Daryl's Angel (Book One in the Apocalypse Angel Trilogy)

Chapter 26: Reading and Secrets

I wake up the next morning to find that I had fallen asleep next to Daryl. I ease myself up, careful not to wake him. He looks so peaceful when he sleeps, and I don't want to disturb the moment of peace.

I exit the room and go into the kitchen, where there is a bowl of fruit and some muffins on the counter. I glance outside, where a few people meander around camp in the brisk early morning air. I grab two muffins and two apples before I head back to the bedroom.

As I sit on the edge of the bed, Daryl coughs and wakes up. He rubs his eyes before looking at me. He smiles.

"Mornin' beautiful," he says sleepily. I blush.

"Hey. I brought you breakfast," I say, handing him the muffin and apple. He takes it gratefully. "If you're feeling better, we can move you outside to our tent today. You could get some sun. Hershel said you need a few days of bed rest."

"I wanna keep lookin' for Sophia. We've gotta lead now," he says.

"Hershel doesn't want you moving around too much, and frankly, I would love it if you stayed around camp and rested up. I need someone to keep me company anyways." I kiss his forehead. "You've been working so hard already."

We keep eating in silence, and I finish my apple first.

There's a soft knock at the door, and I open it. Hershel smiles, his hands folded together in front of him.

"Morning Hope. I trust you're doing well," he says.

"Yeah. I am." I smile.

"Your stitches should be ok to take out. I can do that now, if you'd like."

I grit my teeth, cringing at the idea of this. "Yeah. Better now than never."

I poke my head into the room. "Daryl? I've got to get my stitches out."

He frowns. "You need moral support?"

I smile. "I'm fine. Just don't flip if you hear me screaming."

Before he can reply, I head to the guest bedroom with Hershel. I sit down, lifting my shirt a little. He works quickly, and a few very painful minutes later, I'm all good.

"Just keep that smaller bandage on it for a bit. Let it get used to being healed," he advises.

I blink away the tears of pain that almost spilled. "Yeah. Thanks."

He pats my shoulder and leaves. I get up and head back to the bedroom.

"I didn't hear screamin'," Daryl comments when I return. "Pretty tough of ya."

I smirk. "I'm flattered. Now, let's go get some fresh air. You still dizzy?"

"Eh, I'll be fine." He shrugs.

He sits up and I hand him one of his shirts. He puts it on, not bothering to button it up. I keep him steady as he stands up. Together, we walk outside to our tent. We go inside, and I unzip all the windows so it's airy and bright inside.

He lies down on his cot. He looks around before grabbing one of his arrows and fiddling with it.

I lay on my cot, enjoying the warm air and sunshine. My side aches less and less as the minutes tick by, and I sigh happily.

"Hey," Andrea says, walking into our tent. "It's not that great, but..." She hands Daryl a book. He opens it, flipping through the pages.

"What? No pictures?" he asks. I smirk.

"I'm so sorry. I feel like shit," she says.

"Yeah. You and me both," he replies, shifting his pillow.