He could feel the sweat drip from his brow as he emerged from the shade of the forest into the hot Georgia sunshine. As usual, he had started hunting in the early hours of the morning, before the heat became too much to bear. After a slow start, he had hit the mother lode when he stumbled upon a small flock of turkeys. He hoisted his kill a little higher on his shoulder, lifting his hand to shield his eyes from the blazing afternoon sun. Entering the prison gates, he couldn't help but smile as he scanned the yard and saw that all was peaceful. Carl, Beth and Hershel were spread out on a blanket, taking turns having baby Judith crawl on her belly towards them. The little ass kicker was growing like a weed and at this rate would be up and walking before they knew it. He spotted Rick and Michonne patrolling the fence, rare smiles on both their faces as they chatted away. Noting the absence of Glenn and Maggie from the group, he glanced up at the guard tower, assuming that they were inside, doing what they seemed to do best. He couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped his lips as he thought back to all the times the couple had been caught mid tryst while on watch. He had even started mentally referring to the tower as the honeymoon suite, not that he would tell anyone that. He walked a bit further into the yard until he finally found who he had been looking for. Carol stood a little way away from the group, humming to herself as she hung the freshly washed laundry on the line to dry. Looking up from her work, she met his gaze with a small smile as he approached her, her smile only brightening as she realized what he was carrying.

" Is that what I think it is?" she asked excitedly as she looked at the huge bird hanging from his shoulder.

"Came across a whole flock of them this morning. Thing has got to weigh 25 pounds, easy. " he replied.

"Well come on then Dixon, drop that beast in the kitchen for me so I can get it cleaned up and cooking. I can't even remember the last time I had turkey. My stomach is already growling just thinking about it." she teased.

"I'll get it cleaned for ya. Just finish up what you're doin here, and I'll come get ya when it's ready." he offered, noting the large pile of laundry that still needed to be hung. Woman had enough work on her plate and he didn't mind taking a bit of the load off of her. Despite her good spirits, she had seemed a bit more worn out that usual lately, and it was starting to worry him.

Carol leaned up and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Well, aren't you the sweet one today? Kill it and clean it. You are quite the catch, ."

Daryl could feel his cheeks begin to flush, just as they always did when she started with her shy attempt at flirting. After everything they had been through together, he had grown more comfortable with their friendship. Not quite that comfortable though. He loved her, but he didn't want to complicate things. And from the little experience he had with women, he knew that was the quickest way to send her running. He glanced up to meet her gaze and simply nodded as he turned and headed towards the cell block. He made quick work of plucking and gutting the bird. He cleaned up all the mess and even managed to clean himself up a little before heading back into the yard to fetch Carol. He stopped just short of the yard, watching the woman who was occupying his thoughts. She was stretching to hang the last of the sheets on the line. He couldn't help but notice that the hem of her large shirt had risen above the waist of her low slung jeans, revealing a pale sliver of bare skin. It wasn't the first time he had caught little flashes of her body, but this time was different. Even in the distance he could see how thin she had become, the outline of her ribs clearly visible through her pale skin. She never did seem to eat enough, but lately she really didn't seem to eat at all, always giving her food to Beth or Carl. She claimed that they needed it more that she did, but that shit was going to stop if Daryl had anything to say about it. He watched as she put the last clip on the sheet and stepped back to admire her work, a look of satisfaction on her face. She turned around, giving him a small wave as he approached.

"Is the turkey all ready to go?" she asked as she picked up her empty basket.

He nodded, taking the basket from her hands as they walked towards the kitchen. "It's ready to go, but don't you wanna take a break before you get started. I mean, no offense, but you look beat."

She glanced over at him with a small smile and put her hand on his arm. "Thanks for the concern, but honestly, I'm fine."

Daryl looked at her and even as she said the words he could tell it was far from the truth. The color had drained from her face and her grip on his arm tightened. "Carol?" he asked, a hint of panic present in his voice. She didn't seem to hear him as her eyes slowly closed and she began to stumble, before collapsing completely into his arms. He laid her down gently on the grass before yelling for Hershel. The whole group heard his calls for help and came running, shocked to find Daryl on his knees next to the unconscious woman, softly shaking her shoulder and calling her name with a look of fear on his face.

"What happened here?" Hershel asked, lowering himself down in the grass next to Carol.

"I don't know, she was talking and she looked so tired and the next thing, she's passing out on me. What the hell is wrong with her?"

Hershel placed a hand on her forehead. "Well, judging from her temperature, I would say it's just a simple case of heat stroke. It's no wonder. Look at what she's wearing. It's over 100 degrees out here and she's wearing jeans and a flannel shirt. It's a wonder she didn't pass out sooner."

Daryl felt a surge of relief as he saw that she was starting to come around. "So what do I gotta do, just cool her down?"

"Get her back to her cell. Get some water and aspirin into her and try and get her to rest. Maybe change her into some lighter clothes."

Daryl sighed as he scooped a half conscious Carol into his arms. She smiled up at him a bit dazed as she laid her head on his shoulder. "Alright, I think I got it from here. Thanks."

Hershel just nodded. "Let me know if you need anything."

The group returned to their previous activities as Daryl carried Carol back into the dark, cool confines of the cell block they called home. Kicking open the door to her cell, he gently laid her down on her cot, leaving only for a moment to collect a bottle of water and a few aspirin. He managed to get her to come around long enough to get her to swallow the pills and gulp down half the bottle of water before she started to doze off. He shook he shoulder a little, softly calling her name. "Carol, you have to wake up. You have to get cooled down. You are gonna sweat to death in those clothes. Can you get changed by yourself?"

She shook her head, keeping her eyes closed as she drifted off to sleep. He sighed as he realized that this was gonna be up to him. He rolled her sleeping form onto her back and pulled her socks and shoes off slowly. He couldn't help the smile that came to his face when he saw that her toenails were painted red. "We're in the middle of the apocalypse, and the woman gives herself a pedicure." He hesitated for a moment before reaching for the button of her jeans. "Get it together Dixon." he thought as he popped the clasp open and slowly lifted her hips to slide the thick fabric from her body. He tried his best to keep his eyes off of her newly exposed flesh, but couldn't help but steal a quick glance at her long, toned legs. He found himself drawn to the small scattering of bruises that dotted her flesh. The dark purple marks seemed to be everywhere, from the smaller ones on her calves to the larger ones on her inner thighs. "What the fuck?" he whispered to himself as he tentatively brushed a hand over a particularly angry looking spot below her hip. He started to unbutton her shirt, gently sliding her arms from the sleeves only to reveal a fresh new batch of bruises marring the pale skin on her arms and even trailing across her painfully thin stomach. He reeled a bit as he thought back to their short time in the Atlanta camp, when the sight of Carol covered in bruises was something he had noticed but chosen to ignore. But Ed was dead, and unless she had made a new hobby of sneaking off to wrestle walkers, he couldn't understand where all of the marks had come from. She was sound asleep by now, snoring softly, with a look of peaceful calm spread across her delicate features. He pulled the threadbare sheet from the foot of the bed, draping it over her sleeping form before dropping himself down to the floor, leaning his back against the cool wall. He wasn't leaving this room until she was awake. He had to know she was going to be okay. He leaned his head back, his eyes never leaving her as he waited for her to wake.

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