"Rick? Are you with us? Rick?" Glenn asks the disoriented Rick.
"Let me see the baby." Hershel asks Beth.
"What're we going to feed it? We got anything for a baby to eat?" Daryl asks.
"Good news is, she looks healthy. But she needs formula and soon or she won't survive."
Adrianna stood up, removing herself from Daryl's arms. "Nope. No way. We ain't loosing nobody else. I'm going for a run."
"I'll go with you." Daryl says concerned for the girl.
"Us too." Maggie and Glenn offer.
Adrianna nods Beth away from the group.
"Beth. Kid just lost his mom, his dad ain't doing so hot..." She started.
"I'll look out for him." She confirmed. Adrianna nodded and walked back to the group.
"You two get the fence. Too many pile up and we got ourselves a problem." Daryl orders to the inmates.
"Glenn! Maggie! Vámonos!" Adrianna yells out.
Before they could move Rick grabs his machete and quickly pulls himself into the building despite the calls from behind him.
"Get the gate." Daryl told Oscar who nodded.
"Come on we're gonna loose the light!" Adrianna rushed down the path.
"There's a piggly wiggly on 85." Glenn suggested.
"No the baby section is already cleared. Lori asked me to keep an eye out. Haven't had much luck."
"Is there any place that hasn't been completely looted?" Daryl asks Glenn and Maggie.
"We saw signs for a shopping center just north of here."
"Yeah but there's too much debris, the car will never get through there." Maggi explains.
Daryl nods.
"Me and Adrianna will take the bike then. You guys stay here. Watch out for everyone. Watch out for Rick." Daryl tells them. They nod and take off towards the prison.
————————
The ride was quiet.
But not their usual quiet. This was more of an awkward quiet. The quiet of Adrianna's mind running a million miles an hour. The quiet of Daryl not knowing if Adrianna was okay. The quiet of him scared to say the wrong thing and trigger her.
As if she could read his mind she cleared her throat.
"I'm fine." She says, voice raspy from crying.
He grunts in response.
"You don't have to be." He says softly. She doesn't answer as they pull to a stop in front of a school looking building.
"Company's close. Stay tight." He nods to her.
The pair walked around the house. The sight of playground equipment slowing them down.
Adrianna approached a half broken window. She slammed the butt of her knife into it, shattering the rest of the pane.
She climbed her way in slowly, watching out for the glass. "Be careful." Daryl says before climbing in behind her.
He notices her gaze stuck on a wall of children's hand prints. The names Lori, Carol, and Sophia catching her eye the most.
"Come on." He says pulling her away.
They came around a corner, a soft thud sounded at the end. They approached slowly, their footsteps quiet as they crept closer to the door.
Adrianna put her hand on the knob, her grip on her knife tightening.
She swung the door open, a big possum sat on the floor hissing. In a blink of an eye an arrow went flying through the air taking it out.
"Hello dinner!" Daryl jokes.
"I'm not putting that in my bag." Adrianna says with all seriousness before grabbing formula containers behind them.
————————
The ride back to prison was just as quiet as it was on the way out. The sight of the building brought a certain sense of relief to her body, and she relaxed slightly.
Oscar and Axel began banging the gate guiding the walkers down and away from the entrance.
Glenn opened the gate closing it behind the bike as they rolled in.
Bringing the bike to a stop Adrianna and Daryl flew off and ran inside.
"How's she doing?" Adrianna asks handing Hershel her bag.
Beth rocks the baby. "Fine. Just hungry." She says as the baby lets out a babble.
"Do you wanna hold her?" Beth asks Adrianna.
She nods slowly and Beth hands her the baby. Adrianna moves the baby slightly, trying to get her more comfortable.
She begins fussing in hunger.
Daryl brings her a bottle of formula.
She takes the bottle from him, handing it to the baby carefully. "Shhh. Come on. Shhh." Adrianna urged as the baby drank up.
"She got a name yet?" Daryl asks.
"No not yet. I was thinking maybe Sophia, but there's Carol too, Andrea, Amy, Jacqui, Patricia, or Lori. I don't know." Carls names off all of the women they had lost.
Daryl wraps his arm around Adrianna, his other arm going under the baby to help support her.
"You like that? Huh? Little ass kicker." He says and the group giggles. "Right? That's a good name. You like that sweetheart?" He asks the baby.
Adrianna looks up at him. The sight of them parenting the baby filling her heart with such happiness and hope. Something she so dearly needed at the moment.
————————
She excused herself from the group.
Walking outside she took a deep breath of the clear night air. She took a seat on a bleacher, leaning back to look up at the stars.
A sigh escaped her lips and tears threatened to flow.
She was sick of crying. Sick of loosing people good people. Sick of the grief it brought along with it.
Almost silent footsteps made her head snap forwards. Daryl throws his hands up noticing her shaken reaction.
"Didn't mean to startle ya." He says softly.
She doesn't answer so he makes his way to sit next to her. Sitting down with a grunt he grabs Adrianna's hands.
She looks back at the night sky and he joins her.
"I'm so tired." She says breaking the silence. "I'm tired of loosing people." She says again this time her voice cracking.
She drops her head and a sob leaves her lips.
Daryl grabs her pulling her shaking body into his chest. "I know baby, I know." He whispers out as he rubs her back up and down, feeling hopeless. He wanted to help her but didn't know how, but this was enough.
All she wanted was the feeling of Daryl holding her, being there, alive and breathing.
That's all she needed.
He continued to hold her, letting the sobs rack her body. Tears filling his own eyes as he felt the same way she did.
Loss was inevitable in the new world.
Doesn't mean that it wouldn't hurt.
"I love you." She muttered out through her tears. Holding on to Daryl as if he could get snatched up from her at any moment.
YOU ARE READING
Mi Amor ~ Daryl Dixon
AcciónAdrianna Torres has been good friends with Daryl Dixon since they were teenagers. Ever since they met they have been nearly inseparable. When the dead start to walk they struggle with having to come face to face with fear, evil, loss, and betrayal...
