My Little Girl {Daryl Dixon Story}

Chapter 8

Daryl's POV

** 2nd birthday **

"Dada!!" I hear Peyton yell from another room before hearing her soft footsteps running towards me.

I crouch down to her level and hold my arms out as she runs towards me. I scoop her up and stand back to my full height. "What is it sweetheart?" I ask as she keeps looking back towards the hallway.

"Mm" she says and points towards the hallway as Merle comes out of a room wearing an old Halloween mask. 'Mm' is what she calls merle. Sometimes she tries to say uncle but she can't say her c's yet.

She screams and buries her head in the crock of my neck as Merle reaches out for her. I now see that he's wearing a pretty scary zombie mask.

"Merle stop.. gonna give the poor girl nightmares" I say pulling the mask off his face and staring at the ugly rubber mask in my hand. "Ugly thing ye' are ain't ye'?" I whisper to myself before throwing the mask on the coffee table.

"What are ye' goin do one day when there's a zombie apocalypse huh lil' brotha? Ye' goin run away screaming because it's ugly?" Merle asks laughing and gives me a light push.

"Yeah but that ain't goin happen" I say as Peyton lifts her head from my neck and looks at Merle.

"Ye' never know" Merle says before holding his arms out towards Peyton. "Come ere' birthday girl" he says as Peyton makes a noise and looks at me.

"It's ok" I assure her, she's still frightened about the whole mask thing.

She looks back at Merle and finally lets her take him. "Don't worry princess.. Uncle Merle wouldn't eva' hurt ye'" he whispers as he bounces her around.

Today is her 2nd birthday, honestly I don't know how in the hell she's already two years old. I wish I could just freeze time so she could be my little girl forever.. who am I kiddin though? She will always be my little girl. I am scared for the day when she starts getting boyfriends and shit. Hell by how beautiful she is she'll have the boys lining up, leaving Merle and I fighting them off. She'll hate it but in my opinion, no boy or man will ever be good enough for my Princess.

I look over at my little girl and laugh silently as she hits Merle and grabs at his very short hair.

"Alright baby brotha, here ye' go" he says holding Peyton back out towards me.

I laugh silently and take her from him and she starts hitting me too.

"Hey easy now, I'm the one ye' like" I say grabbing her hand and she laughs her cute little laugh.

"I heard that!" Merle yells from the kitchen.

"Hurry up!" I yell back, he knows we need to leave in 10 minutes yet he isn't even dressed yet.

He comes back out and gives me his stupid shit eatin grin that he always does before disappearing to his room.

"Dadaaa" Peyton squeals from my arms. I look down at her and she points to the floor. "Ba ba" she she says and tries to squirm out of my grasp. 'Ba ba' means ball to her.

I let her down and she runs and gets the ball and brings it to me and places it in my arms. She backs up at little and holds her arms out. Gently i toss the ball to her and she misses it, chasing it as it rolls across the floor.

Merle came back into the living room about 15 minutes later ready to go, but something was off. He seemed.... different? I'm not sure if that was a question or a statement. "You alright brother?" I ask curiously.

"Wha'? Me? Nah baby brotha' I'm fine... better than fine.. Why? Do I look like I'm not fine?" He asks fastly and all at once. His eyes avoiding eye contact with me the whole time.

"Merle look me in tha' eye and tell me ye' are fine" I demand as I pick Peyton up off the floor.

His eyes slowly lift up to meet mine and I about jumped the bastard right then and there when I saw his almost bloodshot red eyes. My eyes widen and my mouth opens slightly before closing quickly and I narrow my eyes at him.

"Ye' sumbitch!" I yell at him and set Peyton on the floor before storming up to him and giving him a good shove.

"Ye' promised ye' would stop that shit Merle!!" I yelled getting in his face.

"It ain't that easy" he mutters avoiding eye contact with me.

"And with my daughter around too?!? What the hell is wrong with ye'?!" I almost scream super pissed off.

"Look she's 2 she don't know what the hell it is" he answers in defense.

"It doesn't matter! I don't want ye' around her when ye' are fucked up like tha'!!" I yell pushing him towards the door.

"Wha? Ye' goin kick me out huh?!.. Ye' goin kick Yer own brotha' out?!" He yells and pushes me back.

"Get the fuck out" I said more calmer but serious this time.

"Yet kiddin' right" he asks while slightly chuckling.

"No Merle I'm not! You want to stay here ye' can't do that shit anymore! Especially around my daughter! She doesn't deserve tha'!" I yell and open the door for him.

"Fine.. I'll leave.. see how much I'm worth round here" he mutters and storms outside, slamming the door on the way.

I sigh and run my hand over my face as Peyton starts to cry, startled by the slamming of the door and fighting.

I walk over to her and pick her up, holding her close to my chest. "Shhh... it's ok.. daddy's sorry that uncle Merle messed up your birthday" I whisper to her as she cries into my shirt.

I sit down on the couch and she pulls herself away from me and looks back at the door. "Mm?" She asks whimpering. It seriously crushes me to see Merle do that shit again. Peyton loves him, and him not being around crushes her too. But I'm also not letting him be around her on drugs, she deserves better than that. I know I made the right choice, sending him away.. just don't know if I can handle it.

"He left baby" I whisper as tears roll down her face. I gently wipe them off her face with my thumb as she pressed her face against my chest again.

"Come on.. let's go get some icecream yeah?" I ask hoping to cheer her up.

She looks up at me and smiles a big smile and nods her head eagerly.

I can only hope that this was a one time thing, that Merle will come back tomorrow and never touch drugs again.. That we could actually be one of those families that doesn't argue and has fun. I hope that, for my daughters sake, that he comes back clean and stays that way. But all this hoping, is worthless... I know my brother, I was stupid to think that would last forever. Because truth is... he didn't come back that next day, or the following. Not even that month. No, Merle stayed gone, and not a word was heard from him since that day, only God knows where or what he's doing now.