Only six more chapters to go after this one! Thanks for reading!
Chapter Thirty Seven
Time seemed to slip away much quicker than it ever had before. Things were running so smoothly that sometimes Merle found himself worrying that the sky was about to fall on their heads. Daryl seemed to share his concern whenever he came up for air. Dixons weren't used to things going smoothly. His brother was so goddamn head over heels over Carol that he mostly just sat around with a goofy lopsided grin on his face. The two of them kind of made Merle sick to his stomach but he'd never seen his brother this way before and that was worth the nausea. He didn't give them too much shit for it and when he did, they both knew that he was only ribbing them. Daryl deserved this. There was a lightness around the man now that had never been there before. Nausea or not, Merle was damn glad for Carol.
He hadn't expected to ever get to a point where he actually liked her. After that ill fated trip to the mall, though, things had changed. When she had explained to him the series of events that had brought her and Daryl together, he let go of his suspicion. She wanted the same thing that Merle wanted and that was for Daryl to be okay. He didn't show it much but Merle had felt that way since the day his mama had brought the little asshole home from the hospital. He'd made a vow the first time he'd laid eyes on the boy that he'd be a decent brother, that he would protect him, and he would always do everything he could to make sure he had a good life. He had broken every goddamn vow that passed his lips that day. But now maybe he could make up for it. He could stay out of trouble and he could contribute.
He had officially been out of jail for almost two months and he hadn't taken a hit of anything. It was a record and even Daryl seemed to notice. He still wanted it. He still craved that rush and he figured that he probably always would. It was just one of those things that he had to deal with. He just had to keep his ass away from it. He needed to do it for his sake but also his brother's.
"Merle!" Carol yelled from the kitchen.
He sighed and rolled off the couch, heading to the kitchen. "The fuck you yellin' about?" He grumbled as he stepped into the room. She was usually at work at this time of the afternoon but she'd came down with something the night before and Hershel had sent her home hours ago. It was just a bug going around and Merle had dealt with the same thing last week but he wasn't going to baby her for it, even though she had doted on him, and even missed work to take care of him while he had it. She still looked a little pale but she refused to take it easy for any reason at all.
"Is that what you're wearing?" She frowned as she looked him up and down. "It's a job interview, Merle! You need to dress the part."
He rolled his eyes. "I am dressed the part, dummy. I applied for a bouncer position. You yellin' for me to come in here just so you can bitch about my clothes?"
"Of course not. I made you lunch." She pointed at the table.
He looked over and shook his head. "You should just let Daryl knock you up. You're the mother henningest woman I've ever met in my life."
She seemed to grow more pale at that. "Shut up," she muttered, pouring him a glass of tea as he sat down. "I only wanted you to eat something because I don't trust that you won't drink while you're out and you shouldn't drink on an empty stomach."
He rolled his eyes and picked up the sandwich. Leave it to her to not even be able to make a plain old sandwich. It was piled high with meat and cheese, just like she knew he liked it. There was even a pickle on the plate next to the chips, like you'd see in a restaurant. "I'm a shoe in anyway. It's a toss up between me and this big goofy lookin'-"
"Merle," she crossed her arms over her chest.
He snorted and shook his head at her. "Anyway, I've known the owner for a while. She's the one that asked me to come in and apply."
"You aren't wanting to move out, are you?" She asked.
He glanced up and was surprised to see the concern on her face as she leaned against the counter. "No, but if I was why the hell would you care?"
She sighed. "Well, I like having you here."
This caused him to laugh out loud. "You know," he said, leaning back in his chair and talking around the last bite of food. "You might be the first person that's ever said that to me."
"Something tells me you bring it on yourself," she smiled.
He rolled his eyes and stood up, grabbing his jacket off the back of the chair. "I'll see you around, sunshine. Got a job to snag so I can become a respectable member of society. Where the hell's the keys to your Jeep?"
"In the Jeep," she answered, dryly.
He sighed. "How many goddamn times I gotta tell you to stop doin' that?"
"We live in the middle of nowhere. No one is going to walk all the way out here to steal my Jeep."
He shook his head and left her staring after him.
"Good luck!" She called.
He was a little more than surprised when he was put right to work. The owner had told him that he could put in a few hours just to get a feel for the job. So far Merle had done nothing but stand against the wall by the door the whole time being bored out of his mind. It was barely after noon so there weren't many people there to watch out for. He hoped it would be more exciting at night or he was just going to have to keep looking. He was sick of just standing around already.
"Excuse me-"
Merle looked over at the waitress that had spoken. He took her in in one long sweep. Dark blonde hair, brown eyes, shy smile. He'd do her, even if she did seem a little on the shy side. Those were usually the ones that would end up blowing your mind in the sack. "What can I do for ya, darlin'?"
"Karen sent me over here to tell you that you could go now and she'd see you tomorrow at six," she said quickly.
He flashed her a grin. "Guess I'll be seein' you around then."
"Have a nice night," she said as she turned and hurried off to one of the tables that needed taken care of.
He checked out her ass for longer than necessary and then turned to leave. He was almost to the door when he saw him. Ed Peletier. He wouldn't forget that ugly face any time soon. Ed must not have gotten a good look at him that day at the mall because he walked right past him. Merle narrowed his eyes and leaned against the wall again, waiting to see what Ed was going to do.
"You've gotta be fuckin' kiddin' me," he growled as Ed walked up to the waitress and placed a hand on her back. She turned her shy smile on Ed. The man kissed her cheek and then sauntered off to find a table further towards the back wall.
The woman fit the role. She seemed quiet and unassuming. Someone like Ed would be drawn to a woman like that for reasons much different than Merle's. This poor woman hadn't known the other man long. She couldn't have. If so then she would have shown fear at seeing him and she clearly hadn't. It wasn't any of his business. He wasn't a fucking baby sitter. It was one thing to look out for Carol. She was his brother's woman and it was his his job to keep her safe when Daryl couldn't. This stranger was another story altogether. This wasn't his battle.
~H~
Carol had the front door open before Daryl could even step out of the truck. She felt much better than she had last night and she had been without her car all day and she was feeling stir crazy. He didn't tow cars anymore. The lead mechanic had moved away, leaving the spot open and Daryl had been quick to take the man's place. His pay had raised but he was stuck working some Saturdays.
"You look better," he observed with a grunt as she plowed into him.
"I feel better," she said as she stepped back and looked him over. "Damn it. You're filthy. Go take a shower and take me out."
He chuckled. "You think I feel like leavin' again after a hard days work? This is the part where I come in and you got somethin' hot waiting for me on the table."
She followed him inside. "Do you realize how long it's been since I've been anywhere other than work? Both of us stay in this house all the time. I want to go visit Tara. I want to see other people."
"Ouch," he muttered as he slipped his jacket off.
"You know what I mean. I feel like doing something."
"You got spring fever. It happens," he observed as he pulled off his work boots.
She studied him carefully. He had grease smeared on his jaw and his work shirt was covered in oil stains. His jeans were ripped at the knees and more oil and grease stains marred the denim. "What's spring fever?"
He shrugged. "It's getting warmer out. Flowers blooming, leaves sprouting out on the trees, birds singing, bees buzzing. All that shit. Makes you wanna get out of the house."
"Then get me out of the house. Please," she grinned as he sighed tiredly.
"Fine. I've been ready to get out myself."
An hour later they were heading towards the diner and for the first time it was nice enough to roll down the window. She was excited for warmer weather. She was feeling excited for all of the possibilities that were in front of her now. It was with this overwhelming feeling of excitement that she blurted out something that had been on her mind for a few days now.
"Will you ever want children?" She asked suddenly.
He veered off the road slightly before righting the truck. She was careful not to look at him but she could see out of the corner of her eye that he was staring at her. Eventually he collected himself and looked back at the road. "Where the hell did that come from?"
She shrugged. "Merle mentioned something about it this morning and it got me wondering if you would ever want something like that." She braced herself for his answer, dreading hearing him tell her that he would never want to have a family with her. Not that she wanted anything like that now. They seemed to be a very solid unit but they hadn't been together for very long. It still wouldn't hurt to know how he felt about certain things.
"Oh God!" He hit the breaks and pulled off onto the side of the road.
She looked at him, her eyes wide. "What's wrong?"
"Is that why you were sick?" His eyes were wide and frantic, his face pale.
She shook her head. "Of course not! I was just bringing it up to see if it was ever something you would consider. Obviously it isn't!"
He looked back at the road and checked his side mirror to make sure no traffic was coming up on them. "It ain't that."
She snorted. "You nearly crashed and then pulled over! It's okay. I have you. I don't need a house full of kids."
"But you want that, don't you?" He asked after a minute.
She nodded. "I do. Maybe later, that is. I don't want that right now."
He nodded, seeming relieved. "Later is good. Don't fuckin' scare me like that."
"Would it really be so bad? You'd make a great father."
He groaned. "Not right now I wouldn't. I ain't ever considered it. I wasn't ever with anybody long enough... or at all, actually."
She couldn't help but laugh softly. "Well, I won't bring it up for at least a few more weeks."
He shot her a look and then shook his head. "Ass," he muttered.
"Baby hater," she grinned.
He laughed out loud at that, reaching over until he found her hand.