Chapter 10 –

Beth waved goodbye to Karen and tiredly made her way to the elevator, her thoughts swirling around the younger Dixon brother. He had stayed overnight in a bed downstairs and was supposed to be going home sometime during her shift earlier that day. She had stayed later after Karen had called and said her son was really ill and that she was having to wait for her husband, Tyreese, to get home from work before she felt comfortable enough to leave the ill child. Beth had calmed her and offered stay until the older woman could come in.

Unfortunately, this meant that she missed Daryl leaving, if he did. Part of Beth was still saddened that he was gone. She had enjoyed being able to sit and talk with him during her breaks or after a long shift and it was weird for her to not do so. The blonde had fought to keep her spirits up as time seemed to slow to a crawl during her long shift and Carol had certainly not been helpful to the process. The older nurse constantly talked about how the Dixon brother had been lucky to wake up at all, that their patients always left in one way or another, and that Beth should focus on more important things.

It had taken over an hour for Beth to get the image of Daryl in a body bag out of her mind and her heart still had lifted from its new position in her feet. The elevator buzzed and the doors opened, allowing Beth to exit to the floor Daryl had been staying on. She recognized one of the nurses at the station and walked over to her.

"He's gone home," the nurse told her with a soft, understanding smile. Beth nodded, swallowing heavily.

"Thanks, Haley," she turned and walked back to the elevators, her thoughts swirling with doubt. Would he call or text her now that he was free from the confines of the hospital? The blonde walked calmly out to her car and got in, her mind a jumble of doubts and concerns as she drove home.

Daryl stared at the slip of paper lying on the table in front of him, his uninjured hand holding his cell phone. Did she really want him to call her? Would she really want to spend time with him outside of the hospital? She had seemed excited about seeing him again but she was at work, she was required to be nice at work. For all he knew, she could have given him a fake number or the number to that loser line he heard radio stations using. He gave an agitated sigh and entered the number into his phone. There was only one way to know if she had given him her or number or not.

His thumb hesitated over the call button and he growled. He had just been released from the hospital earlier that day. Would he seem too eager if he called her that night? He looked at the time on his phone. Her shift had ended a couple of hours ago. Would she be asleep already? Would she even want to talk to him this late? Daryl slammed his head down on the table and he heard Merle let out a bark of laughter. His phone was yanked out of his hand and he shot up out of his chair, glaring at his brother as he eyed Daryl's phone with a smirk.

"Let me help ya some, Darylina," Merle taunted before pressing the call button and holding the phone to his ear. Daryl moved quickly, trying to grab his phone from his brother.

"Hello?" Beth's tired voice came from the small device and Daryl paused as Merle shoved the phone into his hands. "Hello?" she asked again and Merle shoved Daryl in the shoulder.

"Say something, dumbass," the older Dixon ordered with a chuckle. Daryl put the phone up to his ear and cleared his throat.

"Uh, Beth? It's…Daryl," he closed his eyes tightly as Merle snorted and walked out of the room. Daryl walked to his room and closed the door.

"Oh, hey! How does it feel to be home?" she asked and Daryl could hear the happiness in her voice.

"Uh…weird," he replied. "After being there so long…"

"I bet!" The blonde got quiet for a moment and the phone call was filled with an awkward silence. "I…I missed you today." Beth admitted softly into the phone. Daryl stared at the phone in surprise for a moment before putting it back to his ear. "I realize how awkward that sounds…Sorry." Daryl cleared his throat again and looked at his cast.

"Uh, nah, it's fine," he mumbled. He moved the phone to rest between his left shoulder and ear and ran his right hand through his hair, tugging on it slightly as he wished he could tell her that he had missed her too and that he wanted to see her and not just see her for dinner sometime or whatever, right now. He wanted to see her bright smile and beautiful face right then and there.

"Daryl?" her soft voice broke through his thoughts. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, just…thinking…" She yawned and Daryl looked at the clock, doing the math in his head to figure that she must have been awake for quite a while and that she must be exhausted. "Do I need to let you go?"

"Hmm? Oh, no, I just got home a little while ago; stayed later for Karen. I'm," she yawned again and Daryl could hear the word "awake" muffled in it, making him chuckle. "Keep talking to me," she mumbled and Daryl moved to lie back against his pillows.

"Bout what?" he asked her and he could hear movement through the phone as she adjusted and he could hear sheets ruffling.

"Anything," her voice was heavier and he could tell she was fighting sleep.

"You'll just fall asleep on me," he teased.

"I won't…" she mumbled and Daryl smiled hearing her breathing evening out as she lost the fight and succumbed to sleep. He hit the lights and lay down on his pillows.

"Good night, Beth."