Preacher's Daughter
Chapter 38: Tall Tales
It's midnight when Daryl comes creeping into the house, me and Beryl asleep on the couch. I rise slowly, trying not to stir the sleeping baby next to me.
"I didn't think you'd be back for a few days. What happen?" He takes Beryl, holding her to him.
"I went to get Merle, knew if anyone could help me find that asshole it would be him. He and Sam told me to get my ass back to you; they would find him and take care of thangs." I blink at him, my face going blank. He looks up from the sleeping babe in his arms to see my shocked expression.
"Why did Merle do that? He ain't exactly my biggest fan." I start gathering the baby's things, sliding my shoes on.
Daryl gently places Beryl into her carrier, glancing back at me. "I was pretty damn surprised myself. He jumped on his bike and told Sam to grab his shit. He told me to tell you, yer a Dixon now. We protect our own."
I feel absolutely floored, as if the world had tipped off its axes. Merle Dixon had something nice to say about me, was going off to find Jeb to protect me. Either I was still dreaming or me having Daryl's baby means something to Merle.
Taking the news in stride, I take Daryl's hand as we ease out of the house. Eddie is waiting in the truck, a look of disappointment on his face. I knew he wanted to pay Jeb back for wrecking his Dad's cabin and stealing the fishing boat. Maybe Merle would bring him back and let Jack deal with him, but I highly doubt that.
Going back to the cabin was like reliving the entire Jeb thing all over again. Daryl pulls me to his side, kisses my hair. "If you don't want to stay here we don't have to."
"No, I won't let that bastard take this from me too. We're staying." I knew I could clean up the mess, add a few of my own things and this place would be our home, be our sanctuary.
Two weeks pass with no word from Merle. Daryl gets Eddie to stay with me during the day while he's at the garage. I liked having him around; he's like the goofy big brother I always wanted. Dad and Ann visit on Sundays, but I don't see or hear from Jack or Diane. My heart aches for what they must be going through, not knowing if Jeb is dead or alive.
The cabin by the lake starts to transform, Daryl turning one of the storage sheds into a garage for his bike. I begin to see signs of us in every corner, every nook and every cranny.
Soon Beryl would be crawling and talking and even walking, our little family might actually know some happiness for once.
It's late one evening; three weeks after Merle had left, when we hear motorcycles coming up the drive. Daryl rushes out to unlock the gate, his crossbow in hand.
Scooping Beryl up, I walk out to the porch to greet our visitors. Merle gets off his bike first, his face covered in dirt and dust. Sam gives Daryl a hug, shooting me a big smile.
"Ain't you made an honest woman out of her yet baby brother?" Merle rubs Beryl's head, winking at me. To say I was a little taken aback would be an understatement.
"We're gettin married next month Merle. I still haven't healed up from havin Beryl and I do want a honeymoon." Daryl lets out a snort as Merle smirks awkwardly at me.
"You got spunk Red ... you're gonna fit in with the Dixon's just fine." He lifts Beryl from my arms causing both Daryl and I to tense up.
Sam gives me a hug when he gets to the porch, resting his long arm over my shoulders. "What'cha got to eat ... I'm starving?"
I go in and start making them some sandwiches, Merle making faces at Beryl. I try not to laugh; it was strange seeing Merle be anything but an ornery old ass.
Daryl gets them a cold beer, Sam kicking his feet up on my newly acquired kitchen table. I tell myself, it's only for tonight as I set the plate of sandwiches down in front of them.
Going back to the fridge for more beers, I hear Merle having a colorful conversation with Daryl. "I take it since that sweet little filly of yers ain't ready for ridin yet; you've been gettin cozy with Rosie Palm and her five sisters."
Daryl shots him a very stern look, his hands reaching for his daughter. "No I ain't. Even if I was, I wouldn't tell you."
"Oh come on now Darlene, don't be like that. Yer big bro only has yer best interest in mind. Well, if you ain't been jerking it day and night what have ya been doin?" The slyest of grin flashes across Merle's face and I knew from the way Daryl is looking, he was about to wipe it off for him.
"Drop it Merle." Daryl pushes the plate of food towards him, his hands starting to ball up into fists.
"I've hit a nerve. Sorry, didn't know you had a bad case of blue balls little brother." Merle starts to laugh, taking two of the sandwiches from the plate.
As I put out more food, I can see the look in Daryl's eyes. He has this want, this need that I had been too busy to notice before. I had let myself fall into my new role of being a mother and had totally ignored the needs of my man.
Sam takes a bite of his sandwich, going straight into the reason they had come back. "In case you're wondering, we found Jeb."
Daryl looks up from staring at Beryl, his eyes focused on Sam. "Is he dead?"
"Yeah, but it didn't happen the way you're thinking Daryl. We found him in some dive, getting a fix from some dealer. He takes one look at Merle and bolts. We chased him to a trailer park, some white trash hell hole. Merle goes around back and I take the front. When I kick in the front door, there's this pregnant girl there and she's got a gun on us. Merle comes blasting through the back door, accidentally shooting the girl in the shoulder. It was chaos, Jeb was shooting, we were shooting and I finally get him in the leg." Sam stops, taking another bite of sandwich when Merle picks up the story.
"That's when that som'bitch gets the drop on Sam, taking the gun from the pregnant girl. He looks at the girl and starts screamin. I knew he was gonna blow Sam's head off so I shot him, pow … right in the back of the head. He was high as fuck, probably didn't even feel it." Merle takes a swig of beer, looking very pleased with himself.
Sam leans towards me, his voice low. "There is one problem. That girl Merle shot; she's still alive and pregnant with Jeb's baby. She's a total crack whore and I sort of feel bad for that damn baby she's carrying. We brought her back with us; she's back at the hotel. Merle didn't want to take the chance she'd squeal on us."
"What the fuck? Are you two insane? You can't shoot a pregnant girl, drag her over half of creation and lock her up in a hotel." I take the truck keys, giving the two of them a dark, burning glare.
"Road trip." Merle shouts as we head all head out.
When we get to the hotel I'm fuming, not sure what I'd find on the other side of the door. I was sure of one thing; I wasn't going to let them kill this poor girl or her baby. I don't even get to the door when I hear her screaming, the sound of her agony reminding me of the day I gave birth.
I rush into the bathroom, to find her in the tub and blood everywhere. "I'm Bobbi Jo … I just want to help you."
She throws a bottle of shampoo at me, cursing loudly. "Get the fuck away from me. Those bastards did this to me … done killed my Jeb. Ain't you that bitch that twisted him up, teased him and lead him on?"
I nod my head, her eyes flashing fire back at me. Daryl jumps at her when she spits in my face, calling me a bitch again. I put my hand on his chest, waving for all of them to get back. "Go back and watch the baby. I can handle her Daryl."
Looking in the tub I can see a lifeless, tiny body covered in blood. Merle busts in, sticking his finger in her face. "Listen bitch, we can let you die here or we can get you some help. Yer choice sweetheart, but if we do this you don't say a goddamn word about what happen. Got it!"
She nods her head, taking a drink out of the whiskey bottle by the tub. I call for an ambulance, hoping they get here on time. I make Daryl and Merle leave with Beryl, telling the paramedics Sam and I found the girl on the side of the road. The girl goes along with our story, saying she got shot by her druggie boyfriend.
As they load the girl in the ambulance, I ask them what her name is. The short, tan man turns to me with a smile. "Rachel Lawson or that's what her I.D. says in her purse. You did a good thing here; she would have bled out and died for sure. The infant was dead in utero, her drug habit with the trauma are the major factors for her miscarriage. If you want to visit her, we're taking her to the county hospital."
I stand there looking at Rachel, taking in her features. She has long red hair, blue eyes and pale, freckled skin. One thing was for certain, Jeb was doing his best to replace me.
Once the ambulance is gone, the cops show up and I knew I was in for a long night. Sam walks over to me, putting his arm around my waist. He goes into his story, acting like we're a couple. I had to give it to Sam; he was one silver tongued devil.
A hundred questions later, the cops are satisfied with Sam's story that he found her wandering the road and brought her here. I could only hope that Rachel told the same story back at the hospital.
Climbing on the back of Sam's bike I feel the loss of that baby, that precious little boy that didn't get a chance to live and think of my little girl at home. Sam pats my arm, telling me to put it all away.
I couldn't put it all away, because of me there was a dead baby, a very messed up girl and Jack's only brother six feet under somewhere. Putting it all way is going to be harder than closing Pandora's Box.
The bike barely stops when I jump off and run into the house. I scoop Beryl up, holding her close to my face. I kiss her little face over and over as my tears fall. Daryl comes over, his arms going around me. "I'm sorry B.J."
I wish I could forget it all, take back everything that had happened. In my heart, I knew it was Jeb or me, it was kill him or wait for him to kill us. The Jeb I knew was dead a long time ago, Merle did him a favor by putting him out of his misery.
Rocking Beryl till she falls asleep, I do as Sam says and put the events of tonight away. I have my beautiful family with me and a promise of another day. As much as I hated it, I was going to have to tell Jack everything. He deserved the truth and I still love him like a brother.
Daryl takes Beryl, putting her in her crib. He turns back to me, pulling me into the bed with him. "You okay?"
I pull back from him, tossing my shirt and jeans on the floor. He smiles up at me, his blue eyes drinking me in. With only my underwear on, I crawl back in the bed. Daryl leans back, as I unbuckle his belt. A coy grin flashes back at me as I slide his belt out of the loops, unzipping his pants. "Take your shirt off."
He leans up on his elbows, his features soft. "I didn't think we could. The doctor said six weeks."
"Oh, we can't have sex … not yet, but tonight ain't about me." I watch his eyebrows rise as what I mean sinks in.
I slide his pants off his legs, my fingers gliding over his warm sink. He lets out a moan, his hips rolling. I knew he was more than ready for some attention, attention I intend to give him for the rest of the night.
Pulling his boxers off I smile as I see his cock, hard and ready. I straddle his legs, his breathing picking up.
Taking his shaft in my hand, I stroke him a few times before I lower my lips to his leaking head. He rolls his hips again, thrusting his hard cock in my mouth. I ease back, my eyes gazing up at him.
My tongue licks up and down his erect shaft, my hands resting on his thighs. "Damn Bobbi Jo." Daryl lets out a hiss as I place the tip back in my mouth.
I work him in and out of my mouth, doing deeper with each movement. I feel his hands twist in my hair as I slowly inch him in my mouth. "Holy Fuck!"
His engorged member starts to throb as I suck harder, my teeth grazing his sensitive tip. His body goes stiff and I know he's about to erupt. My hands cup his balls, rubbing him till he's shaking under me.
My core tightens, sending jolts of hot heat through my belly. I wanted to feel him deep inside me, my body awakening from the long slumber I was under. Fighting the urge to have him fuck me hard, I concentrate on pleasing him.
I don't move as his hands twist in my hair, his hips bucking up at me. Lifting my head, I watch as he comes. His face goes soft, his body relaxing. His come covers my chest, his hands still in my hair.
"I take it you liked that." I pick up his shirt, wiping off my chest.
He pulls me to him, his smile covering his face. "Gurl, I've been needin that for a while now. You sure are full of surprises."
I bond from the bed, grabbing fresh underwear and t-shirt. "I'm gonna go take a shower … you want to join me?"
Daryl gives me that sexy little grin I only see when he's horny. He wraps his arms around my waist, picking me up. "Yer next."
My eyes go wide as he jerks my panties down. I know too well exactly what that tongue of his can do.