Your Crying Shoulder

2 Days

Daryl's pov

Today was probably the worst one we've had since shit hit the fan. Lori died giving birth to a girl, which sent Rick on some sorta rampage as he stormed into the tombs. None of us have seen him since. We had lost a lot and it didn't even seem real anymore. No one was talking to eachother except when need be. Hell even chinaman started taking charge. Sitting on the staircase, I look at one half of the best friend necklace in my hand. T was dead. Sure he may have got on my nerves, but I got over it for her. Placing the necklace back in my pocket and pulling out the small bracelet still made my breathing hitch. The bracelet she never took off and was now taunting me that I wasn't there to protect her. She was probably terrified, she had to watch her best friend die infront of her. T probably told her to run too, but Mae is stoo stubborn, she would've tried to save him. In all honesty I was going just about as crazy as Rick was, but I was keeping it inside. As much as I wanted to scream, get mad, and become insane...I couldn't. I saw her everywhere. I even saw her when we went on the run to get little asskicker some food. I felt myself hardening again, building that wall back up that only Mae brought down. This time it was growing higher though and I don't think anyone or anything could destroy it. The thing that was really bothering me was we had no body. We never found Mae. Didn't even try to look. She deserved to be buried, have a proper funeral. My head snapped up from the bracelet when someone cleared their throat above me. There stood carol with a bowl of food handed out for me. I scowled at her and shook my head before looking back down and playing with the small bracelet in my hand.

"Daryl you have to eat" she sighed.

I grunted,"eat it yourself, I ain't hungry"

"It's been two days, she wouldn't want you like this" she whispered.

Growing increasingly more annoyed, I placed the bracelet back in my pocket, gabbed my crossbow and tried to walk away only to be stopped by an arm. I turned back and looked at the woman dangerously as her eyes widened a bit. Good.... she should be scared of me.

"You can't pull away again..you can have time to mourn but don't pull away" she said.

I just glared at her as she continued,"we all are mourning, some more than others, but we need to move on, continue to fight...it's what they would want."

I shook my head and turned to leave when she stopped me again, "Georgie hasn't left her cell in 2 days"

I gripped my crossbow tighter. I hadn't thought about her since everything happened.

"I've left her bowls of food to eat and she won't. I don't even think she's slept...she just sits up in her bed and stares at the wall" she said worriedly.

My breathing picked up a bit, but I quickly pushed it away before sayin,"So? Ain't my problem"

I heard carol chuckle," so this is what it's come back to huh? The hardass daryl dixon from the beginning is back? What happened to the new you we've seen these past few months?"

I turned to her and glared,"he died right beside her"

"But he doesn't have to! You still have family daryl! All of us here care about you! We need you, but none of that matters because who needs you the most is that little girl. Mae was like a mother to her and I know you don't want to hear it, but even though you picked on her and swear she was a bother, she looks to you as a father! Think about that." She said before storming away.

My body froze as I watched her go. I never thought about the kind of relationship I had with Georgie. I mean sure she and Mae were close, so I guess that made me close with her? Also the weird feeling I get whenever I don't know where she is or whenever she and Carl are getting too close....Dammit! Shaking my head, I stormed out of the cell block out to the field where I saw Glenn, oscar, and axel digging the graves. 2 graves were dug and had the cross already in the ground. I heard the men stop digging and look at me. Ignoring them I let my eyes find the cross with T's name on it and grabbed the necklace from my pocket. A breeze blew against me as I clenched it in my hands once more before placing it on the cross. Watching it sway in the breeze my eyes went to the cross next to it....Mae. I flinched at just the sight of it and felt like I couldn't breathe. Shaking my head, I turned and stormed out of there as quick as I could. Finally making it to the cell block I saw the others in the cafeteria. Everyone was there except Georgie. Feeling eyes on me, I turned and saw carol starring intently. Kinda like how a mom would her kid if they did something wrong. Sighing, I shook my head and grabbed a bowl of meat before heading up the stairs not looking back knowing she'd probably have some smart ass smile on her face. Setting my crossbow down on the perch, I quickly walked past Mae's cell refusing to look in it until I came to Georgie's. Leaning against the doorway I saw her still in the same clothes she was in when Mae died, her blonde hair stringy and a mess. She looked pale as a ghost as she starred at the wall infront of her. Sitting next to the bed was the food carol said she brought, that was still untouched.

"Hey" I said watching her small frame slightly flinch from my voice,"carol says you ain't eatin"

"I'm not hungry" she whispered.

"Been two days...that's bull shit" I said and began to walk into her cell.

She said nothing as I got closer, I nudged her with my arm as I held out the bowl of meat. She didn't budge. Didn't even look at it. I nudged her again,

"C'mon take it"

The turned her head slightly causing me to sigh and sit on the bed next to her. I didn't realize things were this bad with her.

"I get it you know...how hard this is, but you can't pull away" I whispered.

"You mean like you have?" She asked turning to look at me for the first time.

I noticed the huge bags under her bloodshot eyes. Her face seeming to turn to bone, she about looked like a living walker. Shaking my head I sighed,

"This ain't about me. You ain't sleepin...you pretty much look dead"

"Wish I was" she mumbled.

Setting the food down next to me I said,"alright that's it" and got up bending down to her eye level making her look at me,

"Don't even dare start talkin like that. You really think Mae would want that?"

"She's not here, she never will be again don't you get that!" She yelled as tears started to fall down her cheeks.

"Yea I get that! I think about that every moment of every day! I see her everywhere! In her last moments I wasn't there to protect her like I should've been! Do you know how at feels?! But you don't see me sitting around waistin away!" I yelled.

She just dropped her head to the ground as I grabbed her chin and forced her to look at me,

"We ain't quitters and you just don't get to come in someone's life, make em care, and then just check out."

"But I thought you..." She whimpered as her eyes widened.

I shook my head and reached into my pocket pulling out the bracelet. I grabbed her small hand and placed it in it. Retracting my hands from hers, I stood up and watched as she opened her hand to see the bracelet she made for Mae. her eyes widened as she clenched it in her small hand, before looking up at me. I saw a hint of that little girl we knew before still there and the bracelet seemed to bring her some closure. Nodding at the bowl next to her I said,

"Eat."

She nodded and picked up the bowl starting to chomp down the food. Starting to walk out of her cell she said,

"Daryl wait."

Turning back to her she smiled lightly,"you need to eat too" and offered her bowl.

I shook my head, "nah I'll get my own" and started to turn away.

"Will you come back?" She asked.

Turning back to her, I saw how desperate and alone she looked. I plucked nervously at my finger tips before looking back at her,

"yea...I will"

She smiled and nodded as she went back to eating. Running a hand through my hair, I sighed and then noticed someone down the hall. Mae was standing there smiling at me proudly. My heart pounded loudly and I started to shake. Quickly looking away, I shook my head and looked back up. The hallucination was gone. I wonder if Rick Is going through the same thing?