A/N: I'm amazed that I have found time to get this chapter posted so quickly!

Disclaimer: May contain triggers and please note that I do not work in the medical field so some things may not be accurate.


Wife Swap
Chapter 9

"It's not Daryl, Beth. It's Shawn. He was shot..."

"He's okay though, right?" Glenn asked as Maggie grabbed Beth and both girls burst into tears.

"I'm not sure if he is or not. When I left the hospital, they were takin' him back for surgery," Rick looked over at the sisters and softly spoke. "Shawn's tough. I know he'll make it but I also know it would mean the world to him to have his sisters there. Y'all want me to give y'all a ride to the hospital?"

"No," Maggie shook her head and let go of Beth. "I'll drive us."

"Alright," Rick gave her a nod. "I'll turn my lights on and y'all just follow me with your flashers on."

Rick and Glenn both stepped outside while Maggie and Beth went back to their rooms to change clothes.

Maggie threw on her clothes and all but ran to Beth's room. "You don't have to come with us, Bethie. I know Shawn would understand if you didn't feel up to it."

Beth pulled her shirt over her head and turned to face her sister. "I'm fine, Maggie. I would rather be there with our brother than sitting here wonderin' what's goin' on and if he's alright."

"I'm just wor…"

"Maggie, I know you're worried but I promise I'm fine and there's nothin' to worry about."


Twenty-five minutes later and they were pacing the hallways of the hospital waiting to find out how their brother was.

"Why don't y'all go down to the cafeteria and get some coffee?" Rick asked them. "I'll come get y'all if somethin' comes up but y'all heard the doctor, he could be in there for a few more hours."

"Coffee sounds good," Beth said quietly.

Maggie put her arms around Beth's shoulders and pulled her close. "We'll go get some coffee but we're comin' right back."

When they reached the cafeteria, Beth sat down at one of the tables while Maggie went to get their drinks.

"Here," Maggie said as she sat Beth's drink down in front of her. Her sister immediately grabbed the cup and took a sip.

"I thought we were gettin' coffee," Beth whined.

"I got you hot chocolate instead," Maggie said as she took a sip from her own up.

"And what did you get?"

"Oh I got coffee but you're not gettin' any because I really do not feel like chasin' your ass all over this hospital and havin' to tell you to shut up every five minutes."

Beth rolled her eyes and took another sip then said, "We should get back up there."

"Rick's right, Bethie. Shawn is tough and I'm sure he'll pull through," Maggie assured her sister though she wasn't sure she believed it herself.

Rick stuck his phone in his back pocket just as Beth and Maggie walked up.

"Have they said how he's doin'?" Maggie asked.

"No but I'm sure it won't be long."

Maggie and Rick watched Beth as she sat down in one of the chairs and pulled her knees up to her chest. Neither of them wanted to say it in front of her but they were both worried because she had been awfully quiet.

Rick looked at Maggie and gave a slight nod to the side for her to follow him.

They stepped away just down the hall but still in view of Beth and the doctors should they come out with news.

"How's she holdin' up?" Rick asked.

Maggie looked back at her sister then to Rick. "She's holdin' up fine but she's not herself. She took a leave from work and she's been doin' nothin' but tryin' to hide how she feels. How's Daryl been?"

Rick snorted. "He wouldn't answer any calls or texts so I went out to their house and he wasn't there. His huntin' gear was gone though. I even went by Merle's thinkin' he may have heard from him but he said he hadn't."

"And you believe him?"

"Yeah, I do. He actually seemed to be worried about Daryl and said if either one of us heard from him we should let the other know."

They were both silent for a moment until Rick's phone rang. He took one look at it and shook his head.

"Shit. It's the station," he said as he stepped away. Maggie nodded in understanding and went over to take a seat next to Beth.

It wasn't even five minutes later when Rick came back over to them.

"I have to go but if y'all need anythin' or hear from the doctors, y'all call me. If not, I'll come back by when I get finished with this call. Alright?"

Both girls nodded their heads and then he was gone.


Rick turned his lights and siren on before he pulled out of the hospital parking lot and headed outside of town.

When he pulled up to the house, all of the emergency crews were there and the fire department was doing their best to get the flames under control.

"What the hell happened?" He shouted over the noise to one of the deputies.

"We don't know. Someone was headed out to the lake and they spotted the smoke so they called it in."

Rick looked back at the house then back to the deputy. "Do they know if anyone was home or not?"

"As far as I know they haven't found anyone."

"Rick!" the fire chief called out as he ran over. "One of my men just radioed and said they found someone inside and he's still alive. They should be bringin' whoever it is out soon."

They all stood there waiting for what felt like hours but was really only a few minutes before the firemen came out of the house.

The paramedics, who were on standby, rushed over with a gurney and Rick ran over as fast as he could but they wouldn't let him near as they loaded the gurney into the ambulance.

He followed that ambulance straight to the hospital and told the staff to let him know when he would be able to talk to the guy.

While he waited, he went on up to the floor Shawn was on and sat there with Maggie.

"Where's Beth?" he asked when he sat down.

"She was gettin' on my nerves so I asked her to go to the cafeteria and get us some snacks," Maggie replied with a small smile.


Beth didn't say it out loud but she was actually relieved when Maggie sent her to the cafeteria. Of course she wanted to know how her brother was and be there for him but at the same time she hated being there because she didn't know how he was and it was driving her crazy.

If they had come out at some point and said he was doing fine but they still had a lot to do or something along those line, she wouldn't have been as nervous and scared as she was. She couldn't stand the thought of losing one more person in her life, especially him.

He was her big brother after all.

She had a small sack with a couple bags of chips, some sweet cakes and was carrying two cups of soda on her way back upstairs when she heard a familiar voice.

She looked around and when she didn't see anyone, she pushed the door slightly open to peek in.

His eyes snapped up to her when he heard the door creak and he fought back every urge to go to her.

He could see she was scared as she looked him over.

"What're ya doin' 'ere?" he growled.

"I'm…I…Maggie and I are here for Shawn," she stuttered. "Wh…what are you here for?"

"Don't matter," he shrugged and looked down at his arm. "What's up with Shawn?"

She looked at his arm and swallowed past the lump in her throat as she answered him. "He was shot and they have him in surgery."

"He'll be fine," he mumbled.

"I…I should get back before Maggie sends out a search party," she said but she didn't give him a chance to say anything before she had turned around and hurried out of the room.

Back upstairs, she handed a drink and the sack to Maggie and sat down next to Rick.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," Maggie said as she crunched on a chip. "What took you so long?"

She took a sip of her own drink and shook her head. "Daryl's downstairs."

Rick almost jumped up but instead he asked, "Why is he here? Was somethin' wrong?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "He wouldn't say but his arm is wrapped up in bandages." Beth scrunched up her nose then and turned her head to Rick. "You smell like smoke. Was there a fire or something'?"

He nodded. "Yeah. A house out on the lake road caught on fire."

Maggie scoffed. "Did it catch on fire or did it blow up? 'Cause bein' out there, it was probably a meth lab."

"We don't know yet and we won't know for sure until the hazmat team goes in first. Speakin' of that, I need to go check in. I'll come back up here when I get done."

He left the girls sittin' there and as soon as the elevator stopped and he stepped out, he was calling Merle.

"Daryl's at the hospital," was all he said when Merle answered.

He checked with the nurse's station to see which room Daryl was in while he waited for Merle to get there.

Once Merle had arrived, he let him know what Beth had said about Daryl's arm and then both men went to his room.

"What tha fuck did ya do?" Merle asked as soon as they shut the door.

"Tha hell are ya talkin' 'bout?"

"Don't play dumb with me, boy," Merle growled and pointed at his arm. "I ain't stupid an' I sure as hell ain't blind. What'd ya do?"

"Didn't do nothin'." He looked up to Rick. "Beth told ya I was 'ere, didn't she?"

"She did," Rick nodded. "She didn't say it but I could see she was worried about you."

Daryl scoffed. "She ain't worried 'bout shit."

Merle shook his head and took a step closer to Daryl. "Tell me what ya did, baby brother, or I'll go ask tha doc."

"I didn't do nothin'. Was messin' with my truck an' somethin' sparked an' caught on fire."

Merle looked to Rick then they both looked at Daryl.

He was lyin', they knew that but they weren't about to say it. That didn't mean they weren't going to find out what had happened though, but for now they wouldn't push him to say.


The sun had already been up for a couple of hours by the time the doctor came out to Beth and Maggie.

Both girls stood up, holding on to each other, as they waited for the doctor to begin telling them what to expect.

"Your brother is fine," the doctor immediately said. "It was touch and go there for a while, he lost a lot of blood but he's stable. However, that doesn't mean he's out of the woods yet. With the type of gunshot wound he sustained we usually keep a close eye on the patient for forty-eight hours to make sure nothing comes up. If all goes well, as I'm sure it will, your brother is looking at physical therapy to regain mobility of not just his arm but possibly his whole left side and of course he won't be able to work for several months."

They both let out a sigh of relief and neither one of them really heard anything else the doctor had to say after that. How could they? They had just received the best news possible for his situation and while they were still upset and scared, they were happy.

"How long until he'll be able to go home?" Maggie asked.

"We're looking at possibly three weeks. We'll make sure we have a nurse who can go to his house and change the bandages and give him medication but is there anyone who can be with him?"

"I can," Beth offered.

"Are you sure?" Maggie asked. "I don't mind doin' it."

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Okay," Maggie said then asked the doctor, "When can we see him?"

"Not for at least a couple of hours. You can stay but I'm afraid you'll have to stay in the waiting room until after he wakes up. When he does, we're going to make sure everything went well and then we'll allow family in."

"We'll go home and get cleaned up and then we'll come back but if he wakes up before then, can you call us?" Maggie asked.

"We will."

When they walked into Maggie's, Maggie put her arm around Beth and hugged her as tightly as she could.

"Why don't we both try to get a nap and then we'll go back to the hospital," Maggie suggested.

"Sounds good."


Merle groaned and tried to change the way he was sitting in the chair in Daryl's room but it didn't matter how he sat, the chair was uncomfortable as hell.

"Ya ain't gotta stay 'ere," Daryl mumbled.

"Sure I do. Who else is gon' be 'ere fer yer sorry ass?"

There was a tap on the door then it opened and a nurse stepped in. "Mr. Dixon, the doctor has asked that we give you some painkillers before we deaden your arm. So turn around, pull your pants down and bend over the bed."

Daryl heard Merle chuckle as he stood and did as the nurse instructed.

He was used to pain and wasn't scared of needles but when that nurse stuck that needle in, he swore it felt like she had shoved the whole damn thing in and was twisting it around.

"Alright," she said as she removed the needle. "It'll take about twenty minutes for that work and then we'll start on your arm."

When she left the room Daryl stayed standing.

"Ya gon' tell me 'xactly what ya did ta yer arm?" Merle asked.

"Done told ya I didn't do nothin'. 'Least I wasn't tryin' to."

"It got somethin' ta do with you an' Blondie, don't it? Ya didn't try ta off yerself like a pussy did ya?"

"Naw, ain't nothin' like that," he muttered.


Two Weeks Later….

Rick was at that burned up house, looking over some bags of evidence when he Maggie called to let him know that Shawn was going to be released the following day.

As happy as he was for to hear that, he couldn't take his mind off of the case. He wanted to tell Maggie what all he had found out about it but he wasn't entirely sure, and he wouldn't be until the lab results came back, so he kept his mouth shut.

He put his phone back in his pocket and picked up on of the bags, studying its contents.

"That's the same kind of gun that Greene was shot with," Leon, one of the deputy sheriff's, said while they both stared at it.

"Yeah, but we don't know yet if it is the same gun," Rick said and sat the bag back down.


The next day, Rick and Lori were at the hospital with Maggie, Glenn and Beth when Shawn was released.

When they all go to the farm, Rick and Glenn did their best to get Shawn in the house and comfortable despite being in a wheelchair while Beth fixed them all some food and Maggie and Lori made sure everything in the guest room downstairs was set up.

They all ate and as the day went on they all went their separate ways except for Beth who would be staying in the room next to Shawn.

Rick had dropped Lori off at their house and changed into his uniform before leaving. He felt bad that there wasn't anything he could say or do to take back what had happened to Shawn so he threw himself into finding out who and why he was shot in the first place.


Maggie, as soon as Glenn went to bed, got on the computer to find a cheap but good carpenter to build a ramp for Shawn at the farm so he wouldn't have to depend on Rick and Glenn for getting around.

She wrote down a few names and numbers then tossed her pen down.

It was useless. There's wasn't a single person close by who could build a ramp, most of the carpenters listed specialized in homes, business, or other shit she didn't care about.

The only one she found who could do the job was in Atlanta and that just wouldn't work.

The next morning, before Glenn left for work, Maggie told him what she was wanting to do and he agreed that it was their only option.

She pulled up to Daryl's a little before 8:00 a.m. and honked the car horn.

Daryl had heard the car pull up so he was already getting up when the horn blew.

He opened the side door on the garage and stepped out into the bright morning sun.

"What tha hell do ya want?" he asked as Maggie walked up.

"I wanted to talk to you about a job. I need you to go out to the farm and give me an estimate on what it would cost to put in ramps for Shawn's wheelchair."

He wanted to tell her he didn't think that was a good idea but that part of him that had been eating away at his heart had other plans.

"I'll be out there 'round noon ta check it out," the words slipped out before he knew it.

Maggie smiled. "Thank you, Daryl. This means a lot and I'm willin' to pay you whatever you want as long as the job is done and it's done right."


Of course Maggie didn't say a word to Beth about Daryl so when he showed up at the farm, well, Beth threw out a few choice words but kept herself in the kitchen, away from her husband and the feeling of wanting to work things out.

"You and my sister ever talk?" Shawn asked while Daryl measured his wheelchair and the doorways.

"Naw. Ain't nothin' ta talk 'bout."

"C'mon man, I ain't stupid. Maggie and Beth both thought I didn't know anythin' about what was goin' on but I know. And I know somethin' happened to you while I was in the hospital."

Daryl glanced up at his brother in law and took a deep breath. "I'ma tell ya what I've told ever'one else, I didn't do anythin' an' what happened was an accident. Didn't mean fer it ta happen an' didn't mean fer Beth ta find out I was there."

Over the next few days, Beth kept to herself while Daryl was there mapping out where each ramp would go and how big they would need to be but that didn't keep Shawn from calling out her name every time he had the chance.

Daryl on the other hand knew it probably wasn't a good idea to be around Beth but he silently thanked God every time Shawn called for her. He guessed that seeing she wasn't hurting over their split would help him move on but it felt like it was making it harder to do that.

What could he say? He was miserable and he loved it.


It was one o'clock in the morning when Beth heard a thud and rushed into her brother's room.

He was laying' on the floor and obviously in pain.

"Oh my God, Shawn!" Beth squealed as she rushed to him. "What were you thinkin'?"

Shawn groaned and tried to move away from her when she reached out for him.

"I'm sorry," she said as she jerked her hand away. "I….I'm goin' to call Maggie and see if she and Glenn can come out."

She was in panic mode as she reached for Shawn's phone on the bedside table.

He brought his right arm up and grabbed her ankle. "Don't call them. I'm fine. Just help me up."

She nodded and got on his left side and tried to help him up.

"Stop!" He yelled and she jumped away.

"I'm sorry, Shawn. Did I hurt you? What do I do?"

He laid his head back on the floor and closed his eyes. "Hand me my phone."

She quickly grabbed it and handed it to him.

He knew his phone by heart, just as anyone does, but he couldn't focus in on the screen. He let his head fall back again and handed the phone to Beth.

"Call Daryl. He's closer than Maggie and Glenn. I need to get to the hospital."


"Where is he?" Daryl asked as he rushed into the house.

"The guest room," Beth said, following him.

"Aw shit, man," Daryl said when he saw Shawn. "Ya know ya ain't better yet. What tha hell was ya tryin' ta do?"

Shawn shook his head as Daryl lifted him up.

"If he's got a bag, grab it an' let's go," he ordered Beth.

At the hospital, they immediately took Shawn into one of the rooms and began their examination while Beth paced the hallway and Daryl sat in a chair, nervously chewing on his thumb.

"Should I call Maggie?" Beth asked. "I should call her, shouldn't I?"

"Mhmm," Daryl mumbled.

Beth sighed. "Look who I'm askin'! Why am I even askin' you?"

She was just about to tell him he could leave when the doctor came out of Shawn's room.

"Beth," he called out. "I need to run some tests to be sure but I think Shawn may have a blood infection. If he does he'll need a transfusion. Do you know if you or Maggie has the same blood type as him?"

"No. I mean I don't know if we do or not."

"Okay, that's fine. We can go ahead and test you while we wait for Maggie to get here."

She nodded and pulled out her phone.

"Naw," Daryl said, taking her phone away from her. "Go with tha doc an' I'll call 'er."

She nodded again and followed the doctor.

Daryl was waiting by the emergency room doors when Maggie came in a short time later.

"Have they said anythin'?" she asked.

"They ain't said nothin'. Still got Beth back in one a them rooms ta see if she's a match fer Shawn."

"Do you know which room?"

"Yeah," he said and showed Maggie to the room.

Beth was sitting there, her leg bouncing and silent tears streaming down her face. "I'm sorry, Maggie. I should've kept a better eye on him," she cried.

"It's goin' to be okay, Bethie," Maggie tried to assure her as she sat down and the nurse pulled up her sleeve.

"If neither of them match, would either of you be willing to be tested?" the doctor asked Glenn and Daryl.

They looked at each other then back to the doctor.

"Sure," Glenn said.

"Yeah. Whatever helps 'im," Daryl said.

"Okay, Maggie. You're goin' to feel a little pinch and then if you feel lightheaded or anything while we collect the samples, you let me know."

"Yes ma'am."

Maggie felt her insert the needle and tried not to move.

Daryl and Glenn were both watching her and they both felt their stomachs turning at the sight. Maybe it wasn't just the sight of them drawing blood but the thought that it was for Shawn that had their stomachs turning.

Beth closed her eyes and shook her head, holding her hand over her mouth to keep from sobbing.

This was her fault. She should have paid better attention to him and then maybe she could have seen that something was wrong.

"It's not your fault," Maggie said to her, barely above a whisper. "You couldn't have known that somethin' was wrong."

"I should have, Maggie," she cried. "I was supposed to be helpin' him and takin' care of him and obviously I didn't do a very good job of that."

Beth continued to cry until they had finished with Maggie and Glenn and Daryl had sat down for their blood to be drawn.

While they did, Maggie and Beth stepped out of the room and Maggie wrapped her arms around her sister.

"I know you blame yourself, Bethie but you have got to get it together! You're cryin' like a baby over somethin' you had absolutely no control over. If anyone should have caught that somethin' was wrong, it was that nurse. She's trained for that, you're not. Do you remember what daddy always said?"

Beth nodded. "We've all got jobs to do."

"Exactly. We've all got jobs to do and yours is to take care of yourself and not let things you can't control get to you."


A/N: I know more than a few of you were disappointed and upset with me with the last chapter and several of y'all thought the story was getting out of hand but don't worry, I have this story mapped out and I know what's going on (even if y'all don't) and though the chapters don't always come out exactly as I have them planned, they do get my point across. Now, with this chapter there was a lot going on and I'm sure there's some questions so before you start asking, let me say that everything in this chapter and the previous ones are leading up to something that will affect ALL of the characters. And nothing I write is just thrown in there.

As always, please leave a review!

-A