Beth's Old Sweet Shoppe

Chapter 45:

Chapter 45:

Going in to see Merle, he is heavily medicated and his whole right forearm is bandaged up in a stump. Beth nearly cries upon sight and Daryl just bites his tongue. He could make a lot of jokes, but he won't because Merle saved Beth's life. In due time though, he'll crack out a few.

"Merle, it's Beth...how are you feelin'?" He looks at her sideways and the drugs have numbed everything.

"Yer pretty...."

"Hey now." Daryl warns and Beth gives him a scolding look.

"Thank you." Beth says and kisses his cheek.

"Imma make a robot hand. Like Luke Skye Walker." Merle mumbles and Daryl huffs out a exasperated sigh.

"We can get you one." Beth smiles and Daryl rolls his eyes.

"How's the young'n in there." Merle gently pokes Beth's stomach and she giggles from where he poked.

"She's fine. Worried about her Uncle Merle."

"You gonna name 'er after me?" Looking between Beth and Daryl, Merle pokes his lip out and neither can take him seriously.

"Merle are you thirsty?" Changing the subject, Beth sits on a chair near the bed.

"Yes Ma'am."

"Okay, Daryl, could you ask the nurse. My feet hurt." Merle makes a whipping sound and Daryl turns back glaring at him, before leaving- Merle giggles like a little girl.

"I see yer feeling better."

"Yes sweetie, I will marry you." He says it just as Daryl walks in. "Daryl's gonna be my right hand. Snickering Daryl tries to conceal it, but come on, he did set himself up for that one.

"Oh Merle yer so funny."

"Oh yer so beautiful." He bats his eyelashes and Daryl growls. Grabbing his fist and making him hold her hand, Beth still faces forward while trying to calm him.

"Merle, they have to keep you over night and visiting is almost over, so Daryl and I are gonna go home okay?"

""Kay sweetie." He says and she kisses his hm forehead like a child and nudges Daryl to say goodbye.

"Bye."

"Bye Darylina." Merke say and Daryl purses his lips before grunting and leaving the room. As they walk to the truck Daryl is still pretty irritated with Merle flirting with Beth, even though he was drugged. Getting in the truck, Beth notices his anger and just let's it simmer.

When they get hone, Daryl slams his truck door and starts walking inside, but stops when he notices Beth still in the truck. Sighing, he goes back and gets in.

"Why do you have to go from one extreme to the other? He was just loopy from the drugs and you can't even be nice to him? " her voice is quiet, but full of anger. "I could've died today, if Merle hadn't been there. He could've died. All you care about is jealousy." She gets out of the truck and he follows her inside. She gets through the door and see that the blood is cleaned up but her displays and gumballs are still everywhere. Tip toeing carefully around them, Beth gets upstairs and heads to the bedroom. Getting a drink from her bathroom sink, she stares at herself in the mirror after putting the empty glass down. Daryl comes up behind her and removes her bloody shirt before placing his hands on her stomach and head on her shoulder.

"I'm an idiot Beth. Beyond a doubt, I am stupid. I love you so much. I love Merle too and am thankful for him... I hate seeing him drugged like that cause it was like when he would get high or use other drugs. It's still sore an I don't want him to end up like that again." Looking into his reflection, Beth's eyes glaze over as she remembers the cold truth that Merle used to do drugs and sell them. Putting morphine in his system could reintroduce him to that terrible craving.

"I'm sorry, Daryl. I didn't realize..."

"Beth, I am jealous of yer relationship with him...he gets to see you more than I do and you two are like peas in a pod. He and I don't really know each other and it's sad...it's like he's not even my brother...."

"Yer jealous of me?" She says with a small smile on her face and he smiles too.

"I am so jealous of you baby..." He kisses her neck and she frowns remembering something Merle told her when they first met.

"Daryl..."

"Hmm." He says with his eyes closed.

"Merle told me something when he first came here...I...I'd like to talk to you about it."

"Okay. He leads her to the bedroom and they sit down. He looks at her with a smile on his face but soon frowns when he notices she's not exactly giddy. "Baby, what is it?"

"He said he was surprised you like my candy..."

"Not like, love." He kisses her again and she shrugs it off.

"He said you hate it because...huh...when you were a lip boy...yer Uncle Jess used to, well...I don't wanna say it." She squeaks and he glares at the floor. "Is...is it true?"

"Goodnight." He stands up and grabs his jacket off the chair. Getting up she goes after him.

"Daryl please talk to me..."

"There's nothing to DISCUSS!" He booms in her face, his red like charries. "What! You want me to tell you bout how he and my Daddy did it? How they'd tie me up like some damn hog and take turns! How they shover candy in my mouth to shut me up before taking me downstairs!"

"Stop....Daryl..."

"They'd play it off like some damn game! Like it didn't hurt anyone!" He smacks the back of a kitchen chair and it falls to the floor. She backs into the wall scared. "You wanna know what kinda candy they'd give me?"

"Daryl..."

"Chocolate...toffee, caramels, jaw breakers, gummy bears! Any fucking candy they could get from the ten cents store! Shove it down my throat!" He's still fuming and he grabs a worthless vase and throws it against he door heading downstairs. Beth is crying and squatting holding her ears and shaking. Daryl lets a few painful screams out along with angry ones before he too, falls to the glass covered floor and hangs his head down low. Huffing out long hurt breaths, they slowly taper out to short normal ones and he wipes his angered eyes and finds Beth, still shaking and still cowering away from the scene.

Standing up, Daryl slowly goes to Beth, who can't really catch her breath and kneels beside her. Slowly placing a hand on her back, she flinches from him and he pulls away hurt.

"I'm sorry...I..." He can't even finish his sentence before she bravely trows herself into his arms and putting her face in his neck. "I love you...and yer candy...just don't ever bring that up again...please."

"I promise...I promise." She cries into his neck and he shakily kisses her temple. "I promise."