Chapter 11

"You left me." Beth's bottom lip was trembling but her eyes were hard. It had been about an hour since he'd been patched up by Beth and her father.

"I wasn't goin' to die," Daryl spoke sarcastically recalling words that he remembered her quoting often.

"Andrea almost killed you, Daryl. Not to mention, you look like you fell off a cliff,"Beth exclaimed anger starting to twist her features.

"That's 'cause I did because of that stupid ass horse. What the hell you in here for? Go on and get the hell away from me." Daryl pulled the blankets covering him closer around his neck, wincing at the pain in his lower belly. He was getting annoyed at her persistence, his thoughts were racing and his mind becoming foggy.

"No. You don't get to do this. You don't get to push me away because you're upset. We had an agreement. When you go, I go. And you left me."

"The hell you talkin' about?" His voice was gruff, cracking in some places. It was making him uncomfortable, her concern. And he became a dick when he was uncomfortable. Well, normally he did but with this fresh wound in his gut, and the Vicodin or whatever the hell Hershel had given him, coursing through his system, he couldn't lash out.

Beth crossed her arms and walked over to the window trying to compose herself. Maggie and Glenn were having some sort of heated discussion near the chicken coop and she was curious but she had Daryl to focus on.

"When I crashed the truck," Beth spoke softly.

Daryl closed his eyes with a low groan as he faintly remembered the girl's strangeness on the highway. It seemed so long ago. His head was throbbing from the bullet graze and it was made worse with his need to recall all that he could regarding the blonde girl.

"You told me that you wouldn't leave me. And you did. When Nelly came back without you…." Beth was facing the window but Daryl could tell that she had started crying because her words were watery. Shit.

"What is your deal? Why you latchin' on to me like some sort of God-damned leech?" Daryl cursed loudly, his voice a grunt.

"I don't know. I really don't know but for some stupid reason I care about your dumbass," Beth had turned around then, her watery blue eyes shone brightly with tears.

"Why? Is it 'cause I saved your life at the camp when Amy died? That it?" Daryl questioned angrily.

"How dare you." Beth stated lowly, the tremble that was in her voice earlier, gone. She made her way closer to the bed. Her tears seemed to evaporate and Daryl could of feel the angry heat radiating off of the blonde woman.

"I would have given anythin' to take her place if it could get Andrea to stop lookin' at me like I murdered her. But I can't. And I'm not…I REFUSE… to walk around like I'm already dead. I did enough of that in Atlanta. I appreciate what you did, savin' me after Amy pushed me out of the way, I really do. But you're," Beth paused, taking a moment to hug herself, "You're a jackass."

Daryl brought his hand up to his face gingerly touching the bandage on his forehead. He could barely follow the conversation anymore with how badly his head was throbbing.

"Yeah, I'm a dick," Daryl said softly with a wince. He watched as Beth lowered herself onto the bed, all fight gone from her. Her face had instantly morphed into one of concern.

"You okay?" Beth reached her hand out to fix the bandage tape that Daryl had disrupted, but her hand never made it there. Daryl had grabbed it midair, despite the pain that she was sure he was experiencing, and he brought their hands down onto his chest.

"The hell your daddy give me?" he asked, his speech was starting to slur a bit.

"Somethin' strong for the pain I'm guessin'," Beth supplied with a shrug. She could feel the slow, steady thumping of his heart under their still-clasped hands. She could see that he was loosing his battle with sleep. His narrow blue eyes that had been half-lidded and unfocused, were closed.

"He alright?" A voice came from the hallway. Right, the door hadn't been closed. More than likely everyone who happened to be inside had heard their conversation. The big, open farm house didn't allow much room for secrets.

Beth turned her gaze away from Daryl's face to see that it was Jimmy.

"Yeah. We got him all patched up. I just hope he doesn't go and do somethin' stupid to pull at his stitches," Beth nodded, her voice quiet.

"Right. From what I've seen, you're goin' to have to nail him down just so he can heal up," Jimmy chuckled, his hazel eyes holding just a tinge of mirth. His kind eyes reminded Beth of a time long ago, when they were mischievous children.

Beth offered a smile back without a response before returning her attention to the sleeping man who still clasped her hand tightly against his chest.

"He don't look so scary when he's sleepin', huh? Maybe that's why you like him so much," Jimmy said then. He could see from where he was standing that Beth's face was pink and that her eyes were squeezed shut in embarrassment. She still kept hold of the hunter's hand though.

"Don't be shy now. You're the one who's been bunkin' with him. God knows what else y'all have been up to," Jimmy kept on, laughter behind his words.

Beth was looking at him now, her cheeks rosy red and her eyes shining in embarrassment. Jimmy wouldn't have known it but Beth's mind had gone straight to that night that she'd practically thrown herself at the currently-wounded man.

"Alright, alright. I'll leave you guys alone," Jimmy chuckled with a wave of his hands. He took his leave. Beth's eyes lingered on the doorway for a minute before moving them back over to Daryl.

She visibly jumped when she saw that he was awake, his sleepy blue eyes staring right at her.

"You wanna go after him?" Daryl questioned gruffly, opening up the hand that held hers.

Beth regarded him quizzically before widening her eyes in understanding.

"Of course not," she spoke seriously still wondering if she'd missed something. Daryl stared at her evenly before releasing a puff of air and closing his eyes once more.

Beth stared at him as his brow line relaxed and his face softened. She figured that he'd finally fallen asleep when five more minutes had passed.

"That deal go both ways?"

Beth tightened her grip on his hand then.

Maybe he was right but perhaps not in the way that his angry words had suggested. Except she wasn't a leech. Maybe she latched on to him like a spark did to a match because he kept her alive.

XXXX

The very next day they were both back in the tent. Daryl had refused to be stuck in that bed any longer than he had to be, and because it was a flesh wound, Hershel had allowed it.

Daryl was lying down on an fold-up cot that Beth had found in her family's cellar so that he wouldn't need to worry about sleeping so low on the ground and disturbing his stitches. She was off somewhere washing laundry while he rested. Or tried to rest.

He couldn't. Not with that girl in his head. Truth be told he was a little embarrassed when he woke up that morning, in pain, but content. His hands had moved across the bed, seeking her out, even before he'd opened his eyes but she wasn't there. Her father was though, having nudged him awake to check on his wounds.

Hershel had regarded him with a careful, even stare, even though his hands were on Daryl's side moving meticulously to check his wound.

"Did you help her get out of Atlanta?"

Daryl shook his head. He stared at the veterinarian, silently wondering which direction this conversation was going to go in.

"Do you know why she was there in the first place?"

"Somethin' about her bein' locked in a hospital, no thanks to y'all," Daryl let out with a scoff. He felt defensive then. For her. And he couldn't bring himself to feel shameful over this feeling for once.

Hershel looked away then, moving to grab more antiseptic and gauze. He didn't miss the defensiveness from the wounded hunter and that mere statement from Daryl helped clear a few worries that he held. But only a few.

"I expect she'll tell you why at some point, so I won't disrespect her by telling you myself however, there's somethin' you need to understand about my daughter," Hershel paused as he placed a cotton ball over the opening of the rubbing alcohol bottle he'd grabbed, "When that girl cares, she cares. If you're plannin' on movin' on, you need to do so before she gets more attached to you than she already is."

Daryl was silent and he resisted the urge to squint his eyes shut as Hershel pushed that alcohol-soaked cotton ball against the stitched wound. Sting.

"At first I was surprised to see that she'd made it out of the city alive. I thought that you must've saved her and that she felt obligated to repay you in kindness," Hershel continued, "But now I'm not so sure. Whatever it is that is goin' on between the two of you, it'll do well for you to remember that if you hurt her, it'll be a mark that you'll bear on your soul. And that'll hurt just as much as the ones that you already carry on your back."

Sting.

Note:

Hopefully this chapter shows that Beth and Jimmy are in no relationship. More on that later. Beth has picked up on the fact that Daryl kinda likes having her around.

Daryl realized a few things about himself and so did Hershel.

Next: Daryl and Andrea have a conversation. Maybe we light a fire. Aw hell, we are striking the hell out of that match. Daryl asks Beth about Atlanta. And Glenn tells the group something super important.

Next week's chapter may be a little late. I have a lot of con prep (Tidewater Comicon) that I'll be dealing with. Art stuffs. So if may be a hindrance when it comes to our Bethyl-verse.

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