My Damaged Protector

Chapter Four ~ Blown Up

I woke up wrapped in blankets and on the couch in the CDC room I chose. My eyes cracked open to see blue ones looking up at me from the floor. "Hi." I whispered in a greeting. Daryl smiled back but didn't say anything. The room was dark aside from the small lamp that was switched on in the corner, giving just enough light to see the room. "Is there food yet?" My mind went to breakfast and how the rest of the group would be handling their hangovers.

Daryl nodded. "Yeah there is, but ya should take a shower first. Everyone's already taken theirs." Daryl shook his head, flinging little droplets onto my face, making me squeal with a laugh as I put my hands out to protect myself. I then went to untangling myself from the blanket around me in order to grab a change of clothes from my bag.

My feet carried me to the door of the bathroom inside the room we were in and I gently shut it behind me. My change of clothes sat on the lid of the toilet as I look the chance to look at myself in the mirror. The woman looking back at me had messy brown hair and an even messier face. Slightly red eyes, dark circles under the brown from lack of sleep over the last few weeks. Turning the water on to warm, I stripped off my dirty clothes and got under the water, taking care to wash away all the dirt and grime from my skin and my hair.

Once I finished up, I wrapped a towel around my body and dug through the drawers in the cabinet to find a new hairbrush. I ran it through my now soft hair and left it to air dry while I got dressed and ate. My new clothes went on and I stepped out to find the room empty.

Daryl had scrawled out a quick little note saying he was going into the kitchen area where we ate last night so I pulled my boots on and headed into the main part of the CDC. Daryl sat a few spaces away from Shane and quickly waved me over to the chair next to him that had a plate of eggs in front of it.

"Protein. Helps with hangovers." T-Dog served them to Glenn who was holding his head and a small bottle of pills.

I leaned over to Daryl as I stuck a forkful of eggs into my mouth. "Where did all the meds come from?"

"Jenner." He simply replied, eating his breakfast.

"Don't ever, ever, ever let me drink again." Glenn groaned to us, tightening his hold on his head, making a few of us chuckle at him.

"What the hell happened to you? Your neck?" T asked Shane, pointing his spatula at his skin.

"Must 'of done it in my sleep." Shane said, rubbing his hand over the spot.

Rick told him as he sat at the table with us. "Never seen you do that before."

"Me either." Shane said, looking between Daryl and me. I quickly sank back into my chair, thankful that Daryl leaned forward ever so slightly to block me from Shane's eyes. A round of silence fills the room and it feels as if everyone's eyes are on me so I quickly stand up, grab my plate, and head back to the room I had claimed as mine.

I had easily sat in that room for a few hours by the time I tossed out the paper plate and decided to re-join my group in the main room. Elena had crossed my mind a few times as I sat in the room, but I knew she was making friends with Sophia and Carl with either Carol or Dale watching her, so I wasn't overly worried.

"What did I miss?" I asked as I approached Daryl who was softly talking with my little sister in the main work room. Desks with now useless computers sat in the room with a large screen on the far wall. Elena dropped her conversation with Daryl and nearly sprinted over to me, jumping into my waiting arms and wrapping me in a tight hug.

Rick burst into the room before I could get an answer from Daryl, a very angry looking Shane, Glenn, and T-Dog behind him. "Rick?" Lori questioned her husband, pulling her child closer to her body as some sort of protection.