❛ I live my life like there's no tomorrow. And all I've got, I had to steal. I don't need to beg or borrow. Yes, I'm livin' at a pace that kills. ❜

SEASON 2, EPISODE 5
chupacabra

━━━━━━ day 69.

RICK CALLED THE search party out to the truck where they had the day before to discuss the plan. Now that Rick had gotten enough time for his body to replenish the blood he'd lost, and Shane wasn't limping anymore, they could finally start getting a move on.

⠀⠀⠀"Alright, everyone's getting new search grids today," Rick explained, the map laid out in front of him. "If she made it as far as the farmhouse Daryl and Bianca found, she might've gone further east than we've been so far."

⠀⠀⠀"Not the kid," Daryl spoke up, pulling on his flannel.

⠀⠀⠀"What? I'm goin'. I did fine yesterday," Bianca told him.

⠀⠀⠀Daryl rose an eyebrow, looking at the side of her head. She turned, noticing him snap just out of her eyeline to prove his point.

⠀⠀⠀"Can't hear a thing out of it since the CDC," Daryl explained, turning to Rick.

⠀⠀⠀Rick sighed, shaking his head, then looked pointedly at Bianca with a fatherly frown pulling his face down.

⠀⠀⠀"Why didn't you say anything?" Rick asked her sternly.

⠀⠀⠀"I didn't see an issue with it," Bianca retorted, shrugging.

⠀⠀⠀"Goin' out into those woods, only one ear workin', if a walker came up on the wrong side, you wouldn't know until they were teeth deep into you," Shane snapped at her, grinding his teeth like it bothered him. She knew it didn't.

⠀⠀⠀"I'd be fine. I can hear out of this one just fine," Bianca assured them with a nervous smile.

⠀⠀⠀"Have you talked to Hershel yet?" Rick asked her.

⠀⠀⠀"No."

⠀⠀⠀"Go talk to him," Rick said. "Hopefully, the damage isn't permanent," he sighed, disappointed, then pointed back toward the farmhouse.

⠀⠀⠀Bianca sighed but listened for once, heading for the farmhouse. But, before she got too far, Rick caught up to her and stopped her in her trek. He turned her toward him, resting his hands on her shoulders, and looked down at her softly.

⠀⠀⠀"I know this is hard, but you'll get through this. Just a bump in the road," Rick told her, his blue eyes a sea of reassurance Bianca wasn't sure she deserved. "Do me a favor, alright? Carl likes your company, and he's locked up in there. Maybe read him a book or do one of your lessons. He can't get out of bed just yet, and I know it's drivin' him crazy."

⠀⠀⠀"Yeah, alright," Bianca muttered, nodding as she looked at the farmhouse. "I haven't had a chance to see him, anyway."

⠀⠀⠀Rick smiled, patting her arms, then walked back to the search party. Bianca slumped her shoulders forward and continued on toward the farmhouse.

"WELL, IT SEEMS like your eardrum has been ruptured, but the good news is, this type of injury just needs to heal on its own," Hershel stated. He removed the otoscope from her ear and looked down tiredly at her. The same expression he had held since they came. Hershel was kind enough to open up his farm to them. Still, he didn't seem too keen on making relationships and keeping them around longer than needed. "I don't believe it'll be permanent. Just give it a few weeks."

⠀⠀⠀"Thank you, Doctor Greene," Bianca replied with a hesitant smile.

⠀⠀⠀Hershel chuckled and shook his head. "None of your folk have called me doctor."

⠀⠀⠀"Sorry, is that not right?" Bianca asked.

⠀⠀⠀"It's quite alright, very respectful of you is all," Hershel explained before his smile washed away and fatherly concern fell into place. "Your ear's not hurting or causing you grief, is it?"

⠀⠀⠀"No, nothin' like that," Bianca assured him, standing. "Just wish I could be out there lookin' for Sophia is all."

⠀⠀⠀"Yes, well," Hershel nodded, giving her a forced smile. "It's probably safer for you to stay on the farm."

⠀⠀⠀"I know," Bianca muttered and glanced at the backroom. "Is it alright if I go see Carl?"

⠀⠀⠀"Yes, he's been rather lonely. You're gonna go spend some time with him?" Hershel asked, raising his thick, white eyebrow at her.

⠀⠀⠀"Yes, sir," Bianca stated. "Got not much else to do."

⠀⠀⠀"Alright," Hershel said with a nod, smiling as he did. "Let me know if anything worsens with your ear, but all should be fine. I'll take another look in a week or so."

⠀⠀⠀Bianca thanked him, and the two parted ways. She made her way to the room at the back of the house, knocking on the door frame to alert Carl she was there. He turned to look at her quickly, brown eyes bright as he noticed her. She smiled, and he grinned back at her.

⠀⠀⠀"Bianca! You came to say hi?" he asked, the blankets bunched at the bottom of his chest while the wound he was recovering from was wrapped tightly in gauze. He still looked pale, but from what she heard happened, he looked better than what she expected.

⠀⠀⠀"I came to hang out with the kid who survived a gunshot wound!" Bianca exclaimed, dragging a chair across the room, kicking her feet up on the bed next to him. "You gotta tell me everything."

⠀⠀⠀Carl laughed a little, eyebrows creasing in the middle of his forehead as he shook his head.

⠀⠀⠀"It was just an accident," Carl explained, rolling his eyes.

⠀⠀⠀"An accident?" Bianca asked, feigning curiosity for the kid. "C'mon, little man, do what all heroes do best."

⠀⠀⠀"What's that?"

⠀⠀⠀"Add dramatic stuff to make it interesting."

⠀⠀⠀"Okay, okay," Carl laughed, waving his hands at her. "So, I'm walking in the woods, fighting off aliens that came down just after you guys left. I have my knife, but nothing works until I stop. They stop. It's like they're a mirror, so I take my knife and act like I'm stabbing it through myself. They do the same but end up killing themselves!"

⠀⠀⠀"No way," Bianca gasped. "I can't believe that happened."

⠀⠀⠀"Neither can I," Carl agreed. "They explode into confetti, and where they were was a deer. She was so pretty and alive. I've never seen one before, but defeating the aliens allowed my wish to come true."

⠀⠀⠀"Your wish was to see a deer?" Bianca asked, raising a brow.

⠀⠀⠀"Yes, shut up," Carl told her, holding up his hand. "So, I went to go touch it, and then there was a loud BOOM!" Carl shouted, throwing his arms up, flinching from the pain in his side, then put his arms back down. "And-and it felt like time had slowed down. Like I was staring at this deer, and all of a sudden, I can see the bullet coming from it and straight at me."

⠀⠀⠀"Oh, that sounds scary," Bianca said, worrying her brow. "You couldn't run from it like the Flash?"

⠀⠀⠀"No! I just stood there like an idiot—"

⠀⠀⠀"How are you gonna outrun a bullet, Carl?" Bianca retorted with a teasing smile. "Especially if you don't have super speed."

⠀⠀⠀"I don't know," Carl muttered, laughing as he realized his thoughts weren't anything he could do in real life. "But, anyway, the bullet went into my stomach," he continued, pointing at the spot underneath his bandage where the wound was. "It burned, like a-like a, I don't know, but it really hurt. I don't remember much else except being here. Mr. Hershel has been really nice. He fixed me. I'm just-I wish I could help more, for Sophia."

⠀⠀⠀"I know," Bianca said, pushing back his hair. "Me, too."

⠀⠀⠀"What happened to you?" Carl asked, worried. "Are you okay?"

⠀⠀⠀"I'm alright. When Shane shot those computers back at the CDC, it ruptured my eardrum. The explosion didn't help either. Your dad and Daryl think it's safer for me here since I can't hear somethin' coming from one side."

⠀⠀⠀"That sucks," Carl told her, sounding disappointed. "I just hope they find her soon."

⠀⠀⠀"They will," Bianca assured him, taking his hand and squeezing it to reassure him, then pulled back. "Okay, want me to read a really boring book to you?"

⠀⠀⠀"What? No," Carl protested, scrunching his nose.

⠀⠀⠀"We don't have anything else to do," Bianca said. "What do you suggest?"

⠀⠀⠀"We could talk about before," Carl suggested hopefully.

⠀⠀⠀"No."

⠀⠀⠀"Why not?" Carl asked, his face falling at being shot down. "No one will talk to me about it. I miss talking about my friends and school and going on vacation. We don't talk about anything anymore. Just walkers and what we're gonna find our next meal."

⠀⠀⠀Bianca let out a deep breath, shaking her head.

⠀⠀⠀"We've lost a lot of people," Bianca explained. "It's hard to talk about."

⠀⠀⠀"Maybe that's what we need to do," Carl retorted, sounding wise beyond his years. "I mean, all of these people died, and now there's not even a grave for people to remember them. Now, we can't even talk about them. What about your family? Your friends? Don't you want them... don't you want to remember them?"

⠀⠀⠀"Yeah, I guess," Bianca whispered, turning away from him. "But it's too raw. I just-I just lost them."

⠀⠀⠀"Don't talk about their death, then," Carl told her, a smile coming up to his face when she looked back at him. "What was your mom like?"

⠀⠀⠀Bianca didn't want to respond, but Carl's big brown doe eyes were pleading, hoping that she would talk to him about anything else. She sighed, running her hand down her face.

⠀⠀⠀"My mom's nice. She works at a-a little café near her house. She and her best friend own it," Bianca explained, pulling her leg up to rest on the chair, leaning her elbow against her knee.

⠀⠀⠀"Where'd you live?" Carl asked curiously.

⠀⠀⠀"I was in college, so I lived in a dorm," Bianca explained.

⠀⠀⠀"You lived at school?" Carl asked, disgust in his tone.

⠀⠀⠀"Yeah, you don't?" Bianca teased him with a smile rising to her face.

⠀⠀⠀"No!" Carl exclaimed. "I don't think I could do that. I really hate my math teacher. She looks like a bat!"

⠀⠀⠀"Ah, now I see why you hate math so much. You have a bad teacher," Bianca mused, nodding her head and narrowing her eyes at him. "Maybe one day you'll like it because I taught you right," she stated, winking.

⠀⠀⠀Carl scoffed, "I don't know about that. Ms. Escalante always made us do those math quizzes at the start of class and whoever did good earned tickets to get to the prize box. But I never got a good grade, so I never got to go to the prize box!"

⠀⠀⠀"Mm, yeah, I understand. She doesn't get that math is different for everyone. Just as language arts, history, or science. And she probably didn't know how to teach you right," Bianca explained. "Don't worry, my boyfriend's no good at math either, but I helped him be able to pass his class."

⠀⠀⠀"You have a boyfriend?" Carl asked curiously, sitting up as he looked at her. "Is it Glenn?"

⠀⠀⠀"Ew, no!" Bianca exclaimed, swatting her hand at the kid.

⠀⠀⠀"What?! Glenn's nice, and you guys looked happy at the CDC," Carl retorted defensively.

⠀⠀⠀"Glenn reminds me of my brother. That's why I find it gross," Bianca explained, laughing.

⠀⠀⠀Carl nodded in understanding, then paused, "You have a brother?"

⠀⠀⠀"Yeah, real sweet like Glenn. He goes to school with me," Bianca explained, her smile growing faint but still there. "His name's Eugene."

⠀⠀⠀"Is he smart like you?"

⠀⠀⠀"Yes."

⠀⠀⠀"That's cool," Carl stated. "So, who's your boyfriend?"

⠀⠀⠀"His name's Caliburn, but he goes by Cal."

⠀⠀⠀"Caliburn?" Carl asked. "What kind of name is that?"

⠀⠀⠀"Alright, you know the story of King Arthur?" Bianca asked, something in her chest growing giddy at the opportunity to talk about her boyfriend despite her previous reluctance.

⠀⠀⠀"Yeah, he, um, he pulled Excalibur from the stone and became King of Camelot!"

⠀⠀⠀"Yes and no, some historians state that Caliburn is the sword that Arthur pulled from the stone. Excalibur is the sword given to Arthur by the Lady of the Lake."

⠀⠀⠀"Woah! That is so cool," Carl exclaimed. "Much better than Carl."

⠀⠀⠀"Well, now you're just makin' things up," Bianca scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Carl is a very cool name."

⠀⠀⠀"I don't like it very much."

⠀⠀⠀"I don't think any of us like our names at first," Bianca stated, sitting back in her chair. "Sometimes you grow used to it, sometimes you go on hating it, and other times you change it. However, I can just keep callin' you little man if you want."

⠀⠀⠀Carl blushed but shook his head, "No, Carl is fine."

⠀⠀⠀"Alright, little man, whatever you say."

⠀⠀⠀"So, Caliburn," Carl continued, looking away from her.

⠀⠀⠀"You gonna just call him by his full name?" Bianca asked with a laugh.

⠀⠀⠀"Yeah, it's cooler," Carl explained. "Is he smart?"

⠀⠀⠀"Why are you so interested in if my friends are smart?" Bianca asked him, narrowing her eyes at him in question.

⠀⠀⠀Carl shrugged.

⠀⠀⠀"He's smart, but not like I am," Bianca explained. "He loves art and its history, along with regular history as well."

⠀⠀⠀"That's kind of cool, I guess," Carl muttered, not really sure what that meant.

⠀⠀⠀"Yeah, he doesn't think he's an artist himself because he can't draw or paint, but the man is a genius when it comes to anything else. Woodworking, jewelry making, he's knit me a sweater before."

⠀⠀⠀"He can't draw, but he does other art?"

⠀⠀⠀"Exactly, but he still doesn't think he's an artist," Bianca explained, shaking her head.

⠀⠀⠀"He seems nice. I hope I can meet him one day," Carl stated, then pinched his lips together and looked at her like she was about to cry in front of him. "I'm sorry."

⠀⠀⠀"Don't be," Bianca assured him. "He's alive."

⠀⠀⠀"He is? How do you know?"

⠀⠀⠀Bianca let out a breathy laugh, closing her eyes as she mulled over his question.

⠀⠀⠀"He was comin' to my house before I met Daryl. He never made it to me, but it didn't feel like he died, y'know?" Bianca explained, opening her eyes to look at Carl, who stared curiously at her. "Sometimes, you know in your gut. I know in my gut he's not. I was sure of it before and sure of it after when I found his car on the highway."

⠀⠀⠀"That one you were sitting in for hours?" Carl asked.

⠀⠀⠀"Yeah, that one," Bianca told him.

⠀⠀⠀"How do you know it's his?"

⠀⠀⠀"I'd know that ugly car anywhere," Bianca explained. "Plus, I found some of his things in there."

⠀⠀⠀Carl watched Bianca for a long moment. His little face was one of the most expressive things she had ever seen on anyone. From sadness to guilt to distraught and all the other things in between. He looked lost and confused, the world around them crumbling down, and he just didn't understand why.

⠀⠀⠀"How about I tell you the time when we first met?" Bianca asked, Carl's face brightening, so excited that she had given in and wanted to talk about the past.

⠀⠀⠀"Yes, yes, yes!" Carl cheered. "Unless there's kissing. I don't want to hear about that."

⠀⠀⠀"There's no kissing," Bianca said. "What do you take me for? Kissing men when I first meet him," she scolded, and Carl shrugged sheepishly. "Alright, once upon a time..."

━━━━━━ september 2008.

BIANCA WAS SIXTEEN when she started university. It was also when she first realized how different she was. In high school, she had always been the outsider. Intelligent, pretty, loyal to those close to her, but closed-off, arrogant and quick to fight. Her peers in the advanced classes didn't like her, and the punks, skaters, even the potheads who she thought might like her didn't. They didn't want to be one-upped on everything they said or get caught for smoking weed or skating in the back parking lot when skipping.

⠀⠀⠀In university, she was the youngest in her class, and it was apparent. She was baby-faced and a little bit awkward to look at with her home-cut hair and unskilled makeup. She had an edge that still screamed high schooler that none of the college kids had. They didn't pick fights near as much as they did in high school. Not one of them had the drive she had towards excellence, either. Bianca sat at the top of her class by the end of her first semester, and they all seemed to resent her for it.

⠀⠀⠀Bianca was thankful when she turned eighteen, and a mix of people her age and older now intermingled. Her brother had applied and been accepted, so now she didn't feel so alone in her third year.

⠀⠀⠀Her classmates didn't stare as much anymore. Her dorm-mate was her age, and she was finally living out the college experience she seemed to miss.

⠀⠀⠀The fall semester had only started a few weeks when she met him. Before that day, Bianca had been happy, content, knew exactly where her life was going. Now she wondered how she ever coped. Her life had become so intertwined with Cal's since the day she met him. She didn't know how she could ever think her life was complete. He completed her. Not in the weird, romantic way that people claimed like Romeo and Juliet, where they couldn't do anything without the other. Cal and Bianca were still people beyond themselves. However, Bianca knew that Cal was also the other half of her soul.

⠀⠀⠀When Bianca and Cal first met, she lay out in the grass between classes, soaking up the sun. Students walked past her without a second glance since dozens of other students sat on the lawn in similar positions.

⠀⠀⠀Bianca had been content. Her brother and new roomie, Elena, were in class and had promised to get lunch after. So, she was waiting.

⠀⠀⠀The grass rustled beside her, then the warmth of a body next to hers. Bianca could feel the skin on her arm stand on end like she recognized him, trying to pull her closer so they could melt into one another. However, when she turned to the boy lying in the grass beside her. Bianca didn't recognize him then, but she would recognize him now. Anywhere, no matter how many years faded between them.

⠀⠀⠀His hair was golden, and his skin was sun-kissed like a blessing. He was pretty in a way boys usually weren't that had Bianca's heart the moment she took him in. Prominent cheekbones, a curve to the arrow in his lip, a jawline that could slice like a blade—it was like he was made for her, and she the same for him. He turned to her, his eyes bright blue and piercing straight through her.

⠀⠀⠀Bianca didn't get nervous, but she did when he looked at her. Her skin flushed, and she turned back to the sky before he could notice.

⠀⠀⠀His eyelashes batted when she did, a smile growing across his face that she could see from the corner of her eye. Then, he looked back up to stare at the same sky she was.

⠀⠀⠀"Ah, well, what do you know? The sky sure does look... blue today," he mused, his voice deep, and it rattled the nerves within her.

⠀⠀⠀Bianca grew annoyed with herself. Like her body had taken a mind of its own and decided she'd become a mess of a girl who fawned over every guy she saw. Although Cal wasn't just any guy.

⠀⠀⠀"The sky is usually blue," Bianca replied, her voice a pitch higher, not that he would know. She hoped he wouldn't. "Refraction from the ocean and all."

⠀⠀⠀He smirked in response, amusement from her words.

⠀⠀⠀"Oh, right, of course," he retorted sarcastically, rolling his eyes like he was supposed to know that all this time.

⠀⠀⠀"Eighth grade science," Bianca explained, turning to him again. Her confidence regained like it hadn't left, and her voice deepened to its normal pitch. "Have you taken it yet?"

⠀⠀⠀"No, no, I actually got held back," he explained. His quick-wittedness and ease into banter caught onto Bianca's heartstrings. "Ten years in sixth grade, can you believe it?"

⠀⠀⠀It seemed her nervousness had come for a reason because how he responded in jest rather than annoyance at her rudeness made her stop and stare.

⠀⠀⠀Not that she cared that much, but...

⠀⠀⠀"I can," Bianca said when she came back to herself, a wicked smile coming to her lips.

⠀⠀⠀He turned to her, his blue eyes back to piercing into hers. Bianca realized she liked it and didn't want him to look away. She held his gaze, and he kept his.

⠀⠀⠀"Oh, ouch!" he exclaimed, feinting pain as he rested his hand over his chest, clutching the material of his shirt into a fist. "I thought we were better friends than that, freckles."

⠀⠀⠀"Typically, 'better friends' know each other's names," Bianca retorted, trying to suppress the urge to smile but failed.

⠀⠀⠀The edges of his eyes creased in amusement, his lips parting to ask, then, "Bianca!" Elena, her dorm-mate, screamed across the lawn. Bianca turned, answering his question, and caught Elena's eye.

⠀⠀⠀Elena stood with Bianca's brother, bag slung over her shoulder and an exasperated expression across her face. As if she had been waiting for Bianca all this time and not the other way around.

⠀⠀⠀"Bianca, is it?" the golden-haired boy behind her asked. Bianca turned back to him, looking down where he laid out, hands resting under his head as he stared up at her. "I'm Cal."

⠀⠀⠀"Cal," Bianca repeated, and the smile on his face seemed to lessen. Not in a displeased way, but like he'd been soothed from her lips forming his name. "I like that."

⠀⠀⠀Cal grinned brighter than before, the sun above them dull in comparison.

⠀⠀⠀Then, Bianca stood despite wanting to. However, she knew Elena's impatience would wear thin soon. In the few weeks Bianca had known her, Elena was kind, sweet, the perfect angel... but when she was hungry, Elena was not the same person Bianca called friend.

⠀⠀⠀"Back here tomorrow?" Bianca asked him suddenly. "Same time?"

⠀⠀⠀"Yeah, I'd like that," Cal told her with a nod, using his hand to shield his face from the sun so he could see her better. "You like coffee?"

⠀⠀⠀Bianca shrugged, thinning her lips to keep her features composed. She didn't do so well, not that she'd admit that.

⠀⠀⠀"Depends."

⠀⠀⠀"On what?"

⠀⠀⠀"Guess we'll see," Bianca said and left him with a wide smile.

⠀⠀⠀Bianca approached Elena and Eugene waiting for her on the sidewalk. She had only noticed the other boy standing with them when she got to her friends.

⠀⠀⠀Bianca hadn't known Peter long. He had a few classes with Elena, and they became quick friends. Friends being transparent. They were bright red just standing next to one another, hearts worn on their sleeves as they talked in nervous whispers and shared teasing grins. Bianca grew annoyed just looking at them, and Eugene seemed the same.

⠀⠀⠀"What?" Bianca snapped at them.

⠀⠀⠀"Oh, nothing!" Elena chirped.

⠀⠀⠀It was off-putting since she had just been yelling at Bianca from three feet away.

⠀⠀⠀"Just..." Elena continued, and Bianca eyed her warily. "Cute boy you were talking to."

⠀⠀⠀Bianca waved her hand at Elena and stated, "I don't even know him."

⠀⠀⠀"You sure?" Peter asked.

⠀⠀⠀Peter didn't talk to Bianca. She made him nervous in the opposite way Elena did. He looked at Bianca fleetingly, then pointed over her shoulder to what he noticed.

⠀⠀⠀Bianca turned, and Cal was staring back at them. He had a content smile on his face, but when she caught his eye, he seemed to brighten. A knowing grin came to his lips, and he waved.

⠀⠀⠀Bianca flushed bright red and waved back. When she looked at her friends again, they were all in shock. Bianca didn't get nervous. She'd never really been into boys either, shutting Elena down when they had boy talks and asked her to go.

⠀⠀⠀"Shut up," Bianca snapped at them and stormed toward the parking garage.

━━━━━━ day 69.

BIANCA WAS ABOUT to continue her story, maybe give Carl the whole PG-rated version of their relationship, when a shot exploded outside, catching the two by surprise. Bianca stood, trying to look out the window but couldn't see anything. She turned to Carl, resting her hand on his knee, and said, "Stay here."

⠀⠀⠀Bianca ran out of the house, others coming out of the woodwork. Lori screamed for her husband, who was out in the open field near the woods. Hershel demanded what was going on while Bianca sprinted past them, ignoring anything else. She beelined for her sledgehammer that hadn't been picked up and then headed out to the field along with Andrea and Dale a few feet behind her.

⠀⠀⠀When Bianca got to Rick, Glenn, T-Dog, and Shane, she noticed the half-conscious Daryl strung between them. He looked beaten, dirty, and completely messed up. Bianca's blood froze in her veins, and she worried that if she had been allowed to go, this never would have happened.

⠀⠀⠀But it wasn't her decision not to go, it was theirs, and for now, she had to accept that.

⠀⠀⠀"What happened?" Bianca asked, looking between the group.

⠀⠀⠀"Oh, my God!" Andrea screamed, coming up behind her. "Is he dead?"

⠀⠀⠀"Unconscious," Rick answered. "You just grazed him."

⠀⠀⠀"You did this?" Bianca spat, about to lunge, and Andrea, but Glenn flew ahead and pulled her back by the arms.

⠀⠀⠀"It was an accident!" Andrea exclaimed, raising her hands while Rick and Shane passed through them.

⠀⠀⠀"That's not an accident," Bianca told her as Glenn dragged her behind. "That's being stupid!"

⠀⠀⠀"I couldn't see that far," Andrea retorted, her own face turning bright red. In anger or embarrassment, Bianca couldn't tell.

⠀⠀⠀"Then you shouldn't have shot!" Bianca screamed, trying to lunge for her again. She nearly made it out of Glenn's arms when T-Dog stepped in, pulling her back as well.

⠀⠀⠀"C'mon, we can't do this right now," T-Dog chastised her.

⠀⠀⠀"She's right," Rick called back, turning to look at them for a second then back forward. "Shootin' that gun means we're on thin ice with Hershel. He didn't want any guns in the first place."

⠀⠀⠀"Okay, but look at him!" Glenn exclaimed, leaving Bianca in T-Dog's care, and walked ahead so he could look at Daryl. "What the hell happened? He's wearing ears."

⠀⠀⠀"Let's keep that to ourselves," Rick muttered, pocketing them.

⠀⠀⠀Andrea made the distance between herself and Bianca, walking toward the front. T-Dog let go of his bruising grip around Bianca's arm and instead rested it on her shoulder, directing her toward the farmhouse.

⠀⠀⠀T-Dog paused, letting her go entirely, and bent down to pick up a doll from where it dropped. He glanced at Bianca with wide eyes, and she returned the expression, both recognizing it. Bianca nodded at T-Dog, confirming his suspicion.

⠀⠀⠀"Guys, isn't this Sophia's?" T-Dog asked, forcing the group to a halt.

⠀⠀⠀Rick had to take a double-take, pausing to look at the doll as they realized Daryl had come within inches of Sophia. Hell, he might've even found her, but none of them would know anytime soon because he was unconscious.

BIANCA STAYED WITH Daryl. Carl was asleep, her ear was still dead, and she didn't really want to go sleep in her sheet tent just to wake up to it on top of her again. Daryl lay in the bedroom across the hall from Carl's. He was awake and explained to them what had happened. He hadn't found Sophia, just her doll.

⠀⠀⠀After that, Daryl became mopey and glum about what happened because he also wasted time getting stuck in a hole with no way out and injuries that made it harder. Daryl even tried to get Bianca to leave, but she told him she'd rather stay. She was happy she did, too, because not much conversation was passed around at dinner by the sound of it.

⠀⠀⠀Now, she sat annoying Daryl further as she read to him. He didn't like it at all, just like Bianca, his glare telling her all she needed to know. She found it amusing, however, and kept it up.

⠀⠀⠀"Tom asked a blushing novice where the cellarer was to be found. Strictly speaking, it was the sacrist he should have asked for, because the fabric of the church was the sacrist's responsibility; but the cellarers as a class were more approachable."

⠀⠀⠀"Oh, well, I'm real glad I know the difference between a cellar and a sadist now," Daryl muttered, rolling his eyes.

⠀⠀⠀"That's not even what I read," Bianca retorted, then continued. "In the end, the prior would make the decision, anyway."

⠀⠀⠀"Why not ask him then?!" Daryl exclaimed.

⠀⠀⠀"The novice directed him to the undercroft of one of the buildings around the courtyard. Tom went in through an open doorway, and Ellen and the children followed. They all paused inside the door to peer into the gloom. This building was never—"

⠀⠀⠀A knock came at the door.

⠀⠀⠀"Thank God," Daryl muttered.

⠀⠀⠀The door squeaked open, and Carol stepped in with a tray holding two plates and wine. She set it down on the side table beside Daryl as he tried to pull his tucked blanket over his bare chest. Carol picked up one plate and glass and walked it over to her.

⠀⠀⠀"How are you feelin'?" Carol asked Daryl as she walked back to the side of the bed by the door.

⠀⠀⠀"As good as I look," Daryl muttered, keeping his eyes averted.

⠀⠀⠀"I brought you some dinner," she told him. "You must be starvin'."

⠀⠀⠀Daryl turned to look at the food then turned back, putting his back toward Carol. He didn't seem to want to talk now despite his words.

⠀⠀⠀Carol paused, going to leave, then stopped for a moment. She turned to Daryl, leaning down, and kissed his head tentatively. Bianca sucked in her lips in surprise, looking away at the intimate moment.

⠀⠀⠀Daryl stared at her, taken by surprise, before whispering, "Watch out, I got stitches."

⠀⠀⠀"You need to know somethin'," Carol whispered, turning to look at Daryl once again. "You did more for my little girl today than her own daddy ever did in his entire life."

⠀⠀⠀"I didn't do anything Rick or Shane would'nt've done," Daryl muttered, turning away from her again but keeping himself positioned so he could still look at her.

⠀⠀⠀"I know," Carol said, nodding her head in agreement. "You're every bit as good as them." Her eyes raised and caught Bianca's, a moment of understanding and forgiveness passing from Carol to her. "Every bit."

⠀⠀⠀Carol gave Bianca a smile then left the room.

⠀⠀⠀Bianca picked at her food afterward, and Daryl stared at the wall, both thinking over Carol's words. When Bianca finished eating, Daryl glanced at her with a frown.

⠀⠀⠀"You gonna continue or what?" he asked.

⠀⠀⠀Bianca cracked a smile and picked up the book to continue where they left off.

AUTHOR'S NOTE —

Y'all, this chapter makes me so emotional just because of how sweet it is. I love Bianca and Cal's friendship so much, they are a fave. And Bianca reading to Daryl while he recovers??? lmaoooo.

We only have six more chapters of season two... can you believe that? I can't, but also I'm so excited because I have written through episode six of season three and you are NOT ready for it :)

SONG: Runnin' With the Devil by Van Halen

Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment if you'd like. However, this is an all kind of reader safe space. So even if you ghost read or comment every chapter, I hope you know it means the world to me that you've come into this fic ♡ I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and until the next one.