Healing Broken Wings [Daryl Dixon] The Walking Dead

Nine| Dean Williams

🌱Kristina🌱

I sit in the R.V. with Andrea, the others are out searching for Sophia one last time before we head for Hershel's farm. "Do you think Sophia's okay?" I ask and Andrea looks up from cleaning her gun. "There was a time when I doubted that she was still alive but, Daryl helped ease my mind."

"How so?" I ask, careful to keep emotion out of my voice. "He told me a story, about how he was lost in the woods for nine days and survived on berries and used poison oak as toilet paper. Found his way back and went to the kitchen to make a sandwich," she says with a smile like there's a joke that I'm missing.

I sit up and stare at her, she must have seen something in my eyes, cause she glanced at me in concern. "Kris, what is it?"

"He--he told you a story about his past?"

"Yeah, why?" I fall back in my seat, feeling warm and cold at the same time. I shake my head in disbelief. "Sweetheart, what is it?"

"When we first met, I told him almost everything about me. I'm shy, no self-confidence, I love reading, I loved drama in high school, I was interested in becoming a doctor, I shared the most precious moments of my life before this hell became my new reality. He never shared anything with me. All I know is that he's temperamental, easily angered, knows how to hunt, track, and very good with a crossbow, I know so little about him and the things I do know are all trivial."

I speak quickly my temper rising. "He barely knows you and he shared a part of his past with you?!"

"Kris, I'm sure it means nothing. I'm sorry, I didn't think you'd react like this." If we were still talking I might feel a little hurt but now I'm just feeling pissed. "It means everything! He trusts you more than he trusts me."

"No, Kristina, Daryl trusts you with his life."

"But not with his heart," I whisper and Andrea's eyes widened. "Wait, did you two-- when we were at the CDC?" I stare at her when I realize what I just did. "Is that why you guys have been icing each other out?"

"No!" I shake my head angrily, tears coming to my eyes. Ever since CDC, I can't seem to keep my tears at bay. "He's icing me out! He's acting like we're meeting for the first time, he keeps that neutral face and that devoid tone, I - I just...." My ranting dissolves into crying.

Andrea gets up and sits next to me in seconds, grabbing my hand to give comfort. "I....I don't know what went wrong. What did I do?"

"Honey, you didn't do anything, this is all him. Okay, don't blame yourself."

"I.....I feel like I've been abandoned. Someone I care so much about was there and then gone in seconds like he was never really here. How could we go from being friends to strangers? Why, does he hate me?"

"Oh, Kristina, I'm so sorry," she says pulling me into a hug and I sob into her shoulder.

🌼Carol🌼

My foot is still raised, ready to step into the R.V. I listen to Kristina unburdening herself and my heart goes out to her. I step back and think it over. I'll talk to Daryl when he gets back. I feel so bad for Kris, she feels so alone, the one constant that she had since the world ended suddenly decide to turn his back on her.

Instead of talking to Daryl right away, I decided to wait until we get to the farm. I sit in the R.V. with Kris, talking to her a little. We finally reach the farm. Once we're parked I hop out with everyone else. Daryl is parked the farthest away from the other cars. I walk up to him, he's fiddling with his crossbow.

"Daryl, why are you treating Kristina so coldly? Do you have any idea what she's going through?"

"She's not my problem," he says and I stare at him. "She thinks you abandoned her." I take note of his shoulders stiffening. "She feels like she's done something wrong and that you hate her."