Silent Fighter- ENGLISH VERSION

Vulnerable

Jodie wiped her eyes in memory. It must have been more than eight months since it happened, but still it was as present to Jodie as if it had only been yesterday. Would she ever stop thinking about it? Blame herself? Would she ever learn to speak properly again?

She turned off the water and felt it seemed just right for a bath. She got up and went to Daryl's bedroom to wake him up carefully. She sat down at the edge of the bed and caressed him tenderly through the hair. Daryl didn't wake up and Jodie enjoyed a moment to experience him in such a deep sleep, he seemed so innocent and young. She stroked his cheek and his muscles twitched slightly on his face, making him grunt. She touched him again and finally his eyelids opened fluttering.

He blinked a few times to orient himself and finally looked at her.

"Kid? Where are we? "he finally croaked.

"I took you to the next town and looked after you," she wrote on her arm.

Daryl tried to sit up, but moaned as soon as he noticed the wound on his shoulder.

"Fuck! "he let himself sink back on his back and looked at her.

"How...how long was I gone? "he asked, croaking.

Jodie held up two fingers.

"Two hours? "

Shake your head a little.

„Two days?! "

She nodded and grabbed her bottle of water, she held his head up and held the bottle to his open lips. He drank greedily. After about half the bottle he dropped off and looked at her.

"Fuck, what happened? "he asked quietly.

"Bear attack, I took care you. You should get up now", she wrote on her arm.

"Okay, "he whispered and had Jodie help him up, supporting him on the way to the bathroom and putting him on the toilet lid.

"What are you doing? "he asked as she felt the water again.

She then pointed at him, then the bathtub and held up a piece of soap.

"Forget it, I'm not gonna take a bath just because you say it, "he hummed.

Jodie raised her eyebrows and looked at him as if she wanted to fight him with her looks. She relentlessly held out the soap to him and he finally growled in agreement and rose clumsily.

"But until I'm in the water, you stay out, "he growled at her rudely, and Jodie rolled her eyes and disappeared from the bathroom.

**************************************************

Jodie had waited outside the door until she had finally heard it splashing and Daryl gave a deep hum.

She came in quietly and saw Daryl sitting in the tub with his back on her, and there she saw it.

Not only a wide tattoo on his back, but also long narrow scars. They looked like marks on his back and he turned his head to look at her.

"What? "he growled rudely.

Apparently, the scars on his back were a sore spot for him.

Without moving his face, Jodie sat down at his side and took the soap from him. She began to wash out the wound carefully, clearly noticing Daryl's gaze on her.

Apparently, he was waiting to ask her about the scars, but Jodie decided not to say anything. It was his business, and he'd talk about it when he was ready.

Daryl hissed as she rubbed the wound and then let the warm water run over it, yet he tried to keep still. He kept watching Jodie, who had seen his scars, but didn't talk to him.