A Happy Marriage?

Chapter 15: Comfort

He carried her from the bike to the elevator and didn't let her down the whole time. She kept her head on his shoulder and just watched as her feet bobbed as Daryl walked to the front door. He managed to open it up one handed and as he got through the door, he tells an excited Mouse to go lay down and the dog listens.

He takes her up to his room and lays her on the bed. She doesn't say anything but just looks around. Leaving her, he goes to her bedroom, grabs some pajama clothes and comes back. Without saying anything, He unzips the dress, tugs her baggy t-shirt over her head and slides the the pants under her dress. Tugging the dress down, he folds it over his arm and places it in the laundry bin. Beth just watches him through puffy eyes. Then he leaves.

He's gone for some time and she wonders if she's just supposed to sleep in here. After a few minutes he comes back with a small first aid kit and a bag of frozen peas. Silence fills the room and Beth just watches him. She watches him roll up her baggy sleep pants and clean the small cuts on her knees. Then he does the same thing to her hands. He tends to her quietly and gently. She feels how rough his hands are and wonders why they feel so gentle. How is that possible? Tossing the cotton balls in the trash, he slides her heels off and wraps her ankles with an ace bandage and places her leg on two pillows, causing her to lay down fully and lays the bag of peas on her ankle.

Before leaving the side of the bed, he kisses her forehead and covers her top half with a blanket. Heading to the hallway, he shuts the light off in his room and shuts the door just a crack.

The tears soon fade and she falls asleep.

Waking up the next day, Beth sits up and rubs her dry eyes. They burn from all the tears. She truly wishes she hadn't cried so much. She made herself look like a fool- wallowing in her tears and blubbering like a baby. She's glad Daryl was there to pick her up. Wait. He was at the party? Or passing by? Had she told him where it was at or was it all by chance. All these questions pop up in her head and before she can truly analyze any of it, Daryl comes into the room with a brown paper bag and a carrying tray for coffee. She slowly sits up and against his head board. A smile runs across her face as he sits down on the edge of the bed and hand her a cup to go cup of coffee. Setting his on the floor, he reaches in the bag and hands her a bacon egg and cheese croissant sandwich and some waffle fries. Digging back in the bag he finds his sandwich- a ham and cheese on a pretzel bun- and when he notices Beth looking as though she wants his sandwich, he reluctantly gives it to her.

"Thank you." She says with a stuff nose and Daryl just smiles and bites into the sandwich. "I'm sorry about last night."

"Don't apologize. From what I heard, you had every right to be upset." He says in between bites and Beth is confused. How does he know about her being harassed and bullied?

"How do you..."

"My friend Rick was there. His wife is cousins to the bride and his deputy was with the bitch who was harassing you. Rick told me that they were making fun of Georgia's most eligible bachelorette- so I figured it must be you." She feels shitty. "So I rushed down there to confront the woman and then find you."

"Wait... you confronted Amy? Amy Vanderbilt?" She shocked and yet in awe of his simply deed.

"Yeah. I walked right in there, Rick pointed to the direction of the woman and I ripped her a new one. I told her that you are a successful young business woman who has more of a figure head in her company than she did if she was half as good looking as you. I told her that she was both ugly on the inside and the outside and that I felt sorry for the people who had to listen to her damned voice running like someone with diarrhea after eating Mexican food. I told her she has no class and is not a lady at all and that if she ever talks to you again that she'd have much worse to deal with than a simple hang nail." Throwing herself into Daryl, she hugs him tightly and nearly smashes his sandwich flat. No one ever stood up for her before. Especially not in front of any one. "I had a good laugh, until I realized that Ricks deputy Shane was standing behind me listening. He punched me in the face and I was escorted off the premises. It was when I was walking back to my bike that I heard you cry and saw you on the ground in the ally."

Pulling away, Beth looks up at Daryl and now notices the black ring forming around his eye. She feels really bad that he got a beating for standing up for her.

"What did Amy say? Did she ask who you were?"

"Oh she asked and I told her I was your husband. She was shocked and then she started to cry. I'm sorry I told them."

"No...it's fine. I don't think she'll mess with me after what you did." Smiling at him, Beth can feel tingles in her stomach and Daryl brushes her hair away from her face.

"I couldn't let anyone hurt you. Especially when you don't deserve it. I'm always here for you." He hugs her tightly and rubs the small of her back.

It's so often we forget that we are humans and that even the toughest skinned people have to find comfort in the most unlikely of places.