Lot's of Angst in this chapter...
Merle's service ended at the cemetery where he was laid to his final rest. Daryl had closed himself down after his emotional breakdown on Davia's shoulder. She had noticed that he was wincing as they had made their way from the car to the gravesite and she knew he was in a lot more physical pain than he was letting on. As they lowered Merle's casket into the ground Davia heard Daryl whisper "I'm gonna miss ya brother." Whether he meant to speak it out loud or not she didn't know, but she knew that as complicated as the relationship between the two men was, he would truly miss Merle and his wild escapades.
As they were leaving the cemetery Davia noticed that Will and Hershel were speaking to one another. She remembered Daryl mentioning that the two men used to run together many years earlier and she wondered what they could be speaking about. Jacqui was holding her husband's hand and it wasn't lost on her that Will looked very somber, almost heartbroken. She didn't know what was next for him and Daryl, but she prayed that whatever happened that Daryl didn't end up hurt again by the man that was his father.
After the funeral Daryl insisted that they drive out to the house to check on things. Davia knew it was killing Daryl not to be able to physically work on getting the house in shape for him to move in. Fall was upon them and the skies were over cast and the air was breezy. Davia couldn't help but admire how beautiful the setting of the house sitting above the lake with the leaves changing colors looked. Daryl would be happy here…because it suited him to be away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Blue Ridge.
They walked through the first floor while Daryl checked on things, and then they slowly made their way upstairs to the bedrooms. Daryl asked for Davia's input as to how they should finish off the rooms, and of course she was glad to make suggestions. The master bedroom was impressive with its grand fireplace and French doors that led out to a veranda that overlooked the lake. Yes, without a doubt Daryl would be happy here. Anyone would.
"Davia, I was thinking." Daryl said.
"About what?" She asked.
"Move in here with me. I don't want to be separated from you for one night." He told her earnestly.
"Really? But Daryl I can't drive and that means higher cab fares to get back and forth to work." She told him.
"Stop, I told ya I was gonna teach you how to drive. I'm off work for a while and you don't work during the day, I can have you driving in no time." He told her taking her hand.
Davia was flabbergasted. This was not what she was expecting him to say. Of course she wanted to live here with him, but she was concerned that because of his fragile emotional state after the run-in with his father and burying his brother that he was making a decision he hadn't thought through. Screw it.
"You gotta deal Daryl. But with the driving part, it isn't so much the driving that is my concern as it is passing the written test. You know I can't read very well." She told him.
"We will go over the handbook until you know it back to front. Hell if I can pass it I know you can. So yeah…you are going to move in here and be the lady of the house," He said teasing slightly.
"Yes Daryl!" She said gently embracing him. Now she was just as excited as he was at the prospect of this being 'their' home.
…
After they left the house they went back to Davia's apartment. She encouraged Daryl to lay down and rest, as he looked completely wiped out from the events of the day. He obliged and she helped him get into their bed and pulled off his shoes. He insisted on changing his clothes and changed into a pair of jeans and T-shirt and then lay back down. His head barely hit the pillow before he slipped into a calm sleep.
While Daryl slept Davia went into a whirlwind cleaning up the house, scrubbing floors, washing clothes, and dusting all the furniture. She knew her cleaning was excessive, but it always seemed to help her relax. After she was finished with her cleaning detail she sat down at her computer and went to the Georgia Division of Motor Vehicles website and downloaded the Driving guide. If she had any shot of getting her driver's license she was going to need to get through the handbook so she would be familiar with the Georgia driving laws. Reading was definitely a struggle for her, but she knew this was something she needed to do.
Daryl napped for a good three hours while she slowly read the guidebook. She was on the fourth chapter when she heard Daryl call for her "Davia, I need your help." He said.
She rushed into the bedroom to find his shirt soaked with blood as well as the sheets on the bed.
"Oh My God Daryl, quick, we need to get you to the hospital." She said.
"Calm down girl. I popped some stitches. Ain't nothing serious. I need to get the bleeding stopped and then we need to change and wash the sheets." He said pressing his shirt against the bleeding wound.
Davia nodded and helped him get up and the two went into the bathroom. She found a first aid kit under the sink and Daryl instructed her to find some butterfly bandages. She did as he directed and with his help, they were able to press the wound together and secure it with the bandages. The bleeding had stopped and Daryl felt that they had successfully handled the small crisis.
"That should hold, if ya got some super glue we could seal it up." He told her.
"Daryl Dixon, you are not putting super glue on your wound. God knows what type of germs you would trap in there." She said in a scolding voice.
"Yes Ma'am." He said teasingly.
They pulled the bloodied sheets off the bed and Davia soaked the bloodstains with hydrogen peroxide. It bubbled as it began to work on the stains. Daryl tried to help her put clean sheets on the bed but she shooed him away "Stop it so you don't pop anymore stitches. I think you did entirely too much today. Tomorrow I want you on the couch and I don't want you to move." She insisted.
"Got plans. I'm going over to Merle's to clean out his stuff and see if I can find the box he was talking about." He told her.
"I will go with you. What are you going to do if what he said was true?" She asked.
"First of all, I need ya to stay here. I'm gonna meet my old man over there to talk. I might need ya to put me back together again after that, but I want it to be just him and me. I got a lot of questions to ask him. As far as my mom goes, I ain't decided." He told her.
"Daryl, are you sure you want to do that? I mean your dad seems nice…now, but he could be putting on a front and it could stir up a lot of hurt and pain from your past." She said, concerned.
"I know, that's why I want to meet him one on one. I can judge if he is sincere or not, and I don't want any distractions. No offense Davia, but when you are around I can't keep my mind and my eyes off of ya. You are too fucking hypnotic too me." He said.
Davia blushed at the compliment. "Well if you think you will be OK, then I approve, but you can't lift anything." She replied.
"I know, gonna make the old man work." He said smiling.
…
The next morning Daryl was up early in anticipation of meeting with his father. He quietly got out of bed, observing Davia sound asleep curled up like a cat. She was adorable when she slept and he often found himself just watching her, as she lay there completely unaware of his observation. They had spent hours the previous night caught up in each other's passionate kisses. At one point Daryl had moved Davia gingerly underneath his body and she had allowed his hands to roam freely over her. She had emitted a few moans of pleasure and it had left Daryl more sexually frustrated than he had been in years. Her voluptuous curves elicited a physical response in him that left no questions for Davia regarding just how much he wanted her. For once in his life Daryl wished time would pass quickly so he could heal up and her birth control pill's effectiveness would kick in. He had been thinking about the first time he would have her, and decided that he wanted to make it special for her. He had a few ideas kicking around in his head, now all he had to do was put them into action.
Daryl quickly got dressed, but not before observing his wounds in the mirror. His slashed and re-stitched abdomen looked like something out of a horror movie. Daryl had always been self conscious of the scars that marred his body, but this took the cake. He had always avoided things like going swimming in public, or removing his shirt during intimate moments. Really the only person that he had felt remotely comfortable baring his naked torso too was Davia. She was the only one who had seen him completely exposed, and for once it didn't seem unnatural.
Before he left he went over and stooped down to give Davia a gentle kiss on her cheek. She rustled a bit but didn't wake. He then wrote her a quick note telling her he had left for Merle's place and for her to call him if she needed him for anything. He had his cell, and though he hardly used it, he decided he would stop by on the way home and add her to his phone plan. He would just feel better with her having some sort of mobile communication. Daryl took one final look around the immaculate apartment and smiled. Pretty soon they would both be living at his house at the lake. It wouldn't be his house, but it would be 'their' home.
On his way to Merle's Daryl alternated between smoking cigarettes and chewing his thumb raw. To say he was apprehensive about being alone with is father was an understatement. Though Will Dixon didn't appear to be the monster that he once was, Daryl knew what the man had been capable of in the past. Even though it had been twenty-two years since he had last experienced his father's drunken wrath, Daryl wasn't convinced the man couldn't slip right back into bad habits.
Daryl arrived at the house and used his key to open it up. The smell of old smoke and moldy food greeted him at the door. No one had been at the house since that morning after Merle had been arrested and Daryl had come to retrieve his belongings. It seemed like a lifetime ago, but it had only been a few weeks. There was just a bit of Daryl that still wondered if things would have been different if he and Merle hadn't fought that night. Daryl, however, knew he couldn't dwell on the "what if's." Had those events not happened, he might not be with Davia.
Daryl found some trash bags under the sink and began to toss the spoiled food into the bags. Fortunately there hadn't been much food in the house and he quickly completed the task. He heard a knock at the door and knew it was Will. He opened it up and there he stood face to face alone with his father.
"Ya made it." He said to the old man. Daryl carefully took in his father's appearance, and noticed his father looked as nervous as he did.
"Yeah, lived on this street many years ago when your momma and I got married. Not much has changed since then." Will mused.
"Yep, still a white trash neighborhood. Merle and I lived here near about fifteen years. It was all we could afford at first, then it didn't seem like it was worth the effort to move anywhere nicer 'cause Merle would just fuck it up."
"Merle was always a handful. I reckon he got that from me…I wasn't the best influence." Will admitted.
"Ya think?" Daryl said sarcastically.
Will raised his hands in mock surrender "I brought ya something for breakfast, I swung by the diner and picked up some sausage biscuits and some coffee." Will said, offering a bag to Daryl.
Daryl eyed the bag carefully, not trusting Will's intentions. He remembered all the times when he was a child that he went days without eating because Will would either punish him for trying to eat 'his food' or Will would be too drunk to remember to feed him. Daryl almost refused the offer, but he was hungry and he figured it was the least Will could do. "Thanks" Daryl said as he took the bag from his father.
"Your welcome. So where do you want to get started around here? Looks like there is a lot to clean up, and I am going to make the assumption you are limited in what you physically can do. I'll let you direct me into what needs to be done." Will said concerned about Daryl's still healing abdomen.
"Kinda weird ain't it, me telling ya what to do?" Daryl said in a snarky manner while lighting up a cigarette.
"Well I'm glad to do whatever you ask Daryl. I owe at least that much to you." He said, knowing Daryl was testing him.
Daryl then offered him a cigarette "Ya still smoke?"
"Not since I left. I gave up all my vices." Will replied.
"You sure it wasn't just because you didn't have a human ashtray to use anymore?" Daryl bit back.
Will gave Daryl a pained look. He suspected this would be a difficult discussion with Daryl, and Daryl wasn't holding back any punches. Will chose to ignore Daryl's comment.
The two moved wordlessly into Merle's room and began to rummage through Merle's belongings. Of course Daryl found ample drug paraphernalia under the bed and quickly tossed all of his pipes and needles into the trash. "Reckon no one needs this shit anymore." He said slightly amused at all the illegal crap his brother once possessed.
"It's a shame your brother couldn't ever quit using. He was going at it pretty heavy when I left, it was half the reason he wasn't around much when you were coming up." Will stated.
"Where the fuck do you get off making a statement like that? He wasn't around because he didn't want to deal with your fucking beatings. Don't blame the drugs Old man, it was you. He used to escape from you, and it wasn't like you were exactly clean. You know, after you left he came back and took care of me because I was just a scared skinny kid that had no money, no food, and no fucking hope left in this world. Merle won't perfect, but at least he fucking tried. He taught me what it was like to be a man, and not some abused animal." Daryl said defending his brother. He knew Merle was a mess, but with Will Dixon as your father what the hell did you expect.
"Daryl do you not think that I don't take responsibility in what happened to Merle…to you? I know I'm the reason. I can't even remotely begin to make up for what I did to you boys. The only thing I can fix is what happens from this point forward." Will said in earnest.
"Ain't that simple and you know it. You're lucky I even agreed to this and didn't wring my hands around your neck for all the shit you did to me in the past. This ain't some shit about me being mad that you didn't get me a pony, this is about the fucking HELL you put me through. I think my biggest question is why?" Daryl asked.
"Dunno Daryl." Was all Will managed to reply.
Daryl decided to drop the subject, he didn't feel like arguing and he knew his father's answer was bullshit. You don't severely abuse and neglect a kid without a reason. Daryl just wanted to know what that reason was.
After an hour Will had begun to lift boxes out of Merle's closet. Daryl had considered donating Merle's clothing to Goodwill, but there wasn't anything in good enough shape to give away, so aside from Merle's leather motorcycle vest, Daryl pitched the remaining items into the trash. Daryl was waiting for Will to pull down the rest of the boxes, looking for the one in particular that Merle had told him about.
"Well that's the last of 'em" Will said as he finished emptying out the closet.
Daryl spotted the box Merle had mentioned, and with shaky hands he opened it up. Inside were family photos and about twenty letter's bundled together. The last one was dated twenty-five years ago and had been postmarked from Montana. Damn, his mother had went a long way to escape from Will Dixon. Daryl fought the urge to open them up and read them there, but he didn't want his father to see his reaction to any of the letters. He lifted the box, wincing as he did so, and began to carry it out to his truck.
"Daryl, let me carry that for you." Will said attempting to take the box from Daryl.
"Leave me be and stay here." Daryl commanded the older man, who looked at his son with bewilderment.
Daryl took the box to the truck and put it on the floorboard on the passenger side. To be honest, he wanted to go through its contents alone. He didn't even want Davia with him, because he didn't want to burden her if he had some sort of emotional reaction. Davia had already been put through so much because of him, and he was wondering when the girl would come to her senses and realize there was a lot of baggage that accompanied him.
Daryl made his way back into the house and Will was disassembling Merle's bed. "Daryl if you don't mind, can I have the salvageable items to donate to my church? I can rent a trailer and take them back to Chattanooga."
"Don't give a fuck, I ain't got no need for them. Don't you think it's a bit ironic to give a drug addict's shit to someone at church?" Daryl taunted.
"You'd be surprised what people in need are willing to accept. This might be the difference between someone sleeping on a floor or not." Will reminded his son.
"Since when did you become so noble? I don't get it old man. You come here now, some fucking saint, but what happened to the monster you used to be?" Daryl asked earnestly.
"First of all, I will tell you but I want you to sit down. You're looking worn out and you need your rest." Will told Daryl.
Daryl was aching, and he was exhausted, so he took his father's advice and sat down in the worn out recliner that Merle would park himself in after many a drunken night. Will sat down on one of the kitchen chairs, pulling it in front of Daryl.
"First thing I want to say to you Daryl is I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all of my past deeds. The things I did to you, Merle, and worse of all Nora…it's inexcusable." Will began.
"Hope you ain't waiting for me to offer you forgiveness. I've lived with the aftermath of your 'past deeds' for almost my entire life." Daryl said, not giving the man any sense of absolution.
"No I'm not Daryl. I can't forgive myself, so how can I expect you to forgive me. I see your anger, and if it was me, I'd be angry too. You have every right to be. You asked me earlier why I did what I did to you, and I guess it's because I blamed you for all that went wrong with this family. You weren't the reason, but I didn't want to blame myself." Will admitted.
"What the hell did I do other than be born?" Daryl asked angrily.
"Being born was enough. Your momma and I married young, and we were in love. She was beautiful and so sweet. She took good care of me and I went to work everyday, just the way things were supposed to happen. After we were married a few years, Merle came around, and I was a proud poppa. I had a son that would carry on the Dixon name. What more could a son of the South ask for?" Will laughed.
"So what went wrong?" Daryl asked.
"We were content, but we struggled financially. That wasn't unheard of in this neighborhood though. We were all blue-collar workers so no one really cared how poor we were. I had been working a job as a pipe fitter, when an opportunity came up for me to work the copper mines up in Tennessee. The pay was good, but it meant I would be traveling during the week and home on the weekends. Your momma and Merle would be alone." Will told Daryl.
"Lot's of people travel for work and don't do what you did to me and Merle, so what made you so different?" Daryl asked.
"Being away from home with the other guys meant we had a lot of extra time on our hands. I started drinking to pass the time, and then the drinking became more than just an occasional habit, it became a way of life." He said sadly.
Daryl knew all too well what Will was talking about. He had taken some out of town electrical assignments in his career, and knew that that he and his co-workers would drink and go to strip bars. He also knew that a lot of the married men would also take up with bar sluts that would flaunt themselves at them in exchange for a few drinks and a dinner. He himself had hooked up with a slutty chick on occasion.
"Did you cheat on her?" Daryl asked his father directly.
"Not at first, but eventually I did. I justified it by telling myself it was your momma's fault for letting me leave my other job, but it was just a sorry excuse. Eventually I was rarely coming home, choosing to stay at the job site with the guys." Will admitted.
"So once again, you couldn't take responsibility for your own actions huh? How did I come into all of this?" Daryl said shaking his head in disgust.
"Eventually I wasn't really sending much money to your momma and Merle, and she was forced to turn to social services for food stamps. Your Uncle Jess, he took pity on her and began to help her out. He tried to talk sense into me, reminding me what a good woman Nora was, but I wouldn't listen. I was only coming home once or twice a month, and Merle was starting to lash out in school, he was seven or eight years old and couldn't grasp what was going on. One night I got a call from your momma and she told me she was pregnant. Instead of being happy, I was angry and I felt betrayed."
"Why the hell did you feel betrayed? She didn't do anything to you!" Daryl yelled.
"I know, but with me being gone so much, and Jess watching out for her I began to suspect it wasn't my baby…that you weren't my son." Will said.
"That's bullshit and you know it, she wouldn't have done that to you, neither would Uncle Jess." Daryl screamed.
"I know that now Daryl, but at the time I was so paranoid because of my own misdeeds I couldn't believe that Nora would stay true to me. Jess was happily married to your Aunt Dottie and would have never strayed from her. It was all me and I couldn't be convinced otherwise. Especially since I had been home so rarely. Turned out I had left your momma so broke she couldn't even afford her birth control pills anymore. After you were born there was no doubt you were mine, but that made me hate you even more." Will said flatly.
"But why?" Daryl asked.
"'Cause I made a damn fool out of myself by accusing her of cheating and I couldn't handle the fact that I had destroyed what was once good with your momma. You were a constant reminder of that, and to make matters worse we were now so broke supporting both of you boys that it just proved what a failure I had turned out to be. I eventually lost my job because I was too hung over to even show up most mornings. Once again, another failure. When I finally came home for good, the damage was done." Will said, now rubbing his face as tears began to slip from his eyes. He truly felt remorse.
He then continued "You were sick as a baby from poor nutrition during your momma's pregnancy, and you cried all the time. I couldn't take it, and I began to lash out at whoever I could, Nora first, then Merle, and finally you. You were the easiest since you were so small. I beat you for the first time before you even turned two years old. That's when Nora told me she was leaving and taking you boys with her. I knew she didn't love me anymore, and that hurt the most. So I wanted to hurt her back. I told her I would kill both of you boys if she left, and I meant it at the time. It was easiest to just tell everyone she was a two-bit whore and abandoned us. It allowed me to save a little face, but it was all a lie. She tried to get y'all back, but I wouldn't let her. I knew she couldn't afford to take me to court, and she knew that if she tried anymore y'all would meet an unfortunate end. She loved you enough to give you up to save your lives. That is why I turned into the sadistic man I was." He then took in a deep breath.
"Merle quit coming around, he was fourteen and running wild, and he was able to defend himself against me at that time, but you…you were easy pickings. I would beat you whenever I thought about her, you were the reminder of what I lost. Then one night, and you know what one I'm talking about, I almost killed you. I woke up the next morning and you were laying unconscious on the kitchen floor, dried blood covering your body. You weren't any older than fourteen at the time. I couldn't do it anymore, I couldn't stay with you because I was going to kill you. The ironic thing Daryl, is that I loved you."
"No…you don't get to say that. It's complete bullshit and you know it. That isn't love, I have no idea what it was, but it wasn't love." Daryl said angrily.
"No you're wrong, I did love you, and I loved Merle, but I loved her more, and that was why I would get so angry. I knew I should have let y'all go with her, you would have been much better off, but I didn't want to let what was mine go, y'all were the last bit of her I had left. That morning I packed my belongings and left for good. I ended up in Chattanooga at a church…and I met my salvation. I haven't had a drink since that day, and I fell in love with Jacqui. Obviously, being the racist pig I was before, it would have been hard for people from my past to understand what direction my life turned, but she makes me happy, and she gives me peace. But that doesn't mean that I haven't lived every single day since I left wondering and worrying about you and Merle. It's too late for me to mend things with Merle, but I would like a chance to at least re-connect with you Daryl. You don't have to decide today, but I would at least like you to consider it." Will said, extending his hand to Daryl.
"Put your hand up, I ain't shaking it. You just dropped a lot of heavy shit on me and I need to think. I won't ever forgive you for what you've done. I heard you had another family? I got any brother's and sisters I don't know about?" Daryl asked.
"Not biological ones. Jacqui has a daughter Michonne, she's just a little younger than you are. She practices law in Atlanta and is one tough lady. Smart and beautiful like her mother, but fierce and protective too. Her biological father was a lot like me, and it took me several years to gain her trust. She was about twelve when I came into the picture. We are now very close and hope one day you get the opportunity to meet her." Will said.
"Yeah, right. Look, I need to get this shit wrapped up. When are you going to get this stuff? I need to turn the keys in to the landlord." Daryl said coldly. His mind was trying to take in everything he had just learned about his parents, and it was a lot to handle. Even at his age, it didn't hurt any less.
"At the end of the week. Jacqui and I are going to have dinner with Hershel and his family. I understand that you and your lady are close with Hershel's daughter. You know, Hershel was a lot like me at one time. When he was with his oldest daughter's momma, he wasn't a good man." Will informed Daryl.
"So I heard, but he never beat his innocent children either. He might have been a drunk, but when his kids were born he chose to do the right thing." Daryl reminded him.
"Your right, not all of us were as smart as Hershel. He did something with his life, and I chose the other path." Will admitted, defeated by Daryl's constant reminding him of his failures. Will had known this wouldn't be easy, but Daryl was relentless.
"What ever happened to momma? No one ever speaks about her…Merle confessed to me as he was dying he had some contact with her while we were younger, but after that, nothing." Daryl asked.
"She went out west and re-married. I think she gave up trying to contact you after she never heard back. Unfortunately, it wasn't your fault. She didn't know that her letters never made it to you. They would come and Merle would take them and hide them. I knew she was trying desperately to contact you with those letters, but I didn't do anything to enlighten you to their arrival in the mail. I guess I thought Merle would share the information." Will said.
"Yeah, he shared it with me on his fucking death bed." Daryl snarled out.
"Son, maybe you should try to find her…none of what happened was her fault. She was scared and alone, and fearful of what I would do to you. Don't blame her for what happened." Will said convincingly.
"I got a lot to process. Look, I'm done from here. Let me know when you are gonna come by and pick up things." Daryl said curtly.
"I will make sure to do that Daryl. Think about what I told you today. And thank you, for at least meeting me here. I truly am sorry for all the hurt I caused you. I pray you use me as an example of what NOT to do to your family." Will said.
"I gotta go." Daryl said as he left without saying another word. His body was aching, but his heart hurt more at this point. He checked his phone and Davia had called three times. He wanted so desperately to just fall into her arms and forget everything that happened today, but he wasn't going to put her through that drama. He needed a pain pill, but he decided he would self-medicate. Instead of heading back to Davia's apartment, he instead headed to Dale's bar.
…
Davia was beginning to grow concerned. She had found the note Daryl had left her that morning, and it said he expected to be back by mid-afternoon. It was now five in the afternoon and he had yet to return. She had a chicken cooking in the crockpot for dinner, but now she wasn't sure he was going to be home. Out of concern, she had tried to call him several times on his cell, but each time it went to voice mail. Desperate, she called Will Dixon, only to find out that Daryl and he had parted ways several hours earlier.
Not knowing what else to do she called up Beth and told her what was going on. Beth told her she would grab Zach and they would go look for Daryl. The young couple arrived at Davia's apartment within thirty minutes, all of them concerned about Daryl's well being.
"You don't think anything bad happened to him do you?" Beth asked, trying to calm down a very pensive Davia.
"I don't know…this isn't like him at all. I am kicking myself for letting him go over there alone. Daryl doesn't handle emotions well and I am afraid he has done something desperate." Davia exclaimed.
Zach then spoke "Davia, take a deep breath, this is Blue Ridge, not New York, we'll find him."
The all got into Zach's car and began to look for Daryl. The first place they went was Merle's house, but Daryl wasn't anywhere in the area. They stopped by Dale's and Dale confirmed that Daryl had stopped in for a few drinks, but had left about two hours earlier. Davia then had a thought "Drive out to his house."
Zach did as she said and sure enough, Daryl's truck was parked out in front of the old farmhouse. "Y'all wait here and I will see if he is inside."
Davia walked in and knew immediately Daryl was in the house. For one thing, the front door wasn't locked and she also picked up the scent of cigarettes wafting through the house. She took a deep breath, relieved Daryl was OK.
She went upstairs and found Daryl sitting on the floor, all the contents of the box she assumed Merle had told him about, spread all over the floor.
"Daryl honey, are you OK?" She asked. She then noticed an almost completely empty bottle of Southern Comfort sitting on the floor beside him.
"Davia…I…" He couldn't speak and she noticed he had tear tracks down his face.
Davia rushed to him and dropped to her knees beside him "Oh Baby, I'm so sorry. Do you want to talk about it?"
"I gotta find her Davia, and I don't know how or where to start." He said crumpling into her arms.
"We'll do it together Daryl. Why didn't you return my calls, did I do something to make you upset with me?" She asked.
"I didn't want to burden you with my problems." He told her.
"Daryl, your problems are my problems from now on. There isn't any reason for you to handle this alone. Why don't you tell me how things went with your father today?" She asked him gently.
And he did. Though he was highly intoxicated, and his words were heavily slurred, he told her every detail of what had transpired with Will earlier. Her heart broke for him, knowing that she should have never let him go alone to spend time with Will. He told her what Will had asked about Daryl allowing him back into his life.
"What do you want to do sweetie?" She said soothingly.
"Davia, I honestly don't know. What do you think I should do?" He asked, his voice seeming small and unsure.
"Daryl you don't have to make a decision today. Think about it, sleep on it, and sober up…then you decide." She said as she wiped his tears off his cheeks. It took a lot to get Daryl to this point, but he had been through such an emotionally trying week she wasn't really sure how he was still sane.
"How did ya get here?" He suddenly asked.
"Zach and Beth brought me. Let's gather these things up and head home." She told him. Before they even made it down the stairs, Daryl found himself getting sick. The excess alcohol and the lack of food turned his stomach into a battleground, and poor Daryl lost the war.
He could barely stand, and Zach was kind enough to help get Daryl to his car. Zach opted to drive Daryl's truck back to the apartment while Beth drove Davia and Daryl. Davia sat in the backseat with a very sick and quiet Daryl laying with his head in her lap.
"Remind me never to drink again." He said, causing Beth to let out a quiet giggle.
Beth spoke up "Daryl Dixon, don't you ever scare the hell out of us like this again. Zach and me don't take too kindly to our best friends causing us worry like this. The next time you decide to get drunk and go out on an adventure you make sure you take us along with you…OK?" She said.
Daryl responded quietly "Yes Ma'am."
Davia knew that Daryl had a lot of decisions to make, and she was just thankful that she had him back with her, in one piece. When was he ever going to catch a break?
Poor Daryl...he is dealing with a lot. Do you think he should allow his father a second chance? I curious to know what your thoughts are. There is a lot of conversation in this chapter, and I apologize if it was difficult to follow.
Please leave me a lovely review, and let me know your thoughts on what you think Daryl should do next. It's a tough decision.
Once again, Will is sincere...there aren't any other ulterior motives.
Next chapter will be more light-hearted.
I know it's Sunday Night, and a few minutes from TWD...so everyone...ENJOY. I don't think I will be eating much during tonights episode..the Bob-b Q thing has had me disturbed all week.
Love each and everyone of you.
Missy
XXOO