Chapter 2
Jarah looked up with a frown when she heard a knock on her door. She looked back down at the food on the table. Everything she had ordered from her favorite restaurant seemed to be here, so it probably wasn't the delivery guy again.
She hated unexpected visitors. It gave her little anxiety attacks when she got startled by knocking or the ringing of the doorbell. She never opened the door for anyone who hadn't called her in advance to tell her they were coming over. She was a young single woman in a big city all alone. She only opened for the mailman when she expected a package or for people she knew were coming over and that was usually just her best friend Natalie and she was still in New York with her parents and grandparents.
She turned back to her food, hoping whoever it was, would just go away, but no such luck. A second knock soon followed. It sounded a little more urgent, than the first one. Jarah took a deep breath and walked to the door.
"Who is it?" She called through the door, her heart pounding.
"Daryl." The now familiar deep voice could be heard through the door. She sighed a breath of relief and unlocked the door.
"Hey,..." she greeted him timidly. She didn't know what she had said to offend him last night and didn't know how to act around him.
"Hey. Got a minute?" he looked just as insecure as she did. He'd been an ass last night, once his temper had cooled off, he knew he had been wrong to tell her she was stupid and run out of there. He had avoided the hallway all day, he wanted to apologize after work and not in passing when the other guys would have been able to listen in. He didn't need the gossip.
"Yeah, look, I don't know what I said to make you upset, but it really wasn't my intention and I am sorry!" She motioned him inside and closed the door behind him. Daryl looked at her in surprise.
"Why the hell are YOU apologizing? I came here to say I'm sorry!"
"You? But you didn't do anything!" Jarah was confused. What did he want to apologize for.
"Yeah I did. Called you stupid, kinda went off on you... I'm sorry. I just,... I don't know, forget it." he dug his hands into the pockets of his cargo pants and started biting his lip. He couldn't bring himself to tell her that he didn't take to negligent mothers too well. She would ask him why and he would have to tell her that his mother had been one of them and that it had cost him dearly.
After running out of her apartment yesterday he had to remind himself that not all mothers were like his own He didn't know Jarah, he wasn't right to judge her. Not yet anyway. He looked down at the floor where he caught sight of her bare feet. Daryl hated feet with a passion, but not hers. She even had pretty feet. She was not making it easy on him to not crush on her. His eyes traveled up her bare legs. Was she even wearing any kind of pants or shorts? She was wearing oversized black and white ringed sweater that fell down to mid-thigh and left her left shoulder bare. No bra strap. Damn. Not she was absolutely not making it easy for him. She looked cute, adorable and sexy at the same time.
"Okay, apology accepted. I didn't think that you did anything wrong. Kinda nice that someone cares." She cleared her throat as a light blush crept up her cheeks and smiled. "Anyway,... have you eaten? I just had some food delivered."
"Um no, I haven't. You sure?" he followed her into the living room and stopped short when he saw the amount of food on the coffee table. "Shit, I'm sorry. You expecting company? I don't wanna crash the party!" he went into flight mode, he did not feel like meeting new people tonight.
Jarah blushed furiously. She scratched her forehead and brushed her hair behind her ears, then wrapping her arms around herself protectively.
"Nooo,... no company. Just me. And now you. Lord, I'm pregnant okay? My morning sickness just stopped a week ago and I am finally able to stuff my face again. I know I am a disgusting pig, I just can't help it, okay? I'm hungry and the baby is hungry, too!"
Daryl had unintentionally hit a nerve. Jarah had always loved food. She loved cooking and baking and eating. She had never been overweight, she had inherited the slim built from her mother's side of the family, but her father had always been so obsessed with looks that a lot of her favorite foods had been banned from their household. When she had gained a couple of pounds during puberty her father had been a man on a mission.
He had put her on a strict diet, refusing to let her get fat, even though she had been nowhere near getting fat. He had kept taunting her, commenting on her fat ass, telling her not to wear tight jeans so she wouldn't accentuate the weight gain even more. One time he had come into her room while she was changing. He had pulled her in front of the mirror and had dug his fingers into her side, pulling at the flesh hard, telling her that she had to be cheating on her diet because all this fat was still there. The man was a maniac. Even when she told him that she was pregnant, the first things he said were, 'Well good for you, 'cause I sure as hell won't get to see it much' and 'You don't have to get fat. Try to lose weight instead, so you won't look too bloated in case you retain too much water.'
Man her father would have gotten a kick out of the fact that she indeed had lost weight during the pregnancy instead of gaining it. The morning sickness had been a big part of that. She could stand to pack on a couple of pounds now, so she wanted to indulge. She just hadn't thought that she would get caught in the act by Daryl, so she got a little defensive.
Daryl was taken aback by her outburst and quickly shook his head when he realized that he had put his foot in his mouth.
"Aw fuck no, that was not what I meant! Just didn't wanna hang around in case you were gonna have people over. Not judging. Hell I could eat a horse pretty much every minute of every day. I'm always hungry. Relax." he tried to calm her back down.
"Sorry" She rubbed her hands through her face and gave herself a moment to calm down. Not every guy was like her father and only cared about good looks. She looked back up at him with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry for getting all bitchy. It's just a touchy subject. Come on. Sit. You want another Jack and Coke with ice?"
He nodded and sat down on the couch in the same spot he had occupied the night before and snagged a french fry while Jarah went to get his drink. He hadn't eaten all day, he was famished.
She came back with two plates and his drink a couple of minutes later. She used to eat straight out of the boxes, but now she had a man here, that wouldn't be appropriate. Plates were the more civilized way to go here. She didn't want him to think she was a disgusting pig after all. She giggled when she saw him stuff a fry in his mouth and handed him the plate.
"Okay than, let's dig in. Take what you want. Probably a good thing that we're sharing. My fridge is full, wouldn't have been able to put the leftovers in there anyway."
Daryl grabbed another couple of fries while motioning over to the pizza.
"What's on that? Can't really tell!"
"Oh that's chicken, bell peppers and mozzarella. It's good!"
"Chicken on pizza? Are you serious?" he looked at her with his nose scrunched up a little.
"Yes I am and it's really good. Trust me, I had the same reaction at first. My friend Natalie introduced me to it. I was really skeptical and now it's my favorite pizza ever! Go ahead and try it! I won't say anything if you spit it out again, if you really don't like it!"
"Alright, if you say so!" Daryl reached over and grabbed a slice, immediately taking a bite out of it, before letting the slice drop on his plate. "Wow, you're right, this IS good!"
"Right? It's amazing! Hey, careful in there! Well, the little one seems to like it, too!" she winced, but it didn*t stop her from smiling as she rubbed her right hand over her belly.
"Is he kicking?" Daryl looked down at her round belly curiously.
"Feels more like he's doing a ton of somersaults in there. Happy swimming, little fella. Hey, how'd you know that it was a boy?" she knew she definitely hadn't told him that.
"Overheard you talking to your neighbor." he shrugged, trying to hide the little blush that was spreading on his face for admitting eavesdropping.
"Oh right... oh hey, I registered online with WalMart today and I'll order most of my stuff there now. Thanks for the tip."
"That's good." Daryl was relieved that she had gone ahead and done that. It meant that she did care for her child after all.
"Do you have kids?" she asked after a while of eating in silence.
"Nah... and don't have no wife either, in case you were gonna ask that question next. Wouldn't be here otherwise."
"Loyal, huh? That's good." she liked that. Loyal men were hard to find.
"If you make a commitment, you should stick to it." he looked up at her and saw her smile waver. He sighed. Looks like he had put his other foot in his mouth. Well he'd never been one to do things half-assed.
"Right..." she half-whispered and put her food down. She wasn't that hungry anymore.
"What happened to the dad? He step out on ya?" he cringed inwardly after the words had left his mouth. Way to go and take the careful approach.
"No, he didn't. I just left. I woke up one night, I felt weird,... we'd been trying for a baby so we had tests at home and I thought 'what the hell, let's take the test'. I went into the bathroom, did what I had to do and I didn't even have to wait the two minutes, the plus sign immediately showed up and while I watched those blue lines develop I all of a sudden knew, that I didn't love Jax. Not like a wife is supposed to love her husband. I always knew that he loved me more than I loved him. I always thought I just wasn't capable of feeling real love and that what I felt for Jackson had been as good as it gets, but somehow in that moment I realized, that I am capable and that I just wasn't feeling it for my husband. It was Christmas, Jackson loves Christmas and I didn't have the heart to leave him then. He was so excited about the baby. I stayed for another couple of months, I tried to get back into our old life, but I just couldn't. I wasn't able to keep living a lie. I started to hate him. I don't know why, I can't explain. I just suddenly wasn't able to stand him anymore. He was not allowed to touch me at all. Even if he tried to just touch my hand, I would just recoil and pull away like I had been bitten by a snake. I was hurting him deeply. He didn't know what was happening. It wasn't fair to him. So one night I just decided to leave and like three days later I moved in here and had my lawyer contact him and send him divorce papers. Shit, I don't know why I am telling you this. Doesn't make for a very good second impression."
"Everybody's got baggage. For what it's worth, I think you did the right thing. Didn't waste anymore of his time or yours. Being stuck in an unhappy marriage isn't doing anyone any good." Daryl knew firsthand where it could lead.
"Yeah I know, I saw my folks being stuck in one for eighteen years. The kids are the ones that suffer... most parents just can't help themselves and unleash their anger on the kids." Daryl looked up at her in surprise. Damn, seems like they had more in common than he thought.
"Your folks, too huh?" Daryl asked quietly, admitting that he might have gone through similar things she had to go through during her childhood.
She smiled and raised her glass. "But we made it!"
He followed suit and clanked his glass against hers and gave her his first real smile.
"Hell yeah we did!"
######## ########## ######### ####### ####### #######
The next couple of days they went back to their old routine. Jarah would leave her apartment to check her mailbox over the course of the morning and if she saw Daryl on her way, she'd say good morning. The only difference was, that now, he actually said it back every single time. Otherwise it was like nothing ever happened and he hadn't been to her apartment twice.
It was Friday now and Daryl had always been a little miffed on Fridays, because it meant two whole days without catching a glimpse of Jarah. Just like he had suspected, his theory that his infatuation with her would just go away once he'd spent some time with her, had turned out to be wrong. Their time spent together, seeing her big smile up close, hearing her laugh, being in her home, it all only made him want her more. So today he was extra cranky and his co-workers were steering clear of him at all costs. An angry redneck was a very scary redneck.
It also hadn't helped matters that she hadn't left her apartment all day and he was almost done with work. That meant he would have to go three whole days without seeing her. During his lunch break he thought about going to her apartment to check if she was alright, but he knew that would probably look creepy, so he decided against doing so. It was close to 6 pm and his co-workers were wrapping up for the day. He would just have to accept the fact that he wouldn't see her today.
He grabbed his stuff and went down the stairs to leave the building. He was surprised and very delighted, when he saw Jarah close her mailbox and start to leave the building while going through her mail. He frowned and wondered how she had been able to sneak by him undetected and also where the hell she was going. It would get dark soon. He picked up some speed and quickly came up behind her.
"Hey!"
"Oh hey, Daryl. How you doin'? She turned her head to look at him and smiled.
"Good! And you?"
"Good, too. Off for the weekend?"
"Yeah."
"Great, have a good one. I'll see ya next week!"
"Wait, where are you headed?" he wasn't about to let her wander around in the dark. The neighborhood was not the best in the city.
"My doctor, the baby hasn't moved much the past couple of days and she wants to check his heartbeat." her voice wavered a little and it was now that he noticed that she was pale and looked like she hadn't slept well for a couple of nights. She didn't have to say anymore, now there was no way in hell he would let her walk there and back home later.
"C'mon, I'll drive ya." Jarah opened her mouth to protest, but he quickly waved her off. "Not up for discussion. Get in the car, girl!"
He opened and closed the door for her, making sure that he wasn't going to hit her with it. He got in himself and started the engine.
"So tell me, where to?"
"Johnson Ferry Road. You know where that is?"
"Hell yeah I do, you were gonna walk there? Jesus girl! How long is this gonna take?"
"About 30 minutes up to an hour I guess, depends how long she keeps me hooked up to the machine, but you don't have to stay Daryl, you are already doing more than enough. I'll call a cab for the way back."
"No way, I'll stay and take you back home afterward. Not gonna let you get in any cab after dark. Those cab drivers are creepy."
"Daryl, really. I don't want you to miss out on your plans because you feel obligated or something."
"Obligated? I don't feel fucking obligated. Your baby might not be doing well, you don't look so hot either, I'm not a heartless ass, I am not going to let you wander around town at night or get in a fucking cab after getting who knows what kinda news. Now shut up and deal with it, I said it ain't up for discussion!" Daryl's voice rose in volume with each word, but he still managed to keep from full-on yelling at her.
Jarah nodded timidly and just gave him a little 'okay, thanks' before she turned to look out the window. She didn't want to see him that she had to fight a smile. He was gruff on the outside, but he was being really sweet. It was cute and she really really liked it.
The drive was spent in silence and the closer they got to the practice, the more nervous Daryl got. He had never been to an OB/GYN office and he felt a little weird about it. Hoped there wouldn't be too many women in there, looking at him while they waited, wondering what kind of father he was ever gonna make. It didn't even occur to him, that he had the option of just waiting in the car.
######### ######### ######## ######## ##########
The waiting room had been empty thank goodness. Jarah had immediately been ushered into one of the exam rooms while the girl from the front desk had showed him to the waiting room. It looked harmless enough. No pink shit or anything vagina-related around, just a couple of comfy chairs and some small tables with magazines on them. Everything was beige and brown and he started to relax. He was still worried about Jarah though. He had no idea what he was going to do if she got bad news.
The next 50 minutes were spent thinking about her and how he was lucky to even be here with her. That she let him do this, let him be close. He alternated between chewing on his thumb and chewing on the inside of his bottom lip nervously. The longer it took the more nervous he got. When she did show up, he was barely able to keep from letting a 'finally' slip out of his mouth. He didn't want to make her feel like doing this was bothering him.
"Hey, what's going on? You okay? And the little one?" Shit she had cried. Her eyes were puffy and red. But she was smiling, so that had to be good.
"We're both fine. The doctor said he might have been just lazy and sleepy. She'll start monitoring him more closely now though, just in case."
"That's good. So are you good to go home?"
"Yeah let's go!"
He led her back to his track and got them back on the road.
"Do you have any plans tonight?" Jarah spoke up as soon as he had pulled out of their parking spot.
"Not really, just gonna hang out in front of the TV I guess."
"May I make you dinner, then? To say thank you?"
"You know, you don't have to fix me a drink or make me dinner every time I do something to help."
"Yes I do! Trust me, I don't take your help for granted. It is very much appreciated and I want to give back. Please?"
Daryl understood where she was coming from and he knew she would be disappointed if he decline, so he nodded his consent, successfully his excitement of spending the evening with her and actually have her cook for him.
"Yeah, okay. If ya really want to!"
"I do, thank you." she was beaming at him, causing all kinds of crazy feels in his chest and belly.
########### ########### ######## ########
She had already prepped a meatloaf in the afternoon and the smell of it while it was baking in the oven had made Daryl's mouth water. Instead of staying in the living room by himself he had opted to keep her company in the kitchen. He watched her peel and dice potatoes while he leaned against the fridge and nursed a beer. He could definitely get used to this, he loved watching her do her thing. While she worked she told him about her best friend Natalie and about her grandfather that was dying from liver cancer.
"Grandpa Herb and Grandma Betty are seriously the best! I met them a couple of times, they instantly adopted me and treated me like their own granddaughter. So much love in that house. And fun. Dear God, we spent hours doubled over from laughter. I'll never forget this one time they came to visit Nat. I went over there because Betty was making lunch for all of us. So she was busy in the kitchen and Nat and I kept her company, much like you are doing right now. Then Herb came in, he was looking for a piece of paper. He wanted to write something down, I can't remember what though. Anyway, Betty said she left a piece of paper on the table, he could use that. So he went and picked it up and he came back into the kitchen, kinda confused and he was like. "Betty, what are these numbers you wrote down?" And Grandma Betty, like completely casual was like, "Oh, that's just the size of a penis!"
Daryl sputtered and coughed and almost choked on his beer. "What the hell?" Jarah laughed and slapped his back.
"Yeah, that was pretty much our reaction! Herb asked her why in the world she would have written down a penis size and she was like 'Well there was this guy on a talk show yesterday and he wasn't happy with the size of his penis. But look at that. Girls, look at that. That's good, isn't it? He should be proud! That is a well-sized penis!'" Jarah was laughing so hard she had to wipe tears from her eyes, she still remembered it vividly. It was one of the funniest things she had ever experienced. "I swear, she just wouldn't stop saying the word penis and just went on and on about how happy he should be about it and you should have seen the way Herb looked at her, he was so utterly confused and just couldn't believe it. It was awesome!"
Daryl had to laugh himself, not just because of the story but because of Jarah laughing her way through it. Her laugh really was contagious, even Daryl had a hard time fighting it. He loved how animatedly she was talking and how her voice got a little scratchy and high pitched from laughing. The whole thing felt really great. He knew he would miss it dearly as soon as he was back home with Merle.
An hour later he was pretty much in culinary heaven. He hadn't had a meal this good in ages. Hell he'd probably NEVER had a meal this good. Her meatloaf had bacon and mushrooms and big chunks of melting cheese in it. The mashed potatoes had just the right amount of garlic in them and the gravy was the best he ever had. He felt like burying his face in his meal and inhale it. He quickly put away two servings before Jarah had even finished her first one.
She was beaming, it made her so happy that he liked her food. She quickly refilled his plate a third time and took great pleasure in watching him eat. When he leaned back with his belly feeling like it was about to burst she started clearing the table and smiled.
"You smoke right? I'm sure you're craving one right about now. If you want you can smoke here. Just open the window and I'll clean up the kitchen real quick."
"You sure?" he didn't want to put the baby's health at risk by smoking in her apartment.
"Yeah, just blow the smoke outside. It'll be fine." She walked over to a shelf and handed him an ashtray before she took their plates into the kitchen.
Daryl opened the window and lit a smoke. He propped his elbows on the windowsill and closed his eyes for a moment while he enjoyed his smoke and the cool night air. He didn't even want to think about leaving here tonight. This night had been amazing so far, he didn't want it to end and he didn't want to go back to his own home, having Merle ask him where he was. He knew this probably would never lead to being something romantic, but right now he knew that even just being friends with her would be okay with him, if it got him some nights like this.
Sure, it would be hard managing his crush on her, but he was sure that over time he would be able to handle it. Being friends with her would be better than not having her around at all.
####### ######### ######## ####### ########
AN: That penis story totally happened, btw. Best thing ever! Thank you so much for reading, I was completely blown away by getting 16 followers and 5 reviews in the first couple of hours. You guys rock. Please keep it coming, it is amazing to see/read.
Special thanks for your kind, awesome words to the reviewers:
MaddyMarie1212, DarylDixon'sLover, Mione788 and WayPastMyBedtime.
Dear "Guest": To answer your question, right now i don't know yet whether or not this will lead into the ZA. That is still a long long time away. The baby was 13 months old when the ZA started and right now she is just 6 months along, so I still have a lot of time to decide whether or not I will take them there. I think if i did, i would just write the beginning until they met the group or something. Otherwise I'd feel it would be too much like my previous story.
Love y'all!
