DARLIN' | d. dixon ✓

VIII. BREATHING IS HARD

ლ

TW: mention of a nonconsensual
situation at the italics

REMMI FOUND HERSELF BEING pulled away from the edge and thrown onto the ground. The tiny rocks made small holes in her shirt.

"Damn puta, what the hell are you doing?!" Manuel asked her.

"Hey, back off a bit!" Miguel fought, pushing him away and telling him to cool off. "Are you alright doc?" He asked the young woman, taking the tape off of her mouth and the rope off her hands.

"Fine," She coughed, "Just fine."

When Remmi volunteered to go on the "mission", she never expected this. Nor did she want this. She didn't want a lot of things in her life, but she had been forced to do them. She thought that that was life. Where you might not want to do things, but you had to do them anyway.

It was Christmas. Remmi was in King's County with Andrew and Ellie. Matt was still in her belly and her other little baby wasn't even thought of yet.

It was Remmi and Andrew's first Christmas without their parents. It was also Remmi and Derek's first Christmas together.

It was Christmas Eve. They where each unwrapping one present. Something small. A stocking stuffer if you will.

Remmi and Derek had gotten matching pajama's to which they changed into immediately after opening. Andrew got a deck of cards and Ellie opened a new necklace that read 'Mom' with a small heart.

At last they all went to bed. Remmi was tired. The drive from Atlanta was over three hours long and she didn't like it. Not one bit. She wasn't really a car person. She preferred plane if it was at all possible.

It wasn't until Derek got into bed with her she saw his true side. He wanted something that she did not want to give him. She was tired, she had a long day. Any other time she would've been up for it and that's what she told him. But he wouldn't listen.

Once he finished, Remmi turned over and had tears streaming from her eyes. She wanted to change. To shower. She felt dirty. And Derek had made her feel that way.

Remmi shook her head of the memory of Christmas Eve. It was one of the worst Christmas' her and Derek had. She remembered thinking that she was saving herself for marriage and Derek took that from her.

"Come on doc, let's get you inside. Your arm's bleeding," Miguel told the woman as he held a hand out for her to grab. Remmi grabbed it and lifted herself up, following the older gentleman inside.

ლ

Remmi just sat in the corner as she waited for what seemed like hours. But in reality it was only about a half hour. It was when she heard someone who was struggling to breathe. Out of instinct she took her hand to her side, remembering she didn't have her lab coat with her stethoscope. But her bag did.

She quickly ran towards the bag and grabbed the stethoscope. Out in the front room was a man who, very clearly, couldn't breathe.

"Hello sir, my name is Dr. Tyler," She told the man in the wheelchair. "Can you nod for me?" She asked him. The man proceeded to nod. "What's your name?" She asked him.

"A-Alex," He coughed out.

Remmi put her stethoscope onto his heart, finding that it was beating rapidly. She had figured out in .2 seconds that Alex was having an asthma attack. Remmi squat down and began to show him how to take a deep breathe and then proceed to let it out.

The two did them both together before he finally calmed his breathing down. She put her stethoscope to his heart and his back, asking him to take deep breathes once again.

Far off, out of the woman's view, stood her group member's.

"What the hell is she doin'?" Daryl grunted.

"She was a doctor dumbass," Glenn laughed. Daryl just rolled his eyes and leaned against the door frame, wanting to get out of that place as soon as he could.

When Remmi finally saw her group, she went over to them.

"He has an asthma attack," She explained as she put her stethoscope around her neck. Something she had done more times than one.

To Remmi, it was a good day. With a slight oops in between, it was a good day. One she hadn't had in a while since the world had basically ended.

When it was time to go, Remmi told Miguel to keep an eye on Alex and then finally said goodbye to her new found friend, hoping that they might meet again.

Daryl just watched her. Not in a creepy way, but he watched how friendly she was. How caring she was towards people she knew for a total of two hours.

He didn't like it. He didn't like it one bit.

*published

AUTHOR'S NOTE

yes you did daryl, don't even.

anyways, I'm actually really happy with this chapter. I had to rewrite it so many times but I finally did it.

I don't remember if I mentioned that Andrew gave Ellie a stethoscope he found, but that happened if I didn't put it in there.

have a good day!