Avenging Angel (Daryl Dixon Love Story)

Chapter Eighteen

Alexa blinked her eyes open, but they closed immediately. She opened them a second time and spotted Daryl in the doorway, though his form swam in and out of focus. He pushed off the frame and moved closer to the bed. She forced her eyes to stay open not wanting to miss one moment. They began to burn so she closed them. Alexa felt the bed dip as another weight was pressed on it. She kept her eyes closed finding it hard leaving them open for long. She soon felt the heat from his body as his presence grew closer. There was a slight pause in his actions causing Alexa to open her eyes in curiosity. Daryl was inches away from her face. Their eyes met, and she noted sadness. His eyes closed on a sigh of relief as he placed his forehead on hers.

"D...aryl..." she questioned weakly.

"I was worried you wouldn't remember." Daryl whispered.

"Remember... what?"

Daryl sat back quickly, eyes wide. Alexa smiled as she cocked her head to the side. His tensed body relaxed in defeat as he stared back at her. Alexa laughed lightly before coughing. He placed a hand on her side in order to help steady her. She took in a shaky breath before saying, "There was a... moment where I... thought I wouldn't... keep it."

"But you did," Daryl protested. Before anything else was said, Daryl leaned back as if he were listening to something. After a minute, he leaned in and kissed Alexa's forehead. He then placed his forehead on hers for a second time, whispering, "Get some rest, I'll check on you later."

Daryl got up and headed towards the door. Alexa closed her eyes feeling a wave of exhaustion overcame her. She heard hushed male voices and forced her eyes open once again in curiosity. She spotted Daryl talking with her brother. Rick looked really tired. She worried that he was pushing himself to hard, running on fumes again. He had a bad habit of doing that, and this time around she was probably a contribute to it. Rick glanced into the room making eye contact with her. He smiled slightly as he entered the room.

"You're a sight for sore eyes." Rick said as he sat on the bed next to her.

"You look like... you should be lying here... next to me." Alexa smiled up at him as her voice became stronger. "How's Sophia, is she okay?"

Rick froze before giving a soft smile, "She's fine, but you don't need to worry about her right now. You still need your rest, so sleep."

Alexa's eyes slid closed even before her brother finished his lecture. It was one thing she could always rely on. When Rick gave a lecture, it was proof that he cared for you. You can only imagine the amount of lectures she had received growing up. Rick sank into the chair next to the bed with a tired sigh.

"I'm gonna go out and look for Sophia." She heard Daryl say.

"You don't have to do that alone, just wait until the group is ready and we all can go tomorrow."

"You told her that little girl is fine," Daryl countered. "How do you think she'll feel when she learns otherwise?"

"I'll take care of my sister, you don't owe us anything." Rick protested.

"My other plans fell through," Daryl responded as he footsteps faded away.

Rick grunted in frustration as he whispered, "Damn it."

Her brother's footsteps faded. Darkness soon consumed her vision as her breathing became level.

Alexa woke up, eyes blinking as they adjusted to the light in the room. She looked over towards the window, and judging by the position of the rays, it was around mid-day or a little after. She tried to sit up, but the pain that shot through her body sent her back down with a cry. She quickly clamped down as to not draw attention. She laid there for several minutes allowing her breathing to calm itself. Once the worse of the pain had subsided, Alexa slowly rolled to her left side, being the uninjured side, and eased herself up. She sat there, feet on the floor, waiting for her head to stop spinning.

She wasn't sure how long she had been sitting there, but she had to shake herself back to reality. She tried standing, but her legs wobbled under her weight causing her to sit down roughly. Pain shot through her like lightening. The sensation was the worse feeling she had ever experienced. Once again Alexa bit back a scream. She took several deep breaths through her nose and released them shakily out of her mouth. After several minutes, she tried again. This time her legs supported her and she was able to make her way out into the hallway. Her advancement was slow, slightest bump sent pain through her body, but she pushed through it.

The front door was open allowing the sun to pour into the small living room. As Alexa walked into the light, her body greedily soaked up its warmth. She pushed open the screen door. She looked around at her surroundings finding it to be a farm. That explains the horse I heard, she mused. She spotted the group standing around a well, staring down inside. She found it to be odd as she moved towards the steps. She continued to search for a particular brown hair, blue eyed male she had grown fond of.

"Alexa!"

Alexa stumbled on the five step walkup when she heard her brother's concern filled voice. She managed to catch herself before she tumbled down. She looked in his direction as he and an old man rushed to her. At first glance, the old man seemed to be a loveable grandfather, one you could go to no matter what, but the look in his blue eyes told a different story. He didn't want any of them here. Once they reached her, he immediately checked Alexa over, to which she applauded.

"What are you doing out of bed?" Rick demanded.

"I can't lie around when Sophia is still missing." Alexa protested.

"How did-"

"I heard every word." Alexa said, cutting off her brother.