This one's a bit rocky again, but as usual, trust me and have faith;-) Haven't let you down yet, right? Well, except for the ones who unfollowed lately, but I hope the rest of you will know things will be alright in the long run:) Enjoy.
I am using a couple of lines from the show in this one, so time to say that nothing is mine except for the Robertsons.
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Two days later it was Monday and Daryl was happy to be able to return to work and have things go back to normal. Teddy was relieved as well to get their everyday normalcy back and have that Sandra-girl out of their lives.
On her lunch break she drove into town to get a bite to eat, but she got distracted when she saw Merle walking into the bakery. Making a quick decision she pulled into the empty parking spot right in front of it. She got out and leaned against the passenger side door and waited for Merle to come back out, which he did about 3 minutes later with a big paper cup full of coffee in his right, bandaged-up, hand.
"Hey Merle."
"Well look at that. Come to apologize for tryin' ta poison me?" Merle snarled at her with a dark look on his face.
"Your brother ate two whole slices of that thing and lived to tell the tale, so man up and quit bitching."
"That don't quite sound like an apology ta me, princess." Merle growled while he stepped closer.
"That's probably because it isn't." she shrugged nonchalantly.
"Ya know what, girlie? You are damn lucky that I ain't none of them damn woman beaters or you'd be in big fucking trouble. Ya don't wanna mess with ol' Merle." he told her while he took another step towards her, getting up in her personal space.
"You don't scare me, Merle. And just so you know, if something goes missing in my parents' house or the practice or should anything happen to them, you can be damn sure that the cops will haul you in for questioning first and that they will drag your ass right back to jail."
Merle's posture changed and he took a step back, his shoulders slumping with the sigh that left his body. "Damn, girlie. Knew you were smart, but I didn't think you'd figure me out that quickly."
"You weren't very subtle, Merle. You might have Daryl fooled, because he still wants to believe in the good in you, but it was blatantly obvious that you didn't come to us out of the sheer niceness of your heart." Teddy explained while she watched him scratch his head and shifting his weight nervously. Her gaze wandered to the dirty, blood-stained bandage on his hand. "What happened there?"
He followed her gaze to see what she meant and shrugged, "Bar fight."
"Come with me." she pushed herself off of her car and walked to the driver's side. "Get in. Come on, I don't have all day."
Merle still hesitated and looked at her questioningly. Teddy sighed deeply when she noticed he was still standing there unmoving.
"Look, no matter what, Daryl loves you. Despite everything, he loved your father and he just lost him. I'm not gonna make him lose you too by letting you get a goddamn infection, alright? So get in the car, Merle."
Merle finally moved and got in the car. If she was gonna check his wound, he might get some prescription painkillers out of her, that was his main motivation to go with her.
Teddy drove them back to the empty practice and led him into her office.
"Take a seat over there." she told him, motioning towards the exam table while she went to wash her hands. "And take of that bandage, please."
Merle did as he was told and when he was done Teddy came over to take a look at his palm. Her eyes widened when she saw the dark red flesh and the crooked zig-zaggy line of black thread that was holding the two skin flaps together.
"Holy shit, did you stitch this up yourself?"
"Yeah, done it a thousand times. Never been a problem." Merle waved her off and winced when she carefully felt around the wound with her fingers.
"This time it is a problem, because it's infected. Good thing I ran into you today and caught this early on. Alright, I'm gonna numb this and then I'll take those stitches out, clean the wound and stitch it up right. You'll get antibiotics for treating the infection and in about two weeks you come over and I'll take these things out." Teddy said and had kind of a deja-vu. She had been in this situation before, just that it had been Daryl and the cut had been on his shoulder. Merle just nodded and got comfortable while Teddy prepared everything. He would never admit it, but he was glad that it would get taken care of. With his probation officer watching him constantly it would have been hard to score some pills out on the street.
"So I assume this is a pro-bono thing? 'Cause I ain't got no money ta pay ya, sugar."
"Of course it is." Teddy murmured while she went to work. "So tell me, what's going on? You need money?"
"Yeah. Owe some people." Merle didn't see the sense in beating around the bush. She had figured it out anyway.
"How much?"
"Ten grand."
"Jesus fucking Christ, Merle! You've been out two weeks, how did you get into so much trouble already?"
"I didn't. I'm tryin' actually ta get things in order. Don't wanna go back to the big house. This is a debt from before I went in. People found out I got released, now they want their money. Ain't got the money, so I gotta find a way ta get it and that don't help in leadin' a trouble-free life, if ya know what I mean." Merle told her, his voice sounding weary, a little defeated even, and for once Teddy believed him.
"Robbing my parents isn't the solution, Merle. You'll just get in more trouble and you'll definitely end back up in jail. Did you find a job yet?"
"Nope. People in this town ain't exactly jumpin' at the chance ta hire me."
"Maybe you gotta start looking outside of Jasper."
"And take the bus to work and back home everyday? Nah, thanks."
"You can't have it all, Merle. Nobody can. So those people you owe the money to, I figure they aren't your nice little bookies from next door?"
"Not exactly."
"Okay, this might sound like a stupid question to you, but humor me. Is there any way to pay them back in increments? Like a payment plan?"
"You're funny, princess." Merle scoffed and shook his head with a humorless smile. "But it don't work like that."
Teddy nodded and kept working in silence for a while. When she finished tying the last knot she looked back up at him. "You really trying to turn over a new leaf?"
"Yeah. Kinda have to. Don't want to go back ta jail. And Daryl was kinda right. Your daddy was right. Thought about it long and hard. They ain't the ones alienating me. I'm doin' that jus' fine all by myself."
"But why? Why do you keep picking on Daryl so hard for wanting and now actually having a family? You can be part of that family, too, you know?"
"I know, I know. What I don't know is, why I keep doin' it. Jus' don't know. It's a damn mystery, even ta me. Guess I simply don't know how ta be part of a family. Daryl's always been different. Don't know how he was able to keep that part of him alive."
"He's sensitive. Underneath that tough redneck exterior he is very sensitive and emotional. He was able to hold on to his dreams all these years. Maybe that's what helped him through everything and what helped him get his act together four years ago, when he stopped just drifting around with you."
"He told you about that, huh? Almost got killed that one time, after that he turned things around."
"I know. Why didn't you?"
"Jus' didn't."
"But you're ready now?"
"I guess,... even if I ain't, don't really got no choice in the matter."
Teddy nodded and put a fresh bandage on Merle's hand. "I might be able to help you."
Merle's eyes snapped up to her face and he looked at her in disbelief. "You gon' give me the money?"
"Maybe. I might be able to come up with it, gotta talk to someone else first."
"Pffff, who? Yer daddy?" he spat with a shake of his head, making Teddy cock her eyebrow.
"Really, Merle? You wanna bite the hand that offers you food? Guess I was right, it is a bad idea."
"No, no, no, princess, come on. Just joking around. Now tell me, why would ya help me out?"
"Because everyone deserves a chance. If Daryl still believes in you, then I'll give you a chance and believe in you, too. Also, I think you know by now, that you better not try to pull a fast one on me. If I help you and you fuck me over, I will fuck you over and have your ass send back to jail without thinking about it twice."
"Sounds fair." Merle said after thinking about it for a moment. "How would this go down?"
"I might have a job for you. Or more precisely, I know someone who might have a job for you. If he is willing to give you the job, I will come up with the money for you and you will pay me back, a little bit every month until your debt is paid off."
"What kind of job?"
"Farm hand. Ever done farm work before?"
"Yeah. I used to help out around farms 'round here when I was younger. Wouldn't be the worst job, I guess. Always paid well."
"It's hard work. You won't get paid for sitting on your ass."
"Might take some getting' used to again, but guess I could do it. Ain't a delicate little flower." Merle grinned, making Teddy laugh a little.
"No, you certainly are not."
"Why you helpin' me? Yesterday ya tried ta poison me and today ya wanna gimme ten grand?" Merle was a little wary about her motives in all of this.
"I love your brother, Merle. More than anything in the world. He deserves all the good things on this planet and I wanna help him make his dreams come true. I wanna give him everything he wants and make him happy. What Daryl wants most in life is a family. And he loves you and wants you to be part of that family. He wants you to be able to be there for family dinner and share stupid stories over a glass of whiskey after you've eaten, but it can't happen if this shit gets in the way. It can't happen if you actually break into my parents' home and steal their shit. I would do anything for Daryl and I am willing to help you in order to get you to better yourself and become a part of the family. But you have to work for it. You have to show some respect and don't piss on every hand that reaches out, tries to make a connection or help you. And most importantly: No fucking lies."
"Hm, I might'a been wrong 'bout you princess. Ain't such a bitch after all."
"Oh, I am. If Daryl's happiness is at stake, I will be the biggest bitch on the planet. You can bet your ass on that." Teddy smiled and gave him some antibiotics to last him a week. "Now give me your number so I can call you about that job and everything else. Daryl doesn't have to know about this for now, okay?"
"Sure thing, sugar." Merle nodded and took her phone from her and punched his number into her contacts.
"Alright. Take those pills for a week. If it gets worse, come in and see me, alright? Don't need to lose your hand. You're gonna need it on the farm."
"A'ight. I'll be expecting yer call then." Merle grabbed his coffee and pills and strolled towards the door with his usual swagger, but he stopped before he went through. "Thank for patchin' me up, bitch." he grinned.
"You're welcome, dick face." she replied with a sickly sweet smile. They shared a little laugh before Merle left the office and Teddy cleaned up. Maybe all hope wasn't lost for Merle, she thought. It might be a big mistake to help him, but she would make sure to have some insurance, so if he was trying to rip her off, she would be able to let him suffer some consequences.
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As soon as Gerald came back in from his lunch break, Teddy had followed him into his office and had told him about her encounter with Merle and about what she was planning on doing.
"Maggie said that they desperately need help on the farm and that Hershel's been looking for a farm hand. I think we should let Hershel and Merle meet and see if he would hire him. If he does, we give Merle the money he needs and he pays us back every month, as much as he can afford. If he acts up, Hershel can fire him, Merle violates his probation and goes back to jail, as easy as that." Teddy explained her plan to her father, who was listening with widened eyes.
"And in that case we lose up to ten thousand dollars..."
"I know, that is kind of the big risk factor of that whole plan." Teddy acknowledged the kink in her plan.
"I don't know, Teddy. I'm all for helping him out IF he is being genuine, but what if he isn't? It's a lot of money to just hand out to someone who has a history of being unstable and unreliable."
"I know, but what other way is there to help him? It's not like he can pay those loan sharks back in monthly payments. And I don't think he'll get a lot of work done with smashed knee caps."
"Teddy, you watch too much television." Gerald shook his head laughingly.
"Maybe, but I also got a bit of mom's crazy in me."
"Obviously. You wanna give Merle Dixon ten thousand dollars." Gerald deadpanned. "Maybe I should have you tested."
"Might not be a bad idea. No, but seriously, Dad. What are we gonna do? Do you have a better idea? He seemed genuine this time. He does not want to go back to jail, I believe him."
"Alright, let's talk to Maggie and Hershel. But you are not gonna give him the money out of your own account. If you do that all your savings are gone. If we lose the money it will hurt your mother and I way less than it would hurt your finances. Your mother sold some of her artwork lately as you know, so we have it to spare. We were gonna give it to charity anyway, this will just be another kind of charity. But we will have our lawyer draw up some kind of agreement for him to sign. If he really means to turn his life around, it shouldn't be a big deal for him to give us some reassurance."
"Sounds like a good plan. You're the best, Dad." Teddy smiled and leaned over the desk and kissed his cheek. Their plan was fleshed out, now it was back to work for both of them, before they could talk to the Greenes.
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Teddy and Billy left for Seattle two days later, so it was Gerald who drove Merle out to Hershel's farm, which was located on the outskirts of Ellijay, a thirty minute drive from Jasper.
Gerald was surprised that Merle was calm and civil during the drive. They didn't talk about the money, but they talked about sports, Merle's experience in the military and things that were on the news these days. What didn't surprise Gerald was, that Merle was smart as a whip, just like Daryl. He actually had some pretty good insight on things. It was a shame, if those two boys would have had another kind of upbringing, who knew what kinds of great things they would have achieved by now.
Merle was doing a very good job at covering up how anxious he was. He really needed the money and he really needed that job as well. His P.O. had been on his ass about the whole job thing. If he wouldn't find a job soon, he would be in violation of his parole conditions and would have to go back to jail.
"Almost there." Gerald said while he turned the car left onto a gravel-covered road which served as a very long driveway up to Hershel Greene's farmhouse. Merle took everything in with sharp eyes.
"Nice little set-up they have here." he muttered.
"It's beautiful out here. Maybe one day my wife and I will settle down in an environment like this. She always wanted to live on a farm. Of course when she says that she has something like straight out of that tv show 'Dallas' in mind and not this." Gerald laughed and Merle shook his head with a grin.
"That's women for ya." he had to admit, that Gerald seemed to be alright. No wonder that his little brother had clung on to that family this quickly. Seemed like this whole judging-people-thing went both ways. They had judged him and his family and he and his family had judged them, thinking of them as rich pricks, that think they are better than everybody else. That they were willing to stick their necks out for him, had him impressed.
Gerald parked in front of the house, while the porch filled up with people that were coming out of the house. Merle got out of the car and walked towards them unafraid. He wasn't shy like his brother, he didn't have a problem with being the new guy.
"Ya gotta be Hershel, the farmer." He said loudly while he walked straight up to the eldest Greene, before Gerald was able to make formal introductions.
"And you must be the black sheep, Merle." Hershel countered with a smirk, the expression mostly hidden by his big white beard. Hershel had dealt with all kinds of people during his life and he knew just how to take men like Merle. You gotta take them the way they are without pulling the strict-card right away. Merle scoffed lightly and shook hands with the older man, while Gerald greeted Maggie with a hug and nodded a hello to Beth and Shawn.
"Gerald, if you would be so kind and take a look at Maggie? She hasn't been feeling very well today. I will take Merle to my office, so we can have a little chat." Hershel said, putting his hand on Merle's shoulder and leading him inside the house.
"No problem. I'll get my bag out of the car, head on inside sweetheart, I'll meet you there." Gerald told Maggie smilingly and went back to the car, while Hershel and Merle disappeared into the vet's office.
"I take it you got released from prison a short while ago?"
"Two weeks ago, yeah. Got released early, was a model prisoner." Merle wore his trademark grin.
"But you haven't been a model citizen until now." Hershel countered, making the grin on Merle's face falter.
"Guess not." he admitted sheepishly.
"Found this in the attic a while ago." Hershel said while he held up a bible. "Lost more than the Good Book there for a while. Lost my way." He told Merle and took a long look at the man's bandaged right hand, before going on. "And if your right hand offends you, cut it off and cast it from you. For it is profitable that one of your members should perish,-"
"Than that that thy whole body should be cast into hell. Matthew 5:29 and 30." Merle finished with a wry smile. If Hershel was surprised, he didn't let it on. "They had a damn fine library in that prison. Only thing I miss about it."
Hershel chuckled at that, finding it funny that the prison library appealed more to Merle than the library in Jasper.
"Don't know if I lost ma way." Merle kept going. "Can't lose something ya never found."
"Maybe we can help you with that. Maybe getting out of your old environment will be a step in the right direction. There's a lot of work to be done here, not many distractions. I can put you to good use here. You have experience, you are strong, know your way around a farm. You saw the little cabin out there by the wheat field when you drove up with Gerald?"
"Yes Sir."
"That would be yours for as long as you work for me. You are welcome to have all meals with us here, but of course if you prefer to cook for yourself, the cabin has a fully functioning little kitchen. I pay well, 20 dollars per hour and I provide health insurance. Not the best, admittedly, but it should cover anything that happens here on the farm pretty well. I've had good experiences with them in the past. You get paid every Friday. You might have to work on the weekends a couple of times, but I will ensure that your evenings are free so you can spend them however you see fit. No drugs on this farm, but I understand you would get in trouble for that anyway, wouldn't you?"
"Yes Sir. I am required to stay sober and take meetings."
"You will certainly get time off for those meetings, I will make sure of that. Having been there myself, I know how important they are. I think the two of us will get along fine. I think there is some mutual respect here, right off the bat. I think this might work out. If you want it, the job is yours." Hershel offered.
"I want it."
"Good, let's shake on it." Hershel held his hand out and while they shook he kept talking. "Now let's go out there and introduce you to the rest of the family and we'll show you around."
Merle was relieved, he finally had a job and one he could actually live with. It was good and honest work and maybe Hershel was right, maybe he would find a better way to live here, a good 30 miles away from his home town. He would only return to Jasper to see Daryl every now and then or his brother could visit, whatever would work out best.
"How do you need the money, son? Cash?" Gerald asked when they were on their way back to Jasper, after having stayed for dinner on the farm.
"Yeah. You just gon' give it ta me? Jus' like that?"
"Of course not, but I guess you already figured that out. Teddy believes in you Merle, she was willing to give all of her savings for you and you better not let her down. It's a lot of money to just hand out, so we had our lawyer draw up an agreement, kind of like a contract of sorts."
"Right. I pay ya back or I go back to the big house."
"Exactly. You have to sign that you will do anything to keep your employment with Hershel and pay us back in monthly increments or you will turn yourself in for fraud."
"Right, I figured you'd do something like that. But if I go back to jail, you lose that money for sure. If I stay out of jail, I can still find ways to pay you back." Merle argued.
"That might be true, but I'd rather lose that money, than have you go back to your old ways, Merle. You need to stay out of trouble, not just for you, but for your brother, too. You know Billy and Maggie are getting married in a couple of weeks, they have a baby on the way."
"Yeah, so?"
"So, in a couple of years that could be Teddy and Daryl. They might get married, they might have kids, start a family. Wouldn't you want to be a part of that? Be a part of your nephew's or niece's life? I'm sure Daryl wants you to. Therefore you need to better yourself and lead an honest life."
"It's really all about Daryl, ain't it?" Merle said, a hint of bitterness in his voice.
"Daryl's become like a son to me, Merle. I'll go a long way to make sure he is protected from bad things. Things like you dying out on the street because a drug deal went bad or something like that. I don't know you, yet. At least not a lot of you, but I can tell that you actually have a good head on your shoulders, just like your brother. You just need some help in getting it screwed back on right. And we will help you with that and if in order for that to happen you need ten thousand dollars, then you need ten thousand dollars. Now the question is: Will you sign that piece of paper?"
Merle took a moment, the whole agreement thing didn't sit well with him, but of course he'd already guessed that the Robertson's would do something like that. He wasn't surprised, but still, it was a big commitment and he had never been good with those. He had people counting on him now and it made him real nervous. But he didn't have any choice, he would have to sign it in order to move on with his life.
"Yeah. I'll sign it." he finally agreed.
"Good. Get everything settled with your P.O. and then come see me in my office after. Tomorrow okay for you?"
"Yeah, I'm free." Merle nodded, before he scooted lower in his seat and looked out the window, silently processing everything that would be happening from now on.
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Daryl was relieved when the phone rang, right when he came back from work Thursday afternoon. Teddy had left the previous day with Billy and had only sent him a quick text at night to say that they had landed okay. He was worried about her, that whole trip was bound to make her sad and he kind of regretted not having gone with her to be there for her.
"Hey girl." he greeted her, waiting anxiously to hear her voice so he could gauge in what kind of mood she was.
"Hey, baby." he could hear her smile, but her voice wasn't as bubbly as it usually was.
"How are things?" he asked while he busied himself by fixing himself a coffee.
"Gosh, don't ask. I should have come alone. It was a mistake to take Billy." he heard her sigh deeply and he could just picture her raking her hand through her hair in frustration.
"Why?"
"He had a little melt down. I should have thought of that. He's gonna be a father soon, Daryl,... standing at Milo's grave, he just freaked out. He's scared as hell that it's gonna happen to his child now."
"What did you say to him when he freaked?" Daryl asked curiously, settling himself on the couch with his coffee.
"I told him that he can't think like that. That it's rare for kids these days to die just like that. That he shouldn't focus on being afraid..."
"Mhm..." Daryl grunted. "Little hypocritical, don't cha think?"
"Daryl..."
"You don't believe that yerself, so why lie to your brother?"
"Stop. What was I supposed to say? Yes, Billy, be afraid, be very very afraid? Don't be like that Daryl, we can't have the same talk over and over again. I told you I'd think about it. I didn't call to fight."
"Sorry, you're right. How are you feelin'? Doin' okay?"
"Yeah. Little sad, but that's to be expected."
"Sure is." Daryl agreed and took a sip of his coffee. "Miss me?" he grinned slightly, deciding to lighten up the mood a little.
"As much as it rains over here." she giggled, repeating what she had told him for the first time months ago.
"Good. Miss ya, too. Hate it when yer gone."
"Me, too. Oh hey, before I forget. My mom will be over in a few. Rosario made apple pie and my mom told her to make an extra one for you, because you like it so much, so she's bringing it over so you can have some for dessert after dinner."
"I'd rather have you for dessert, but I guess pie will do." he rasped into the phone, making his voice low on purpose, knowing it made her hot.
"You couldn't have me for dessert even if I'd be there." Teddy reminded him with a laugh, covering up that he had her whole nether regions quivering.
"Still on yer damn rag? Fuck, still gon' be on it when ya get back?"
"Since I'm already gonna come back tomorrow, yes. No funny business for another couple of days."
"When ya coming back exactly?"
"I'll be going straight to work from the airport. Gotta help Daddy out, he's worked himself ragged in the past couple of weeks. I'll probably be in the office around eleven, take a couple of patients before lunch and I'll be home at my usual time at night."
"Good." his head whipped around when he heard a knock on the door. "Yer momma's here. Talk ta ya later?"
"Yeah, I'll call again before you go to bed. Love you, baby."
"Same." he smiled before he hung up and opened the door. "Hey."
"Hello, sweetheart. I'm bringing you some pie. Did Teddy tell you?"
"Yeah, just got off the phone with her."
"Oh, good. I am so glad I did not go with them. I would have had a heart attack with all those plane troubles they had." Bernadette launched into her usual chatter and greeted Roxy, while Daryl gaped at her and almost dropped the phone that was still in his hand.
"Plane troubles? What the fuck? Teddy didn't say anything about that!" Daryl's blood pressure started rising as anger and worry bubbled up inside of him.
"Really? I'm surprised. They had quite a bit of turbulence. One of those motor thingies didn't work and they had to land in Omaha and board another plane. Oh she probably didn't want to worry you, you know how Teddy is. Did you have dinner already? No, it's still early. What are you gonna have? Rosario is making a brisket for us tonight, uuuhhh Roxy, I'm sure there will be some yummy leftovers for you, my sweet girl." Bernadette kept talking and talking, not noticing how tense Daryl had become. He was gritting his teeth and clenching his wrists, not knowing whether he should strangle his girl or drive over there and crush her to his chest and never let her go again, at least not until they were safely back in Jasper.
"Are you alright? Oh honey, don't worry. Those things happen. They are fine. Now what did you say you were gonna have for dinner?"
"Uhm, throwing a steak in the skillet." Daryl replied absently.
"That sounds great, but you know, you could still have dinner with us." Bernadette offered.
"Nah, I'm pretty beat. I'll just eat and prolly go to bed right after. But thanks." he declined politely, not wanting her to think he didn't want to spend time with them.
"You look tired. It's the heat, isn't it? It's bad right now. Gerald and I are tired too at the end of the night. Oh well, honey, I won't keep you then. Just wanted to bring you the pie." she rubbed his bare arm, something Daryl was used to by now, and smiled. "Have a nice night, sweetheart. I'll see you soon."
"Yeah, you too." he walked her to the door and was about to open it for her, when he remembered something. "Wait, I wanted ta ask ya something. Don't get to see ya alone a lot, without Teddy I mean."
"What is it, dear?"
"I know it's still two months away, but I been wracking ma brain for a while now and can't come up with anythin'..."
"Oh you mean her birthday?"
"Yeah. I keep payin' attention, but she never really says anythin' bout wantin' something special, so I just don't know..."
Bernadette smiled and fought off the urge to hug him. He was just adorable and such a good boyfriend. "Daryl, don't you worry about getting her anything. The only thing Teddy wants is for you to love her. All she wants is you and your love and it looks like she's already got that in spades. Doesn't she?"
Daryl blushed and looked up at her from under his too long bangs while he nodded. "Yeah."
"See? You're already giving her what she wants, don't worry about a big present. Pastries for breakfast in bed, maybe, she always loved that when she was younger. Of course there's still another way to give yourself to her as a present, right?" Bernadette winked and giggled at her own version of a dirty joke, while Daryl blushed even more.
"Guess I'll come up with something." Daryl stammered. Bernadette laughed and kissed one of his hot cheeks before she told him goodbye and left. Daryl had hoped for some more insight on what he could give Teddy, but now he was still standing at square one, just more embarrassed than before.
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Daryl gave Teddy hell on the phone for not telling him about the plane trouble and it took almost an hour for her to talk him out of driving to Seattle and pick her up himself. She wanted to strangle her mother for blabbing to Daryl. She had told her not to tell him, but obviously she had chosen to overhear that part. She promised him to text him the minute she was able to, as soon as she had landed safely.
The next day around 10 am Daryl kept checking his phone every two minutes, even though he had it on vibrate and would feel as soon as a text would be sent to his phone. At 10.28 am he finally got what he'd been waiting for.
"I'm back and on my way to work. See you tonight."
But Daryl couldn't wait until tonight. He decided to surprise her on her lunch break. They were off for lunch at the same time, so it would work out nicely. He picked up two subs from the sandwich place and drove over there with Roxy to save some time.
Teddy literally jumped him when he came into her office with Roxy in tow. Daryl caught her with ease, gripping the backs of her thighs while she wrapped her long legs around him and her arms around his neck. They didn't even notice Roxy bouncing around them in a circle, happy to see Teddy, as well, while their mouths met and melted into a deep, passionate kiss.
"Ya gotta promise me ta not leave town without me for at least a year." Daryl panted against her lips when they parted to draw some air into their lungs.
"Promise. Won't leave without you. Never again. It sucks to be apart." Teddy agreed, before they started kissing again for a couple of minutes.
"Hungry?" Daryl asked after letting Teddy down again.
"I'm starving. What did you get?" she asked when she noticed his empty hands.
Daryl looked around in confusion, clearly remembering bringing the bag inside with him. His eyes landed on Roxy who was laying next to the desk, the shredded plastic bag and the paper the sandwiches had been wrapped in surrounding her, while she chewed on Daryl's and Teddy's lunch. Daryl had dropped the bag and forgotten all about it while he and Teddy had kissed. Now their lunch was gone.
"Guess I can't really fault her for that, right?" he asked while he scratched his head.
"Not really. Probably thought it was for her when it dropped to the floor. Oh well..."
"Want me to get something else?" he asked, but she shook her head and walked over to her desk.
"No, I have some power bars in my drawer. That will have to suffice. Here, take two, you need it more than me." She smiled while she handed them to him.
"Still got enough for yourself?"
"Yes, I do. Go ahead and eat them." she told him while she unwrapped hers. Daryl first cleaned up the mess Roxy had made and threw it in the trash can before he sat down and unwrapped one of the bars Teddy had given him.
"Had a good flight? No trouble this time?"
"All good. Honey? There's something we should talk about." she said a little hesitantly, making Daryl freeze.
"Like what?"
"It's about Merle."
"Merle?" That made him frown. Why the hell would she wanna talk about him now? "What about him?"
"You know how it was weird that he was asking all these questions about my parents?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Well, I had a theory and on Monday on my break, I ran into him by accident and I asked him about it and he confirmed that I had been right."
"Right about what?"
"He needs money and he wanted to break into my parents' house to steal their shit and sell it." Teddy told him and felt bad when she saw his eyes widen in shock. Obviously Daryl had not thought about that.
"Are you fucking serious? Nah come on, Teddy-"
"He told me, Daryl. It's true. He owes people money. From before he went to prison. They heard about him being released early and apparently paid him a visit."
"Shit. Why didn't he tell me? I could have helped him. I always helped him out. Why would he plan that shit?"
"Honey, because you can't help him out with this,... but I can."
"No." Daryl stated firmly.
"Yes. It's already taken care of."
"What the fuck? You gave him money? You did this behind ma back?" Daryl's voice rose in volume. He didn't want to believe that she would do that and keep it from him. She had told him not to help Merle out anymore and then she did that.
"Hear me out before you keep on yelling. Please. I talked to him a while. He had a wound that needed sutures and while I stitched him up we talked. He needs to turn his life around, that's part of his parole, but he also wants to do it this time. Unfortunately the past came back to bite him in the ass, forcing him into doing illegal shit again. He needed that money to get those people off his back, before he could start over. You know, now with Maggie pregnant, Hershel needs even more help on the farm. My dad got Hershel and Merle together on Wednesday and he hired him as a farmhand. Him getting a steady job was the condition for us giving him the money. He will live out there on the farm in his own little cabin and he will pay us back the money we gave him. He signed an official agreement. If he fucks up, he goes back to jail. "
Daryl didn't know what to say. His mind was completely blown. He didn't know if he should be angry or happy, he was just speechless.
"I know what I said, about not helping him out, I know what this must look like to you and I'm sorry I didn't say anything sooner. I just wanted to wait and see if the whole job thing would work out. He got a million chances from you over the years, he fucked it up, but you still believe in him, that he can be good. I saw a glimpse of it on Monday. My dad saw a glimpse of it on Wednesday. We're gonna give him one chance and one chance only. We gave him the chance to get rid of those things that hindered him in starting over. Now he's got a clean slate and he can prove that he means it when he says he wants to be better."
"I don't fucking get it. Whaddaya want me ta say here? Thanks?"
"No, of course not. You don't have to say anything. It's all said and done anyway. Merle is paying his debt today and he is moving out to the farm on the weekend." Teddy told him and watched him with a sinking feeling in her stomach when he scoffed and shook his head in disbelief.
"How much?"
"That's not important."
"How fucking much, Theodora?" he growled in a dangerously low voice, that barely sounded human anymore. Teddy's eyes widened and she swallowed hard. Never before had he used her whole name, which made her realize that he was steaming mad at her.
"Ten thousand dol-" she didn't even get to finish. Daryl got up and punched the wall hard in anger before storming right out of her office.
"DARYL!" she yelled after him, but he was already out the front door and sprinting to his truck, phone in hand.
"Where are you?" he barked into the phone as soon as Merle had picked up.
"At Jason's. Why?"
"I'm coming over." he told him and hung up, stepping harder on the gas pedal than he should. It wasn't even that he was mad at Teddy for hiding this from him for days and he was mad at Merle for even letting her do this, for using her like that. He knew Merle was a charmer if he wanted to be, Teddy maybe just lost her head for a moment, but he would be damned if he would let his brother fuck her over.
Merle didn't stand a chance. As soon as he had opened the door, the freight train called Daryl had him pushed up against the wall, his forearm pressed firmly against Merle's throat.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing taking her money?" he growled and pressed against Merle's throat a little harder.
"Had ta do it." Merle wheezed. "Was too good ta pass up. Look, she gets it back. I signed some shit. It's on the table. Take a look."
Daryl released him and tore the piece up paper from the table and skimmed it.
"It's her daddy's money, anyway." Merle coughed and rubbed his throat. "I got a job. They're getting it back, baby bro. No need to go Rambo on me."
"And I'm s'pposed ta believe that? After all ya put me through? Nah, you jus' took her money so you can take it and run, because ya know damn well, that she's gonna kick ma ass back out on the street for that. She'll end up hating me, because I somehow made her believe she could help you. That's what ya want, ain't it? That I come running back ta you?" Daryl was seething, his true fear coming through.
"Ain't like that. I fucking signed that I'd turn maself in for fraud. Think I would do that if I wanted ta rip them off?"
"Oh fuck you, Merle. Like you would turn yerself in. You'd just run and hide and lay low until shit blew over. Ya always do. Ya just wanna ruin this fer me. Admit it. It's what ya do."
"Won't believe me anyway, no matter what I say now, right lil brother? Ain't gonna admit nothing, 'cause there ain't nothin' to admit. I'm packin' ma shit up right now. Gonna have her daddy drive me out to the farm with all ma things tomorrow. I'll prove it to you, I mean it this time."
"You better do." Daryl let the piece of paper fall back onto the table and got in Merle's face again. "I'll drive ya out there tomorrow and I swear to fucking God, if ya fuck this up, I'll beat yer ass into the ground before I deliver ya to the cops personally." he shoved Merle once again for good measure and shot him a hard look while he walked out of the house. He had to go back to work, before he got fired for slacking off.
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"Daryl?" Teddy called out carefully when she came home that night. She had Roxy with her, because Daryl had forgotten to take her with him when he'd stormed out. Billy had picked her up and taken her to his apartment until Teddy was done at work.
"Kitchen." came his curt reply.
"Hey." she smiled nervously, while he seemingly let his frustrations out on some zucchini, hacking them to pieces with a big knife.
"You gotta talk to me bout shit, girl. We talked about this. It's that damn abortion pill all over again."
"It was not an abortion pill."
"That ain't even the point. Do ya know what it feels like to find out about this shit? That ya do this behind ma back? Why the fuck didn't ya tell me?" his voice was softer and more high-pitched than usual, showing that now he was more hurt than angry.
"I don't know, it was stupid. I just wanted to take care of this. Solve the problem without you having to do anything this time. I wanted to take care of this for you."
"Don't! That wasn't even remotely about me! That was you playing fucking hero or some shit."
"I just wanted to help. I know that you want him in your life, Daryl. What do you think would have happened if he had robbed my parents? They would have sent him back to jail and he would have been gone again, probably for years and years."
"He'll be gone now, too."
"No, he won't be. He will be out of Jasper, but you will be able to go see him, have a beer with him or whatever. He can come visit us, he has the chance to make a life for himself now. Isn't that what you wanted for him?"
"Maybe it was, but I thought we agreed that he had to do it by himself. You were the one who told me not to help him out this time."
"I know. I fucked up, okay? I should have told you right away. I'm sorry, but I don't think that helping him out was a mistake. I won't apologize for that. Maybe later if it turns out that it was all just one of his schemes, yeah then I'll be sorry for sure and you can say I told you so a million times then. But my dad said that Merle and Hershel hit it off, that they have some kind of understanding or something. I think this might actually work, Daryl. My dad wouldn't have given him the money otherwise."
"It ain't even 'bout the fucking money, Teddy. It's about you and me. Do you get that? You're the one person I'm supposed ta trust without thinking twice about it. And I can't help feeling fucking betrayed when ya hide things from me. First the plane thing and then this? Don't do it again. And I mean it. If I can't trust ya, I can't be with ya. Tell me shit right away, is all I'm asking. If that's asking too much, I guess we're through." he told her point blank. It would kill him to break up with her, but he needed to be able to trust her.
Teddy swallowed hard, her whole world was spinning around her. She hadn't meant for him to feel that way at all, she had just wanted to help and make him happy. Obviously she had chosen the wrong way to do it.
"What's it gonna be, Doc? Am I asking too much of ya?" he asked, staring at her hard with his hands stemmed into his lean hips.
"No." Teddy whispered. "I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you in any way. Quite the opposite."
"But ya did. Not a fucking child, I'm a grown man, I can handle the truth. Ain't gotta keep things from me, don't need ya babying me. This stops now, ya hear me?"
Teddy nodded mutely, almost jumping out of her skin when he started yelling.
"Answer me, damnit!"
"Yes. I promise." Tears started to spill out of her eyes and she had to bite her tongue to keep the sobs in.
"Good." Daryl grumbled and turned his back on her. "Now sit yer ass down. Dinner's ready."
Teddy wasn't hungry, but she didn't dare object. A plate was placed in front of her and she almost gagged. It was eggplant, zucchini and bell peppers in some kind of sauce on rice. All things she hated.
"Dig in." Daryl told her and when she looked up at him, she saw a shimmer of satisfaction in his eyes. Her expression must have pleased him.
"Daryl..."
"What? Oh right, ya don't like this stuff, do ya? Must'a slipped ma mind."
"You're punishing ME with food now?"
"It's kind of our thing, ain't it? Instead of beatin' each other up like my momma and pa used ta, we punish each other by letting the other eat crappy food. Way better than their way, don't ya think?"
"I guess."
"Eat up." he pointed at her plate and then up to her mouth in a sweeping motion, before he took his own spoon into his hand, watching her intently while he began to eat from his plate.
Teddy took a deep breath and pushed the spoon into the veggies, scooping it up with some rice. She put it in her mouth and started chewing. She was already shuddering, it felt like the food in her mouth was growing in volume with every chew and she couldn't bring herself to swallow it. She slapped a hand over her mouth, forcing the food to stay inside. She squeezed her eyes shut and started to swallow it, having to work hard at accomplishing the task. Not only was she really not hungry, but she wasn't kidding about being a picky eater. When she couldn't stand something, she literally couldn't eat it. She felt like she was going to suffocate on the damn rice and she quickly gulped down some water.
"Okay, stop. Stop." Daryl told her after the fourth mouthful had gone down, seeing that she really was torture. "Come here." he reached for her hands and when she had stood up from her chair he dragged her around the table and pulled her on his lap. Tears were still streaming out of her eyes and down her cheeks and Daryl used his thumbs to wipe them away. "Never again. Promise me." he told her softly.
"I promise. I'll never keep anything from you again. I really am sorry. I don't wanna lose you." she sniffled.
"You won't, if ya keep yer promise. Ya know it would kill us both, so let's keep that from happening, alright?" Teddy almost started bawling like a baby with relief, when a little smile appeared on his face. For a moment she had really thought it was all over. She nodded eagerly and a little sob escaped her, when he pressed his lips against hers gently.
"It's forgiven now. Don't cry." he murmured against her skin while his lips pressed little kisses all over her tear-stained face. But Teddy couldn't stop, the floodgates opened and about a month worth of tears came out. This fight had been a shock to her system and she swore to herself to never do anything behind Daryl's back again, now matter how good her intentions might be. Daryl held her and let her cry it out, reassuring her that they were okay. In a way he was relieved that Merle would live out near Ellijay now, because whenever he was around, whether he meant to or not, he always caused some kind of trouble.
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AN: Thank you for reading and supporting this story! You are all appreciated.
So... Merle gonna be a good boy? We all know he can change. I loved that scene in Season 3 between him and Hershel, that's why I used it here. I think those two would have been tight, if given more time. And don't worry about Teddy and Daryl. Couples fight. Hard sometimes as I am sure a lot of you know. Doesn't mean they are gonna break up any time soon or ever. There are nicer things ahead, promise.
Dear Snowbird, thank you so much for your kind words. They put a smile on my face.