Spitfire

I sat up abruptly, gasping for air. My hand instinctively ripped off the blanket, looking down at my bandaged calf, I uttered curse words. "Fuck." I closed my eyes, my hand running through my hair. I heard someone clear their throat, I squinted my eyes, trying to adjust to the dimmed lighting in my room. I was a little hazy still, I was only assuming it was from the anesthesia. "Daryl?" The only thing I could make out was his build, no one else had those kind of muscles.

"The one 'n only." He pulled the chair closer to my bed, handing me a water bottle and pills. "Doc said ya need ta take these the minute ya woke up."

I gingerly took them, my hand brushing over his rough hands. I popped them into mouth and hissed in pain. I laid back down, my hand rubbing my eyes, "How long you've been here?"

I heard him mutter, "Since Doc stopped workin' on ya. Been 'bout six or so hours."

I sat up again, looking him in the eyes, "What?" I was confused, this was Daryl Dixon, the man I've come to get annoyed with over the past week he's been here. Every once and a while, we'd have a nice moment, but he'd normally fuck that up in a few seconds. "Why?"

He shrugged, fiddling with his fingers, "Jus' wanted to make sure ya were okay."

I let my head hit the pillow again, "Well, I'm fine now. You should go ahead and go, what time is it anyway?"

"Almos' midnight."

I turned my head to look at him, "Seriously, Daryl. You can go, I'll be fine." I sighed, as he just stayed in his seat. "Daryl...."

He grunted, "Why'd ya do it?" He asked softly.

"Do what." I already knew what he was talking about. It didn't take a genius to figure it out, I was only glad that Daryl was the only one who had seen my little stunt of almost letting myself go. I sighed when he gave me a hard look, "I dunno."

"Ya don' know?" He questioned, his tone suggesting that he wasn't exactly happy with my answer.

I swallowed hard, "Why do you care anyway? It'd be one less mouth to feed and one less person to worry about." I pulled the covers all the way up to my chin, crossing my arms over my chest, I sighed.

I could hear the anger in his voice, "Ya got ta to be fuckin' kiddin' me. Ya out ya damn mind." He grunted, "How the hell can ya be so selfish."

I rolled my eyes, "I'm not talking about this with you."

He stood up, jerking the chair backwards, making it scrape loudly. "Fine." He walked out, leaving me to ponder on why his attitude about me almost giving myself up. I didn't understand why he even cared. The only people that should care would be Shaun and Mattie, without me, they'd be screwed. I was the only one ballsy enough to venture out in those woods without leaving a trail, those two airheads wouldn't last a second.

I pushed off the blanket, groaning. A huge part of me wanted to let it go, but the the sliver of me really wanted to know why he was so pissed off. It wasn't like I had to explain myself. I limped my way out of the doorway and into the living room where he sat. I bit my lip, I caught his concerned gaze, "I'm fine." I exhaled deeply, "Why did you ask about...what I almost did."

He looked away from me, crossing his leg and bouncing his foot. "Don' know."

I moved towards him, "You do know, you're just not telling me." I slowly made my way towards the couch, plopping down, I faced him. In the dimmed glow of the candle latern, I actually took in how handsome he was. He was clearly older than me, but, I couldn't tell by how much. I hardly looked 26, the stress, the wear and tear of this world made me seem just a tad older. At least through my eyes.

"Don' know whatcha talkin' 'bout."

I sighed, reaching over I gently touched his face, he flinched from my touch. I looked at him differently, he caught my look and scoffed. I bit my lip, "You and I aren't much different, ya know." Nobody flinches from a gentle touch like that, unless they went through I went through. I could spot that a mile away.

His hard exterior came shining through again, he was so hot and cold. "Ya don' know nothin'."

"Daryl." His name rolled of my tongue so easily, so sweetly. I bit my lip, shifting my position to get the pain to lessen. "Thank you for saving me, though. I really mean it." I said quietly, "I don't know what I was thinking. I only saw that one way out. I keep telling myself I'm not afraid....I'm more than afraid, I'm absolutely terrified. But, I can't show it. I can't let them know, I have to be the strong one. I can't just be broken, I have to be tough. But, seeing that-that thing so close, I really thought that it'll all be over. That finally I could stop fighting and stop trying to live in this fucked up world and..." I trailed off, letting a tear fall down my face, "I've lost two very important people in my life and I feel so hopeless. I don't belong here with them. I belong with my brother and-and my baby girl." I sniffled, quickly realizing Daryl's stare, I chuckled nervously, "Sorry. I haven't really talked about this with anyone."

Daryl nodded slightly, as if telling me it was okay. He rubbed his chin, his gaze still on my face. Something about the way he looked at me, made me feel differently towards him. He was capable of being soft and sweet, definitely a better alternative of him being a complete and total ass. His voice was soft, barely audible, "Whether ya believe it or not. This place needs ya. Don' go doin' that shit 'gain. I might not be there next time ya try."

I smiled slightly, "It was enough that you were here today." I leaned forward as he froze, I almost wanted to giggle, it was definite he hadn't been around a woman in a long time. My lips brushed against his cheek, his stubble making a rough contrast against my soft mouth. I pulled away, giving him another small smile, "Good night, Daryl." I stood up, leaning against the wall, I started to make my way towards my room.

"Does this mean ya gon' stop actin' like a stuck up bitch?" He mused.

I turned my head to face him, a smirk playing along my lips. "You and I don't mix well, Dixon. No matter the cirumstances, I don't think this little sweet moment will render any other outbursts from myself or you." I watched as he smirked back, nodding in agreement. "Night."

"G'night."