Hope Is a Waking Dream
Chapter 12
Chapter 12
Rick and Daryl didn’t say a word to each other for the first ten minutes of their trek. He was fidgety and couldn’t concentrate on what he was doing. He knew Daryl would never tell him unless he asked. “How did Melissa do on the run?”
“She did fine,” Daryl replied. “I knew she would. Girl’s impressive against walkers. She took down two at once, had a knife in each hand. I think that when it’s time for us to move on, we should take her with us. She’d be a good asset. She can protect the group, defend herself and she ain’t a half bad hunter either.”
“Well, looks like Daryl Dixon is impressed,” Rick said smiling the whole time. He wasn’t the only one who noticed that the two had been getting along better. He was glad that Daryl had been able to put his attitude and anger aside for the group. Although, he often said he would be better on his own, Rick knew that the man was beginning to feel a part of things, as if he belonged with the group. Daryl was an asset too, their biggest asset, Rick believed. He and Daryl had gotten closer in the last few weeks since the farm. With Shane gone, he had come to rely heavily on Daryl and his abilities. He had even sought advice from the quiet man a time or two. “You’re right though. I agree with you. She’s a strong woman, physically and mentally. She’s sharp as a tack, very aware of her surroundings. I think she’s starting to warm up to us too.”
“She is,” Daryl said as he kept pretending to track a deer. “Told me she’s tired of being alone, said she wants to be a part of our family. I already asked her to join us. Figured you wouldn’t mind. Everybody seems to like her and we’re starting to get along. I think she’d be a good team player. We need her Rick.” The leader stopped walking and just watched the other man He was in his element here. He felt comfortable; maybe this was why Daryl was offering more than grunts and nods.
“So you two are doing more than just getting along and being civil to each other?” Rick asked expectantly.
“What the fuck you mean by that? Ain’t nothing going on between us. I can just see the value in another warm, capable body.” Daryl replied to Rick’s accusatory tone.
“Calm down man, I didn’t mean nothing like that. Just noticed ya been talking to her. I knew ya could do it. It ain’t that hard to do when ya wanna, now is it? By the way, how capable is her warm body?” Rick smiled slyly and whacked Daryl on the shoulder as he walked past him.
“Dammit Rick! I done told ya . . . “
“I know,” Rick said interrupting his friend’s insistence. “Besides the herd, how’d the run go? What’s that housing development look like?”
“Seemed okay. Weren’t too many walkers around. Only found one in the house where we stayed. Only a few are done though, most of ’em need to be finished, some were barely started.”
“Do you think that should be a consideration? A place like that I mean. If we could clean it out, make repairs, maybe find some building material? Could we make it work?”
“Maybe, wouldn’t take much to secure the finished houses. Might be able to find enough of them for all of us. Don’t know for sure. Guess we could give it a try.”
“We should discuss it in greater detail. Maybe you and I draw up some plans. You know what it looks like; you can tell me what needs to be done.”
“Sure. We should get Glenn, Maggie, and Melissa in on this too. They were there, same as I was. They might have some ideas.”
“Maybe tonight, after dinner. We can get together and throw some shit around, see what sticks.” Daryl didn’t respond. He just kept walking, looking for that deer. “Anything else happen out there? Ya’ll have to hear Glenn and Maggie going at it?
“Naw, thank God. They started getting handsy with each other and Melissa and I went to do a perimeter check. They were making her uncomfortable, me too” Daryl sighed and stopped walking. He looked behind him and saw a fallen tree big enough to sit on, so he sat. He put his bow on the ground and ran his fingers through his hair. “Rick, if I tell ya something, will ya promise not to tell anybody or laugh at me?”
“Of course Daryl.” He sat next to him on the tree trunk. “We’re family; I wouldn’t risk ruining that to gossip. Besides, I laugh at you, I’m sure I’ll have an arrow up my asshole.”
“Damn straight you would. I’d pin ya to a tree with it,” he said laughing at the image.
“What happened Daryl? Is everything okay?”
“Fuck, I don’t know. While Maggie and Glenn were taking first watch, Melissa and I went to sleep on the pull out couch. When they came back to wake us up, I had my arms around her, and her head was on my chest. I guess we both kinda freaked out. Anyway, I ended up telling her, well . . . shit. Remember a couple days ago when we took Carl out hunting?” Rick nodded his head in acknowledgement. “Well, I went down to the brook to wash up. When I’s done, I heard her coming. Don’t know why I did it, but I ran across to the other side of the brook and hid in the bushes. She didn’t know I’s there. I sat there hiding like a fucking depraved psyco and watched her strip, wash, and touch herself. I fucking rubbed one out to it.” Rick’s eyes were as big as saucers.
“You did what?” Rick was amazed. He didn’t know what was weirder, the fact that Daryl did that or the fact that he was telling him about it.
“I ain’t never seen a woman like her before, man. She’s . . . just . . . no words for that. Anyway, she make a comment about her being ugly or something and I told her she weren’t. Told her she’s beautiful. And then . . . I kissed her.”
“Wait a minute. This happened on the run?”
“Yup. Haven’t really talked to each other since. What am I supposed to do? Do I need to say something? Do I need to do something? If I ignore it, will it go away?”
“If she’s planning on coming with us, ya better say something. That kinda shit could make the whole group awkward. How did it happen? Did ya mean to do it? Was it an accident? What did she do? Do you love her?” Rick’s questions came at lightning speed. Daryl couldn’t process it all at once; he just stuck his thumb in his mouth like always.
“Well, I reckon I meant to do it. Don’t do much that I don’t wanna. She didn’t really do anything. Didn’t really kiss me back or nothing. Don’t think she’s ever done that before. Hell, I barely ever done it myself. I can’t even think those words, much less say ‘em. Don’t know how I feel. I like her. She’s smart, strong, beautiful, voice like a fucking angel and she’s got the sexiest body I ever seen. Don’t know if that’s love or not. Don’t really want to know right now either. Just can’t stop thinking about her, about what happened. She told me she liked waking up next to me, said that it was nice. I don’t wanna fuck this up for the group. I’m in over my head Rick. What the fuck am I supposed to do?”
The dead rising and coming back to eat them, had shocked Rick Grimes a little, but what he just heard was the most shocking thing he’d ever experienced. This was the most Daryl had ever spoken to him, probably the most he had ever spoken to anyone, he had confided in him. He had taken a risk, a significant risk by Daryl’s standards, and trusted him with what could be the most important event in his life. Rick was speechless. He felt a great weight on his heart and mind. Being the leader/dictator was a cakewalk compared to this. “Uh, I think you need to find out how she feels. Maybe tell her what you told me? Hell, Daryl, I don’t know. I haven’t had to deal with this shit in fifteen years. Lori, she kinda took charge in that department. All I knew was that I wanted to kiss her, hear her voice, stare into her eyes and smell her hair every chance I got. Everything else was a blur. Next thing I know, I’m buying a ring and wearing a fucking tux. I’m shit at this type of advice man, but I will tell you this.” He paused to find the right words. “If what you said is true, all those things you said about her, then you obviously care about her. That’s a start. Just keep doing what you’re doing. Don’t treat her any differently. I know that sounds like total bullshit, and I am pulling all of this out of my ass, but give her a chance to respond. If she comes to you first about it, all you have to do is follow her lead. And stop thinking about the group so much. Do this for yourself and for her. Ya’ll both deserve something of your own.”
Neither said anything after that. They continued to walk through the woods for a bit until their stomachs started to protest. Daryl was able to get about a half dozen squirrels before they got back to the cabin. Herschel was sitting on the front steps whittling while Beth sat next to him singing softly. Daryl looked around for Melissa, but didn’t see her. He took his squirrels around back and started preparing them for one of the women to cook. Maybe he’d make jerky out of them instead, he thought. He heard feminine giggles coming from behind him and turned to see who it was. Lori, Carol, and Melissa emerged from the woods with baskets of clothes in their arms. While Melissa watched the ground as she walked, the other two woman looked Daryl right in the eyes and smiled.
Rick and Daryl didn’t say a word to each other for the first ten minutes of their trek. He was fidgety and couldn’t concentrate on what he was doing. He knew Daryl would never tell him unless he asked. “How did Melissa do on the run?”
“She did fine,” Daryl replied. “I knew she would. Girl’s impressive against walkers. She took down two at once, had a knife in each hand. I think that when it’s time for us to move on, we should take her with us. She’d be a good asset. She can protect the group, defend herself and she ain’t a half bad hunter either.”
“Well, looks like Daryl Dixon is impressed,” Rick said smiling the whole time. He wasn’t the only one who noticed that the two had been getting along better. He was glad that Daryl had been able to put his attitude and anger aside for the group. Although, he often said he would be better on his own, Rick knew that the man was beginning to feel a part of things, as if he belonged with the group. Daryl was an asset too, their biggest asset, Rick believed. He and Daryl had gotten closer in the last few weeks since the farm. With Shane gone, he had come to rely heavily on Daryl and his abilities. He had even sought advice from the quiet man a time or two. “You’re right though. I agree with you. She’s a strong woman, physically and mentally. She’s sharp as a tack, very aware of her surroundings. I think she’s starting to warm up to us too.”
“She is,” Daryl said as he kept pretending to track a deer. “Told me she’s tired of being alone, said she wants to be a part of our family. I already asked her to join us. Figured you wouldn’t mind. Everybody seems to like her and we’re starting to get along. I think she’d be a good team player. We need her Rick.” The leader stopped walking and just watched the other man He was in his element here. He felt comfortable; maybe this was why Daryl was offering more than grunts and nods.
“So you two are doing more than just getting along and being civil to each other?” Rick asked expectantly.
“What the fuck you mean by that? Ain’t nothing going on between us. I can just see the value in another warm, capable body.” Daryl replied to Rick’s accusatory tone.
“Calm down man, I didn’t mean nothing like that. Just noticed ya been talking to her. I knew ya could do it. It ain’t that hard to do when ya wanna, now is it? By the way, how capable is her warm body?” Rick smiled slyly and whacked Daryl on the shoulder as he walked past him.
“Dammit Rick! I done told ya . . . “
“I know,” Rick said interrupting his friend’s insistence. “Besides the herd, how’d the run go? What’s that housing development look like?”
“Seemed okay. Weren’t too many walkers around. Only found one in the house where we stayed. Only a few are done though, most of ’em need to be finished, some were barely started.”
“Do you think that should be a consideration? A place like that I mean. If we could clean it out, make repairs, maybe find some building material? Could we make it work?”
“Maybe, wouldn’t take much to secure the finished houses. Might be able to find enough of them for all of us. Don’t know for sure. Guess we could give it a try.”
“We should discuss it in greater detail. Maybe you and I draw up some plans. You know what it looks like; you can tell me what needs to be done.”
“Sure. We should get Glenn, Maggie, and Melissa in on this too. They were there, same as I was. They might have some ideas.”
“Maybe tonight, after dinner. We can get together and throw some shit around, see what sticks.” Daryl didn’t respond. He just kept walking, looking for that deer. “Anything else happen out there? Ya’ll have to hear Glenn and Maggie going at it?
“Naw, thank God. They started getting handsy with each other and Melissa and I went to do a perimeter check. They were making her uncomfortable, me too” Daryl sighed and stopped walking. He looked behind him and saw a fallen tree big enough to sit on, so he sat. He put his bow on the ground and ran his fingers through his hair. “Rick, if I tell ya something, will ya promise not to tell anybody or laugh at me?”
“Of course Daryl.” He sat next to him on the tree trunk. “We’re family; I wouldn’t risk ruining that to gossip. Besides, I laugh at you, I’m sure I’ll have an arrow up my asshole.”
“Damn straight you would. I’d pin ya to a tree with it,” he said laughing at the image.
“What happened Daryl? Is everything okay?”
“Fuck, I don’t know. While Maggie and Glenn were taking first watch, Melissa and I went to sleep on the pull out couch. When they came back to wake us up, I had my arms around her, and her head was on my chest. I guess we both kinda freaked out. Anyway, I ended up telling her, well . . . shit. Remember a couple days ago when we took Carl out hunting?” Rick nodded his head in acknowledgement. “Well, I went down to the brook to wash up. When I’s done, I heard her coming. Don’t know why I did it, but I ran across to the other side of the brook and hid in the bushes. She didn’t know I’s there. I sat there hiding like a fucking depraved psyco and watched her strip, wash, and touch herself. I fucking rubbed one out to it.” Rick’s eyes were as big as saucers.
“You did what?” Rick was amazed. He didn’t know what was weirder, the fact that Daryl did that or the fact that he was telling him about it.
“I ain’t never seen a woman like her before, man. She’s . . . just . . . no words for that. Anyway, she make a comment about her being ugly or something and I told her she weren’t. Told her she’s beautiful. And then . . . I kissed her.”
“Wait a minute. This happened on the run?”
“Yup. Haven’t really talked to each other since. What am I supposed to do? Do I need to say something? Do I need to do something? If I ignore it, will it go away?”
“If she’s planning on coming with us, ya better say something. That kinda shit could make the whole group awkward. How did it happen? Did ya mean to do it? Was it an accident? What did she do? Do you love her?” Rick’s questions came at lightning speed. Daryl couldn’t process it all at once; he just stuck his thumb in his mouth like always.
“Well, I reckon I meant to do it. Don’t do much that I don’t wanna. She didn’t really do anything. Didn’t really kiss me back or nothing. Don’t think she’s ever done that before. Hell, I barely ever done it myself. I can’t even think those words, much less say ‘em. Don’t know how I feel. I like her. She’s smart, strong, beautiful, voice like a fucking angel and she’s got the sexiest body I ever seen. Don’t know if that’s love or not. Don’t really want to know right now either. Just can’t stop thinking about her, about what happened. She told me she liked waking up next to me, said that it was nice. I don’t wanna fuck this up for the group. I’m in over my head Rick. What the fuck am I supposed to do?”
The dead rising and coming back to eat them, had shocked Rick Grimes a little, but what he just heard was the most shocking thing he’d ever experienced. This was the most Daryl had ever spoken to him, probably the most he had ever spoken to anyone, he had confided in him. He had taken a risk, a significant risk by Daryl’s standards, and trusted him with what could be the most important event in his life. Rick was speechless. He felt a great weight on his heart and mind. Being the leader/dictator was a cakewalk compared to this. “Uh, I think you need to find out how she feels. Maybe tell her what you told me? Hell, Daryl, I don’t know. I haven’t had to deal with this shit in fifteen years. Lori, she kinda took charge in that department. All I knew was that I wanted to kiss her, hear her voice, stare into her eyes and smell her hair every chance I got. Everything else was a blur. Next thing I know, I’m buying a ring and wearing a fucking tux. I’m shit at this type of advice man, but I will tell you this.” He paused to find the right words. “If what you said is true, all those things you said about her, then you obviously care about her. That’s a start. Just keep doing what you’re doing. Don’t treat her any differently. I know that sounds like total bullshit, and I am pulling all of this out of my ass, but give her a chance to respond. If she comes to you first about it, all you have to do is follow her lead. And stop thinking about the group so much. Do this for yourself and for her. Ya’ll both deserve something of your own.”
Neither said anything after that. They continued to walk through the woods for a bit until their stomachs started to protest. Daryl was able to get about a half dozen squirrels before they got back to the cabin. Herschel was sitting on the front steps whittling while Beth sat next to him singing softly. Daryl looked around for Melissa, but didn’t see her. He took his squirrels around back and started preparing them for one of the women to cook. Maybe he’d make jerky out of them instead, he thought. He heard feminine giggles coming from behind him and turned to see who it was. Lori, Carol, and Melissa emerged from the woods with baskets of clothes in their arms. While Melissa watched the ground as she walked, the other two woman looked Daryl right in the eyes and smiled.