Lottie

Healing

Upon reaching the house, Daryl carried Lottie through the door to a house of chaos.

"Hershel she's here!" Lori shouted running with a bag

"Dad! Dad where's she going" Maggie shouted

"In here!" Hershel appeared at a door to the left of Daryl "Daryl put her on the bed here, I'll check her over and tend to any injuries"

Daryl did so, laying her limp body on the mattress of the wooden bed. He stood watching over her for a moment.

"Daryl I'll need you to leave the room, me and Maggie can cope on our own, wait with the others in the living room." Hershel said calmly.

He stepped slowly out of the room, shutting the door behind him. He sat next to Rick on a small couch by the window. For a few moments the room was silent.

"Why do you care so much about her Daryl" A tall man with a shaved head said from the couch in front of him.

"Shane." Rick said in a warning tone.

"Nah Rick, I'm interested, we've got another mouth to feed now, means Carl don't get as much, she's in there using our medical resources" Shane said leaning forward and resting his arms on his legs.

Daryl looked Shane in the eye "That girl saved Carl's life, who knows what those men would've done to him. That girl warned us about these men and lured them away from here"

"And you killed them anyway"

Daryl stood up in anger, Rick jumped in front of him holding him back "That's on me Shane, he pulled a gun on me and I shot first, the other men pointed at us and we all shot"

Shane stood too, to face Daryl "She won't be staying"

"That's not for you to decide" Daryl raised his voice "I sure as hell ain't letting her go back out there on her own!"

"Fine, you can go with her then"

"She's not going anywhere" Lori demanded. "That girl saved all of us, you didn't see what they did to her Shane. So all of you sit down, now."

The three of them sat back in their places, they waited and waited. Listening to the unintelligible mumbles from Hershel and Maggie in the other room.

Eventually, Hershel opened the door and him and Maggie left the room.

"She'll be fine," Hershel said as a few people sighed with relief "She's very weak, hungry, dehydrated. She didn't need any stitches which surprised us, no internal injuries, no broken bones. We've cleaned the cuts on her face, all the blood is gone and she's wearing some of Maggie clothes while we fix and clean hers"

"Thank you Hershel," Said Rick "Is she awake? When can we talk to her?"

"She is somewhat awake," Hershel said looking back at the door "She remembers you, Daryl and the three women who helped her, I suggest you be the first people to talk to her" Hershel walked away into the kitchen to talk to Maggie.

"Daryl you go in there first" Rick said

"Why me?"

"You're the one who cut her down from the tree and carried her up here, go and talk to her" Lori calmly said.

Daryl stood, took a breath and walked into the room quietly and shut the door behind him.

Lottie lay motionless, weak and tired. Her head propped up on a pillow with a blanket over her to keep her warm.

Daryl sat on a small wooden chair next to the bed, he watched over her. Her eyes were shut, Daryl was just realising just how skinny she actually was. Not quite skin and bone but as if she hadn't had food for a couple weeks.

Her long blonde hair fell past her shoulders, she opened her eyes. Blue eyes, that seemed to sparkle from the light in the window.

Daryl sat up uncomfortably "H-Hi"

Lottie smiled weakly "Hi"

"How're you feeling?" Daryl asked gently

"Tired" She suddenly realised where she was and sat up with a small cry of pain "The little boy! Where is he? Is he okay?"

Daryl held her up by her back "He's fine, he's called Carl, he got here and warned us that's how we found you" He smiled "Come on lie down, you need rest"

She lay back down "My names Lottie"

"Daryl" He said as she smiled at him

"Maggie said you're the one who carried me up here"

Daryl didn't know how to reply so he just nodded slightly.

"Thank you," she said quietly "Hershel told me it was you who convinced the others to come and look for me, those men, they would have killed me"

"You could of left Carl, could of sold us out, but you lured them away from us. I..we couldn't leave you to die, and then we saw what they'd done to you"

A tear trickled down her face "They've done much worse to others"

"How old are you?" Daryl said knowing he'd have to get some information for Rick.

"Eighteen, I kept count, it was in April, I think it's June?" She said looking confused at Daryl.

"I think that's what Beth said, she keeps count too" Daryl said

Lottie smiled, motionless but happy. She finally felt safe.

Over the next few hours various people came in and out of the room to talk to her, asking her questions about herself, the gang or how she found them. Lori spent most of the time thanking Lottie for saving Carl and Carl even came in and gave her a hug. The only person not to introduce themselves was Shane. Who stood angrily in the doorway watching her as if she were about to murder them all.

Daryl volunteered to watch over Lottie until she'd healed and recovered fully. Carol explained to Lottie about how he'd cared for her very young daughter Sophia and how he was the one who put in the most effort to find her. She told Lottie how crushed and broken he was when they found her reanimated as a walker in Hershels own barn.

After about a week Carol told Lottie "It was that same determined look, and when he saw you tied up to that tree you should have seen the anger on his face." She continued "Though it was different to Sophia, it was a less fatherly look if you know what I mean. We've never seen him care this much, and this was the first time he'd been involved in anything since Sophia died. He kept very distant from us."

"Don't go putting confusing thoughts in her head Carol" Maggie laughed placing some sandwiches next to the bed with Lottie now sitting up. "She hardly knows us still, poor girl hardly knows Daryl either"

"He's a good man!" Carol protested smiling.

"He is I'll give him that" she chucked as they ate together.

"Poor man doesn't know me!" Lottie giggled hiding her smile behind her half of sandwich.