The Baby Arrangement

Chapter 94: Wounded Warrior

Glancing at the clock on the mantle with her child snuggled tight under her embracing arms, Beth can't believe it's almost 9:30 and Daryl is still not home. Usually he gets home around 7:30. If he doesn't come straight home, he calls to let her know what's going on. Today however, he hadn't called her at all. Why? Why the neglect of informing? Sitting up with a struggle, Beth lays Kensi down to the cushion of the old couch and walks to the window. The vast darkness is wind whipped and eerie with no luminous lights from far off neighbors to be seen as usual. It's quite odd Beth must admit, quite odd in deed.

Her phone goes off loudly and startles her with a jolt. Picking it up quickly, a woman with a light voice comes over the line and grips Beth's attention like a rope around her neck.

"Your husband is in surgery right now. He has a collapsed lung, a fractured hand and a broken arm. He's not having any visitors at this time, but in the morning he should be able to. I'm terribly sorry Ma'am." She hangs up and falls to the window seat gasping for air. How could that have happened? Why?

"Mommy..." The small girl stirs from the couch, rubbing her tired blue eyes.

"Yes baby..."

"Where's daddy?" Opening her arms the little girl runs into them and hugs Beth tightly.

"He's in the hospital baby. He's hurt real bad. But don't worry, we'll see him tomorrow..." Trying not to get upset, Beth smiles down at Kensi and kisses her temple. "Come on...let's get to bed, Sweet Pea. Getting up she holds Kensi's hand as the ascend the stairs to Beth's old bedroom.

The next day Kensi is bouncing off the walls at 6:30- ready to go see Daryl. She's half dressed and just skittering around the whole house waking up everyone, who wasn't already awake.

"Kensi, you need to calm down now!" Beth yells and the child stops hopping from one couch to the other and hitting the coffee table in between. "Come eat your breakfast."

"I wanna see Daddy!" The girl challenges her in tone and volume and stamps her foot hard on the wood floor. Hershel, Merle, and Carol all look shocked at the girls out burst. Looking between Beth and Kensi, it's easy to see where the girl gets her looks. Both have their eyebrows raised, blue eyes storming over, and mouth drawn in a straight line. It's hard to believe that the girl is only going to be three.

"Kensi Marie Dixon-Greene! You better not be yelling at me!" Beth growls with a deep firmness in her voice.

"I.WANT.DADDY!" The child loses it and screams- her face getting red as a tomato, fists clenched and eyes squeezed shut. Everyone stops what they're doing and turns to the situation. Beth's face droops. How did her daughter become such a brat? Has this really happened? Turning away from the child, Beth goes upstairs and lays down in her bed after shutting the door. Kensi just stands there slowly losing her tempered look. Hershel comes over and sits on the couch. Putting Kensi over his knee for the first time, the girls eyes go wide as his big, firm hand comes down hard on her bottom. She cries and Hershel sits her up to look her in the eyes.

"You listen to me child. That will never happen again. Bad girl, Kensi. You don't yell at your mother! You listen to her. Now go apologize." Hershel releases her and the girl just looks at him for a few seconds before the tears get heavier.

"Papa mean...." Going to Merle, she cries and tries to sucker him into picking her up, but Merle knows better than to cave into her- no matter how much he loves her. When he doesn't give we what she want she tries Carol, who also denies her what she wants. Slowly walking to the stairs, she begins to climb slowly so not to slip. When she gets there she opens up Beth's door and shuffles inside. Beth is laying on her side in bed staring out the window. "Mama...I sorry."

Climbing up onto the bed, Kensi crawls over Beth an lays with her face against her mother's. Staring blankly into her daughter's eyes, Beth just lets a few tears come down her face.

"I sorry mommy....I sorry..." Kensi begins to shed tears also and Beth just pulls her close to her. "I sorry."

"Honey, you're a good girl, why are you acting like a brat? That's not who my girl is." Beth sniffs and Kensi hugs her tightly around her neck.

"I want my daddy back."

"I know. Me too. Let's go finish getting dressed and go see him." Getting up, Beth holds Kensi's hand and they go downstairs to where Kensi's sweater is. The others are quiet when they come downstairs and start getting dressed. When they're ready, Beth says goodbye to her family takes Kensi outside. When they reach the front yard, snow begins to fall and both girls are frozen in wonder as happiness.

"Mommy what's this?"

"It's snow baby...it's your snow." They stand together holding hands for the longest time while the snow falls upon them. Maybe everything will be just fine.

Or maybe not.