Golden Cage

2/24

The smell of the cell made your stomach turn but you tried to ignore it, and you turned on the lantern to illuminate the small place. Daryl was curled up on the ground, and he hadn't even looked at you when you walked in. It broke your heart to see someone like that. The idea that you were part if it made you hate yourself.

"Hello. I'm a nurse, I came to check on you and see those injuries," you announced, and you couldn't help how your voice shook. "Please, don't try anything. If you hurt me Negan'll cut your hands and the ones of the people you love." You felt awful threatening him like that, but you didn't want to risk it. You knew that the man was probably dangerous, and now that you were alone with him, you were a bit afraid. Still, he didn't seem that dangerous at that moment, he was still not moving or saying anything.

Not knowing what to say, you knelt down next to the man, reaching out to check his vitals, wondering if maybe he was unconscious. At soon as he felt your hand on him, though, the man flinched away roughly, sitting up and pushing you away on the process. You yelped, scared, falling onto your ass, and you were about to call for Dwight, but Daryl didn't do anything else. He'd backed himself against the wall, hugging his knees to his chest, gaze still down, though you noticed him breathing hard. Probably you'd scared him. You couldn't blame he'd flinch like that, after everything that had been done to him.

"It's okay. I only want to help." You raised your hands, showing them to him before reaching down to open the first-aid kit, showing it to him too, though you weren't sure if he was even looking. "I'm going to check your injuries, so please, don't push me away. I won't hurt you, so please don't hurt me."

If the man did something to you, Negan was going to be pissed, and you knew it wouldn't be only at Dwight and the prisoner, you'd pay too. But for now, Daryl wasn't trying to attack you, and so you decided to keep going.

Something on the wall caught your attention and you reached out to take off a picture and examine it. It showed the remains of what had been a person but was barely recognizable anymore, and you felt as if you might throw up. You took a deep breath, trying to calm down. You knew who had done that. And probably that person had been someone Daryl had loved. You couldn't believe Dwight could be this cruel.

Daryl had glanced at you when you reached out, though he dropped his gaze again, and you noticed he'd begun shaking. It broke your heart. You tore the picture into pieces and threw it into the first-aid kit.

You tried to take a hold on yourself and switch into nurse mood. If the man had been ruthlessly beaten, you wanted to check if he had any fractured rib or internal bleeding, and also check if they had damaged his already injured shoulder. You reached to, very gently, try to lift his sweatshirt, but Daryl flinched roughly again, and you let go. You didn't know what to do. Dwight wasn't allowing you much time, and you weren't making much progress.

"Sir, I'm really not going to hurt you. I'm a trained nurse." You tried again.

"You're his wife."

You were surprised to hear the man's low rasp. You hadn't heard him talk before. He was still looking down and not moving, yet he'd spoken, and for a second you didn't know what to say, taken aback. He was right, though. Maybe Daryl thought you were going to hurt him, maybe he was scared of you...it made your heart clench. Probably he despised you, you'd understand it, most times you did too. You were part of this too, in a way, even if you'd never wanted to.

"Yes, I am one of his wives," you said, honest. "But I'm also a nurse, that's my job too. So please, let me do my job."

You reached out to push his hair away from his face and see how bad it looked, but he flinched away again. You let out a sigh. Not progress. Then, Daryl surprised you speaking again.