A Survivor's Diary of the Apocalypse (TWD/Daryl Dixon)

S2Pt7 - He Actually Loves... Me

It's been a week since we've arrived on Hershel's farm, and I have to admit we got lucky. There's been no walkers around and we were finally getting comfortable. Hershel and his family were kind enough to let us stay until Carl and I healed, and until we found Sophia. But, so far there's been no signs of her. We sent up tents and the RV by a group of trees a good distance away from his house, and made that our camp.
After a week of bed rest, I was feeling a little bit better everyday. And today I wanted to go out and do something productive.
I found myself wandering around Hershel's farm and was drawn over to the stables. Two stalls were empty, but one had a horse still in it. I walked up to him and pet his face, and he neighed at me. I smiled and grabbed a halter, and took him out of the stall. I tied him up and started grooming him when Hershel walked in.
"Hey there Hershel. I hope you don't mind." I said.
"Not at all." He said.
The horse lightly nudged me with his head and I hugged his neck.
"I think he likes you anyways." Hershel said and chuckled. "If you're up for it, you can take him for a ride. He hasn't stretched his legs in awhile."
I smiled and nodded my head. "I would love to. Thank you."
Hershel nodded, pet his horse, and headed back to his house.
It's been awhile since I've ridden a horse, but I was very good at it. Before everything happened, my sister loved to ride horses and she even competed in competitions, like I did when I was younger. So I trained her and the horses, and I loved it.
I grabbed a saddle and cinched up the horse. I put on a bridle and walked him out to the field.
"You ready to ride?" I asked and patted his neck.
I lifted myself up, and once I was in the saddle I groaned in pain. I grabbed my side and the pain subsided quickly, but it still hurt. I grabbed the reins and we started walking around. He responded well and I brought him into a trot. We trotted in circles for a minute until I got the feel for it again.
"Such a good boy." I said when I stopped and pet him.
I decided I would take him out to go hunting with me. We were running low on meats and we couldn't live off of Hershel forever. I rode over to the RV and got my gun and whistled to Bud. I then turned us around to face the forest and started trotting, with Bud chasing behind us.
"It's been awhile since I've done this, so take it easy." I told him and kicked him into a gallop.
He ran smoothly and I could feel myself smiling from cheek to cheek. I haven't felt this good in a long time.
We entered the forest and I slowed him to a walk as I searched for some tracks. I was hoping for a pack of deer and that's exactly what I found. I passed up squirrels and birds because I knew that if I got a huge deer, we'd be set for another week. I dismounted the horse and tied him to a tree, and stalked some deer tracks. Bud crouched behind me and I stopped at the edge of the tree line. In front of me, probably a few yards, I saw a pack of deer. In the middle of the group was a tall buck with large horns. I aimed my gun and was about to fire when Bud started barking and spooked the deer. I lost sight of the buck but shot my gun anyways and it hit a medium-sized doe. All the other deer ran off but I got her.
"Still a pretty good size." I thought. "Should last a few days."
I dragged the deer over, tossed it onto the horse's back, and tied it to the back of the saddle. I mounted the horse and started walking back to camp. I knew that today I did something helpful and I finally felt like myself again.
I arrived back at camp and was met by the group.
"Where'd you get that sucker?" Dale asked and laughed.
"Oh my god, thank you." Lori said.
I smiled and took down the deer. I saw Daryl enter camp and smile when he saw me, then he saw the deer.
"Can you prep this deer for us?" I asked. "I have to put this horse back."
Daryl nodded and I dropped the deer next to him.
"You feeling alright?" He asked me and grabbed my shoulder.
I felt some people looking at us but I didn't care. I moved Daryl's hand off of me and held it.
"I've never felt better actually." I said and smiled.
I turned around and got back on the horse and cantered away. I dismounted and tied the horse back up. Once I took the saddle off and brushed him up, I put him back in the stall. I grabbed a couple treats out of a bag I found and gave him a couple.
"Thank you." I said and pet his face.
He neighed and nodded his head. I laughed at him and he snorted at me, as if he was thanking me somehow.
After I said goodbye to the horse, I turned around and headed back towards camp.

~~~~~~~~~~

It was dusk now and the group was sitting around the fire and eating some deer. Bud was chewing on a bone and I was just finishing up my meal. I looked around and noticed that Daryl wasn't there and couldn't remember where he went.
"Where's Daryl?" I asked the group.
"I think he went to take a piss." Glenn said and smirked.
A few other people laughed under their breath and I knew what they were hinting at.
"Haha. Very funny." I mocked and stood up.
I grabbed a plate and stacked some meat on it and walked over to Hershel's house. I walked into the house and saw him sitting at the dining table with Maggie and Beth.
"I brought some food for you guys." I said and put the plate on the table.
"Thank you Kelley." Hershel said.
"You're very kind, thank you." Beth said.
"Well, your family helped us. So mine will help you." I said and smiled.
"Have a nice night." Maggie said.
"Thank you. You guys too." I nodded at them. "I'm just going to go get my stuff out of the room. Thanks again for letting me stay in there while I healed up."
They nodded at me and I walked back towards the room. I grabbed my bag and threw it on the bed. I then looked at myself in the mirror that was above the dresser and stared. I realized I had no more cuts or blood on my face and looked normal. I brushed my hair and left it down, letting it fall down and reach my shoulders. I lifted up my shirt to look at my wound and it was healing up nicely.
In the reflection of the mirror I saw Daryl standing in the doorway. I pull down my shirt and turned around.
"Were you staring at me?" I asked.
"What? Oh.." Daryl stuttered and looked down. "Sorry, I-"
"I'm just messing with you." I said and smiled.
He slightly smiled and I saw his cheeks were red from blushing.
"They said you were asking for me. I just wanted to make sure you were alright." He said.
"I'm good." I said.
I sat down on the bed and patted next to me, and Daryl sat down. I scooted closer to him and rested my head on his shoulder and he put his hand on my knee. We let the minutes go by in silence until Daryl spoke up.
"Do you love me?" He asked.
I stared at the wall and thought about what he asked. I barely knew him, that is true, but I felt drawn and connected to him. Like he's meant for me. But, at the same time, I could be wrong.
I sat up, and me and Daryl looked at each other.
"I might." I said. "I know that I'm falling for you, though."
Daryl nodded and I saw the red returning to his cheeks. I could tell that he was trying to open up when he asked me. But he was still trying to stay shielded like his normal self. But I also know that I'm the only person he has opened up to. I grabbed his hand and held it, and he caressed mine. He pushed a strand of hair behind my ear and I cupped his cheek. He grabbed the back of my head and leaned in for a kiss. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. He was gentle when he kissed me, but in a way that we both knew we meant more. He stopped kissing me and held my face. He scanned my face and looked into my eyes. He then slowly started grinning and shook his head.
"What are you smiling at?" I asked.
"You." He said.
I titled my head confused and he caressed my check. "I think I'm in love with you." He said.