cassette tapes |d. dixon| [1]

8

"Day 50. I've been in bed all day. My father punished me last night from sneaking off with Lori to go find Rick. I couldn't move from my bed, my ribs were aching and I didn't have the energy to clean the blood from my nose and lip."

"RICK, GLENN, AND HERSHEL came back with a guest. His name is Randall. Apparently, him and his group were shooting at the men after a conflict with a few of their group members. Randall jumped from a roof and got his leg impaled on a fence. Rick ripped his leg off of it but it needed surgery, hence why he was brought here."

It was about midday when the door to Caroline's room opened. Daryl walked in with a small bowl of water, a wash cloth, and bandages.

Caroline winced as she slowly sat up against the headrest, "What are you doing here?" She asked as he sat on the bed.

"We have a meeting in a few minutes." Daryl stated, dipping the cloth in the water and began cleaning her face.

"About what?" Caroline questioned, pulling back from the cloth and Daryl narrowed his eyes at her,

"Rick brought back a man from another group. Shot 'em up in a bar. We're discussin' what to do with 'im." Daryl grunted, grabbing her jaw and bringing her closer.

Caroline stared into his bright blue eyes while his were focused on her lips, gently wiping the cut, "Can ya breathe alrigh'?" He asked, avoiding eye contact,

She nodded and he had a look of doubt on his face, "Take a deep breath."

"What?"

"Ya heard me. If yer ribs are fine, take a deep breath." Daryl responded and Caroline looked at him nervously.

The blonde sat up a bit straighter, wincing as she did, and attempted to take a deep breath. She whimpered in pain and Daryl sighed before helping her stand, "Lift up yer shirt."

"Excuse me?"

"Yer ribs are probably broken or bruised. I need you to lift up yer shirt so I can wrap 'em." He glared.

"I admit I was scared. He's already seen me half-naked, but seeing another in a weak state is as intimate as you could get with another person, in my opinion."

Caroline nodded nervously be lifting her t-shirt up, revealing her black and blue skin. She saw how Daryl tensed up and her cheeks turned pink. They must be a lot worse than she thought.

He began to wrap her torso in bandages and she winced at the pressure, "These will help."

The blonde nodded before she noticed the scabs on his knuckles, "I'd hate to see the other guy." Daryl paused for a moment, glancing at his hand before continuing to wrap her ribs, "You should wrap them, so they don't get infected."

He grunted, taping the wrap before backing away and cleaning up. Caroline swallowed nervously before stepping forward and grabbing his hand, making him stop what he was doing.

"To be honest, I didn't know how he would react. Daryl seemed like a loner, not wanting to interact. But... he helped me, numerous times. I just wanted to even the score a little."

The blonde went over to her drawer and grabbed some ointment before walking back over. She made him sit down on her bed before putting a small amount of the cream on her finger and rubbing it into the cuts, "This might sting a little."

Daryl grunted again and didn't show any sign of discomfort, besides the physical contact. Once the ointment was rubbed in, Caroline grabbed a bandage and wrapped his knuckles,

"Why you doin' this?" Daryl asked once she finished,

"I'm just returnin' the favor." She smiled before there was a knock on the door,

"Care? We're all gatherin' up in the sittin' room." Maggie said through the door,

"I'll be there in a sec." Caroline responded coldly and Maggie's footsteps retreated. 

"Looking back at it now, it was childish of me to be cold towards Maggie. She was right, my daddy was a monster."

Daryl stood from the bed and their chests were pressed together. Caroline avoided eye contact and stepped away before grabbing the bowl and bandages, "You better head down there."

He opened the door, "You comin'?"

She nodded, "Yeah, I'll be there in a minute. You go ahead." Once he was out of view, Caroline sat down and put her head into her hands, "Oh gosh."