The Baby Arrangement

Chapter 18: Morning After Heartache

Chapter 18: Morning After Heartache

He's been out all night and she's been crying and cursing his absence. She feels like shit for him leaving that way and even worse in not knowing where he is an what he's doing. Getting off the couch at the sound of the door opening, Daryl walks in and she lets out a sigh of relief that he's okay, or seems it. Catching her eyes, Daryl looks down and seems just as forlorn as her.

"Where were you? I stayed up all night cause you've had me worried sick! Don't even have the courtesy to pick up yer phone or text me even to say fuck off! I thought you left me here!" She says with anger and fear.

"I'm a grown fucking man! And yer not my mother. I went out for a walk."

"All night? Where on Earth could you have gone in the middle of the night?"

"Does it matter?" He says calmly, but still wearing the face of frustration.

"Fine." Walking passed him she goes into the bedroom and crawls in bed.

"So that's it?"

"What else do you want from me!" She sits up angered and tired.

"Tell me what you said for Julie meant nothing! Tell me."

More angry than rational, she lays back down on the bed and covers herself with the blankets. He goes over to her and waits for a response.

"So it was all just a rouse. Just away to get attention...well then, I guess I made my point." He pauses and she doesn't turn to look at him from the pain in his words. "This is why I refuse to get married or have children...cause love doesn't exist."

He grabs a change of clothes and goes into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. Immediately she starts crying and feels helpless. Why can't she just tell him how she really feels? Getting up and refusing to keep this vacation up in arms, Beth swings open the bathroom door as he is about to get in the shower and she shoves him into the wall.

"The fuck?"

"Yer an asshole!" She screams and he's a bit taken back by her volume echoing in the misty bathroom.

"Yeah! I know! You tell me all the time." He growls and she shoves him again. "Stop shoving me!"

"Stop acting like I'm the one hurting you!"

"You are! You're shoving me!"

"No! Act like I'm the one who's leading the other on!" They both stop and he looks at her with hollow eyes. The steam from the shower has his hair pretty much drenched and hers too.

"It certainly ain't me! I don't pretend to love people!" He gets in the shower and shuts the glass door. Getting frustrated, she goes into the shower, robe still on, and spins him around. "Jesus Christ! Leave me alone!"

This pushes her further and she shoves him one last time and he slips, falling to the hard tile floor. She looses her balance too and falls also laying facing opposite of him. He hit his head on the tile and he slowly closes his eyes.

"Ow..." Sitting up, Beth reaches up and shuts the water off and then comes too enough to realize Daryl's passed out. "Shit...shit...Daryl."

Getting up she goes to his chest and listens to his heart beat, steady and going. Sitting next to his top half, she gently slides his head into her lap and taps his cheeks, trying to wake him up.

"Please....dear God please wake up."
Leaning down she kisses his forehead and then his lips. After a few seconds his eyes open up and he immediately feels the pain in his body.

"Ow..."

"Oh thank God! Daryl, I'm so sorry." Wincing, he tries to get up and can't.

"Fuck...why would you shove me in a shower, stupid." He insults her and she sighs.

"I'm sorry...I was angry."

"Well you don't shove people...you use yer words." He groans as he sits up a bit so his head is on her chest. It seems they are back to normal, him insulting her and her just taking it.

"I'm sorry..."

"Oh shut up...say it one more time. I'll shove you off the Eiffel Tower."

"Okay...do you still wanna take yer shower?"

"No...I wanna lay down in bed and rest."

"I don't think you should sleep after hitting yer head....you might have a concussion." She brushes his hair back and he looks in her eyes. Something in her stomach flops and she leans forward, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips upside down, which isn't as romantic as Spider-Man makes it out to be. When she pulls back from the kiss, his eyes look deep into her and she kisses him again.

"Ow..." He says as she pulls away after the second kiss.

"Let's get you dried off and put you on the couch." She sweetly says and they slowly get up. Sitting on the lid of the toilet, Beth checks his head and he has a bump the size of a goose egg on his right side. Grabbing some Advil from her bag, she gets a bottle of water and hands it to him. He nods his gratitude and take two pills. She brings him some clothes and helps him change into his sweat pants and white T-shirt, forgetting all about the boxers.

"Thanks..." He groans as she helps him to the couch.

"Are you dizzy at all?"

"Yeah...I just got knocked out..." He sarcastically says through pain.

"Can you try being a lil nice? I said I was sorry."

"Yeah...you say a lot of things that mean nothing." He growls and she sinks low in the couch. He isn't very nice to her, but she doesn't blame him, not one bit. He lays his head back and wants to sleep but Beth doesn't want to risk him not waking back up.

"Daryl..." She wants to tell him, she really does, but between her heart and her head, she can't figure out what she wants exactly.

"You say yer sorry I'm seriously gonna punch you."

"You wanna watch something...they might have something in English." Looking at her, he feels his chest constrict as she looks so pathetic and worried.

"Grab the blanket and come over here." He growls and she quickly gets up from the other couch and grabs the blanket from the bedroom and hands him the remote. Standing there, with him under the blanket Beth waits. Turning on the tv he puts on The Pink Panther and gets comfy, but notices she's still standing there in her shorts and a t-shirt. Pulling back the blankets, he looks at her. "Come on..."

Like a little kid, she scurries over to him and lays next to him under the blanket, laying into his side and holding the blanket under her chin. They stay awake as long as they can, but end up falling asleep together.

Waking up later that evening, having slept the day away, Daryl looks down at Beth after feeling his head. He feels slightly dead after today.He's never fully had a fight with Beth. Usually they are joking or it's one sided. But looking down at her, he feels back to normal with her. Back to how they were before the baby thing and Julie. It figures all they needed was one big fight to get over each other.

"Hmmm, what time is it?" Beth grumbles, eyes still closed and half awake.

"8:45....we slept all day. Some vacation." He stretches a bit with her still in his side.

"Huh....we'll catch it tomorrow...." She snuggles closer and he smiles at her. She really is beautiful. She's like a fallen angel and he's witnessed this thousands of times, but never truly noticed before.

"Beth...Are you still interested in having a baby?" He genuinely asks as he readjusts himself.

"Yeah...don't suppose you wanna help still...do you?" She looks up at him and just wants to be on his lips, but from here one out she's done with her mixed up feelings and sticking with what they used to have. Mostly because it's so much simpler to be his friend than to try and be anything more.

"I'd be honored...we could start now...if yer feeling okay?" He looks down at her and she nods.

"I'd like that."

So they go to work on getting her pregnant.