That night on the way home Davia talked ninety to nothing. When they got home she was so keyed up that Daryl would have sworn she had drank at least five cups of coffee. It was an odd behavior for her, but he just assumed it was because she had finally stood up for herself. She at least seemed happy and that was all he could ask for.
A little while later he lit a fire in the fireplace in the bedroom and put on some soft music they could listen too while they slept. As usual he pulled Davia too him and wrapped his arms around her holding her tightly. Ever so slightly Davia pulled Daryl's hand to her mouth and began to pepper it lightly with kisses. Daryl moaned slightly, as Davia's feather soft kisses felt heavenly against his rough callused hands.
"Baby girl that feels good, but I need you to take it easy. It ain't gonna take much to get me all riled up and then I'm gonna end up with a serious case of blue balls." Daryl told her.
Davia then began to kiss Daryl's body a bit more aggressively. She moved her kisses from his hand up his arm and then to his neck. She could feel Daryl's body tighten beneath her lips and she continued to tempt him with her mouth. When she slid her lips down his neck and began to suckle on his nipple he took a deep breath then gently pressed his hand against her shoulder "Baby you've got to stop. You ain't in any condition to do this."
"I am Daryl. Please, I want you so bad…I want to feel you inside of me." She begged. Daryl was tempted, but he knew Davia was too injured to handle love making at this point. He also knew she wasn't quite acting like herself, and that concerned him.
"No Davia. You aren't all right. You think I didn't notice you wincing every time you turn sideways? We have the rest of our lives to be together like this. Just lay back and relax." He told her.
Davia then moved towards him again and began to kiss his lower torso, ignoring what Daryl had just told her. He didn't want to, but he firmly placed his hands back on her shoulders and prevented her from moving.
"Davia…I said 'No'." It came out a bit harsher than he wanted, but he needed to make a point. His heart broke when he saw tears begin to fall from Davia's sad eyes.
"Why don't you want me Daryl? Is it because of Cheryl? I bet that if she were here you wouldn't turn her down. I know I don't look like her, I'm a fat sow, but I love you and I want to prove it to you." She said, now sobbing uncontrollably.
"Davia, where is this coming from. I don't want Cheryl, I never did. She was just a means to an end. I admit we had sex, but it was a drunken romp in the back of my truck. You can't compare that to what I have with you. I love you and I don't want to physically hurt you. I'm concerned about you though. You don't have to prove a damn thing to me. I know you want to be with me and I'm OK waiting until you are healthy enough to make love proper. Please Davia…talk to me." He said trying to appease her fears.
"It's just that I'm afraid if I can't provide for your needs you are going to see how worthless I am and kick me the curb and I don't think I could handle that." She said still crying. Daryl realized how broken Davia was and it killed him.
"Honey I love you for you, not for sex. I fell in love with you the first moment I laid eyes on you and heard you sing. You poured out so much emotion when you sang that it touched me deep in my soul. I ain't never had anyone do that to me before and no one is ever going to do that to me again. You have my heart Davia, and if we could never make love again it wouldn't matter. I love you always and forever. Don't beat yourself up darling…you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen and when you smile you melt my heart. You don't ever need to doubt that." He told her as he held her in his arms and ran his hands up and down her back trying to soothe her fears.
"So the sex isn't good?" Davia said, completely ignoring everything Daryl just told her.
"Davia did you listen to what I just said? The sex is incredible…the best I've ever had and its because I wanted it with you. What I said is that the sex is secondary to everything else I have with you. You have got to stop beating yourself up."
"I'm sorry Daryl. Girls like me don't end up with men like you and I am having a hard time accepting that you want to be with me for the rest of your life." She said, tears slipping again.
"Have I done anything to make you doubt me Davia? Look…after what happened I think that maybe we should take you to talk to someone. I don't think you are as 'fine' as you think you are. I've seen you spiraling downward the past couple of days and one minute you are up and happy and the next you are full of self-doubt and fear. The doc told me this could happen." Daryl told her.
"So now you think I'm crazy?" Davia said as she pulled herself from Daryl and got out of the bed angrily.
Daryl let out a deep sigh "That's not what I said Davia. You're coming to pieces and I don't think I can put them back together on my own. Baby please don't do this…just come back to bed and get some rest. Tomorrow will be better and you don't have to do anything you don't want too."
"I'm not spending another minute in here right now. I need to clear my head…maybe I will clear the crazy right out of it." She said sarcastically.
"Fine, do what you want." Daryl said frustrated as he let himself fall back into the pillows.
…
Daryl woke up around five in the morning with the bed still empty beside him. This shouldn't be happening. It was only their second night in the new house and both nights had been bad for Davia. He was worried about her and angry that he couldn't fix her emotional state.
He got out of bed clad only in his boxers and a T-shirt and made his way downstairs. Immediately he was overwhelmed by the strong smell of bleach. Taking a look around he noticed that everything was practically sparkling but he still hadn't seen Davia. He found her in the kitchen in a total mess. Her hands and knees were raw and bleeding and the splint on her two broken fingers had been displaced. She was soaking wet on her hands and knees scrubbing the floor with a toothbrush and her hair was matted to her forehead.
Daryl looked at her "Davia what have you done?"
"I wanted the house to be clean enough for you Daryl. I don't want to lose you and I thought you would be proud of me." She said in a voice that wasn't quite her normal vocal range.
"Baby get up." Daryl didn't ask, he commanded her.
"Are you mad at me?" She asked in almost a child like voice.
"No honey, but I'm worried about you. You're a mess." He told her. Daryl helped her up off the floor and sat her down on a chair he pulled out from the kitchen table. She had very little emotion showing on her face and Daryl was terrified. Davia had finally broke.
Not knowing really what to do he surmised she needed rest. He went to the cabinet and pulled out a bottle of her pain medication that she hadn't been taking and gave her two of the pills while handing her a glass of water.
"Take these and don't argue." He told her. She did as she was told and he crouched down in front of her. The first thing he did was adjust the splint so that her fingers were braced properly and then he took a warm cloth and began to wash off the blood on Davia's knuckles and knees. He then ran upstairs quickly and retrieved some gauze and medical tape and wrapped up her hands properly. He opted to just clean her knees and apply some anti-biotic cream but decided not to bandage them since they would heal quicker if left undressed.
"Daryl, talk to me?" She begged.
"Davia I don't know what to say. You need to rest and I ain't gonna let you be alone. I'm taking you upstairs and you are gonna sleep and I ain't letting you out of the bed all day. Tomorrow we are going to make an appointment and you are gonna talk to someone. I'm sorry if it pisses you off, but I'm making the call." He didn't allow her to argue and gently guided her up to their room.
Daryl sat her on the edge of the bed and pulled off her soaking wet shorts and T-shirt and then found one of Davia's nightgowns and slipped it over her head. She sat there and didn't do anything to fight him. He knew she had to be exhausted and all the fight that she had in her earlier was gone. Daryl laid down beside her and then pulled her into his chest with no opposition from Davia. Within a few minutes the painkillers kicked in and Davia was fast asleep.
Once Daryl was positive Davia was settled he got up and fixed himself a strong pot of coffee. They still hadn't gone grocery shopping but there were enough items in the pantry that he made himself some toast and jam for breakfast. While sipping his coffee he logged onto Davia's laptop and began to search for mental health providers in the area. He found the name of one that specialized in physical abuse and jotted down her number. He would make the call in the morning and try to get Davia an appointment as soon as possible. After he cleaned up after himself in the kitchen he found the GED study guide he had purchased and made his way back up to the bedroom so he could keep an eye on Davia. The room was still sparsely furnished, but there was a Queen Anne Style chair and foot stool that sat opposite the bed beside the fireplace and he sat himself down there and began to study.
At lunchtime Davia still hadn't stirred so Daryl re-heated some of the leftovers from the other night and made a plate for both of them. He made his way back upstairs and gently shook Davia.
"Baby girl you need to eat something." He told her.
Davia stirred and moaned softly after being aroused from her sleep. She didn't say anything as she sat up when Daryl put the tray of food he had prepared down beside her.
"You need to eat something darling." He said to her softly.
"Thank you." She returned quietly.
"I've been studying while you slept and I think I'm in good shape for the exam on Friday. Was wondering if you felt up to taking a trip to the grocery store? We don't have a lot to eat in the house and I'm a little tired of all the take out food." He told her.
"That would be nice. Um Daryl…I'm really sorry for acting like a complete idiot." She confessed.
"Shhh…it's my fault. Doc said you would have a moment when everything hit ya. When you had the nightmare the other night I should have done more then. I'm making you an appointment tomorrow for you to go talk to someone…she specializes in abuse and violence. I will be there with you every step of the way."
"Great, you think I'm crazy." Davia said letting out a heavy breath.
"Not all sweetheart. I think that you have gone through something horrific that I can't fix to make you feel better. From what I've been reading about my police training I get to go through a psychological exam too, and I bet they are gonna have a fun time deciphering all the shit I went through with my dad. I wanna say I'm OK about it, but sometimes I just don't know." He admitted to her.
…
Davia and Daryl got showered and dressed and headed to the grocery store. Davia continued to be somewhat quiet as Daryl tried to engage her in conversation as they drove into town. Instead she pretty much just stared quietly out the window.
While they were at the grocery store they ran into none other than Shane and Lori while they shopped. It was an awkward but civil exchange between the two couples and Davia noticed that Lori's pregnancy was showing. Davia chuckled to herself about the fact that Lori didn't know who the baby's father was. She prayed it was Rick because he would see to it that the child was not raised around Shane.
When Davia and Daryl were far enough away Shane turned to Lori "I can't believe that Rick is not only bringing him onto the force, but he is treating him like the Golden Child. New Vehicle, better cases, pulling strings to get him on the fast track up the chain of command. I've worked with Rick for nearly twelve years and he still treats me like a minion. Even before what happened between you and me." Shane said angrily.
"Well if Daryl is not able to make it to the academy then how would he be eligible to remain on the force?" Lori said planting an idea in Shane's head.
"That is a very good point. But Dixon's tough…he's been through so much shit in his past that nothing ever phases him." Shane told Lori.
"But he has something new in his life that he is crazy about and that's the chubby chick Davia. If you want Daryl to fuck up then you go after Davia. I've got an idea but you have to be on board with me if it has any shot of working." Lori told him while she gave him a sadistic smile.
…
Davia seemed to have purchased half the grocery store. Granted they needed to build up their pantry and freezer but Daryl thought it was a bit excessive. He was used to getting a deer and some other wild game each year and that would hold him until the next year. If he was feeling adventuresome he would purchase a steak. The only other things he usually had in the house were a few frozen vegetables, a couple of can goods and salt and pepper. Davia purchased what Daryl guessed would be enough to stock a gourmet restaurant.
When they got home Daryl helped Davia put up all the groceries and Davia ushered him into the living room so she could cook dinner. He sat himself down on the couch and turned on the new TV that was above the fireplace and began to watch a Duck Dynasty marathon. It was mindless TV but he needed a distraction.
After about an hour Davia called Daryl to dinner. She had set the table in the formal dining room and had lit candles.
"I wanted to make up for my behavior last night so I thought I would make us a nice romantic dinner." She told him.
"You didn't have to do all of that Davia…you didn't do anything wrong. I will admit it smells fucking good." He told her.
She led him into the dining room and had prepared bacon wrapped scallops with asparagus in a hollandaise sauce. She had also prepared rice pilaf to go along with the meal. Daryl looked at Davia and then at the meal in front of him.
"Fanciest shit I've ever seen in my life. Ain't sure whether to sit down or bow in front of the table." Daryl joked.
"Just sit down and try it." She commanded him.
One bite and Daryl's mouth was melting. "I knew you could cook, but this shit is amazing." Daryl said to his fiancée.
"It would be nice if you wouldn't refer to it as 'shit' Daryl." She teased back.
"Sorry. This food is fucking good…is that better?" He asked.
"Much. I've also got dessert in the oven…it will be ready in about an hour. We can eat it in front of the TV if you want." She told him.
Daryl simply grunted as he shoved the food down his throat. He was going to have to go on a diet if she cooked like this all the time. He ended up having second helpings of everything.
As promised Davia brought Daryl dessert as they watched TV together. She had made a rum cake with a buttery pecan glaze and served it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Daryl ate so much he had to unbutton his jeans. Davia's eyes popped open as he performed the action.
"Hmmm…" She said.
"Stop it Davia. We aren't going to go through tonight what we did last night. I just can't breathe because I ate so damn much. Merle would have married you in a second if you had cooked like that for him." Daryl mused.
"I'm sorry Daryl…You're right." She said looking a little disappointed.
Daryl pulled her to him and wrapped himself around her carefully. "Nothing to be sorry for, I just need to set boundaries." He told her.
"Daryl do I need to really go see the psychologist tomorrow?" She asked.
"Yeah babe you do. Are you scared?" He asked.
"I am. What if they say I'm crazy and want to put me away somewhere? It might affect us being able to adopt the baby." She said worriedly.
"They ain't putting you nowhere Davia, I won't let them. Doc said this was a normal reaction. Plus there ain't no reason for you to be scared because I'm gonna be there with ya." He assured her.
…
The next few days passed by relatively quickly. It was Thursday and Davia was getting ready for her performance that night. She was excited to get back on stage and Brad had come by and practiced with her two days prior. Daryl noticed that she seemed to be happier than she had been since the incident with Ed.
Davia's appointment went well on Monday and she would be attending therapy once a week for the foreseeable future. Her therapist was a woman named Karen and she actually turned out to be Tyreese's girlfriend. Daryl had talked to Tyreese earlier in the week and Tyreese completely understood why Daryl was resigning. He even took Daryl and the guys out to dinner that night as a farewell and a 'Thanks' for all of Daryl's hard work.
Daryl had done as he had promised and attended Davia's appointment with her and both were relieved to find that Davia's little meltdown was a normal reaction to what had happened to her. Davia described in detail what had happened for the first time and just by unburdening herself of the nightmare seemed to help immensely. She didn't have any more outbursts or nightmares after the appointment and Daryl took that as an excellent sign. Davia was tough and he was proud of her for facing her fear head on.
During the week Daryl had gone on regular patrol with Rick twice and Rick had spent time explaining various aspects of what types of cases were on the forefront in Blue Ridge. The biggest offenders were drug dealing (Daryl had a lot of insight into the subject since he ran around with Merle so much in his past), moonshining, and domestic abuse. They had answered three calls during the patrol, all of which included poorly made decisions as a result of alcohol. The most serious was a drunk driving accident that led to an innocent family being injured when an old man took one of Blue Ridge's famous curves a bit too wide. Other than those three calls not a lot had happened. That was until Thursday morning.
It started with a frantic call from Estelle. It just so happened it was Daryl who received the call:
"Dixon" he answered.
"Which one of them Georgia boys are you? The one with the wavy dark hair you want to run your fingers through or the one with the chiseled features and eyes that set your loins on fire?" The woman's voice on the other side of the phone asked.
"Um…I don't have wavy hair" Was all Daryl could manage to get out when he realized it was Estelle.
"Daryl then…right." She said.
"Yes ma'am…is this Estelle? I've got Rick here with me and I'm gonna put you on speaker." Daryl said as he pushed the button on his phone allowing Rick to hear the call as well.
"My friend Gloria…she got beat awful bad by her asshole husband Tom-Tom. He found out y'all paid her a visit." Estelle started.
Rick then replied "I'm sorry to hear that Estelle…did she report it?"
"Hell no she didn't but that isn't why I'm calling. Tom-Tom might know something about this Ed guy. He mentioned something to Gloria about 'protecting one of the true son's of the south' and she ain't never heard him talk like that. My guess is if you follow Tom-Tom you might find the bastard." Estelle told them.
"Estelle this is Rick please don't say anything to anyone. Can you see if you can find out where Tom-Tom likes to hang out away from the house, but don't put yourself in danger doing it. If you find out anything tell Daryl or me only."
"I can do that. I know Tom-Tom is out of town for a few days and I can talk to Gloria so she don't know what I'm doing. I'll call ya tomorrow or Saturday…will that work?" She asked.
"Sounds good. Thanks for everything Estelle." Rick said as Daryl hung up the phone.
"Well?" Daryl asked.
"Let's get back to the station and then I want you to comb the data bases for everything you can find on this Tom-Tom guy. He may be the lead we are looking for to find Ed. I'm gonna have a very detailed conversation with Carol about all of Ed's comings and goings to see if I can find out if he has any link to the Andrew's area." Rick told Daryl. Daryl agreed that was the best place to start and they headed back to the station.
Daryl had been assigned a new laptop computer and Rick showed Daryl how to access the databases that contained information that they could use to research persons of interest. Daryl never had that much experience with computers but knew he needed to learn, so instead of letting it intimidate him he took it on as a challenge.
Within an hour Daryl had found out quite a bit about Tom-Tom.
Birth name: Thomas Albee Lund
Born: 6/7/1967 Cherokee County, North Carolina-Home Birth
Profession: Construction-Sheet Rock Hanger
Spouse: Gloria Marie Carrol Lund
Born: 5/13/1973
Children: Son-Thomas Albee Lund Jr.
Born: 1/5/1993- Deceased-Car accident 2/8/2000
Arrest Record-
1982-Petty Larceny/Shoplifting-Sentence-Community Service
1983- Breaking and Entering-Sentence-Probation
1987- Grand Larceny and theft of Motor Vehicle-Sentence-County Jail-90 days
1990- communicating Threats-Suspended Sentence
1992-Domestic Violence against Spouse- Charges Dropped
1996- Public Drunkenness-Fine 200.00
2000- Vehicular Manslaughter-Drunk Driving Violation-Death of son- Probation 18 months
2004-Suspicion for Insighting a riot-Charges Dropped
2005- Illegal weapons charge-fine 250.00 suspended sentence
Individual is known to have affiliation with illegal moonshining and numerous hate groups such as the KKK and a smaller Neo-Nazi group. Violent behavior has been linked to this individual on many occasions but no charges have been filed.
"Rick I got quite a bit on this Tom-Tom guy. He's a real piece of work but hasn't really done any time. He's got a record a mile long but other than ninety days he served for car theft there ain't much time served. Looks like he lost his son in a Drunk driving accident, and he was the driver but all he got was probation." Daryl told the other officer.
"Hmmm…Reckon you probably know there is a 'good old boy' network out this way. Judges, cops, criminals…. Most of them grew up together and know each other's families. Unless the Feds get involved not much sticks. I had an interesting conversation with Carol while you were doing your research." Rick informed Daryl.
"What did ya find out?"
"I guess I didn't realize Ed had a legitimate job as an insurance salesman. He traveled a lot out of town, particularly towards Murphy and Andrews. Carol suspected he had a mistress up that way because he stayed overnight quite a bit, and with it only being a thirty minute drive it never made much sense to her. Whatever he was doing up there he kept it quiet from Carol. She helped him with the books sometimes and there were payments that came into his account from a Cherokee County bank, but she said she was always suspicious about the amounts because they were much higher than you would expect for an insurance policy." Rick said.
"So we know he has contacts up that way, and he was up to something that could be less than legal. Moonshining? He strikes me as the type that could be involved with illegal liquor and the type that could be involved with the likes of the Klan. What do you know about the Klan up that way?" Daryl asked.
"Just about everyone is affiliated with some type of hate group. They don't like outsiders, they don't trust law enforcement or government, and the area is basically one big militia. Most people are heavily armed and they are very secretive in their actions. They protect their own and the likelihood of someone helping us out voluntarily is somewhere between slim and none. Gloria just gave us some basic information and look what her husband did to her. I have to admit I'm a bit worried about Estelle. Obviously people trust her, but if she gets found out it could go badly for her." Rick stated.
"You've met her Rick, she ain't gonna accept any protection from us. Let's wait and see what she comes up with and if she is in danger then we'll talk her into getting out of town for a while." Daryl said.
"It's about all we can do. Keep your calendar open Daryl, we might be making a trip up there sooner than later." Rick warned.
"Will do…just keep in mind I take the GED tomorrow and I promised Davia I would be with her tonight when she performs, but if I gotta change that I can. The Greene's are all gonna be there as well. You ought to consider coming too." Daryl informed Rick.
"I'd love too, but Carol and I are taking the kids to the movies. Sophia needs to be exposed to anything normal in her life she can get these days. She's been having horrible nightmares and Carl is asking a lot of questions. I have no idea at all what to tell him." Rick confessed.
"The shit Ed did to that little girl pisses me off badly. We got to get him Rick. Between him killing Annette and Shawn Greene, beating Davia, kidnapping the kids, Carol, and Beth…and what he did to Sophia…I want to bring him down myself." Daryl admitted.
"Can't let it get personal Daryl, but I know it is. We'll get him and when we do he will know it was us." Rick said letting Daryl know everything might not be totally above board when they apprehend the bastard.
…
Daryl arrived at the house and found Davia asleep on the couch. She must have been exhausted after spending the day shopping with Beth. Davia wanted to buy a new outfit to wear for her show that night and it was the first time he had let her out of his sight long enough for her to get out of the house. Her bruises were just about gone and unnoticeable when she wore makeup. Other than Daryl and Karen, Beth was the only other one Davia had confided in about what had happened with Ed. Daryl thought it was good that she had one true friend and confidant that she could share her feelings with.
Daryl sat down on the couch and pulled Davia's feet up into his lap and began to rub them as he flipped on the TV so he could watch the news. He was startled when his cell phone rang and he recognized the number as Andrea's. His stomach dropped a little at the realization of what this call most likely was about and the sound of the phone roused Davia from her sleep.
"Hello this is Daryl." He answered, not really knowing why he said his name…it was his personal cell and of course it would be him answering it.
"Hi Daryl it's Andrea. We have the results of the DNA test. Are you ready to hear them?" She asked.
"Yeah, let me put you on speaker so Davia can hear as well." He said as the groggy Davia sat up and then moved so she could press herself against Daryl. She took his hand for support.
"Well the results state that the baby is definitely Merle's and we also know the sex of the baby if you are interested." Andrea told them.
Daryl looked at Davia and she nodded enthusiastically. "That would be nice." Daryl said. He was a nervous wreck now that he knew that this baby was definitely a Dixon.
"April is eighteen weeks along and she is carrying a girl. She has agreed to give up all custody and rights to the child if you agree to adopt the girl." Andrea said.
Davia nodded emphatically and Daryl managed to squeak out the answer "We have decided that we will take her and raise her as our own. Look Andrea I'm pretty bad at math can you tell me when the due date is." Daryl asked her.
Andrea laughed "Yes Daryl, she is due around May Eleventh."
Davia then spoke "What do we need to do next?"
"I understand that you too are getting married in a couple of weeks. I can start the paperwork for the petition for adoption, but it will be much easier if you are a married couple. There will be a mandatory background check on both of you and a home inspection, but I don't foresee anything being a problem. The fact that Daryl is now a law officer will help out greatly, but they are going to want one parent with the child for at least one year…that means that one of you will need to take time off from work during that time." Andrea informed them.
"Andrea I normally work three nights a week for just a few hours at a time can I continue to do that?" Davia asked.
"That might work because that means that Daryl would be able to be with the child during that time. It also means that you wouldn't need to put your daughter in daycare." She replied.
Daughter. Their Daughter…
Daryl had a lump in his throat "Just get the paperwork started and we will do whatever we gotta to take care of the baby." He told her.
"I've got a picture of the ultra-sound I can email to you. Let me get your email address and I will send it right over to you both." Andrea said happily.
Davia gave her the email address and the phone call ended. Both Daryl and Davia looked at each other in shock. "We are gonna be parents Daryl. Are you ready for this?"
"No, but it don't matter, is any parent ever ready the first go round?" He mused. Davia gave him a huge smile and nodded in affirmation.
"I gotta call Beth." Davia said as she headed upstairs to get ready for her show that night. Daryl noticed she had a little extra bounce in her step. Maybe Merle's little slip up was the greatest gift he could have given to Davia.
…
Davia emerged from the room dressed to the nines. She was clad in black jeans with a black corset that Beth helped her pick out. The "girls" were front and center and she had a red leather cropped jacket across her shoulders. Beth had helped her find a pair of black suede stiletto boots that finished off the outfit. Davia's hair was worn down long in waves and she had on a silver cuff bracelet, silver chandelier earrings and a black choker with a silver cross. Her eyes were made up coal black and she had her lashes thick and full. The finishing touch was ruby red lipstick that provided a sensual pout. Daryl felt his loins twitch when he got a glimpse of his woman.
"Jeez woman, you look good enough to eat." He told her.
"Keep that in mind. Doc said I am ready to go as long as we aren't too rough." She told him giving him a wink.
"Why the fuck didn't you tell me that earlier?" He said as he pulled her too him. She smelled like heaven. "What do you have on underneath all of this?" He growled.
"You will find out later Mr. Dixon. The way I see it we have five and a half months to enjoy ourselves freely before our little bundle of joy arrives and I am going to take full advantage." She told him.
"Let's check your email before we leave." He told her. Sure enough Andrea had sent them a picture of the ultra sound of the baby…their baby.
"You should call your dad and let him know." She reminded him.
"Tomorrow. Let's enjoy this tonight. The baby looks kind of like a little frog doesn't it? Is it normal for the head to be that big?" He asked innocently.
"Yes Daryl, that's normal. Look you can see the little fingers and toes," She said pointing them out on the sonogram.
"We really are doing this aren't we?" Daryl asked.
"We really are Daryl. Next year at Christmas there will be an official Dixon family." She told him, letting the reality hit him.
…
When they arrived at Dale's bar it was packed with patrons. The bar was much busier than usual on a Thursday night. Daryl attributed it to word of mouth about Davia's return. She truly was a big draw for Dale and he couldn't be more proud of his girl. When Davia was on stage all of her insecurities melted away and she owned her performance.
Daryl took his usual seat, which was a table up by the front stage where he could get a full view of Davia performing. Beth and Zach soon joined him at the table. Beth had actually filled in for a few of Davia's missed performances and she was excited to hear her friend sing again. Unfortunately Hershel was under the weather and unable to attend. Brad had come out to chat with Daryl and confirm that the band would be able to play the wedding and then he mentioned that he wanted to talk to Daryl after tonight's performance about an opportunity that they had coming up. Daryl agreed and told him he would wait for him after the show so they could talk.
Even though Daryl had told Davia they would wait until the next day to tell anyone about their decision to adopt, Daryl just couldn't keep it from Zach and Beth any longer. He took the sonogram out of his pocket and showed Beth and Zach the picture of his and Davia's daughter. Beth pressed her hand over her mouth to fight back tears and Zach gave Daryl a very large slap on the back as a way of showing congratulations.
"Y'all are really going through with it. Can't wait for ya to bring the little princess home. Look you know good and well Beth and Davia are going to immerse the little girl in lace and pink satin, but there isn't any reason we can't teach her to hunt." He told her.
"Don't let Davia hear you say that. That's about as close to blasphemy as you can come. Trust me, I've got plans for our little girl." Daryl said proudly.
"I think it's beyond admirable what you and Davia are doing Daryl. Merle would be happy too." Beth said.
"Could you imagine grumpy old Merle with a little baby girl. Davia and I will be sure to tell her all about Uncle Merle…at least the good parts…when she is old enough." Daryl promised.
"And between Grandpa Hershel and Grandpa Will she is going to be spoiled rotten." Beth replied.
"Reckon she will…but that's OK. She may be the first fucking Dixon that grows up normal." Daryl said honestly.
"Of course she will, look who her parents will be." Beth said, flashing him that adorable smile she had.
The music began to play and Daryl looked over to the table beside where he was sitting with Zach and Beth and noticed Cheryl had made another appearance, but this time it was with one of Merle's old running buddies he hadn't seen in a while. Daryl remembered Merle calling the guy Mitchell, but he was never sure if it was a first or last name.
Cheryl might have well been topless. She had on a halter-top that was completely back less and the front plunged so deeply that if she sneezed her breasts were going to make a very quick appearance. Daryl shook his head and wondered why he had even bothered with the girl. However, she seemed to relish in the attention her date Mitchell gave her as well as the other gawking men within a ten-foot radius. Beth took one look at the girl and just rolled her eyes.
"The girl has no shame." Beth whispered to Daryl and Zach.
"Nope, she's a two bit whore. Glad she ain't my problem no more." Daryl said.
Davia and Brad started off the set with Brad introducing Davia to a hearty round of applause. The two jumped into a duet that everyone loved them to perform "I'm just a fool" by Christina Aguilera and Blake Shelton.
Daryl was so engrossed in Davia's performance he didn't notice Mitchell had slipped up beside him and pulled up a chair. "Dixon it's been a while."
Daryl turned to see the guy at his table and wasn't happy that his space had been invaded. "Yeah it has." Daryl simply responded.
"So what is this I hear about you becoming a pig…I mean cop?" The man taunted.
"Ain't none of your business unless you make it that way. Last time I checked I didn't have to answer to you or anyone else." Davia said.
"That's fair." Mitchell said as he raised his hands in mock surrender.
"What are you doing here tonight? That chick you are with has been with half the men in this town." Daryl said making a reference to Cheryl.
"Don't doubt it one bit, but she looks hot as hell." Mitchell said.
Then Mitch let the shoe drop "And just so you know Dixon, that songbird up there on the stage…she belongs to me. I got her cherry and there ain't a damn thing you can do about it." The guy said sadistically.
"What the fuck?" Daryl said as it hit him. Davia had said it was a guy named "Mitch" in high school that had drugged her and taken her virginity. Daryl connected the dots and without thinking he stood up and thrust himself at the guy, his fists connecting with Mitch's face.
"What you did to her was rape and you fucking know it." Daryl shouted, not noticing that the music around them had stopped and everyone was now paying attention to the two men fighting up at the front of the stage. Davia rushed down to pull Daryl out of the brawl when she noticed whom it was he was fighting with, and when she saw it was Mitch her mouth dropped open. "Oh My God what are you doing here?" She asked.
"I was coming back to get another taste of my songbird and I found out she was fucking a Dixon. Merle was bad enough, but you…you're the little pussy Dixon." Mitch taunted.
Once again, fists were flying and Brad pulled Davia away from the brawl going on in front of them. It was by no means his or Davia's first bar room brawl, but it was the first one that involved people they knew. Within a few minutes the cops showed up and Daryl and Mitch were both handcuffed and taken out to the police cruiser. None other than Shane Walsh was on duty tonight and he almost delighted in taking Daryl into custody. "You can kiss your career in law enforcement good bye after this one Dixon" Shane bellowed.
"Fuck you Walsh. You've wanted this all along, I reckon you got your wish." Daryl said as Shane roughly shoved Daryl in the back of his car. Daryl's face was bruised and his knuckles were bloody, as was his counter part in the fight. Another officer had taken Mitch down to the county lock-up where Daryl was being taken…both men in separate cars.
Meanwhile back at the club Davia was beside herself with fear, anger, and embarrassment. Brad had been doing his best to get her to calm down and Zach and Beth were there for her as well. "How could he do this? He takes his GED tomorrow and I am sure this is going to jeopardize his career. Why would he risk all of that for me?" Davia asked.
Beth answered "Because he loves you and that asshole baited him. I wouldn't put this past Shane Walsh one bit. Don't you find it a little strange that Shane was the first officer to show up on the scene? I know Shane and he never gets anywhere fast. It's almost like he was waiting for this to happen. Didn't you say Shane, Lori, and this Mitch guy all went to school with you?"
"Shit you're right Beth. But that doesn't matter, Daryl still attacked him." Davia said.
"Yeah he deserved it though. The things he said…well they weren't very nice. We all know Daryl has a hair trigger temper." Zach said.
"So what do we do?" Davia asked.
"Y'all stay here and I will go make his bail." Brad told them.
"No Brad…you don't have to do that for us." Davia pleaded.
"Hush Davia, I'm gonna help you out with this and I don't want you complaining. Daryl's always been an upstanding guy and what happened tonight wasn't his fault. I'm gonna take care of it for ya. You don't need to go down to the station and risk seeing that jerk Mitch. Got it?" He said as he reached out and gave Davia a sweet pat on the back.
"Thank you." Was all she could get out.
"Come on Davia we will get you home." Beth said. Zach drove his car and Beth opted to Drive Daryl's truck so Davia wouldn't have to focus on the trip home.
…
Daryl hadn't been at the jail fifteen minutes before he heard the gate to the cell fly open and a VERY angry Rick Grimes.
"What the hell were you thinking Daryl? I have gone out on a limb for you so I can get you on the force and you go and do something completely idiotic like this."
"I'm sorry." Was all Daryl could muster.
Shane was standing out in the hall just outside of the holding cell and Daryl heard him speak "You want me to collect his badge and the keys to the cruiser Rick?"
Rick let out a frustrated breath "No Shane. That won't be necessary. This was…a mistake and it won't happen again. Will it Daryl?" Rick asked.
"No it won't." Daryl said simply.
"But what about charges? Dolgen said he would press charges." Shane said emphatically.
"Well I'm sure when I mention the fact that he has an outstanding warrant he might be willing to compromise. This goes away, on both parts." Rick said emphatically.
"Rick you can't be serious. You're gonna just let him walk on this like nothing happened?" Shane lamented.
"Shane you need to drop it. The last time I checked fucking your fellow Superior officer's wife was also grounds for dismissal and I let that slide, so keep you damn mouth shut and let me handle this." Rick scolded.
Finally Shane stormed off and left Daryl and Rick alone. "Daryl you listen to me. You are going to take that exam tomorrow and you are going to pass it. Then you are going to bust your ass at the academy and graduate with honors. I need you on this force and I am taking a big leap of faith bringing you on. So this is your one mistake. You so much as glance sideways at anyone while you are on your probationary period I will end this mission immediately. Are we clear?" Rick stated.
"We're clear." Daryl said embarrassed at the chastising that Rick just gave him, but relieved that he hadn't lost his opportunity to pursue his career in law enforcement.
"…And Rick, Thanks". Rick nodded tersely as he opened the door and let Daryl out of the cell. When Daryl made his way to the main lobby of the police station he was surprised to see Brad out there waiting for him.
"Figured you could use a ride." Brad said as he and Daryl went out to Brad's truck so Brad could take Daryl home. Daryl had a lot to process and a lot of apologizing to do to everyone for his actions. He couldn't believe that he let the weasel get to him like that, but what Mitch had done to Davia all those years ago was inexcusable and Daryl needed to deal with the guy…the right way. One thing for sure, Mitch would definitely be on Daryl's radar for the foreseeable future.
Y'all I'm sick as a dog and would love some good feedback. I haven't had a lot in the previous chapters and I think people are getting bored with the story. So let me know.
That being said, stay warm!
Hugs and Kisses-
Missy