Beth's Old Sweet Shoppe

Chapter 43:

Chapter 43:

She spent her day in the shop, groggy from Daryl's early phone call. Ever since he's been at the station for three weeks now, she hasn't been sleeping good anyway and with him calling frantically at night, she only gets about an hours sleep altogether.

Leaning on the counter, propping her head up on her hands and snoozing a bit, Beth awakens when she hears her bell on the door ring.

"Hmmm...how can I help you?" He tiredly rubs her eyes and a tall man with a scarred face and huge muscles stands over her in front of the counter.

"I'd like something sweet..." His voice crinkles around the sweet and his grin is some what wicked.

"Uhmm, what would you like?" She nervously pulls her phone out under the counter and prepares to text Daryl.

"I want something smooth..." He leans down on the counter and the she can feel his breath on her forehead.

"H...hhh...how about some chocolate?"

"I like white smooth sweetness." In his coat pocket she notices a gun and a knife band on his hip. Pressing send on her SOS message, she backs up and then she notices it- his tattoo on his neck is the same the cult has on their bodies. Trying to stay calm she doesn't turn her back on him, but looks for some chocolate on the counter.

"I have white chocolate covered pretzels...." Going around the corner, the big man grabs Beth by her arms and slams her onto the floor onto her back and takes out a knife. Suddenly as he raises it, Merle comes out with a pan and smacks him in the back of the head and the guy slashes Beth across her cheek and turns tackling Merle into a candy stand. With gum balls rolling everywhere, the men slip around the shop trying to fight each other. When the guy goes to stab Merle in the throat, Daryl has burst through the door after announcing his presence and the man cuts right through Merle's right wrist. Shooting the cultist in the back, the man drops and Daryl rushes to him and removes the knife from his area.

"Rick, Imma need Ambos!" Yer under arrest for attempted manslaughter. You have the right to remain silent..." He feeds the man his rights and when Rick comes in, he takes the man to the car and Daryl looks at Merle's wrist that is practically sawed off. "You okay?"

"Fuck!!!! Grrr, Beth?" Merle sits up in pain and looks at Beth's boots from behind the counter. Daryl straightens up and turns. Finding Beth, laying on the wood floor, she's holding her cheek, getting blood on her hands and then touching her stomach. She sighs from relief.

"I'm good, Merle."

"Beth..." Daryl keeps applying pressure to Merle, but his eyes never leave Beth.

"Daryl, I'm okay." But Daryl's not okay. Looking at the bloody hand print on her yellow shirt over her stomach, he gets light headed and nearly faints, if it weren't for The paramedics coming to take Merle and Beth, stands up. "Daryl?"

"I'm...I'm..." Rushing to her office, Daryl pukes in her trash bin and she walks in. When he's done puking, he turns to her and she is ashen white, except for the crimson stain on her cheek. "We need to take you to the hospital."

"I'm okay Daryl. I can stitch myself up. We need to go for Merle. He saved me."

"That guy cut you."

"Daryl, he was gonna stab my chest, but Merle distracted him. This isn't exactly the first time I got cut on this cheek." He looks down at her face and then at her stomach.

"She's fine...come on." Grabbing a gauze pad from her office, she quickly cleans her cut out and puts the gauze pad on.

Sitting in the squad car's passenger seat, Beth just prays Merle's okay. He really was a better man than Daryl ever gave him credit for. Beth probably would be dead if he wasn't so brave. Glancing over at her, Daryl is still on edge and worried, but proud of his brother. He proud that his older brother, no matter how stupid he used to be, could save the love if his life.He's also proud of how strong Beth is. She looks like a statue of morality. She's not worried or upset- she's hopeful.