A Soldier's Girl

Chapter 32:

Chapter 32:

Beth's View

It's a week after Koda was born and Daryl treated me to a wonderful picnic. Ever since he can to the school and was being all sweet and such, I can't stop feeling the pang. The dangerous pang of wanting children. What made it worse was seeing Daryl deliver those puppies and then take care of Koda first hand. Whenever I see him, I just wanna jump him and get pregnant... it I know that's not what he wants. He'll never want a baby or to even adopt a child. It pains me because I do...and yet if I have to choose between Daryl and a baby, well I choose Daryl every time.

Laying on the couch, reading the Sunday paper and holding Koda, Daryl comes bursting through the door angry or upset. I sit up with a jolt and did him rummaging through the basement storage room. Going downstairs and cautiously waiting on the bottom step, I look as he throws box after box after box, out the door and into the game room. He grumbles to himself and probably doesn't realize I'm even awake, since he got up at the crack I dawn to do God knows what. Turning around I try to escape up the stairs but he catches me.

"Beth..." His voice is trying to calm down but still has some bite to it. I turn and look at him with cautious eyes and a small smile.

"Ye...yeah?" He comes to me and I try my hardest not to flinch. He sees my hesitation and takes a deep breath as he gently tugs on my waist and wraps his strong arms around me tight, leaving his head about near my stomach. He doesn't say anything, but continues to hold me and it kinda freaks me out. When he finally loosens his grip, he looks up, kisses my stomach and then goes back to digging through the closet again.

Scared and unsure of what's going on, I slowly back up the stairs and turn when I know he can't see me. I shut the door behind me and take some deep breaths. He's been on edge about something this week, but I don't know what.

Looking out the kitchen window, I watch as Daryl carries box after box down to the fire pit, and pours more gasoline on it. This behavior is unhealthy and makes me worry even more for him. Setting the puppy by Moose, I pull on a light sweater and my cowboy boots and head downstairs.

Walking to the fire I hold the edges of my sweater closed as my legs begin to get goosebumps from only being in cotton bed shorts. He doesn't know I'm there as he throws more boxes on the fire. Bending and looking through one, I find Navy things. Photos from Syria, Manilla folders on HPSP agents that had x's through their heads. When Daryl turns around, his eyes go wide and he charges over, trough the folder back in the box and chucking it on the fire. I flinch away from him and shake my head.

"What is all this stuff? Why are you burning it?" He comes closer to me and I look down and hold myself tighter around my waist. As one box burns away, I see a familiar HPSP flag.

"Beth, this shit...it needs to go. I'm clearing it out of the house and it's being burned." He says close to my ear. Looking in his eyes, I don't see anger, but fear. I touch his cheek and he shifts from my touch and throws another box on the fire.

"Daryl, what's going on?" He ignores me and I step closer. "Daryl."

"You need to go back inside, Beth." He says with a light shove, nothing that hurts, but it pisses me off.

"Fuck that. Daryl we're talking about yer behavior." I grab his arm and his hand comes up and accidentally smacks my face. It stings and tears brush to the surface as my left cheek turns red and starts to tingle and burn. He looks at me with wide eyes and tries to grab my arm but I turn a run to the house.

"Beth! Beth, come back... Fuck!"

Inside I slam the door and charge upstairs Moose growls and I just look at him.