knees. My face was stiff from being coated in dried tears, and my eyes burned. They had to be bloodshot, I was sure of it. My face felt puffy, and my hair was as disheveled as could be. I looked up at the tiny window of the infirmary. The sun had just started setting, and it was beginning to get dark now. Given that it'd been the middle of the afternoon when I locked myself in, I'd been in there for hours.

Not once had someone come knocking on the door, calling out to me asking to be let in so they could ask if I was ok. I figured either Carol or Daryl, likely Carol, was telling people to leave me alone & give me space for a while. Part of me was grateful for that, as I wanted to be left alone. But another part of me, a much smaller one, was screaming for someone to show up. Screaming for someone to come make sure I was alright & hadn't done anything I would regret. Fuck, I begged, let someone just come check on me, please.

I didn't believe in a god, but something answered my prayers.

I dropped my head back to my knees when I heard someone fiddling with the doorknob. Upon realizing it was locked, I expected to hear a voice call out to me, or to hear footsteps walking away, but I heard neither. Instead, I heard more fiddling with the doorknob, but this time, it sounded like someone was trying to pick the lock. And I knew only one person here who would do that.

The 'click' of the door unlocking echoed through the silent room. The door swung open slowly, the creaking of its hinges louder and more prolonged than normal. Daryl's familiar, heavy footsteps made their way into the room, and I heard him close the door behind him. He stepped over slowly, careful to not approach me too quickly. He slid down the wall next to me, leaving a little space between us. He didn't say anything for a few minutes. We sat there in silence, the only sound being an occasional hitched sob from me.

"I'm really sorry, Vec," Daryl sighed, the hurt still lingering in his voice, "for what Jake said...for what happened to ya...for not trying harder to help more."

"Nothing you could've done. You didn't know. You did the right thing though, not asking too many questions," I assured, "I should've known it would come out at some point or another."

Yes, if Daryl and I's relationship continued in the direction it seemed to be, it eventually would've had to come to light. I had just hoped that day was farther off in the future than right now.

"I knew that traveling alone as a woman meant I would always have a target on my back. I just thought I'd be able to fight my way out of any situation I got into," I explained. I pulled my head up from my knees and leaned back against the wall, and I immediately felt Daryl's eyes on me. The tears were still flowing consistently enough that I couldn't see anything, which I was grateful for. That meant I couldn't see whatever facial expression Daryl was giving me. Meant that I couldn't see him looking at me.

"I'm sorry for blowing up at you like that," I apologized, "I just...I felt like I was going to explode. No sleep, Jake's comments, bottling everything...I was bound to pop off eventually. But you didn't deserve to be on the receiving end of it."

"Apology accepted, of course. No hard feelin's. It's understandable," he reassured. I tilted my head back and leaned it against the wall, staring up at the cement ceiling.