The Baby Arrangement

Chapter 30: Two Months Away

Chapter 30: Two Months Away

She's on her sixth month and her second month without Daryl. He really hurt her and she knows she hurt him too. Everyday she expects him to come through that door and eat her food or sit on her couch, but he hasn't. Her stomach is bigger than it was and she is happy, but at the same time nothing feels as good as it had with Daryl.

Why was she an idiot? Two months of not talking or even seeing each other? This is worse than when he dated Julie. Speaking of which, while Beth was out a while ago, she ran into Julie. Scoffing at Beth, she tried to ignore Julie's rude gesture, but finally she flipped on someone.

"Fuck you Julie!"

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me! You never deserved Daryl in the first place. He hated you! Yer such a bitch and ya know what, you may think that I ruined yer chance with him, I didn't. Cause you know what honey, he got me pregnant the day he was meeting you. And he enjoyed it."

"Well, if he's so into you, where is he now? Cause last time I knew he was hitting the town every night with some of his old partners. Me being one of them. Can't be too into you and that bastard child if he's taking care if his own self every night." Julie snaps and continues doing her groceries, leaving Beth scorned. She didn't expect a backfire like that. And that was about two weeks ago, leaving Beth still in pain from it.

She was right though. If Daryl was into her, he would have looked passed their dispute and came to her.

Coming home from his walk with Ozzie, who's fairly big for being 8 months old, Ozzie breaks his leash and runs upstairs as Beth opens her apartment door.

"What the...?" Ozzie pushes passed Beth and races around her apartment. Daryl is rushing up the stairs calling for hi dog and notices Beth's door is open and hears chaos going on inside. "Get down! Grrrr Off the bed!"

Going into Beth's room Daryl uses a firm voice that scares Beth.

"Down. Now. Come." Ozzie drops Beth's pillow and jumps off the bed and sits by Daryl. "Good boy."

Staring at him, he seems out of place being in her apartment.

"I'm sorry about him. He snapped his leash."

"It's okay." Picking up her slobbery pillow, she looks it over and then tosses it back to the bed.

He looks at her pretending belly and a small smile rises to the surface.

"How's...hchh, how's she doing?" He nervously asks.

"She's fine...how's he? Besides having breaking and entering problems." Se smiles and watches Ozzie lick his chops and smile at them.

"He's good..."

"I've been..." They both start to speak at the same time and then laugh a bit.

"I've been missing you picking up my apartment...as you can see it's messy all over." She says, not really wanting to say that.

"I've been missing cleaning yer apartment." He says sadly. He's missed coming over and seeing her.

"I'm sorry...about all what happened." Beth says as she plays with a bracelet on her arm and his eyes catch something that's never been there before. Going to her, he takes her left arm and pulls back her bracelets, his eyes meeting a long scram across her wrist. Looking away, she gently tugs her arm away from him and pulls her bracelets back down.

"Beth...what was that from?" Daryl asks concerned and then starts looking over her other arm, finding nothing. "Beth...please tell me you didn't..."

"I was weak..." She says with tears in her eyes and she sits on the bed. Going to her, he kneels in front if her between her legs and gets teary eyed himself.

"Why didn't you come get me?"

"We weren't talking Daryl. I'm pretty sure you hated me...I jus...I lost my best friend...." She cries harder and he pulls her to his chest.

"Listen, if you were really bad, I would've put everything aside to make sure you were okay. Beth...sweetie, I don't hate you...I couldn't hate you....I was mad with myself."

"I'm sorry..."

"Oh Beth, no...You just have to promise me you won't do this ever again? Okay? Ever."

"I promise...."

"Are there any more?" Se shakes her head no and he pulls her back to his chest. "Honey, you ever feel like that again, you come get me. I don't care what time it is or if we are talking or not talking, you are more important that anything else. Okay?"

"Okay...."

Hugging her for a few minutes he is so scared that he could've lost her. Why didn't he talk to her for those two months. He would've notice I she was depressed or upset or hurting herself. He blames himself and he should.

Ozzie comes over and licks Beth's nose causing her to laugh at the dog. Kissing her temple, Daryl tries to calm himself, but is far from it. He's still shaken up from what she did.