Preacher's Daughter
Chapter Ten: Missing Pieces
I am wakened by Daryl running his fingers up and down my arm, his blue eyes smoldering back at me. As I rise from the bed, I feel a soreness in my bones that wasn't there the night before. Daryl creases his eyebrows, watching me move slowly from the bed.
"Where's the bathroom?" My body feels like I've thrown from a moving vehicle. I roll my shoulders, trying to relieve some of the soreness.
"In there." Daryl points to a door right beside the bed.
Looking into the full length mirror on the door, I can see bruises on the tops of my arms, a red mark on my left cheek. The image of Jeb and last night flash in my mind, my bruises the product of Jeb's manhandling.
Daryl raps softly on the door, his voice speaking low. "B.J. you need anythang?"
"No … thanks." I'm quick to answer, knowing he saw the bruises.
Opening the door slightly I see him leaning against the wall. He just stands there looking at me, sending shivers up my spine.
"I will kill that bastard for hurtin you." He opens the door, walking in. I bite at my bottom lip as he rubs his fingers over my bruises.
"Don't Daryl. He was drunk …" My words go flat as he kisses me, his hands lifting me up on the bathroom sink.
We stay like that for a while, Daryl standing between my legs kissing me over and over.
"Daryl?" A voice comes from the front door and my eyes go wide.
"I'll be right there." He kisses me once more, his long finger brushing over the mark on my cheek. "It's Jeff … he owns the garage downstairs. I'll be right back."
Finding my clothes, I dress and wait for Daryl. I take a look around the apartment, finding a picture of me and Daryl when I was sixteen and he was nineteen. My mother took that picture of us out by the pond, Daryl looks so different now.
"We got to go." Daryl tosses on a shirt, pulling his boots on.
We're completely silent on the way back to the farm, Daryl's jaw set hard.
When we pull up the dirt road I can see the sheriff's car in the drive, Jeb's truck parked next to the house. Closing my eyes, I immediately fear the worst.
"Daryl … what do we do?" Resting my chin on his shoulder I feel the bike slow down.
"You pray I don't kill that asshole is what." I hadn't seen Daryl so pissed before, not even when he was drunk.
Sheriff Banks walks off the porch towards us, my father close behind. "Ms. Baker, I've had my deputies out looking for you all night. Want to explain where you've been and what happen to Mr. Johnson?"
Daryl stands up, lifting his leg over the bike. I grab at him, pulling him back away from the sheriff. "First, where his Jeb?"
"He spent the night in the E.R. but he's inside now." I have to throw my arms around Daryl's waist to keep him from marching into the house.
The sheriff places his hands on his gun belt, making me very uneasy.
"Daryl … don't. Let me handle this." I push against him with all my might, his eyes burning like blue flames.
He nods his head, sitting back on his bike. I turn to the sheriff, rolling up the sleeves of my t shirt. "I was being assaulted by a very drunk Jeb Johnson last night. He attempted to rape me before Daryl pulled him off of me and it may have gotten ugly."
Jack rushes off the porch, looking at my arms and face. I can see the tears in his eyes, the truth of what had happened to me all over my face. "Jeb … did this?"
"Yeah and when Daryl saved me he took me to his place. I'm sorry about worrin you guys, but I needed to be with him. I'm not gonna press charges against Jeb." Jack hugs me, saying he's sorry over and over again.
"Jeb said someone took you, but I knew somethin was up when I saw claw marks on his face. You did that, didn't you?" I nod my head, my tears returning.
Daryl pulls me from Jack's arms, holding me to him. "Yer fuckin brother best never come near her again."
"That's a good one. At least Jeb didn't walk away from her after her mother had just died. You got some nerve Dixon." Daryl turns his gaze to Jack when Diane walks out with Joy on her hip.
I take the baby from Diane, her small smiling face defusing her father's anger. "Say hello to Joy." I kiss her little forehead, the three month old cooing back at me.
The look on Daryl's face tells me he's willing to let the matter go for now, but only for now. "Hey there sweetheart."
Jack takes his daughter from me, looking back at Daryl. "There's a lot that's happened here Daryl. I shouldn't have said that to you. Sorry. But you did almost kill my brother."
"Well your brother almost raped my gurl." I give Daryl a stern glare, my eyes narrowing.
Diane looks at me with shock all over her face, her eyes going to Jack. "Is this true?"
I show her my arms, the fingerprints still on my wrists. Diane turns from me to Daryl, her lips set hard. "I'm glad your back, especially if this means she safe. Don't you ever leave her again or you'll answer to me. Jack … get Jeb out of her house. Now!"
That evening I sit on my porch with my family, Daryl leaving for the garage. "I got to get back. I'll see you tomorrow."
"You promise?" I walk with him to his bike. He places his arms around my waist, his kiss short and brief.
"Promise." My fingers lazily fall from his as he climbs on. Standing with the sun going down behind me, I pray I will indeed see him again.
Good to his word, Daryl comes back the next morning. He sneaks up behind me while I'm in the barn, rolling me in a pile of hay.
We lay there making out till Jack catches us. "Listen, what you two do is none of my business. I just don't want to see it."
Four days go by in a flash, the two of us having sex when and where ever we can. I knew Merle would be back and my 24/7 pipeline to Daryl would go away.
Merle shows up at the garage while we're upstairs, me grinding on Daryl hard. "Hey baby bro … I'm back."
Daryl rolls me over, covering me up. He tosses on his pants before stopping Merle at the door. They walk outside, Merle going on about the drugs he's done, the drugs he's got and the girls he's been with.
I dress as fast as I can, sneaking down the stairs. The garage owner Jeff stops me, pointing to the back of the shop. "I know Merle doesn't want you and Daryl together, but I've seen the way that boy is around you. Tell ya what; any time you want, you two can go up to my fishin cabin."
He reaches for a set of keys on his office wall, tossing them to me. I thank him, smiling as I run out the back.
Merle takes Daryl's attention from me for a few days, making Daryl go with him to deliver some packages for his dealer. When they return, Merle gets completely wasted giving Daryl and me the time we so desperately needed alone.
That night at the fishing cabin we more than make up for the lost time, making love in every room. We end the night in front of the fireplace, my body becoming completely spent. "Thank you for staying when I know you could have just left. You're torn between me and Merle and for that I'm sorry. He's your brother, but he's also an asshole. He doesn't like me and he's never given me a chance."
I instantly regret my words when Daryl rolls away from me. "He's my brother and that ain't never gonna change. If yer with me then you have to take him, don't make me choose."
Pulling to him I lay my hand on his chest, tracing the tattoo there. "I won't make you choose Daryl, but Merle would."
He goes quiet, lying on the floor next to me. My heart falters in my chest, waiting for him to speak. He sits up looking at me, a new hurt in his eyes. "I need my brother; he was there for me when nobody else was. I need you, you are my life B.J."
My bottom lips begins to tremble as I the truth hits me square in the face. Daryl loves Merle.
From that day on I don't talk about Merle to him, I try not to bring him up in conversation. Merle is a part of Daryl's life; he was there for him before I was. Merle was the one that protected Daryl, took beatings for him before I stepped in. It made perfect sense to me now; Merle didn't like me because I was trying to change Daryl. Merle didn't like me because Daryl loves me too.
August rolls in and I find myself accepting the new life I have. My new family was getting closer, Joy was growing and Jeb had been sent packing. After Jack and Diane let him have it my father put a shotgun in his face and told him to never come back to the farm again. I felt sorry for him, losing a home and a family all in one day.
Merle was in and out of trouble, sometimes dragging Daryl with him. I would often get Daryl out of said trouble, leaving Merle to sleep it off in jail. Merle wasn't stupid, he was sure there was something up with Daryl and it had everything to do with me.
I'm waking to the pond to go fishing one morning when Merle stops me. He's sitting under a tree, feet crossed over. "I know you and my brother have a thang. Glad to know Darlene had it in him to finally bed him a feisty red mare. Listen sweetheart, you can keep on fuckin my brother, but when I say he goes, he goes. He's a Dixon, my blood. All you two share is a bed, he and I we've bled together. Don't run off telling Daryl I talked to you, that won't do either of us any good. Just as long as you know the rules we'll both be just fine."
He pats me on my ass as he walks away. I pick up the biggest rock I can find, chucking it at him. It hits him right between his shoulder blades, his jovial mood now sour. Tossing my fishing pole to the ground I place my hand over the buck knife on my belt. Merle walks swiftly up me, his eyes set hard.
"You little bitch." He moves to slap me when I duck, pushing him into the tree.
Daryl had taught me a thing or two about self-defense, always telling me I needed to learn to protect myself. Before Merle can regain his scenes I have my knife up to his throat. "I will gut you like a pig Merle and I won't blink an eye. You're going to listen to me and stay real still."
He flinches and I move the blade against his skin. A small trickle of blood flows down the blade, making Merle more cooperative. "It's your party sweetheart."
"First, Daryl for some odd reason needs you. But he loves me so we are gonna have to learn to live with each other. Back in the day when you thought I was just a passing fancy for him you didn't give me a second thought but now, you know better. Daryl loves me Merle and I love him. If you want to break whatever bond you think you have with him, all you have to do is keep up this bullshit with me. I'm gonna move this knife, you're gonna leave my farm and neither of us are gonna tell Daryl about this." Lowering my blade, I back away from him. He rubs his neck, smirking at me.
"Finally. You just might be woman enough for my little brother after all." He bends over picking up my fishing pole and hands it to me. "I'll be seeing you around … Red."
I allow myself to breathe again as he walks off. Merle and I had come to an understanding, he knew I wasn't going anywhere and I knew I'd have to put up with his damn ass.