❛ SURVIVOR'S HEART ! ❜
chapter twenty-seven ―― cherokee rose
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ AFTER GETTING HER HAND stitched back up and her shoulder tended to, Charlie laid in bed. She was on her back, her eyes on the ceiling as Mason laid next to her, he had fallen asleep and she didn't want to wake him. She knew he needed the sleep and the bed was comfortable, the most comfortable thing either of them had slept on since the world turned. She let out a breath and closed her eyes, but she couldn't find sleep. All she could think about was Shane and the lie he had told that morning. She wanted to know more, but she was a little scared to ask because she wasn't sure how bad the truth was.
She let out a sigh and opened her eyes, shifting a little to get comfortable when her shoulder ached from being in the same position for too long. Then she sat up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed before she pushed herself up, all the movement had woken Mason up and he rubbed his eyes as he pushed himself up against the headboard.
"How long was I out?" He asked as the girl pulled the large flannel Maggie had given to her the day before - she later learned that it had belonged to Otis.
"Ten minutes, maybe." She answered, wincing as she slid her left arm into the sleeve, then she fixed the sling, with her arm tucked to her chest.
"Where you going?" He yawned a little, his head back against the headboard.
"Outside, I wanna be with the others. Talk to Shane. Wait for Daryl."
"Daryl?"
"He went out by himself." She told him as she sat down and slid her feet into her boots - they were a little loose because she hadn't been able to untie them to tie them again, but she didn't mind.
"It's Daryl, he can handle it."
"Doesn't mean I'm not worried." She huffed. "And if you so much as make a face, I will kill you. I care about him, I care about the whole group. I just want everyone to be safe. Is that a bad thing?"
"No." He shook his head, giving her a smile. "It's a good thing. One of the best things, actually. But maybe care for people without putting yourself in harm's way."
"I'll try."
"Liar." He huffed as he pushed himself up and stepped into his shoes before he followed her out of the room, they stopped to check in on Carl but the boy was asleep so they continued out to the little camp site the other's had set up.
Shane had a fire going and Josh, Andrea, T-Dog and Carol sat around it. The tents had been put up and the rv was close by, it was a nice little set up. Charlie smiled a little as she sat on the ground next to the fire, she liked the little family they had.
"Look who's up." Josh mused as he looked over at the girl and the blue eyed boy that sat next to her. "Aren't you supposed to be resting?"
"Yes." Shane gave her a pointed look and she rolled her eyes at him.
"I'm fine. And I much prefer being out here with you guys, but that's a secret." She mumbled, getting a few laughs.
"Well, I prefer an actual bed." Mason mumbled, laying his head on Charlie's shoulder and she reached up and patted his cheek as his eyes fell closed. After a while of sitting around the fire, Carol made her way to the rv, said she wanted to straighten things up for when they found Sophia. And the others knew that she just needed something to do to make the waiting less painful, eventually Charlie pushed herself up and made her way to the rv, closing the door behind her as she smiled at the woman that stood next to the sink.
"Figured you could use a little help."
"Charlie, you're hurt."
"I can still help clean up." She told the older woman. "You don't have to do it alone." Carol smiled at the girl, nodding her head a little and Charlie wrapped her right arm around her for a moment before she pulled back. "Okay, what do you want to get done?"
"I-I don't know."
"Let's start in here." Charlie suggested. "I can straighten this up-" She waved her hand over the table area. "And you can do the dishes, if you want."
"Sounds like a plan." Carol nodded, giving the girl a smile and the two got to work. Later, the two sat in the back, Carol on one of the beds and Charlie on the other, Carol was sewing and Charlie had dozed off. Carol let her sleep, she knew she needed it. Carol looked up when the door opened and Daryl walked towards the back. "We cleaned up." She told him and Charlie opened her eyes, but she didn't move - her back was too them. "Wanted it to be nice for her."
"For a second I thought I was in the wrong place." He joked, getting a half-hearted chuckle from the women and Charlie smiled to herself. Then he sat an empty beer bottle on the table close to Charlie's feet, it had a white flower sticking out of it and Carol looked up at the flower before looking at him.
"A flower?"
"It's a Cherokee Rose." He told her, his voice quiet because he didn't want to disturb Charlie. "The story is that when American soldiers were moving Indians off their land on the Trail of Tears, the Cherokee mothers were grieving and crying so much 'cause they were losing the little ones along the way, from exposure and disease and starvation. A lot of 'em just disappeared. So the elders, they, uh, said a prayer; asked for a sign to uplift the mothers' spirits, give them strength, hope. The next day, this rose started to grow right where the mothers' tears fell." He paused for a moment and Charlie shifted, keeping her back to them. "I'm not fool enough to think any flower's blooming for my brother. But I believe this one bloomed for your little girl." Carol smiled, a soft chuckle leaving her lips but it was obvious she was still crying. Daryl nodded then walked towards the door before stopping and looking back at the woman. "She's gonna really like it here." With that he left and Carol wiped her cheeks as she looked over at Charlie.
"I know you're not asleep." She told her and the brunette rolled onto her back, her head turned to the side as she looked at the older woman. "I get it now."
"What?" Charlie asked as she sat up.
"What you see in him."
"Why does everyone keep suggesting that I have a thing for-"
"I'm not blind." Carol told her. "I know you've been worried about him all day and I know that you secretly like it when he calls you princess."
"I don't know what you're talking about." Charlie pushed herself up, her cheeks pink as she walked towards the front of the rv and walked out the door. She kept her eyes on the ground, trying to hide her flushed cheeks and she ran right into someone and stumbled backwards, but a pair of hands on her waist stopped her and she looked up to see Daryl.
"I thought you were asleep." He told her, letting his hands fall from her waist once she was steady.
"I was, I woke up." She told him. "I'm glad you're back." She smiled up at him, hitting his chest lightly.
"Told you I would be."
"I know." She nodded. "What you did for Carol, that flower, that was really nice of you. You're a good guy. Don't forget that." She patted his chest with her bandaged palm before she turned and walked away from him, his eyebrows creased as he watched her walk then his cheek went slightly pink.
"You weren't asleep." He called out after her and she chuckled as she turned, walking backwards as she simply waved her hand. He chuckled a little, shaking his head as she turned around and made her way over to the others by the fire. She smiled as Josh moved from his chair, letting her have it as he moved to the ground. Daryl smiled a little, watching as the girl swatted at Mason's hand when he poked her thigh.
NOVA SPEAKS !
so sorry i missed yesterday's update!
i was busy most of yesterday!!
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