Remember Me (Daryl Dixon)

Chapter Thirty-Four: Forgiveness

When I arrived at the prison, the look on Daryl and Rick's face said it all.
When they saw me hobbling down the small road leading to this place I call home, they sprung into action rather quickly. You could see how badly I was injured from a mile away. They shot the walkers that were approaching me since they knew I couldn't defend myself. I was too hurt physically as well as emotionally.

I was able to slow my bleeding down, but I had still lost a lot of blood. But I had made it this far, I had to keep going. I was almost like a zombie myself as they opened the gates to let me in. I felt nothing. I felt absolutely nothing at all. I had just witnessed something I never wanted to see again.

After Lori, I never wanted to watch someone die in front of my very eyes. This time was different. This time it was completely my fault. I came up with the plan. Merle's blood was on my hands as well as The Governor's.

Rick's eyes grew wide as he looked at the knife sticking out of me. Daryl's eyes moved to the bruises and blood on my face. My eye was completely blackened. And you could see the tears still flowing from my eyes as I remembered everything.

Rick's eyes filled with anger. "Merle did this to you?"
I shook my head slowly, staring at the ground. Merle would never do this. I knew now that he wasn't some horrible person. He knew he was going to die when he went into that building. He knew it all along.

"Michonne told us you went with him. I'll kill him. Where is he now?" Rick demanded. "Where is that son of a bitch?"

"Dead," I whispered with tears flooding my face again. Daryl's head cocked up to my face when I spoke. I knew that his heart was breaking, mine was too. My heart was shattered into a million pieces.

"You kill him?" Daryl asked as anger grew inside of him too. I didn't answer him, I continued staring at the ground. Daryl grew angry as he grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me, "did you kill my brother?"

He was yelling now as he grabbed my face and forced me to look at him. "Daryl," Rick said aloud as he watched him shake me.

"What did you do?" Daryl yelled at me. "What the fuck did you do?"
Daryl accidently brushed against the knife in my side and I yelled out in pain. Blood began pouring again as it did when I was first stabbed. I needed to find my father.

"I need my dad," I forced out through painful cries. Daryl shook his head at me, "you ain't going nowhere until you tell me what you did."

Blood began dripping on the ground as I got dizzy. I wanted to tell him, but I couldn't. My voice was pulled away from me as darkness took over.
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When I opened my eyes, my entire body was aching. The pain in my side wasn't as bad, but it still hurt like a bitch. My ribs ached with it. And I couldn't even open my eye anymore with how bad it hurt. I wanted to cry, but I didn't have the strength to anymore.

Crying wouldn't bring Merle back. It wouldn't bring anybody back. All crying would do was make me miss them more. I sighed as I looked over to my right to see Daryl sitting in a chair. I almost jumped with how shocked I was.

Has he been here this entire time? He was already looking at me when I looked over at him. I had never gotten to explain what had happened. I figured he still thought I had murdered his brother and his brother had done this to me. That wasn't the case at all, and he needed to know that.

"I didn't do it," I forced out with emotion wanting to take over. "I didn't kill him."

Daryl watched me for a moment before he nodded, "I know."

His eyes told me that he had been crying recently. Did Daryl Dixon even cry? I guess even the toughest of us are easily broken sometimes.

"I saw The Governor's men around the farm house and I knew," he spoke out as he looked down at me. I began crying as he spoke. Apparently I did have the strength to work up a few good tears for him. I could tell that Daryl was hurting just as much as I was.

"I tried to save him," I choked out as I covered my eyes with my hands. "I tried so hard. We both tried so hard."

Daryl began shushing me as he leaned into my bed and hovered over me. He forced my hands away from my eyes as I continued sobbing. "This ain't your fault. We're gonna get him," he assured me as he continued looking down at me. "You ain't gotta feel guilty."

But I did. I felt completely guilty. I felt like the entire thing was all my fault. Merle didn't deserve to go out like that, none of us did. He was a good man despite his flaws. He cared about Daryl just as much as I did, if not more. He did it all for him.

Daryl continued looking down at me before we both heard someone clear their throat at the door. Daryl quickly moved away from me to reveal it was my father standing there. Daryl nodded at me once before making his way to the door. My father stopped him on his way out. Oh no. Not here, daddy. Don't make a scene now.

"Thank you for staying here with her," my father noted as he offered Daryl a smile. Daryl just grunted before walking out of the room. That was very typical of him.

My father smiled at me as he took the seat Daryl was recently in. His kind smile warmed my heart. I thought I would never see him again at one point. Despite his words to me about Daryl, I loved him more than ever.

"A real man can admit when he is wrong," my father said with a nod. He seemed to linger on his words for a moment. "I was wrong about that boy. I was wrong for what I said to you, Elizabeth. I took my frustrations out on you. I apologize."

"It's fine, daddy," I said with a small smile. Even though I had just woken up, I felt pretty tired. My throat was awfully dry as well.

"It's not and you know it's not. Daryl is a fine man, Elizabeth. He is a good man," my father declared as he motioned towards the door. "I have never seen that man cry before. Did you know he cried for you? I heard him in here..back when you got bit."

Daryl cried for me? Why was I not informed of this sooner?

"He cares for you. And if he cares for you, I care for him deeply. This is the second time he has carried you in here thinking you would die. He came in here with the same fear in his eyes each time. The fear of losing the one he loves," my father continued.

This was amazing. I knew that my father would take back his harsh words eventually, I was just glad it was now. I loved Daryl with every inch of my being. Each time I almost lost my life, he was the last thing I thought of. That alone told me how much I truly loved him.

"You get some rest now. You're gonna be just fine," my father said as he stood up. He planted a small kiss on my forehead, "I love you."

"I love you too," I replied as I smiled at the feeling of his beard on my head. With that, he wobbled out of the room.

I had never felt such joy in my heart. Though I had lost someone, I had gained some happiness. I knew that the vision of Merle laying there would haunt me just as Lori did. I knew I would see him in my dreams just as I saw her.

I rolled over in my bed and stared at the blank wall on the side. My side ached with each movement, but I tried to ignore it. The one thing I couldn't ignore was the fact that Daryl never apologized for his words.