Last One Standing ~ TWD Daryl Dixon

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Daryl

Once Bob had finished with Glenn he stood up and met my gaze across the cell. He flinched and averted his eyes but he followed me into Jo's cell. He sucked in a breath at the sight off her.

"It's Walker blood," I said in a quiet voice. "Not hers." Blood coated her hands and went halfway up her forearms. It was also splattered across her face and chest.

Bob only nodded but he wouldn't look at me. He knelt next to her bed and set up the IV quickly. He shook out a handful of pills onto his palm. He looked down at Jo thoughtfully then glanced at me. He looked like he wanted to ask me something but my scowl made him flinch.

"What?" I snapped impatiently.

"H-how much you think she weighs?" he asked quietly. "One-forty?"

I looked down at Jo and shook my head. "One twenty-five maybe." I replied. She was still too damn skinny. Damn stubborn woman never ate enough. 

Bob nodded and put a few pills back into the bottle before he crushed up the rest and dumped the powder into the IV bag. He shook it up until the powder had dissolved. Then he slid the needle into her arm and hung the IV bag.

When he was done he looked over at me. He met my gaze for a second, then his eyes darted away and he shifted his weight uncomfortably. "She should be fine, once the meds get in her it will bring her fever down. I will be back in the morning to give her another round." Then he all but ran out of her cell away from me.

I turned back to Jo and for the first time felt the pressure lift off my chest. I found a damp rag sitting in a small bowl of water near the sink. I dipped the rag in the bowl and rung it out. I moved slowly so I wouldn't wake her. I gently cleaned the blood first from her hands and wrists. She had nearly gotten herself killed trying to save everyone else.

I hesitated at the bloody spray that covered her neck and chest. She was wearing her usual low cut black tank top. I wiped at the blood on her neck, and taking a deep breath to steady myself I  wiped the blood from her chest. I tried not to think of her warm skin beneath my hands. She was sick, and I was taking care of her. Not to mention she was still mad at me.

My mind flickered back to that morning down in the tombs before I screwed everything up. She had been so happy and alive in my arms. I tossed the rag back in to bowl and wiped a hand across my eyes. I needed to fix this. I sank down to the ground across from her bed and watched the IV drip all night.

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Daryl

Tyreese came and found me at dawn. He told me Rick asked us to fix the fence the walkers took down the night before. It surprised me Rick would pass off the work like that, but I didn't argue. I was too tired.  I climbed to my feet, my body protesting sitting on the floor all night and followed Tyreese outside. 

It was late morning when Hershel was crossing the yard as Tyreese and I pulled the truck back into the yard after fixing the fence. The night before the Walkers had broken through a small section near tower two and Rick and Carl had been forced to take out the whole herd. We repaired the spot and shored it up. Hopefully it would hold. I was exhausted, I hadn't slept the whole night.