AN: Hey again, hope everyone's enjoying their Friday :) It's Stephanie here, wallowing in feels at 9 O'Clock in the damn morning. This ship will be the death of me I swear.

I need Jesus.

That being said; In honor of the Season 5 Trailer being released today, here's another update for you. I have my fingers crossed that we get a glimpse of Beth in it! I know it's kinda a long shot but hey, a girl can dream, right?

Anyways, this chapter is obviously a tad different than the last 3, from now on, you'll see switches between Beth/Daryl POV.

If you're on Tumblr, (and if you're not, you very well should be!) It'd be in your best interests to check the Bethyl tag every now and again to keep your eye out for those Bethyl ghost chats that I love so much. I'm sure there's bound to be one soon because of the San Diego Comic Con TWD Panel, and I hope to see ya'll in there. That way, we can discuss how much this ship has totally turned our lives upside down. Well, my life, at least. Rofl.

Hope you like this, as always, leave me something and let me know what you think!

I hope you guys have an awesome weekend.

Love y'all from the very bottom of my heart,

-Stephanie.

How To Save A Life

Chapter 4 - "Everyone Leaves"

Atlanta, GA
Six Hours Earlier

Beth flung the dull pencil she had in her grasp across the bus as hard as she could, making a frustrated noise that sounded more like a squeal than anything. After the long day she had, she was annoyed, she was aggravated, and she was tired.

No, she was dead on her feet.

Mostly, it was becoming aggravating to the young singer that she couldn't seem to get her thoughts and words out right like she usually could. Writing always was something that came so easy to Beth, just like breathing always did. The words floated onto paper so easily and no matter what it was that was plaguing her thoughts and her mind, she'd always feel better after a session of just writing her frustrations all out on a piece of paper.

That's why tonight, at 10 P.M. after her seven hour meet and greet in downtown Atlanta, she took to writing in an effort to try and get her mind to clear and stop her from being so damn irritable.

But tonight, like many nights lately, it didn't help. She couldn't even begin to understand what she was thinking in her mind to begin with, let alone write a song about it.

And not that it even mattered in the first place, mostly because it was very rare that her label even let her lay down a record that meant something to her, usually stringing her towards the bullshit that was popular nowadays on country radio; Jacked up trucks, cowboy boots, bonfires, cut off jeans. Cookie cutter bullshit that she hated more than just about anything, but had to pretend that she liked.

If she had known that this was the way that things were going to be, she very well just might have listened to all the people who told her she should have just stayed home and went to College instead.

She barely flinched when she heard the door to her tour bus hiss open, and she wasn't sure if it was because she truly didn't care to see who it was, or if it was because she was so tired she thought she might just pass out right there in the chair she sat in if she made any significant effort to move.

Besides, she knew who it was anyway. She'd already heard her sister from the outside babbling away on her cell phone to whom she assumed was likely the head of the record label she was signed to, Mr. Porter.

To the surprise of many, as awkward and strange as Mr. Porter seemed at first, he'd managed to somehow make a serious name for himself in the music business by becoming the head of the label about five years ago, not long before Beth had arrived in Nashville.

She didn't have a problem with Mr. Porter, aside from the fact that once Beth's career started to take off in a successful and money driven direction, Mr. Porter made sure he kept tabs on Beth and her activities regarding the every single god damn move she made at all times. That's another reason why she just knew that Maggie was talking to him. Especially when Maggie delved into full detail on the Meet and greet session, which Beth hardly thought was necessary.

"You look exhausted." Maggie said as she walked further into the make-shift studio in her tour bus, studying Beth as she lifted herself away from the desk and propped herself on the couch opposite the soundboard, covering both of her eyes with her forearm.

She knew she looked exhausted. Likely because she was exhausted.

"Couldn't possibly have anything to do with you booking me night after night at every damn venue on the East coast, could it?" Beth muttered bitterly at her sister, who doubled as her overbearing and persistent manager.

"Don't be like that." Maggie replied, sitting down next to Beth's feet that were propped up on the leather.

Beth knew her sister meant well, and she knew that she wasn't deliberately trying to make her practically run on fumes, but the fact of the matter was; that's exactly what she was doing. Working Beth until she could barely stand straight at the end of the day.

"One night off. Seriously, Maggie. Is that too much to ask for?" Beth pleaded, lifting her forearm to rest further up on top of her forehead so she could look Maggie into the eyes. Pleading her not only with her words, but with her darkened and barely open eyes too.

"You know why we're doing this, Beth. Your album drops in less than a month." She countered, sounding more like a Mom than a manager or a sister for that matter. Every time she turned that motherly voice on, Beth wanted to scream.

"I don't care, Maggie. This isn't healthy, and it sure as hell isn't normal." Beth snapped back, watching Maggie recoil at her harsh tone. "I can't keep doing this, you can't keep working me to the bone the way you have been."

Maggie sighed, running a hand through her cropped brown hair; "It's album sales, Beth. That's what we're targeting right now." She replied, sucking in a deep breath. "Think of Daddy."

Beth's eyes flashed angrily at her words, she saw red in her eyes and she felt her nostrils begin to flare as her body heated up. It was such a typical Maggie move, to bring him into this and make her feel guilty just so that she'd get off her back.

But she wasn't letting up that easy on her. Not when she was so wound up like she currently was. No way. Tonight, she was going to let Maggie have it.

"Daddy," She spat right back, "Is the only reason I'm still doing this willingly. I didn't sign up for all of this."; She flailed her arms around probably a little more dramatically than she meant to, but in that moment she didn't really care if she was acting like a drama queen. She was angry at her sister for throwing him in her face like that. Like she didn't care about him at all. And that was far from the truth.

It hadn't been long after she got signed to a record label that her Father had fallen very ill. And while Beth Greene was a firm believer in the saying 'Everything happens for a reason'; She couldn't help the stab of disdain she felt for God at that very moment. Why, of every single person in the universe, that her father had to be the one to suffer. That was about two years ago now.

Beth wouldn't dare even dream of putting the money she'd been putting towards her Father's medial bills elsewhere. But, at the same time, the career she had dreamed about for her entire life that had finally became a reality - turned into more of an obligation than anything else.

And now, she was torn. Torn between quitting the career that was draining her emotionally and physically and quite possibly losing her Father in the process, or keep going, until she had absolutely nothing left to give.

There really wasn't much of a choice to be made, if she really thought about it.

"Beth." Maggie tried to reason with her sister, all the while knowing that there was no way she was winning this fight.

"Maggie," Beth berated her as she raised herself to a sitting position and held her hand out to silence her sisters voice. "Just don't."

Beth stood to her feet, grabbing her keys to the rental car off of the counter.

"Where are you going?" Maggie asked, frantically scrambling to her feet and following Beth out of the bus doors. Beth elected to keep walking, but at the last second stopped, took a deep breath and turned around to face her.

"I need a break Maggie-"

"Beth, don-" she cut her off before she could continue.

"Maggie! For Christ's sake, you don't have to follow me everywhere I go! I'm a God damn adult for crying out loud!" She snapped, clicking the button and unlocking the silver rental car just off to the side of her.

She had made her mind up a few days ago, that when she got to Atlanta and finished her Meet and Greet, as well as the show at the Dome, she was going to drive and see her Father. Or, maybe she'd just drive until she got far enough away to where nobody knew who the hell she even was.

Yeah, she'd like that last part. She'd like that last part a lot.

"It's ten at night!" Maggie disagreed, shaking her head and closing the door to Beth's rental car just as she swung it open, leaving the palm of her hand pressed on the glass, preventing her from reopening it.

"And," she emphasized, "We have a plane to catch first thing in the morning."

"There's always another plane!" Beth yelled back, trying to reopen the car door to no avail. The pressure from Maggie's hand on the glass of the window was unrelenting.

"There's always something! There's always a show, or an Interview! God!" She continued, her voice raising higher and higher with every word that came out of her mouth. She made a frustrated noise and began thrusting a hand through her blonde hair, resisting the urge pull it all out of her head.

She figured she must have scared Maggie to some degree, mostly because as she paced back and forth, her sister didn't say a word. She simply stood in place, waiting patiently for her to calm down.

She looked up finally, staring into Maggie's eyes that now were full of what she could assume was understanding. She felt bad for yelling at her as they locked eyes, even though she knew it was the only way to have Maggie get the picture of why she was wound up so tight.

"I'm gonna take the rest of this weekend off and you're going to leave me be." She said sternly.

It wasn't a request, it was a demand.

"Wait, where are you going?" She asked as Beth started walking back towards the car.

Beth looked at her sister, silently gesturing with her eyes that she needed to back away and just let her do what she was going to do. Maggie ducked her head in defeat, dropping her hand away from the window and stepping back only a few steps.

Beth gave her a weak smile and opened the car door. She took a deep breath as she dropped her phone and her wallet onto the passenger seat - She placed one arm on the top of the door and rested her other elbow on the roof. She shook her head, knowing by the look on Maggie's face that she was stressed out of her mind as well. She was probably having just as hard of a time as she was with all this.

"Mags, I'm just gonna go stay with Dad this weekend." She said. "Alone."

She added the last part to let her know that this was a solo trip. More specifically meaning, Maggie was not coming.

"I love you Maggie, I do. I just-" she stopped short, almost unsure of how to word what she was thinking before continuing.

"I'm starting to lose it. I'm just asking for a few days, that's all." She said sadly, her eyes darting from Maggie's own, to the Georgia Dome shining brightly in the distance.

"Promise you'll call when you get there." She requested, her eyes glassy and her facial expression weary.

"I promise."

"Beth, I gotta get you help. You're gonna die if I don't." Beth winced at the desperation in Daryl's voice, watching him as he sprinted away from the car and up towards the bridge.

She couldn't help but feel scared again- no, terrified.

She knew that Daryl was right, even though she didn't know the full extent of the damage to her body. She needed to get out of there, she needed to get to a hospital.

She was soaked in sweat and blood, she could taste the mixture of both of them in her mouth even though it felt drier than it ever had felt in her life. She knew she was bleeding in more places than her mouth, she saw and felt the blood as it trickled down her face and through her hair. And she knew that she was in trouble, but she still didn't want to be left alone.

"Daryl!" She cried out weakly at his silhouette running further and further away. "Daryl, don't go!"

She watched helplessly as his form disappeared onto the bridge, feeling her face grow hot and tears pool in her eyes. She was petrified, more afraid than she had ever been in her entire life at that very moment.

She remembered one time getting lost on a family vacation at Disney World in Florida with her family when she was very young. She had somehow meandered herself towards two of the characters that were walking past her, without even thinking. Before she knew it, Maggie, Shawn, her Mother and her Father were nowhere in sight.

She had been spotted by a park employee, who took her to the lost children kiosk at the front of the park to wait until her family showed up. She'd been so scared, and the feeling of dread that she felt that day was currently thrumming through her veins again at that very moment. The only difference was, this time, it was much more amplified.

And although this particular fear wasn't exactly the same, it damn near came close to it. Damn near made her feel helpless.

No, she did feel helpless.

She remained as quiet as she possibly could; Waiting to hear Daryl fire up his car and take off without a second thought.

It was what she was used to; People leaving.

Shawn left. Shawn left when his truck crashed off of the same highway she had been traveling on to the same exact destination those few years ago.

She found herself suddenly hoping that he didn't end up like she very well might-on the side of the road, without a car in sight. Alone. Cold. Terrified.

Maybe he didn't leave her intentionally per say, but at the end of the day, he was gone. Just one more person that she loved that wasn't around anymore.

Then there was her Mom; And Beth might have been fairly young when her Mother had passed, but that didn't lessen the sting of the blow.

Her Dad had left for a while; Maybe not in the sense of death, but more in the sense of the fact that he'd managed to completely lose himself when her mother had passed away.

But then, there was the time that she left someone. But not because she was cruel or that she even really wanted to, but because she simply had to. She had to do what was right for her.

She'd always dreamed of being a singer-getting paid and making a living off of what she loved to do more than anything. People always said to her growing up that if you truly loved what you did for a living, then you never really had to work a day in your life.

That's why when she finally decided to leave Fayetteville, and move to Nashville, she expected understanding. She expected support. But what she got was the complete opposite of that.

Not that anyone really said it to her face, it was more along the lines of whispers and gossip through the small town when they thought she wasn't around. More along the lines of disapproving looks and tight lipped smiles. Except for Zach, of course.

It didn't come as a surprise to Beth when Zach was more than vocal about why Beth shouldn't leave, why she'd never make it, and how it would 'break his heart' if she really did go. That of course was complete and utter bullshit, just like everything else that came out of his mouth; Especially considering the fact that he'd managed to get a new girl in his life not even two weeks after she'd left.

There was something always pinging in the back of her head to detach and never think that anyone had the intentions of or ever wanted to stay. She knew the human race to be cold, and to burn her every time she put her faith in someone, or trusted them.

That's why every single time Beth closed her eyes and opened them back again as she was trapped in the cars confines, she was startled to see the older and gruff looking man still there. Even after she'd fallen asleep, even after she cried and made herself look like a damn fool.

Mostly, out of everything though, she was surprised he stayed because it was clear that he had no clue who she was. And God, did she hate even that she had to think of herself in that way; Like she was something so damn important, when in her own mind she was not.

But still, if it'd been some 20 year old guy or the Mother of a teenage girl perhaps that usually was in her meet and greet lines, she would have understood why they stayed; ulterior motives. Her money, the image, the spotlight.

But Beth could just tell that Daryl simply wasn't one of those guys. He was there because he elected to be. He was there because he said he'd stay, and so he did. She'd always been good at reading people, and Daryl was no exception to that.

And she found that the more she thought about it, she in all honesty didn't even want Daryl to know. She didn't want him to see or think of her any differently than he did now.

It was then that she heard the distinct sound of an engine firing in the distance, but not from far away from what she could tell. She hoped, no, prayed, that she had just imagined it. She hoped that her subconscious wasn't right about Daryl doing exactly what she didn't want him to do.

Leave.

She felt yet another hot tear streak down her cheek, felt angry and confused and pissed off and a million other different emotions that she simply couldn't pinpoint because they were all shooting through her at an impossible speed to keep up with.

And just as she was about to let the dam break, and just as she was about to finally give up, she heard it.

She snapped away from her thoughts when she heard the grass being jostled back and forth, forcing her eyes to look in that direction. She felt her shoulders sag in relief when she realized Daryl was headed back towards her after what seemed like an eternity.

But mostly, more than anything else, she was relieved that he hadn't left.

"What happened?" She asked, knowing he went with the intention to get help, but seemed a little more unnerved and stressed rather than relieved.

"I uh-" he replied, scratching his head and cocking his head to the side, completely avoiding any eye contact with her. In fact, his eyes were strictly focused on the object in his hand. Her cellphone.

"Daryl.. What is it?" She pressed, trying her best to speak as loudly as she could without hurting.

"Your sister called."