AND THEN I FOUND YOU » Daryl Dixon

30. DOMESTIC DECISIONS

During the time Jasmin spent behind the prison's walls, her body had begun to welcome the nourishment from consistent meals, and in turn, it slowly filled out her gaunt figure. Normalcy was peeking just over the horizon before Phillip destroyed their peaceful community. That was when her condition began to deteriorate, heading towards the same state of being she was in when Rick and Daryl found her on the road—the brink of death.

Thanks to Daryl and their enlightening argument, she was able to regain a sense of hope for their future. He reeled her back from the dark depths of her mind. Unfortunately, matters of a starving body couldn't be argued away. There was very little that could be done to help someone who was physically withering away in a place where food was scarce and hard to come by.

From the moment they stepped through the prison gates, Jasmin could feel her body weakening. Every movement burned away the weight and strength she worked so hard to gain. By the time they had reached the funeral home, her skin had paled, her eye sockets were sunken and shadowy, and her stomach had shrunken to at least half its size.

Even when a mouth-watering meal had miraculously presented itself in the form of cereals, sweets, and canned goods, it couldn't be eaten without her stomach feeling like it was going to explode from just a few bites.

Despite feeling like she was going to burst open like that one scene from Alien, she had eaten like it was her final meal on death row. They both did. Table etiquette had basically been thrown out the window, resulting in both her and Daryl devouring the food like ravenous animals. What remained was an utter mess scattered across the small table that sat in the middle of the kitchen. The Reese's Puffs and Twizzlers, however, were long gone.

Everything tasted so incredible, a tear of joy had genuinely slipped from her eye. When the flavours were melting on her tongue, the pain felt worth it. But once the taste had faded and she was left struggling to breathe, she began to question her previous decisions.

Jasmin slumped back into her chair as a groan of discomfort left her mouth. Another mouthful of food would have resulted in her insides being splattered across the kitchen.

"Full?" Daryl asked with a hint of jest in his voice.

He was putting the food they hadn't managed to scoff down back onto the stashed shelves.

"So full," she breathed out.

An amused hum vibrated in his throat as he placed the last item onto the bottom shelf. "Should get some sleep 'fore the sun comes up."

Some sort of throaty noise came from her in response.

He was right though. Even though telling the exact time was impossible, Jasmin knew it was well and truly past midnight. She couldn't even remember the last time she rested soundly. Sleeping somewhere that was guaranteed wouldn't result in her flesh being ripped apart sounded like a dream and she couldn't have been more ready to experience it. Though the idea of having to be rolled out of the room left her a little apprehensive.

After a few seconds of thought, she decided embarrassment was a price she was willing to pay for a pillow under her head.

Once Daryl had closed the cupboard doors, he began circling the room and blowing out the lit candles. Each gust of air dimmed the room until soon, the only light came from the orange glow peeking through the crack of the ajar door to the lounge.

Jasmin's chair scraped against the wooden floorboards as she managed to push herself into a standing position. She unbuckled her belt and set the buckle a few punch holes looser, instantly feeling relief from the restriction. Despite how mundane the action was, she couldn't remember the last time she had done it.