My Hope

Chapter 53

Omg almost 9,000 reads! This is amazing! You guys are awesome! This chapter is dedicated to DestinyWriter94, thewalkingdead1260, and LovinDarylDixon! You guys are some of the only ones to comment and for that I am grateful! I love hearing from all of you and I hope to hear more from all those "silent readers" out there! Enjoy...

I had finally stopped crying. I looked up at Shane, who was still holding me.

"Thank you." I said to him, backing away. I went straight for the door. When I opened it, I saw everyone outside. I held my head up high and headed for the car. Glenn followed me.

"Are you ok? What happened?" he asked but I couldn't answer.

"Tell Rick I am going back to grab the supplies that we left behind." I told Glenn as I hopped into the driver's seat. I looked into the back seat, seeing the blood on the back seat. I shook my head, wiping away the memories.

"Wait what? They can wait." he said as I closed the door. The window was open so

"No. Daryl's crossbow was left behind and he will want it when he wakes up." I said, putting the keys in the engine.

"What if he doesn't wake up?" Glenn asked but quickly realized that he shouldn't have.

I wanted to kill him.

"Back the hell away before I run you over!" I screamed and started the engine.

He backed away for me to go speeding down the driveway. I needed to get away from here. It was a quiet drive back to the convenience store.

I felt the breeze in the hair. Daryl was shot, he was shot. He was shot and he didn't tell me. The whole drive was me reliving each moment of what happened. I could have stopped it, I could have saved him sooner. I was lost in thought when I finally came up to the convenience store. There were two walkers circling the spot where Daryl fell, staining the cement red. I took out my knife and killed the first one. The second one I knocked to the ground. It was a small walker, but it put of a fight. I stabbed it between the eyes killing it, but I wasn't finished with it. I stabbed it over and over and over again. I leaned back off of the walker and fell onto my back crying.

"Why?"

"Why did you make me fall in love with him? Why make me love him only to take him from me?" I didn't know to whom I was screaming. Was I screaming to my mother, my sister? Or God? I didn't know, if he dies, I don't know what I'll do.

I got up and walked over to where we had dropped the bags. All the bags were there, where we had dropped them. I picked them up and put them in the back of the car. I went to pick up the ones that Daryl dropped when I saw it.

His crossbow, lying on the floor.

I picked it up, reliving how I had first met Daryl, him handing me my knife that I had dropped. I laughed at the memory. The crossbow was heavy, but I held it in one hand, picking up the duffle bags with my other hand. I walked over to the car and put the supplies in the back of the truck. I went to put the crossbow in the backseat when I reached to the door handle and saw the blood.

My eyes started to fill with tears, but I pushed them back. I had to be strong, I knew he would have been strong for me.

I walked over to the drivers seat and started the engine. The drive was slow and peaceful, no walkers in sight. I wish I could just trade places with him. That was what I kept telling myself over and over again. It should be me, not him.

I slowly turned down into the driveway. I drove as slowly as I could. I saw Glenn, Lori, Carl, Carol and Shane sitting on the porch, but no Jessica. I pulled up and turned off the engine. I could feel everyone's eyes all staring at me as I got out of the car. I started to unload the truck when I saw Rick walk out of the house, his hands and shirt covered in blood. He walked out and hugged Lori.

Was he crying?

"Oh no," I brought my hands up to my mouth trying to hold back the tears. Rick heard me and lifted his head from Lori's shoulder. Lori wiped away his tears and he took a deep breathe. I couldn't listen to it, I couldn't listen to him tell me Daryl was dead.

Rick walked over to me and I tried to back away but bumped into the side of the truck. I looked down at my feet, tears filling my eyes. Leaning against the truck for support, I slowly lowered to the ground, not ready to hear those words.

"He's alive.." Rick said, lowering down to me leaning on one leg. I looked up to him,

"What?"

Rick's smiled and cried all at once,

"He's alive, Hershel saved him." I leaned my head against the truck.

"Thank you, thank you" saying thank you to anyone who was listening. Rick helped me to get up and lead me to the porch.

"You tell them," Rick said as we got closer to the group waiting to hear if Daryl was alive or not.

"He's alive." I said, crying happy tears. Glenn ran up to me and hugged me, and I wrapped my arms around his neck. He let go and I slowly walked into the house. Maggie was in the kitchen, cleaning the blood off of her. I nodded to her and looked up the stairs. It seemed to far a climb. I saw Hershel look down at me from the stairs.

"You can come see him if you like." he said reaching a hand down to me. I wiped my tears and walked up the stairs and took his hand. He lead me to Daryl's room. Hershel walked in first, letting go of my hand.

"I got out the two bullets. He was shot twice in the abdomen. We will have to see if he makes it through the night." Hershel told me and picked up all the bloody tools used to save Daryl's life.

I looked and saw him, lying there. His whole body was pale. His shirt was gone, showing his muscles. I walked closer to him, my arms crossed afraid to touch him. The blanket was pulled up to his waist. He had a bandage wrapped around his stomach. He looked 10 years older, his skin so pale. I fell to my knees next to his bed, holding his hand. For a while I watched his chest rise and fall. I didn't know what to do or what to say to him. I remembered what he said to me earlier. I said the one thing I could think of.

"I love you too"