All of Us (The Walking Dead)

Chapter 31

When I woke up, I couldn't breathe through my nose. I sat up and tried to stretch the achiness out of my body, but it didn't help. I kept my jammies on and went downstairs to the kitchen to make some tea for my sore throat. I guess staying out in the cold last night was a bad idea.

When I made it down the steps, I was surprised to see Daryl sleeping on the couch. I wasn't sure if he would have slept here last night after everything that happened yesterday, or if he would have been gone before I woke up. I expected to be mad when I saw him again, but I wasn't. I was too tired, and in his own way, I knew he was just trying to protect me. 

I tiptoed to the kitchen and put a pot with water on the stove to boil. When I turned around, I saw Daryl had woken up and was slowly getting up.

He picked up his vest off the ground and struggled to put it on. That's when I remembered that he was hurt.

"Daryl," I gasped as I walked over to him, but then I started coughing. "You shouldn't have come to get me last night, you should be resting." I remembered the long gash down his back, and his left eye had a bruise around it and looked swollen. Last night when he had come to get me, I had completely forgotten that he was hurt. I couldn't believe he had come out to find me.

He frowned at me and ignored my comment. "You're sick," he stated.

I hugged my cold, achy body and shrugged.

"You didn't catch that sickness, did ye?" He asked, looking worried. That hadn't crossed my mind. I had been around all those sick people last week, so this could be the illness. We thought it was gone, but it was unpredictable.

"I don't think so, but it could be. I'm going to go see Siddiq after I make some tea to see what he thinks," I croaked out as I started to lose my voice, my throat burning as I spoke.

"So until I know," I said as I watched Daryl pick up the blanket off the couch he slept on. "I think you should keep your distance," I said, and even though he clearly heard me, Daryl walked towards me and wrapped the blanket around my shoulders, ignoring my comment. I opened my mouth to tell him to stay away, but knowing Daryl, he wouldn't care. This was who he was. He was selfless for the people he cared about, and knowing that I was one of those people, made me smile.

"Thank you," I whispered as I hugged the blanket around me.

He nodded and then stepped back. I went over to the kitchen and saw that the water was boiling. I made a cup of tea and then returned to the living room.

"You should rest though," I said. In the infirmary, Daryl had told me to leave before I could see how bad the cut was, but from my brief glace, I knew he would still be in pain right now.

Daryl scoffed, but I knew he wasn't mad at me saying that. "We'll see," he said, which made me smile.

I left the house with my jammies on, Daryl's blanket wrapped around me and a mug of tea in hand, and started to make my way over to the infirmary.

"Sloane," I heard a voice call out before I could get there. I turned to see Rick walking over to me.

"You look horrible," Rick frowned as he walked up to me.

"Thanks," I croaked and laughed, but then started to cough. "I'm just going to see Siddiq now," I said.

"I just came from seeing him. He's in his house."

"Oh great. Thanks, Rick," I said. He patted me on the shoulder as I walked past him.

When I got to Siddiq's house, I knocked on the door.

"Come in," I heard him say.

I opened the door and walked in, seeing him sitting at a chair in the living room.