Pain. It was the last thing she remembered, and the earth rising up to meet her. Then there was darkness, but it didn't scare her. It was peaceful. Calm.
She tried to remember what she had been afraid of, moments ago, but the memory eluded her, and so she settled into the sense of stillness. Time passed, but there was no way to tell if it was minutes or days.
A point came when she started to feel uneasy. As though she had a decision to make but couldn't remember what it was about.
It was so hard to see anything here. Like when you walk into a dark room and think if you just open your eyes a little wider that it will make a difference, and it never does. Her mind strained with the effort to figure out where she was when in the distance she saw a light. It drew closer, and she saw herself walking towards someone. There was laughter, but she couldn't tell if it was hers or someone else's.
And then she felt a large warm hand envelop hers. The calluses grazed over her softer skin, and she turned to gaze upon a face she never thought she'd see again.
"Daddy?" Beth looked up into her father's loving eyes, squinting in the bright sunlight to really see him and drink in every detail of this person she loved and missed so much. His smile was so familiar, and yet it seemed like a lifetime since she'd seen it.
They were standing in the middle of a field on their farm. In the distance Beth could see the house that she'd grown up in, and the barn where she was sure her horse was waiting to take her on a long ride.
"Bethy, my beautiful girl. I've missed you so much, honey."
A light breeze moved the grass around them in smooth ripples and Beth marvelled at being home again. She looked around, drinking in the blue sky and the smell of clover, ignoring the ache in her heart that told her this was too good to be true.
Realization swept over her of the last time she saw him and Beth threw her arms around her father's waist, crying against his chest. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, Daddy. So sorry."
"Shhh. Hush now, sweetheart. It's okay." His arms wrapped around her back and pulled her closer.
"No." Beth shook her head and gasped in between the sobs that wracked her body. "We should've saved you. We should've done somethin'! I'm so sorry."
"Now you listen, Bethy." Hershel pulled away just enough to look her in the eyes. "I lived a long and good life, and what regrets I had I made peace with. It was my time to go, honey. I am so thankful for you and Maggie." He wiped away Beth's tears and cradled her face between his hands. "What I wouldn't give to keep you both safe forever." He smiled down at her reassuringly, and she sniffed back her tears and nodded.
She took one of his hands in hers again and they started walking in comfortable silence through the long grass towards the house, for how long she wasn't sure.
"Do you remember the first time Momma let me make pies by myself?" Beth giggled. "Rhubarb ones? A whole batch of them...only I didn't realize I forgot the sugar until we started slicin' one up for dessert that night."
Hershel chuckled out loud, recalling the memory. "Yes, I do. And your Mother, bless her, made us all eat it anyway. I don't think any of us would have dared complain and risk gettin' one of her looks for making you feel any worse than you already did."
She laughed. "I don't think Shawn and Maggie ever went near another rhubarb pie again."
Together they kept walking slowly. Beth trailed the fingers of her free hand over the tips of the grass, thinking that it felt like silk. "And Patricia and Otis comin' over on some nights to sing. I miss hearin' Momma's voice. Shawn always used to sit on the steps and act like he hated the music, but I'd catch him tappin' his foot and mouthin' the words right along with us."
Beth looked over at her father. "Are they all here with you?"
Before he could answer she looked toward the house and realized they hadn't gotten any closer to it, even though they'd be walking together for quite some time.
She came to a stop, confused. "What is this place, Daddy?"
"This is all you, Bethy. I'm here for you because I knew you needed me. I'll always be here for you, honey."
"But, can I stay here with you? I want to see Shawn and Momma again, so much. It's so peaceful here, Daddy, and I'm so tired."
"Elizabeth, I would love to have you here with us again, but it's too soon. Your story is far from over," Hershel smiled at her again, "and you need to finish your conversation with that young man."
"What?" Everything from before was so fuzzy and Beth looked into her father's eyes, trying to understand.
"Don't keep him waitin', Bethy. He needs you." He took her chin softly between his fingers and looked her deep in the eye. "But you be careful, sweetheart. You're in danger and you'll have to be strong."
"But, I don't want to leave you! I just found you again, Daddy. I..."
"Shhh. My brave beautiful girl, don't you worry about that." His voice trailed off into a whisper. "I'll be right here waitin' for you when the time comes..."
Beth cried out as she started falling backward, trying to keep her father within sight but losing him once again.