Chapter 19

Beth slowly limped to the bathroom. She knew that the first aid kit was somewhere in the cabinets. The first aid kit was actually more of a tool box and contained more than most normal kits. Her dad was always prepared for anything. She quickly found it and sat down on the stool with a wet wash cloth to clean her foot. She realized Daryl was standing in the door way and offered him a small smile. She turned her foot to the side and saw the deep gash in it. She cringed and shook her head.

"How bad is it?" Daryl asked coming closer. He looked down at her foot and shook his head. "That's pretty bad."

"Ya, pretty sure I must have stepped on something pretty sharp." Beth winced as she started cleaning it, she closed her eyes, trying to block out the pain. She felt large hands close over hers and opened her eyes to find him crouched next to her . He pulled the washcloth out of her hand and slowly moved in front of her. He turned her foot, so he could see it better.

"So a sun and a moon? That's one of your tattoos?" Daryl commented, looking at the top of her foot. Beth had forgotten that she hadn't told him about her tattoos. He lightly began dabbing on her foot.

"Yes, I got it for my father. You know how I knew all the stories about the stars? It's because he used to tell me them when I was younger. I would always ask him about the moon and he would never have a story to tell me. But I remember one night when I asked him, he had this long story about how the moon and sun were really people before becoming what they are now. He wove this story about how the moon and sun met and fell in love but their parents didn't approve of it. They believe that the moon was too dark and the sun was a ray of happiness. So the parents hatched a plan to make it to where they could never be together. So they went to the spirits and begged for them to be kept apart. The spirits agreed making the moon and sun. The parents were so outraged that they never were able to see their children before and realized the error of their ways. I knew my daddy had made it up just for me. After he passed away, I got it for him. When I have kids, I'm going to tell them that story also so they can pass it along." Beth reminisced, smiling to herself as the memories began floating through her head. Shaking her head to clear her mind, she realized that Daryl was already taping her foot up. She had been so caught up in telling him the story, she hadn't even noticed that he had already finished cleaning it. She had a hunch that he had asked her as a distraction anyways.

As he finished wrapping her foot, she turned it to the side and looked at it. He knew what he was doing and it felt nice and secure. Most people couldn't wrap correctly and it fell apart due to the looseness or it would be so tight it hurt the person wearing it. She wondered how he learned how to do that. Then she thought about his back. With the aversion he had towards her seeing it, she figured he must have fixed himself up on more than one occasion.

"Thank you very much for doing that. Ya did a good job wrapping it. Where did ya learn to do that?" Beth couldn't help but ask to see if he would answer. He looked down at the ground for a minute and then got up from his crouch.

"I learned how to take care of myself at a young age. It happened through trial and error. When Merle left to join the corps, I had to grow up and learn to take care of things." He answered, looking at his thumb. Beth thought that was a start. He told her something without yelling or just walking away.

"How much older than you is Merle?" Beth questioned.

"6 years. I was 12 when he joined up. Just up and left one day. Didn't hear from from him for awhile. After they let him go, he went off on his own for awhile. Didn't hear from him till I was almost 18. Tha prick just showed up one day and acted like he never left." Daryl laughed, but it was an empty laugh. Almost like it hurt to think about it.

"Were your parents unhappy with him joining up?" Beth decided to take a different approach. Daryl sighed and looked at the wall.

"Guess ya could say that. " Was his gruff response. Beth decided to let it go. She was sure that it was getting late and knew they had to be up early. She gently stood up, bearing most of her weight on her good foot and started to limp towards the door. She felt the arm snake around her waist and was surprised at his gentle, yet firm hold. She leaned into his embrace and continued to her room. She felt comforted, knowing that he was there. Her foot wasn't hurting as badly as it had been, but she knew she shouldn't put too much pressure on it to keep it from bleeding through the bandage.

"Thank you for all your help, it really means a lot to me." Beth said quickly pecking his cheek before she sat on her bed. He took a few steps back and became interested in studying her floor.

"It was nothing, really. No need for thanks." He replied before he exited the room. Beth let out a deep breath. Sleeping wasn't going to be easy. She was worried about the situation with Shane and everytime she closed her eyes all she could see was his face, leering at her. She didn't tell Daryl because she it wasn't a big deal and she knew she was safe. She just hoped that Shane would decide to leave them alone. After a while of laying in bed, Beth finally drifted off into sleep.

Daryl quickly made his way to his room, shut his door and slumped to the floor. He couldn't believe how he had answered her questions so easily. The topic of his brother was an easier topic, but he usually wouldn't even tell anything about Merle. Anyone who wanted to know about him, usually weren't the kind of people he wanted to hang out with. So he kept to himself, not opening his mouth and keeping to himself. He wasn't a people person and didn't like people getting close to him. He didn't like to touch or be touched yet he willingly carried her and helped her to her room. He couldn't explain why he did it. All he could think about was making sure she was ok and not in pain. It worried him that he actually did care about her. He would never tell her she was right.

He laughed a dry, bitter laugh. If Merle saw him now, the way he was acting and how twisted up over Beth he was, Merle would call him weak, a pussy and make fun of him. He would say something about him being a Dixon and to be a man not another skirt. Daryl realized that tomorrow was his court date. He would have to talk to Beth about missing out from work for awhile. He just hoped she didn't ask why. He didn't want to have to explain about his brother.

Daryl got up from the floor and started stripping clothes off. He decided to sleep in his boxers only due to the heat. Even with the air turned on, it still was warm in the house. He plopped down on top of the bed next to Bo. He had been passed out all afternoon. The dog was snoring slightly, making Daryl laugh. Daryl got comfortable in the bed and closed his eyes. His mind kept on going, keeping him from falling asleep. He tossed and turned as he tried to go to sleep. He finally started to drift off when he heard a scream coming from the room down the hall. He jumped up and ran out of his room, grabbing his crossbow on the way out, making his way towards Beths room. He paused outside the room and listened for any noises.

"Please, don't hurt him! Just take me! I'll do anything you ask just leave him alone!" He heard Beth plead. Daryl shot through the door, ready to stop Shane from hurting her. He found Beth completely wrapped up in her blankets, thrashing around, fighting an invisible threat. Daryl placed his crossbow against the wall when he realized that she was having a nightmare. He slowly walked up to the bed.

"Beth, Beth wake up. You're having a nightmare. Beth!" He said quietly as he grabbed her shoulder and gently shook it. She shot up and looked around the room. When she saw Daryl, she grabbed his hand and looked him over.

"You're ok. It was so real, I thought he was gonna hurt you." Beth whispered as she started to shake. Daryl realized that she was trying to save him in her dream and was floored. She had believed that Shane was there and even though she was scared of him, she was going to offer herself up for him. He felt like a huge rock had settled in the back of his throat. He turned to walk away but was stopped by her hand grabbing his again.

"Please don't think it's stupid but could you stay in here with me for awhile? At least till I go to sleep. You make me feel safe and I would be able to go to sleep easier." Beth mumbled, refusing to stare at him. Unable to trust his voice, Daryl went to the other side of the and laid down. He rolled onto his side, facing her. He looked over and saw how wide her eyes had gotten and how she was staring at his chest. He looked down and groaned when he realized that he was only in his boxers. He went to get up and she motioned for him to stay.

"Sorry, I just didn't realize that you weren't dressed until you laid down. It doesn't bother me and you can get under the covers if it would make you more comfortable. Just please don't leave me." Beth explained as she picked at the comforter. Daryl quickly got underneath the comforter and looked back up at her.

"I'll stay in here with ya until ya fall asleep." He mumbled. He could see her smile and lay down on her side facing him.

"Thank you. I'm not usually this way but I haven't had a nightmare in a long time. That last time was right after my daddy passed away and it took awhile for me to be able to sleep through the night." Beth sheepishly explained. She reached over slowly and grabbed his hand, placing it on the covers between the two of them. Daryl slowly linked his fingers with her and gently rubbed his thumb on the back of her hand. She sighed and closed her eyes. As he watched her breath become more even and shallow, he found that he was having a hard time keeping his eyes open. The last coherent thought he remembered was how beautiful she looked while she was sleeping and how crazy she was to try to save him by putting herself in danger.

Author's note : Thank you my lovelies and sorry for the late update. Today was a crazy day for me and it was hard to find a break to finish getting this ready. Thanks for all the reviews and follows I have gotten. You guys are amazing :) I'm having a lot of fun with this story and can't wait to start on the next chapter