Cherokee Roses {Daryl Dixon's Daughter}

f i f t y o n e

Dad gives us a brief rundown before being pulled aside by Rick to figure out all the details and how we should go about getting her back. As of right now, he tells Carl and I to get some rest, saying that we'll need it. I want to object but something tells me that I shouldn't. 

We head to the office once more. It doesn't take long for sleep to overcome me and I find myself dreaming of when I was younger. 

"Cherokee!" Daryl called throughout the house. 

Grandpa Will wasn't there and neither was Merle. Cherokee's seven year old self came bounding through the living room into the kitchen where a single plate rests on the table. 

"Time for dinner little rose." He says pulling the chair out for her and scooting it back in. 

"Where's your dinner daddy?" She asked noticing only one plate with some corn dog nuggets and green beans. 

"I uh, had a big lunch." He says stuttering. "Still full."

Yet in reality, he barely had lunch that day. Only half of a bologna  sandwich. He wouldn't tell her that though. The lack of income in the household wasn't something that a seven year old needed to know about. He'd give her the world if he could, but now he had to settle for as normal of a childhood as he could manage to provide. 

"But daddy!" She protested going to give her father some green beans and half of her corn dogs. "We always eat together."

"Well, we're together aren't we?"  Daryl responded patting her shoulder. "And you're eating. Besides, you little Rose are still growing. You need all the food you can get so you can grow into a big and strong flower."

"Silly daddy," She giggled. "Flowers aren't strong, they're delicate!"

"Well, maybe they didn't listen to their daddy and eat their vegetables." Daryl responded raising an eyebrow. "Eat up."

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of Ax hitting wood. Sasha was destroying the pews while Dad and Tyreese took apart the organ. They were fortifying the church. 

No more mishaps I suppose.

"Morning Cheri." Dad said patting my back lightly. 

"You guys didn't wake me up." I say confused. 

"Rick told me what happened." He says slowly before pausing. "I figured you needed it."

"I'm fine." I say shaking my head. "You're back now."

"It's okay to not be fine ya know." He tells me sticking another Organ pipe into the ground.

"Says Mister brooding I have one and a half emotions called brooding and should probably eat." I say crossing my arms and raising an eyebrow. "Seriously, I don't remember the last time I heard your laugh."

"I have more than one emotion." He says shaking his head. "And what do you mean, I laugh at your bad jokes all the time."

"Your real laugh daddy." I emphasize. "I'm talking belly aching, snorting milk through your nose laugh." 

"That was one time and I'm pretty sure this conversation was about you." He murmurs and I sigh. "Listen, all I'm saying is you don't have to put on a brave face all the time. We've been through a lot lately."

I know he's alluding to what happened on the road before terminus, what happened at terminus, and what's happened in the past 48 hours.

"When I took off the brave face, I blew up at Elisa."