My eyes observed Daryl as he left the RV in which Carol was staying. He was headed for the house which I found strange. As far as I knew, he had his own tent.

His movement, however, stopped when he saw me sitting on the porch. A flash of surprise lit up his eyes and despite the dark, I could see how blue they were. The image of them from the CDC still remained in my head.

"What's up, Dixon? Shoot anyone with an arrow while I was out?" I asked.

For a split second, there seemed to be amusement swirling in his eyes. It did feel as if though I imagined it though. I was waiting for a sarcastic comeback, but none came. Instead he glanced at my stomach.

"You okay?" He asked.

I frowned at the lack of bickering as I found it unusual. Daryl Dixon has never ignored an opportunity to argue with me. I shifted uncomfortably as I realized this was a real conversation.

"I'm getting there." I said.

It felt strange to talk to him without insults. But it was also strangely not as horrendous as I thought it would be. Even five seconds of no arguing was surprisingly pleasant. Never thought I'd say that about him though.

"That's good." He commented.

Our eyes connected and he quickly looked away. I wanted to look away as well but I couldn't. What the hell is wrong with me? This bullet must be be screwing with my head somehow and I'm not happy about it.

"Why are you here, Daryl?"

We never did... this. He doesn't check up on me and I don't check up on him. We're not even friends. That word doesn't exist in our vocabulary. He seemed uncomfortable by the question as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

"I don't know."

That was followed by a shrug and brief eye contact. I nodded at him accepting the answer. This was new territory for us. I didn't want to fuck it up. If I'm going to stay in this group, I might as well minimize the amount of enemies.

"Okay."

-----

I heard commotion in the house and it made me feel wary. Ryan entered my room and I raised my eyebrows in a silent question. Ryan hesitated at answering before sighing and giving up.

"So, uh, Andrea shot Daryl." He replied.

My jaw dropped as I tried to process his words. Just last night, I was talking to him on the porch and now he might be dead. When thinking about his death, I always thought I'd be involved somehow.

"What do you mean she shot Daryl? Why? I mean, we've all wanted to but still." I said.

"Apparently, a horse threw him off and one of his arrows lodged itself into his side. He then limped back to the farm and Andrea thought he was a walker." He explained.

A sigh escaped my lips as I leaned further into my pillows. If Daryl was dead, Ryan would have mentioned it by now. So that must mean he's just wounded, kind of like me. Perhaps we can bond over almost getting killed by dumb people.

"Damn Dixon. Always getting into trouble." I mumbled.

There was a knock on the door and I looked up. It was Carol. She was carrying a plate with food for me. My eyes softened at the action. Of course she'd be the one to show such affection. I didn't deserve that kind of kindness.

"Hey, I brought you some food. Ryan, you should come to dinner. Abby's already waiting for you." She said.

He nodded as she put the plate on the nightstand. They both exited the room and I started eating. It actually tasted like real food. It didn't take me long to finish it which left me in a state of utter boredom.

An idea started forming in my head though I didn't know where it came from. I could always go check up on Daryl. He did do the same for me, despite how weird it was of him to do so. Maybe he's as bored as I am.

Before I could change my mind, I was already up and standing in front of his door. I hesitated at entering. What was I even doing right now? My brain rationalized it as best as it could while I made myself open the door.

Out of everything that I expected to happen, seeing Daryl's bare back wasn't one of the possibilities. Though I was more interested in the tattoos scars covering it. He looked up in fright and covered himself while I stepped inside.

"Sorry for barging in. I was just hiding from the others. Their concern is unhealthy." I mumbled.

The lie was a stupid one and I wished that I had come up with something better. His eyes narrowed but he didn't seem to notice that it was a lie. Which worked for me since I didn't want to try and explain why I was there.

"Never thought I'd see the day where I was the better option."

I cracked a smile liking that I wasn't the only one who was surprised by our recent lack of hostility. What surprised me even more was the hint of a smile on his face. I put a piece of my hair behind my ear as I cleared my throat.

"Where'd you get the scars?" I asked.

And just like that, his face had transformed into a frown. It was like he wanted to be a angry with me for asking that, and he was, but he also expected it. I didn't want to push my luck with him yet I found it irresistible to not ask about it.

"That's none of your business, Josephine."

"I'm not going anywhere, so you might as well just tell me."

A huff left his lips as I swayed on my feet. I should probably sit down because my stomach is starting to ache. But despite the pain, I didn't want to make this encounter any more awkward.

"Deadbeat dad."

"Deadbeat mom."

He looked at me in confusion at my reply to his answer. If he's opening up to me, then I guess I should do the same. Being friendly with him is a challenge on its own, but it'll be worse if I don't put in the effort.

"You're not the only one with scars." I replied.

I sat at the end of his bed finally finding the pain too much to bear. He looked at me as if though I suddenly made so much more sense. It's like a mutual agreement passed between us about this and we didn't even have to mention it.

"Why are you here, Josephine?" He asked.

This was the same question that I asked him recently. He checked up on me and now I was checking up on him. And neither of us knew why.

"I don't know."

------

The trees gave me some shade as I sat sprawled out in a chair. My bullet wound hurt in most sitting positions so bending my body in odd shapes was the most comfortable thing I could do.

"I'm soooo bored." I exclaimed.

Glenn glanced at me from his seat beside me. He was sort of on the 'keep an eye on Josephine' duty. That and he seemed amused by most of my comments. This one was no different.

"Didn't Dale give you a book?"

"I don't do lovey-dovey books."

"It can't be that bad."

He picked it up from where I threw it in disgust. The world ended and I was stuck with awful books. Glenn flipped through it before grimacing. Maybe he'll finally see that I'm not crazy and that Dale's books were shit.

"Okay, yeah. It's that bad." He agreed.

A laugh escaped my lips as he put it away. I took a sip of my lemonade and sighed in relief. Living on a farm had its advantages. Too bad I had to get shot to get this kind of treatment.

"Living the life. Sipping lemonade while recovering from a gunshot wound." I said.

"At least you don't have to do stuff. Now you can enjoy the simple life. Birds chirping, sun shining..." He trailed off.

"Birds annoying me, sun burning my skin..." I grumbled.

He chuckled as Lori passed us by. He tensed with his eyes stuck on her. I frowned at his change in attitude as I took another sip of my lemonade.

"I'll be right back." He told me.

I raised my eyebrow as he got up and followed her. What's up with those two? I'd ask but I don't think my brain could handle all that drama. It's bad enough that there's Rick and Shane drama brewing.

"I wanna learn how to use a gun." Abby stated.

I looked up startled at her sudden appearance. She was staring at me waiting for my response. I furrowed my eyebrows while processing her question.

"You wanna learn how to use a gun?" I asked.

She took a deep breath and nodded. She was expecting me to say no. I can see it on her face. She was ready to fight me if I said that she couldn't, but I didn't have the strength for that.

"Okay." I replied.

She froze and looked at me in disbelief. I found her shock highly amusing. Dakota would throw a fit if she knew I was allowing this. But she's not here to disagree with it.

"Really? I thought you wouldn't like the idea." She commented.

"The world's changed and you need to know how to protect yourself. Ryan and I might not be here one day."

The thought of it made us both uncomfortable. She frowned before hugging me. A smile crossed my face as I hugged back tightly. One day she might be too old for hugs and that is not a day that I look forward to.

"Ryan's gonna come, too. He's teaching Beth how to use a gun."

Ryan's gun knowledge was slightly lesser than mine. Neither he nor Dakota ever felt comfortable with guns. I was the opposite, I wanted to know everything.

"Hershel's youngest daughter?" I asked.

Abby hummed in agreement and I snorted. If he's willing to spend more time around guns, then he might have a thing for her. Which I really hope he doesn't because she's way too young and immature to be with him in any form.

"I'm gonna go check if they need any help in the kitchen." Abby said.

She kissed my cheek before she walked away. These past few days, even weeks, she's been so strong. Dakota leaving, Sophia getting lost and me getting shot. It was a lot for a kid her age.

Sometimes I think she's going to be the best of us. Compassionate like Dakota, outgoing like Ryan, stubborn like me and as strong as all of us. We raised her well and that's the only achievement that I'm truly proud of.

I made myself get up and slowly make my way to Carol who was putting the clothes to dry. Ever since Sophia got lost, I hadn't really talked to her about it. It's not like I was knew what I wanted to say to her.

"Need any help?"

"Not from you. You should be resting."

She glanced at me as I leaned against a tree. I shrugged at her stern look. Staying in bed all day wasn't what I considered fun. At least not in the world of no internet.

"I should be out there, helping find Sophia." I spoke up.

Carol tensed a bit at the mention of her missing daughter. Everyone is helping her out with what they can and it feels as if though I'm the only one not doing anything. I'm Carol's friend, I should be in the front lines of this.

"You got shot because you went out looking for her. That's more than enough."

She gave me a soft smile before going back to the tents for more clothes. I wanted to protest at the credit she was giving me. There was so much more that I could've done, and perhaps more that I should've done.