I woke up on my left side. Daryl was now gone and everything was silent. Was last night just a dream? I slowly sat up, rubbing my wounded shoulder before tip-toeing outside to see where everybody was. To my surprise, everyone was outside enjoying the weather and hanging out. I noticed there were way more people around than the regulars who were already here. I barely even recognized them. Where did they come from? I spotted Patrick talking to Carl, giving me the indication that all of these people were from Woodbury; Patrick would bother me all the time. He doesn't know how to take a hint in the slightest.

I slowly and awkwardly began to shuffle into the crowd, past them. A number of them spotted me, beginning to whisper to each other with gossip. One man in particular glared at me with hatred, the look familiar. I turned my focus to the ground out of fear. A small group of girls caused me to look back up. They greeted me warmly as I passed, clearly remembering me. I relaxed, smiling at them in return. The encounter made me feel welcome, more comfortable than a few moments ago. I spotted Carol out of the sea, walking straight up to her.

"Saw you last night," she muttered right away, smirking the tiniest bit as she continued to fix up some food for the crowd. My brain went into panic mode.

"W-what," I sputtered, my face growing hot. "What do you mean?" My fingers went to the bottom of my shirt, nervously twisting the fabric in-between them. Maybe she thought she saw me but it actually wasn't. I prayed that was the case. I wasn't prepared for Carol to make a fool outta me for hours on end.

"I went to talk to Daryl, but he wasn't in his usual spot. I though that, perhaps, you might've knew where he wandered off to since he's been talking to you the most, lately. When I got to your place, I saw he was right next to you. Your head was in his lap," she smiled, looking up from her cooking. She held back laughter once she saw how completely flustered I was. My head was in his lap?

"It was," I whispered, my eyes flickering over the ground in disbelief. It must've happened while I was sleeping. I must've had another nightmare.

"You know," she drawled, sifting around her food. "After Hershel fixed up your arm, he hovered outside your cell to see if you did anything." Carol paused, gazing back up at me and shifting all her weight to one side. "He hasn't been the same since that day. I mean, I wouldn't be either but Daryl doesn't really worry about others that much. When he does, it's all or nothing: he's gonna protect them for as long as he lives. I think he decided that you were the perfect person to worry about." My heart suddenly fluttered at the idea of him thinking about me in such a way, in his mysterious secretive way.

"Really," I muttered. I contemplated if I should reveal what happened last night. It was just Carol and I'm pretty sure no one else around me would care; Daryl wasn't even out here. I took a deep breath, squeezing my eyes shut before saying it. "I—I kissed him," I admitted sheepishly. "It just happened. It was kinda weird..." I tried to steer myself clear from thinking about the kiss in a positive light. It didn't mean anything... or did it? "But..." I trailed off, my mind traveling back to last night and his warm lips on mine.

"But what?" Carol yearned for me to continue, waiting patiently.

"He pulled me back in." A faint smile spread across my lips, me quickly suppressing it. "I thought my heart was gonna rip outta my chest I was so nervous; it was almost painful, like a heart attack." Carol grinned.

"You like him," she stated. The phrase made my brain freeze, then fly into defense mode.

"No," I blurted out. I pondered the feelings I felt last night: the anxious, shaky feeling I felt whenever he was near. His blue eyes popped into my head, making my heart skip a beat. I shook away the thoughts. "I don't know. It's too soon," I whispered. "I'm— I— I don't know how to explain it."

"Explain what," a voice grumbled from behind me. I spun around, coming face to face with Daryl who held a bowl of food in his hands. My heart began to race, a faint blush gracing my cheeks. How long had he been behind me? Oh shit, did he hear anything I said?

"Nothing," I lied as Daryl looked at me with curiosity. "It's nothing." A brief silence took over.

"Where've you been," Carol asked Daryl, saving me from awkwardness. "I haven't seen you yet this morning."

"I had shit to do," he muttered. Carol smirked. "The hell're ya smilin' 'bout?" I awkwardly turned away, stuffing my hands in my pockets. I knew Carol was gonna make a fool outta me.

"I gotta go. I'll see y'all later," I said before walking off, saving myself this time from the awkwardness to come. I stepped over the threshold of the prison, instantly feeling relieved of embarrassment. A shrill wail rang through the air. It came from a cardboard box that sat on the table ahead of me. I peered into it, my eyes falling on a baby. Its eyes were squeezed shut, its face red from crying. I carefully reached inside, brushing my finger down the baby's face in an attempt to soothe it. It opened its eyes, gazing up at me as its cries started to quiet.

"Hey," I whispered. "Why're you all by yourself?" I lifted her out of the box and started to bounce her on my hip. Who the hell was the idiot that left a baby unattended? I walked over to the stairs, sitting down with her in my arms. I rocked the baby back and forth, smiling as she gazed up at me with wide doe-eyes.