I Need You

Gabriel

I looked down to evaluate my body, my shoulder wound was bleeding again. It wasn't a lot but enough to form a crimson stain on my shirt. "I must have ripped some stitches. I am okay."
Looking satisfied, she again embarks in the direction of the church. "Come on. We are almost there." Another ten minutes passed, through the trees I could see the familiar white country church. "It looks like the others are back from the run." Michonne says as we step into the clearing.
The church doors open abruptly revealing a very angry Daryl. "Oh no," I mumble aloud. I see Rick, Tyrese and Carol exit behind him. "YOU!" He growls at Gabriel as he rushes forward. This is going to be bad.
I knew I couldn't stop him from his rampage but I had to try. "Daryl, don't." I say reaching for him as he passed me. He simply brushes me off. He drew his hand back and punched Gabriel square in the jaw knocking him to the ground. Daryl stood over him and lowered his face to Gabriel's, "YOU TOOK OFF!" Daryl screamed with bewilderment as if he couldn't fathom why Gabriel would do such a thing.
"Daryl! Stand down!" Rick threatened. He was on Daryl's heels in an instant. "Stand down. I got it from here." Rick reiterated in a much softer tone as he squeezed Daryl's shoulder. Daryl was still fuming but backed away from the terrified man cowering below him. As Rick helped Gabriel up, Daryl grunted stomping off in the opposite direction.
"Daryl!" I called going after him. I felt an hand grab my forearm and saw Carol, "I wouldn't do that if I were you." I freed myself from her grasp and retorted, "I can handle it. This ain't my first time dealing with an angry Daryl Dixon." She watched as I jogged trying to catch him.
I found him in the woods pacing back and forth like a caged tiger. I could almost see the steam rolling off him. He didn't acknowledge my presence. Maybe because he was still so upset. It reminded me of the time at the moonshiner's cabin. I had been a little scared of him then, but now I knew this is how Daryl operated. Anger was his go-to emotion for everything, no matter what he was feeling. It was always anger first, then the true emotion second. I sighed, "Daryl... I know you're pissed."
He snapped his head at me still pacing, "Damn right I am! That asshole took off! After we saved his sorry ass! And to top it off, you and Michonne were stupid enough to go after him. What the hell were you thinking?"
"I was thinking that two is better than one. I was thinking I could track him. She was going to go after him alone. And she would still be out there looking for him if I hadn't gone along!" I exploded right back at him.
He stopped pacing surprised by my outburst, "What if something happened?"
"Nothing did-"
"What if it did?" He raised his voice making me flinch. He lowered his head and his tone changed to one of defeat, "I just..." He took a deep breath struggling with his words. What couldn't he say? "We... just got you back." And there it was, the true emotion hidden underneath all that rage. He was worried about me.
"Then Michonne would've had my back and I would've had hers." I replied calmly. "I can take care of myself."
"I know ya can" He looked almost helpless as he whispered those words. I could see all the anger draining from his body, exposing the sadness and concern he was experiencing. I hated seeing him like this.
"You said it yourself last night I'm a lot tougher than people give me credit for." It was my way of carefully reminding him of how capable I was. "I couldn't let her go after him alone. Not when I could've helped. I think you would've been proud of me. I tracked him down pretty quickly." This made him give me a small smile. "I even impressed Michonne." I chuckled attempting to lighten the mood. Our eyes met briefly, his smile faded, and he adverted his attention back down to the ground. When he didn't hold my gaze, I knew I must have gave him really upset him.
"Hey... look at me." I closed the gap between us and took one of his hands in mine. He peeled those gorgeous blue eyes from our hands to meet mine. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to worry you. I just wanted to have everyone safely at the church as quickly as possible, so that when you guys returned from the run, we could leave immediately and we wouldn't have to wait on anyone... That's all."
He accepted my apology with a nod. His expression was still sad but more understanding now more than anything. I let go of his hand and put my arms around his waist, pressing my body against his. I buried my head into his chest as his stiffened form relaxed into the hug, putting his arms around me as well. I savored every second of the embrace. This... this is where I felt most safe in his presence. I don't know how long we stayed like that, simply holding each other, but it wasn't long enough. It never was.
Eventually I lifted my head and smiled up at him with my arms still firmly around his waist, not ready to let go. "You still upset with me?" I asked.
"Nah." He shook his head.
"Good." The sense of relief filled me. "I just got you back too, ya know?" Of course he knew, but I still felt like he needed to hear it. Maybe he needed to know I was scared too, so I added, "I'd hate to lose you again." I bit my lip and turned my head from him suddenly feeling very exposed, vulnerable. I just admitted to him my deepest fear. I needed him and that scared me. I knew he didn't need me... You can't rely on anyone for nothing.
Lost in this thought, I jumped when I felt his hand guide my chin for me to look at him. I stared into his eyes terrified of what he was going to say next. He surprised me by leaving his hand under my chin, "You ain't ever gonna lose me."
I was stunned. I didn't know what to say in response so I kept quiet. He watched my face for a reaction. His eyes danced over mine, then to my nose, then my lips where they lingered. I held my breathe and closed my eyes when he slowly moved his hand from my chin down to my neck barely gazing my skin. He had never touched me so intimately before. I felt his fingers hook slightly catching the hem of my shirt as he brushed his hand across the top of my bad shoulder. My eyes popped open. What the heck was he doing? Not that I wanted him to stop... I watched as he pulled the fabric aside to reveal my wound. He furrowed his eyebrows looking down at the fresh blood and ripped stitches. "'S nothing." I managed to say. My breathing was uneven and I prayed he didn't notice.
His eyes never left my wound when he whispered, "We should get back." He gently put my shirt back in place and let go of me. He stepped around me, walking in the direction of the church, leaving me standing there weak in the knees.