Jodie wiped her eyes in memory. It must have been more than eight months since it happened, but still it was as present to Jodie as if it had only been yesterday. Would she ever stop thinking about it? Blame herself? Would she ever learn to speak properly again?

She turned off the water and felt it seemed just right for a bath. She got up and went to Daryl's bedroom to wake him up carefully. She sat down at the edge of the bed and caressed him tenderly through the hair. Daryl didn't wake up and Jodie enjoyed a moment to experience him in such a deep sleep, he seemed so innocent and young. She stroked his cheek and his muscles twitched slightly on his face, making him grunt. She touched him again and finally his eyelids opened fluttering.

He blinked a few times to orient himself and finally looked at her.

"Kid? Where are we? "he finally croaked.

"I took you to the next town and looked after you," she wrote on her arm.

Daryl tried to sit up, but moaned as soon as he noticed the wound on his shoulder.

"Fuck! "he let himself sink back on his back and looked at her.

"How...how long was I gone? "he asked, croaking.

Jodie held up two fingers.

"Two hours? "

Shake your head a little.

„Two days?! "

She nodded and grabbed her bottle of water, she held his head up and held the bottle to his open lips. He drank greedily. After about half the bottle he dropped off and looked at her.

"Fuck, what happened? "he asked quietly.

"Bear attack, I took care you. You should get up now", she wrote on her arm.

"Okay, "he whispered and had Jodie help him up, supporting him on the way to the bathroom and putting him on the toilet lid.

"What are you doing? "he asked as she felt the water again.

She then pointed at him, then the bathtub and held up a piece of soap.

"Forget it, I'm not gonna take a bath just because you say it, "he hummed.

Jodie raised her eyebrows and looked at him as if she wanted to fight him with her looks. She relentlessly held out the soap to him and he finally growled in agreement and rose clumsily.

"But until I'm in the water, you stay out, "he growled at her rudely, and Jodie rolled her eyes and disappeared from the bathroom.

**************************************************

Jodie had waited outside the door until she had finally heard it splashing and Daryl gave a deep hum.

She came in quietly and saw Daryl sitting in the tub with his back on her, and there she saw it.

Not only a wide tattoo on his back, but also long narrow scars. They looked like marks on his back and he turned his head to look at her.

"What? "he growled rudely.

Apparently, the scars on his back were a sore spot for him.

Without moving his face, Jodie sat down at his side and took the soap from him. She began to wash out the wound carefully, clearly noticing Daryl's gaze on her.

Apparently, he was waiting to ask her about the scars, but Jodie decided not to say anything. It was his business, and he'd talk about it when he was ready.

Daryl hissed as she rubbed the wound and then let the warm water run over it, yet he tried to keep still. He kept watching Jodie, who had seen his scars, but didn't talk to him.

Apparently she left him his privacy, which he appreciated, yet he felt uncomfortable, as if he owed her an answer. After all, he had already seen her scars and also knew her story about it. Actually, it was only fair that she also knew his. Still, he didn't want to spread it out in front of her now that he was so naked and vulnerable.

Jodie sat down behind him and began to wash his back carefully. She noticed the play of his muscles when he tensed up in the first moment, as he couldn't see what she was doing. She knew that Daryl looked good, despite all the dirt that was sticking to him every day. She didn't feel sexually attracted to him, but she knew by now why some women in prison looked after him longer than necessary.

She looked at his tattoo. Two demon-like creatures who seemed to be chasing each other, their faces distorted to hateful faces. Who would take such a tattoo and why? But still, somehow it fit to Daryl.

When his back was clean, she gently gripped his head from behind and gently pulled him backwards so that Daryl would lay on his back. At the first moment, his hands twitched as if he wanted to stop her from touching him, but then he allowed her to do so, although tensely. He laid on his back and the water washed around his head. Jodie stroked through his hair, which were gently moving back and forth in the water, like from a light wind. She soaked it with water and then gently started rubbing soap on his head. She made sure not to rub anything in his eyes until she put his head back in the water and washed the soap out. She gently massaged his scalp with her fingertips and after a short hesitation, Daryl even relaxed under her hands and closed his eyes for a moment. He seemed to like the massage. Smiling, she massaged his scalp a little longer than necessary and then gently raised his head to signal that he should come up now.

****************************************************

After he was clean, Jodie had drained the water and turned away while he was drying himself. Then she had helped him out of the tub and given him things to wear that she had found in the cupboards. With the shirt, she helped him put it on and button it up before she brought him back to the bedroom and put him on the bed.

There she left him, and he heard her running around in the house. She washed his clothes, took care of his wound again, and cooked food for him. He didn't let her feed him. Instead, she helped him sit up and he ate a plate of noodles with her. After he finished, Jodie wanted to bring the plates down, but Daryl shook his head, grabbed her arm and pulled her to the bed next to him. Even though he wasn't the type to cuddle, he didn't want to be alone right now.

Jodie seemed to understand that, too, because she just laid down next to him and together they stared silently at the ceiling for a while. Eventually, Daryl began to talk hesitantly. He didn't know why, but he felt like he owed Jodie an explanation of his scars.

"My dad drank a lot, and he didn't give a shit about Merle and me... In the beginning, it was just a few slaps in the face and most of the time, Merle collected them. I was pretty young. Then our mom died, and she liked to drink and smoke in bed. I was playing on the street with the other kids when our house burned down, and my mom was in her bed, burned to nothing. After that a lot changed. I don't know if my dad loved her, but I guess she was kinda important to him somewhere, because suddenly everything was Merle's or my fault. First he took the beatings and at some point I got them, too. Merle was already gone," he said hesitantly and quietly.

He didn't look at her, kept staring at the ceiling, as if he could see everything he was telling right front of him.

"I don't remember every fight from him or my brother, but I do remember one. I think I was sixteen and I was supposed to get some drugs for my dad. He was to wasted to meet his dealer. I went there, gave the dealer the money and wanted to get the drugs, but it wasn't enough, so I had to go home without it. When I told Dad that, he didn't say anything at first, and then from one second to the next, he freaked out completely. He yelled, threw his bottle at the wall, I don't remember everything, but suddenly he had his belt in his hand and...he hit me. Again and again, until I thought I was going to die, but eventually he had enough and just left and left me lying there. I don't know how long it took me to get up again, but I've rarely felt so shitty in my life, "Daryl muttered.

Jodie didn't say anything about it, even though he didn't move his head, he peered at her from the corner of his eye to her. She was still looking at the ceiling. Chewed on her lower lip like she was thinking. Then, however, he felt that her small, warm hand shoved itself into his large, rough, and she crossed her fingers with his. She silently squeezed his hand and he smiled at his millimeter smile.

She didn't pity him, but took part of what he told her. Expressed without words how sorry she was, and he was grateful for it. He also knew he had nothing to say, Jodie would never tell anyone.

He reciprocated the pressure of her hand and together they looked at the ceiling, both of them following their own thoughts. Eventually, Jodie cuddled up to him and closed her eyes. Her face pressed her against his good shoulder and she still held his hand.

Daryl hesitated for a moment before releasing his hand from hers, then gently put his arm around her and began to caress her hair. Very gently, as if he were afraid to hurt her. He felt Jodie relaxing more and more in his arm, gently stroking her hand over his chest and finally putting her arm on his chest. Her hand was resting right above his heart. It was strangely comforting.

"I'm glad you're here, "he heard Jodie whisper so softly that he thought he had imagined it. He glanced at her briefly, but she still had her face pressed into his side and her eyes closed.

"Me too," he finally murmured softly into her ear and both fell asleep with it.

**********************************************

Jodie forced Daryl to stay in bed for two more days before finding him fit enough for traveling. Daryl wasn't an easy patient because he just hated lying around and doing nothing. But on this point Jodie was stubborn and didn't let him say anything.

She was reassured that he could eat, drink, get up and talk on his own again, but he was still far too weak to travel.

Which was why, she took care of everything. She washed his clothes, cooked food, searched the nearby houses and went hunting. Even though Daryl didn't notice much of her while she was away, he knew by now that Jodie didn't really need him anymore. She managed without him and was ready to survive on her own.

In a certain way he was pleased. She was now independent and would get by everywhere and wouldn't end up desperate and alone. But it also worried him. If she had taken him back to prison, would she go and leave him? Because he didn't want her to leave for a long time.

He wanted to be with her, to have her around him, to understand her and to listen to her silence. She didn't need him anymore, but he needed her.

On the fourth day, however, Jodie seemed satisfied and helped him through the house to the van, where he let himself sluggishly sink to the driver's seat and she got herself onto the passenger's seat. Daryl quickly found his way to the prison and after about two hours they reached the gates.

In fact, the gates opened quickly, so they assumed they had been recognized from the watchtower. Jodie slightly supported Daryl as they stepped out of the car into the yard.

"Daryl, Jodie! "Rick ran to meet them and Cole and Glenn followed him.

"Where were you? You had disappeared for four days and we couldn't find you anywhere, "Rick said relieved and upset at the same time.

"What happened to you, Daryl? "Glenn asked as he realized that Daryl needed to lean a little bit on Jodie.

"A fucking grizzly bear attacked me and tore my shoulder open. Jodie had to patch me up before we could come back."

Cole hugged Jodie tightly and she wrapped her arms around him. Daryl looked at her for a moment and she looked back. With his eyes he asked, "Will you stay? "

But her look was indefinable, as if she didn't know the answer, which frightened Daryl. What if she again disappeared soon? He was currently still too weak to track her again this time, even if he did.

"Where is that bear now? "Rick asked.

"Dead, Jodie took me to the next town and patched me up there, "Daryl growled.

Rich nodded before he said, "Why didn't you come straight back to prison? "

"We were already quite far away and I lost a lot of blood on the way. I probably wouldn't have survived it. Besides, I don't think she knew the way back."

"Cole will take you to Hershel, have him look at the wound, and you, Jodie, will you come with me? ", Rick asked, then turned to Jodie, who had just released herself from Cole's embrace. She hesitated briefly, glanced at Daryl and then nodded.

Rick smiled cheerfully at her, put a hand on her back and walked to the cell block with her while Daryl and Cole watched her.

"Is she okay? "Cole asked, worried.

Daryl shrugged his shoulders, but then realized that this was not a good idea, because a sharp pain drove through his shoulder.

"I don't know, "

"Is she staying this time? "

And again, Daryl could only say, "I don't know."

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Wow, finally 1K readers. Thank you, guys. I am so happy about this. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well. In two weeks my school starts again, so I might delay the chapters more often, since I have to prepare myself for the finals in January. I also wont't start any new projects until January, since I really need to pass this finals. I hope you understand.

Leave a comment or a vote, I am looking forward.

Love Liz;)