Chapter 2
"Well here we are, you gonna be okay Rick?" I asked carfully. "Yeah, I'll be fine. You just worry about Daryl." He said calmly as he got out of the car. When he got out I heard yelling. "Dad? Dad!" Carl yelled as he ran to him and hugged him. I could see tears in Ricks eyes as he held his son. It was beautiful. When Lori came running over she wrapped her arms around him too. "Shouldn't you be holding Shane?" Rick asked her harshly giving her a cold glare. "Rick.." Lori said quietly as she let go of him. Rick placed his hands over Carls ears. "Lori anything we had, if there even was anything left at all, that all ended when you fucked my best friend." Rick said coldly as he turned back to his son and continued to hold him and talk with him. Lori walked over to the truck we were in looking furious. "Who told him?" She asked angrily. "I did, I told him before I knew you were married to him. I know its none of my buisness, but he did have a right to know. Even though it was an accident I'm glad I told him." I said calmly. Lori suddenly came running at me. Great now I have to knock this bitch on her ass too? "Hey back the fuck off!" A rough Southern accent yelled. I then noticed Daryl holding Lori back. "Get your hands off me you dirty redneck!" Lori screamed. "Hey shut it! I'd take a dirty redneck over a dirty slut anyday!" I shot back at her. I can't stand when people call Daryl a redneck, it always sends me fuming. "I thought he was dead." Lori said. "Still didn't take ya very long to mourn his death." I spat at her. "Just shut yer mouth, that girl could kick your ass in a second. I'm helpin' ya here, dumb bitch." Daryl muttered to her. "Hey redneck, get your ass over here I need to talk to ya." I told Daryl. "Alright fuckin' forgiener." Daryl said as he released Lori and walked over to me. "Its Merle..Rick cuffed him to the roof cause he was high as fuck and causing trouble, but when we went to get him..T-Dog dropped the fucking key. I'm sorry Daryl I was gonna stay with him, but they wouldn't let me! Merle told me to go, but I didn't wanna. Aaron had to carry me all the way to the truck. I'm going back tonight." I explained to my friend as I began to cry. What Daryl did next came as a surprise. He pulled me into a hug and began to cry with me. "My brother.. " Was al he said at first. After a few minutes he removed his arms from around me and looked at me. "You said you're goin' back?" He asked as he wiped his eyes. I nodded. "I am too, you ain't goin' alone." He said firmly. "Okay, we leave in twenty." I said as I tried to sound as calm as I could. "Alright just let me grab my things." He said in a gruff voice. "Alright mate." I said.
After I said goodbye to the band and convinced Aaron to stay back I walked over to where Rick was. "I just wanted to say goodbye." I told him. He gave me a questioning look. "Daryl and I are goin' back to get Merle, figured I should let you know." I explained to him. "No you two can't just go alone, I'm coming too." He stated firmly. From the look in his eyes I knew there was no changing his mind so I decided to just accept it. "Okay, thank you Rick." I said to him as I gave him a smile. "We leave in five." I told him, he nodded in agreement. "I'm coming too." Glenn added. "Glenn.." I began to say. "No I know the streets great, I can help you a lot." He stated. I can't argue there. "Okay just be extra safe, I'll watch your back." I told him. He nodded. T-Dog had decided he was coming too. I didn't try to stop him because frankly this is his fault that we have to make a second trip. When we got in the truck T-Dog was driving and Glenn was upfront leaving Daryl, Rick and I in the back. I sat down beside Daryl while Rick sat accross from us. "So you're the asshole who locked my brother to the roof?" Daryl asked bluntly. "Daryl.." I said warningly. "Yes I am, I'm sorry. When I locked him up Emily practically begged me to uncuff him, she told me she could talk to him. I didn't listen, I told her that I'd make sure he was uncuffed. I promised her. I failed her, I failed Merle and I failed you. I'm sorry." Rick said sounding sincere and full of regret. After a moment of silence Daryl spoke. "Whatever." He muttered. I noticed Daryl putting his head in his hands so I moved as close as I could to him and wrapped my arm around his shoulder like I had done to Rick earlier. At first Daryl felt tense, but then after a while his body relaxed. "Daryl.." I said softly. "You know I'm here for you, I care about you ..and Merle so much. I just hope you know that." I told him quietly. Daryl looked up at me, he seemed slightly shocked by my words. "Ya don't need to care 'bout me, but I do care 'bout ya too. Even though ya are just a forgiener." He said calmly. "Yes I do Daryl, of course I do, you mean a lot to me ..even if ya are a dirty redneck." I said the last part in my best Daryl impersonation as I laughed a little. This caused Daryl to smile at me and chuckle a bit. "Nice job there Aussie, ya nailed the redneck talk." He said sounding happier. "Well must be from spending so much damn time with you and your brother. You remember my first night in camp, how I couldn't sleep so you and Merle took me out hunting with you?" I asked as I smiled recalling the memories. "How could I forget? I was pretty damn impressed at how well ya could hunt, and he'll never admit it, but so was Merle." Daryl said as he chuckled. As we were laughing and remebering all our crazy stories together Daryl wrapped an arm around my waist. At first he seemed shy, nervous even about doing it. His body was very tense, but once he noticed I was smilng at him -and probably even blushing too- he relaxed. Daryls never done anything like this, I'm surprised, but I never want it to end. I can feel the butterflies doing flips in my stomach. Then after a couple hours the truck came to a stop. "We walk from here." Glenn explained. "Aye aye Captain." I said jokingly as I gave Glenn a saloute and winked at him. When I was about to get out of the truck Daryl grabbed my hand very gently and helped me down. As much of a redneck as he is he always did things like this for me. He knew how to respect women. "Thanks babe." I said jokingly as I winked at him and walked on ahead with Glenn.
Daryl POV
"Hey, you mind if I talk to you for a minute?" I heard a voice ask me. It was Rick. "Uh sure.." I said confused. "I just wanted to say that Emily is a really great girl, she doesn't need to be hurt. Just treat her right.." He said calmly. Why the hell was he tellin' me this? I mean sure I have feelings for her, but she ain't mine. I doubt she'd ever want me. "Why are ya tellin' me this?" I asked him calmly. "Well because you two are together.." He began to explain. "We ain't together!" I almost shouted. Em looked back at me with a confused look on her face, I waved her forward and she gave me the cutest smile and kept walking. "Well you two clearly have feelings for eachother, that much is obvious. She adores you, I can see it in the way she looks at you. I'm just sayin' she's a great girl, don't break her heart." Rick explained calmly. Really? He thinks she adores me? I'm tempted to ask him more about how he thinks she feels about me, but I can't risk him tellin' her. "Yeah right, as if she'd want me. I'd never hurt her though, no matter what I could never do wrong by that girl." I said softly. That was true, I'd do a lot of things I'm not proud of, but I'd never do wrong by her. I care about her way too much to let that happen. She's been there for me and Merle for so much over the past three weeks. She even got Merle off drugs until his little relapse today. When we find Merle I don't know whether to be happy to see him or kick his ass for that. Thinking back to what she said in the truck about how much she cares about me I can see how Rick would think that, and when we had our arms around eachother I know she didn't mind one bit. I'm still not convinced though. Why did any of this matter to Rick though? Unless of course he has a thing for her. How could I not see it sooner? I noticed his eyes lingering on her, but I never thought anything of it. Rick wants Emily.