Restless

Chapter 15

Two weeks. Two long weeks have gone by and Dayna had barely seen Daryl. Since she had the afternoon off she was sitting on the front porch of her house enjoying the sun and trying to once again figure out what was going on with him...which apparently was absolutely nothing. Alexandria was almost safe again. Daryl had rounded up a team and they searched and took out any remaining walkers that were inside the walls. Once that was done, the piles of bodies were burned and that horrible time was close to being behind them now.

Dayna looked at the neighborhood around her. If she didn't know any better, this was life before the apocalypse...the turn or when the world went crazy...whatever you wanted to call it, this was like living back then. It was also a living under a false sense of security, because outside their walls this idea of peace ceased to exist. Dayna had learned that under the previous leader, they mistakenly thought they were safe from everything and that was the farthest thing from the truth. Rick brought everyone back to reality.

Dayna liked her job with Denise at the infirmary. Everyone had to carry their weight here and the infirmary was perfect for her. Her strength was all types of nursing. Denise, their doctor, while she had gone to medical school was the least experienced doctor Dayna had ever worked with, but together they made a good team. Denise just needed to keep brushing up on procedures that they may need to perform at some time.

Then there was Daryl. He was rarely around and she never saw him and it frustrated her immensely. She wished she knew him better, to help her understand. Dayna wanted to ask Maggie about him, but even though they were starting to become friends, she didn't want Maggie to think that she was overstepping. Sadly, maybe it was time for her to give up on Daryl. Her head was fighting a battle with her heart and neither knew what to do.

Sitting on the front steps, Dayna leaned back on her elbows tilting her head back to bask in the rays of the afternoon sun. Days were getting cooler as they headed into autumn, so this was a nice day to sit outside and enjoy. Closing her eyes, Dayna could hear the sounds of children laughing and the men working on the wall. Abraham almost had the repair completed much to everyone relief. This was a huge step for the people of Alexandria.

Dayna let her mind wander as the warm sun beat down on her. Unfortunately for her, she continued to think of Daryl over and over again. He was stuck in her head and she couldn't get rid of him. "Bastard," she thought to herself.

"Hey," said a deep voice.

"Speaking of the bastard." She opened her eyes and smiled at him. "Hey stranger," she said more calmly than she felt. "What you been up to?"

"The usual" he told her. A big conversationalist Daryl was not.

"Why don't you join me here," She said patting the step besides her. "I have no idea what 'the usual ' is for you so why don't you explain it to me."

Daryl sat down next to Dayna and laid his crossbow next to him. "Rick hasn't okayed Aaron and me to recruit for more people yet so I've been scoutin', huntin' and taking out walkers that come up to the wall. That's it. What 'bout you?"

"I've been working with Denise in the infirmary. That's been interesting, to say the least. I think I know more than she does, but don't tell anyone. But we haven't been too busy, so I did an inventory of what we have and what we need. Do you happen to know if they have any runs planned?"

"I can check with Glenn, but if not I can do one," he told her. Daryl was doing his best to control his inner demons. He knew he had no business seeking out Dayna and done his damnedest to stay away, but he just couldn't. Weeks later all he could think about was their kiss. He had never experienced anything quite like it before. The emotions it brought to the surface was unlike anything he had ever felt ...and it scared him. He had cared deeply for people and lost them and he didn't want to go through anything like that again. Losing Beth about destroyed him and that was simply loving her like a little sister, he couldn't imagine the pain it would be to lose someone he loved on a deeper level. Dayna had that potential...so therefore, she was off limits or so he was trying to keep her that way.

"I want to go on that run," Dayna said to him. "This way if I see anything that we could potentially use, I can grab it."

"No, I can do it. Just give me a list," Daryl replied firmly. He was not willing to put her into any more danger.

"No, Daryl we can do it together. The list would be the basics of what we need, I would be able to grab other items depending on what I see and you wouldn't be able to do that." Dayna could tell by his expression he didn't like that. "Well tough shit," she thought. "Why don't you want me going? Is it just me or don't you think am capable of handling myself? I thought I proved to you that I could."

Daryl knew he wasn't going to win this argument as he really didn't have a good reason for her not to go. It actually made total sense for Dayna to accompany him, he just didn't want to her around because of the temptation she stirred in him. Daryl knew he had to take her. "I just like to do this shit on my own, but you're right you should come. I know nuthin' about medical stuff."

Dayna didn't totally buy his answer. "Daryl, no one should go on a run by themselves...even you. You're good, but you're not invincible. Someone has to have you back, so I'm going. When do you want to leave?" Once again, he was acting strange, but at least she had gotten him to agree to let her come. Maybe time together would help them figure what was going on between them one way or another.

"We need to figure out where to look first. Where to go that hasn't been picked through yet. Do you have any ideas?" He asked her. Daryl was purposely trying not to look at Dayna, but it was hard. She looked so pretty and relaxed sitting there in a sun with her head tilted back, that it took everything in him not to lean over and kiss her. Even if he did he figured he'd screw that up somehow.

"Okay, let's think about this," Dayna said sitting up from her reclined position. She looked over at Daryl, forcing him to turn his head towards her. "Hospitals and clinics are either picked clean or too dangerous. Right?"

Daryl nodded in agreement.

Dayna thought for a moment. "Doctor's offices are a maybe or a small town pharmacy? Where else have you gotten supplies from all these months?"

"Any place we found them." Daryl thought for a second and remembered when Hershel sent them to that vet school. "What about vet offices? We went to a vet school and made out big once."

Dayna's eyes lit up. "A veterinary office is a good idea! They use many of the same drugs that humans do. Do you think anyone has an old phone book so I could look some up?"

"I'd check with Glenn. I think he does to help with the supply runs. I saw him talking to Rick earlier."

"I'm going to go find Glenn and research where to go. I'll ask his advice too. Do you want to do this tomorrow?" Dayna was anxious to get this going. Having more medical supplies on hand would make her feel more comfortable. The time away with Daryl was a bonus she had no plans on putting off.

The sooner the better.

"We could go tomorrow if you figure out where we need to look. Bring a pack with food, water and anything else in case we get stuck out overnight. I also want you to carry a gun this time. We can hit up the armory before we leave. 'kay?" Now that Daryl had agreed to let her come with him, he was looking forward to it. He just had to keep reminding himself to keep everything on a strictly friendly basis.

"That sounds good. I'm going to track down Glenn and figure out a plan for us. If anything changes, I'll find you otherwise I'll see you in the morning. Thanks, Daryl!" Dayna gave him a quick hug and skipped down the steps to find Glenn.

Daryl watched her run into the house next door in search of a phone book and hopefully a map. He forgot to remind her to get one. Her excitement was contagious as a small smile appeared on his normally serious face. He hadn't been far beyond the walls in a while and he was looking forward to the freedom that came with it. His bike, the open road, and a pretty girl...nothing got better than that.