Reflections - TWD

77. Your smile.

That same night, Isabella, Freddie and Daryl all sat in front of Shiva's cage. The two kids had fallen asleep, leaning against Daryl's sides, he wrapped an arm around them both.

Truthfully, Daryl had been out that day and found Carol. Neither of the kids knew, Isabella and Freddie acted like they never argued and then spent pretty much the whole day just walking around and talking. It was pretty relieving to them, just being able to talk about whatever they wanted. They didn't have to worry about Negan.

Daryl didn't know what to tell Freddie. Carol was on her own, hiding away. He hadn't even told her about Glenn or Abraham. How do you tell a kid that has nobody else that the person who took care of him for months wants to be left alone?

"Well, you're good with her," Morgan appeared by the door. "Ezekiel will be impressed."

Daryl didn't know if he was talking about Isabella or Shiva. He presumed he meant the tiger, considering Morgan mentioned Ezekiel.
"Well, figure any guy that has a pet tiger can't be that bad," he nodded for a moment and checked that Freddie was still asleep. "He's okay by Carol. Yeah, I found her, out in that lil' house."

"Look, what I said..." Morgan began to walk a bit closer. "When I said she just...went away...it's what she told me to do."

"Nah, I get it," Daryl shook his head. "We need the Kingdom. You gotta make that happen."

Morgan shook his head. "I'm sorry. I mean, I...I really am, but, uh...it can't be me."

Daryl stroked Isabella's hair and noticed the tape peeling from her bandage covering her ear, he nudged the two kids with his arms. "C'mon, let's get you two to bed."

The two kids both grumbled, but Daryl rushed them out of the room before Morgan could say anything more about Carol. He led them both to the building that Ezekiel had given to them for the time being, it was a small apartment with two bedrooms. Freddie and Isabella shared whilst Daryl got his own.

"Sit down," Daryl said as he took the two kids into the room, crouching down in front of Isabella's bed where she sat, whilst Freddie lay down in the other one.

He routed through his bag until he found the bandages and tape and then put them onto Isabella's bed.

Isabella groaned. "I don't like it," she didn't feel embarrassed by having Daryl do it, he wasn't judging her. She just felt stupid.

"I know, but we gotta do it," Daryl huffed and started to peel the tape from around the old bandage. Isabella cringed and shut her eyes.

"Do you think it'll grow back?" Isabella asked. She kind of knew it wouldn't, but she was hoping it would. Daryl began to gently clean the dry blood with a tissue.

He didn't really know how to answer that. He wanted to be honest, but he also wanted her to be happy. "Maybe."

Isabella knew that meant no. "I'll just keep wearing bandages then."

"You can't wear bandages for the rest of your life," Freddie shook his head from the other side of the room.

"I can," Isabella smiled proudly.

Daryl gave a small smile at the girl. "It ain't nothin' to be ashamed of, we all got scars."

It went silent in the room for a couple of moments. Because they all did have scars. Not scars from accidents or fighting, no, scars from the men who were supposed to raise and protect them.

"Yeah," Isabella nodded once Daryl had put on the new bandage. "Maybe I'll stop wearing the bandages eventually, Carl looked pretty badass without his."

Freddie started to laugh from the other side of the room. Isabella furrowed her eyebrows and looked over to him. "What?"

"You are my sunshine..." Freddie put on a high pitch voice to mimic Carl's singing. Isabella held back a laugh.

"The hell are you singin' for?" Daryl asked, making both Freddie and Isabella burst out laughing.

"Negan made Carl sing when we broke into the Sanctuary," Isabella explained, laying down under the blankets and getting comfy.

Daryl scoffed. That was kind of funny, he couldn't imagine Carl singing. But it wasn't funny because Negan made him do it.

He sat on Isabella's bed with her for a while, just holding her hand and stroking his thumb over it. Freddie was slowly falling asleep on the other side of the room.

Daryl had missed the feeling of just being near Isabella. It was torture knowing that there was nothing he could do to help her in the sanctuary, truthfully, that was the worst part for him.

Isabella was tired and she wanted to fall asleep, but she didn't want to miss out on any more time with Daryl, so, she stayed awake.

Once Freddie was asleep, Daryl turned to Isabella. He knew this was going to be hard for her.

"How that man treated you in your room, ain't nothin' to do with you, or the way you acted," he reached out a hand and stroked her cheek gently, lifting her lip up into a small smile. He hadn't seen that much recently. "Or your smile."

Isabella nodded and leaned into his hand. "I tried to get him to go away."

Daryl shook his head. "He was a grown man, and you're a lil' girl. His fault, not yours."

Isabella nodded again. "Rosita explained it to me. She said if it happens again, with anyone, I have to shout and scream and fight back, no matter who they are...what was he going to do to me?"

Daryl couldn't look her in the eye for this. He looked back at his knees. "Somethin' bad, somethin' that nobody should do."

"I don't understand," Isabella said.

"Some people just want to use other people for what they want," Daryl shook his head. He couldn't actually say what Davey was going to do to Isabella, that would terrify her. It sure as hell terrified him.

"Oh," Isabella looked down. Daryl didn't know what to say anymore, so he leaned down and kissed the top of her head.

"Night-night, Bells."

"Night-night, Daryl."

He left the room, leaving the door open an inch, since she was scared of the dark.

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