A/N: So I got this idea for a one shot Daryl/OC. And it got a little out of hand. Hope you enjoy and Happy New Year.

Daryl waited in his father's room for the nurse to come in with the discharge instructions. His father had fallen at home and luckily hadn't done any severe damage to himself, but he was black and blue and sore. He was hospitalized for two days, because although her had no serious injuries, he did have a complication.

They found out while he was in the hospital that he had a condition called Atrial fibrillation and would need to go on medication.

Daryl had no idea about this medication Coumadin and he was worried. He had found some things online but he was confused. There were foods you were supposed to eat and some that were bad to have with this medication.

It could make you bleed too much if the level wasn't regulated and blood work would need to be done and Daryl was really worried about messing this up.

How was he going to get his father out to get blood work every day? He had so many questions.

His brother was away in the army so he was the only one around to help his father, not that he would ever complain. His father had done alright by him and Merle and he was glad to help him now. Daryl's mother had left then when he was four and Merle was ten, his father raised them as best he could and now both of his sons were successful.

It was just the three of them now, and Daryl was the only one currently available.

In reality he was a little worried, this fall wasn't a bad one but what if he fell again. Daryl had the winter to figure that out, his landscaping business was slower and he could spend time with Jacob.

It was cold January right now, and he hoped that this would work out by the time he had to go back to work in April.

His apartment was across town but he had essentially moved in now to Jacobs place for the winter. He signed the discharge papers where the nurse instructed him to and asked her what he should do. The nurse who's name tag read Linda explained that a visiting nurse would be calling that night to set up home care for Jacob.

So he took him home and made sure that he was comfortable in his favorite chair and then he went to fill his prescriptions and to the grocery store.

When he got home his father was asleep in the chair with the TV on. He smiled and shook his head, the light was flashing on the answering machine. His father didn't have a cell phone; which Daryl had been trying to change forever.

He pressed the button on the machine and listened to the message: "Hello Mr. Dixon this is Molly Jacobson the Nurse from Merida home care, I was calling to let you know I will be out tomorrow morning between eight and ten. Please fast because I need to draw blood. I will try to make you my first stop and then you can have your breakfast. If you need to have coffee in the morning, that's ok, just please don't use milk."

Daryl smiled, she had a sweet voice and she sounded young. His favorite band wrote a song about Molly's lips and he wondered what this Molly's lips were like. If she was anything like her voice Daryl might not mind the visiting nurse, even though Jacob was a little put out by the idea.

He hoped his father wouldn't be too freaked out about getting blood work done. They both hated needles, Daryl was not as bad as his father though, Jacob broke out in a cold sweat. One time he actually passed out before the nurse ever got any blood from him.

Molly with the sweet voice was going to have her work cut out for her.

He listened to the rest of her message which gave her phone number should they need to reach her, she sounded like a nice person and Daryl was glad. They had a few rough days and he knew his father was still not at his best.

Sleeping in the chair at two pm was not normal for him, he made a note to himself to ask Molly tomorrow about it.

/

Daryl opened the door to a short auburn haired woman in gray scrubs the next morning. She had a bag slung over her shoulder and a red biohazard bag on her arm as well. She had a pretty smile on her face which he wasn't used to at eight o'clock in the morning.

He guessed she was in her thirties like him, the town was small and he hadn't seen her around though, and if she came into the garden center her owned, he surly would have remembered her.

"Hi, Mr. Dixon?" She held out her hand. "I'm Molly."

He took her hand and shook it and then explained that yes he was Mr. Dixon, but not the Mr. Dixon she was looking for.

"Come in Molly and call me Daryl, please."

He held the door open for her and she walked inside. Jacob was sitting at the table drinking a cup of coffee.

Molly gave him a bright smile and walked over to the table.

"It's nice to meet you Mr. Dixon."

"Jacob." He said motioning for her to sit down at the table and Daryl took the other seat.

"How are you today? Glad to be home I bet." She asked as she took out a clip board and a pen to take some notes.

"Yes, glad to be home, not glad about this new medicine and all these needles." Jacob said gruffly.

"Oh, do you have questions about your medication, I can answer them for you, Daryl do you have any?"

"Yes." Daryl said. "The foods and everything about this Coumadin, I looked online but…." He said.

"I have some leaflets for you and I can tell you about the Coumadin, do you want to do the bloodwork first Jacob?"

She looked at Jacob and then at Daryl.

"He's afraid of needles."

"Am not, zip it Daryl."

Molly smiled and set out some paper work for Jacob to look at. She was used to this kind of exchange with family members, she recognized that Jacob was just scared from his fall and his son was trying to help.

His son with the dirty blonde hair and easy ways that made her rethink the ring on her finger.

Jacob put his glasses on and followed her finger down the paper. Daryl peered over at the paper too.

"Today we have to do fasting labs, that will probably just be today, we need a CBC, which is a complete blood count. For blood cells and things, totally routine. A Chem7, which is blood chemistry sodium, potassium, also routine. Just to check you out. And a PTINR, which is for the Coumadin level. Once I draw it…"

She looked over at Jacob and noticed he was sweating. Molly reached over and put her hand over his. Daryl noticed she wore a wedding ring, and that was a fucking shame. She was just his type, petite and dark haired, a real woman, with a real woman's body. He husband was a lucky man.

"Jacob, after today, it will be just one tube of blood a few times a week." She rubbed his hand and Daryl saw how gentle she was with his father; she was well suited to this work. "I can use a butterfly, a tiny, tiny needle and just three tubes today."

"See Dad, three tubes and a butterfly, easy peasy." Daryl said.

"Then you do it, kid." Jacob said and Daryl laughed.

"Oh, Jacob, this won't hurt, I promise." She smiled. "A little pinch is all."

Jacob nodded his head. Daryl watched as she expertly set about her work, but he also had to look away when she was doing the actual, blood draw, because he wasn't that brave.

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After she was done with the blood work and her teaching for the visit Daryl walked her to the door as she explained that she would drop the blood off at the lab and they result would be faxed to the doctor. The doctor would call him and let him know how much Coumadin to give to Jacob. She showed Daryl the different mg pills that they had from the pharmacy and how to break them to determine the dose.

She gave Daryl her cellphone number and told him to call her if he had any questions. Then he remembered his question from the day before about Jacob being so tired.

"He's sleeping a lot. Is that normal?" He asked.

"Well, for this week I wouldn't be too concerned, especially if this blood comes back good. It takes a little time after being in the hospital to get back to normal."

"He was so strong before, he used to come help at the store four days a week, now, I don't think he'd make a day." Daryl said with obvious concern in his voice.

"You own Dixon's, the lawn and Garden center." She said, imagining this man hoisting bags of mulch shirtless all of the sudden.

He nodded. "He and I do, and my brother when he's not in the service."

"it's all on you then?" She asked.

"For right now, I moved back in with him for now, don't really know what we'll do, if he can't get around or be alone all day. Come spring, I have to work."

"Mr. Dixon?"

"Daryl, please call me Daryl." He said.

"You have time, and you'd be surprised how far he will come. Try not to get to far ahead of things right now, and I know that's hard. Do you have any hobbies or something to do for yourself? It's important to take care of yourself too." She said.

He shrugged. "I guess I like to read."

She smiled brightly. "Who do you read, have you read Lord of the Rings?"

He was already nodding his head. "Yup I did."

"Do you like Stephen King?"

"I never read him, he's the scary dude right?"

"Yes. If you would like, I can bring you one of his books, it's my favorite book, it's called The Stand."

He was nodding already. "I'd like that."

"Ok, then, be prepared to love a new author." She said. "I'll see you tomorrow Daryl."

And with that she turned and said goodbye to Jacob, who was still sitting at the table in the kitchen. As she walked to her car she smiled that smile that she got when she really felt like she helped someone. She loved her job and days like this were the very reason Molly became a nurse.

It didn't hurt that Daryl reminded her of her favorite character in The Stand, Larry Underwood, the rock star. She walked down the steps humming to herself, Larry's song.

Baby can you dig your man?

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In total, Molly spent two months visiting Jacob and by default Daryl, who was always there for her visits. All through January and February she came every day to draw blood sometimes and other times to just check vital signs, and do teaching.

Daryl read The Stand and they discussed it while she was showing him the right foods to cook and helping him figure out the doses of the medications.

He also read The Talisman and Under the Dome during those two months' courtesy of Molly and discussed them with her also. She would spend an hour a day with them, doing the blood work and assisting Jacob with a little bit of walking as he got stronger.

Daryl found himself looking forward to their talks about the world of Stephen King, and sometimes they talked about music and movies too, finding similarities there as well.

He would have asked to take her out in a heartbeat, but she was married.

She came every day, no matter what the weather and always with that smile on her face. Soon Jacob only needed blood work once a month because his Coumadin level was regulated. Molly had taught them all about the precautions with Coumadin, that Jacob had to be careful not to fall again, he could bleed internally and cause serious damage, because of Coumadin.

She taught them about how to stop bleeding from a cut if he got hurt and to use an electric razor. She reminded them to avoid green leafy vegetables, no more than two servings a week.

They were ready to do this alone now.

By March Jacob was no longer homebound and Molly's last day was March 5th. She said goodbye to them saying that even though she hated to say goodbye, she wasn't sad because it meant they didn't need her anymore. That meant she did her job.

Daryl was proficient in Jacobs care and medications and was thinking of moving back to his apartment. Jacob was going back to work with him in the spring and now had a medic alert system in his house, thanks to Molly.

If he fell or needed any kind of help at all he could push a button on a pendent around his neck and help would come.

Big gruff Jacob, who wanted no part of a visiting nurse not so long ago made Daryl go out and buy her a box of chocolates and gave them to her on her last day.

Both of them would miss her and she would miss them too, but there were other people to see and two more months went by like it was a day.

It was May 4th, Daryl's birthday actually, the day he was driving the work truck down the dirt road out by the old factory. It was a warm day and he had some Nirvana on, not Molly's Lips though, he didn't really like that song anymore. It was 'About a girl' playing and it was his birthday, thirty-seven today, whoopee.

He had just come from the library on his lunch break, even though he was the boss he never left for longer than an hour. If he was out on calls, they could all still reach him if they needed to.

He was coming down the road on a short cut or he wouldn't have seen her sitting there on the hood of that old green Jag she used to drive. She was dressed in her scrubs and leaning on her knees with her elbows looking so beautiful sitting there.

He pulled the truck in front of her so she would see the name on the side and not think he was some nit wit coming to scoop her up or something and she waved slowly.

She had been sitting out there and sweating for half an hour waiting for Tyreese to come tow her car.

Daryl waved as he got out of the truck and she jumped down off the hood of her car.

"Molly, what's going on?"

"Christine here decided she wasn't going to go anymore."

"You got a tow coming?"

"I called Axel's, he's sending Tyreese." She said leaning against the car. "Been waiting a hot minute though."

He laughed, Ty was not known for rushing that was for sure. He leaned against the car with her, they might be here a while and he wasn't leaving her out here alone

"You done seeing patients for the day?" He asked.

She nodded. "How's your Dad doing, Daryl?"

"Never been better, Molly, just like you said he'd be." Daryl answered. "Still can't thank you enough."

She put up her hand. "Told you, it was my extreme pleasure to help."

He nodded, that was what she always said whenever they tried to thank her, which was why Jacob insisted on the best box of chocolate from the best Candy Shoppe in town, run by Sasha and Bob Stokey.

"You got a ride, your husband coming to get you?"

"Husband?" She said with a question on her lips and on her face. Then she remembered, the ring she wore. "Oh, Daryl, I'm not married."

Well, Happy Birthday to me.

"Oh, I'm kind of embarrassed, it's a …"

"Work prop, I get it, ya going into strange houses, it helps if people think there's a mister to kick their ass if they get fresh, right."

She nodded. "That's exactly right."

"Worked on me. "He said looking around and rubbing the back of his neck because suddenly he was sweating and his hair was annoying the shit out of him.

Tyreese chose this time to make his entrance in the beat up old tow truck and soon he had Christine on the hook and Daryl was standing there with Molly as she talked to Ty.

Christine needed a new tranny it sounded like.

"You give her my discount, tell Axel to call me if her has any questions."

"No, I can't…"

Now he held his hand up to her. "It's my extreme pleasure."

"Ok. Fine Daryl. "Tyreese said. "You need a ride miss?"

"I'll take her." He looked over at Molly. "If that's ok with you?"

She nodded. "Can you drop me at the rental car place?"

"Sure, come on, Ty." He pointed to him as he opened the door for Molly. "You tell Axel what I said, ok?"

Tyreese nodded. "You got it." And he got in the tow truck and started it up.

Molly scooted into the truck and hit her hip on the pile of books and she smiled as Daryl was getting in. She picked up the book on top.

"A little light reading." She smiled holding up the copy "Song of Suzanna."

"I'm almost done with the dark tower series." He said starting up the truck.