A/N: Refer to the end of the chapter for a particular "news update" of the sorts. Not the most eventful chapter (lacking Deth, it jumps around, and it's short) but maybe the note at the bottom can make up for that? There is more Deth ahead though, I promise!
By the time Beth had returned home it was going on noon. She quickly learned that her mom and Maggie had gone out for a while and Shawn was gone too, leaving her with just her dad. She could already see it in his face that he wasn't pleased with her unexplained absence.
"Care to explain where you've been all morning?" Hershel started.
Beth tried not to think too much about the question. The more she thought about it, the more she thought about last night—and that was the last thing her dad needed to hear. "A friend of mine was in an accident. We took him to the hospital."
"Who's we?" He took a sip of his coffee and set the mug down on the dining room table before directing his full attention back to her.
"Me and Daryl…" Beth lowered her voice.
Hershel nodded slightly. "And what's this accident?"
Beth only blinked a few times, figuring he would go on about her bad decisions, before she came up with a response. "…We don't know. He was hurt. It looked like… someone beat him up." There was no way she could avoid the truth with her dad. He'd eventually find out somehow and she wouldn't be able to keep up with all the lies if she tried to go that path. She didn't want to lie.
"This is exactly the reason why I don't want you hanging out with any of the Dixons. You've gotten yourself tied up with this man and now I have to fear that something's going to happen."
"Nothing's going to happen to me, daddy. I'm okay. And Daryl's okay. You met him, remember? He's not some disrespectful kind of guy," Beth tried. "I know you know that. You can tell he's not."
"Regardless, it doesn't make me feel any better." Hershel looked back at her with a sort of sadness in his eyes. "I know you're growing up and I can't always be there to tell you what to do. I just don't want you making any decisions you'll come to regret."
Beth was shocked that he was being so open about everything. He really was trying to accept Daryl—or at least accept that she was growing up. She had to make her own decisions.
She stepped forward and hugged her father. "I'm sorry if I worry you. You just have to trust me."
He hugged her back. "It's not you that I have a problem trusting."
Beth decided it best to stay home the rest of the day to ease her father's troubled mind. She figured she'd go back to the hospital first thing tomorrow to go check up on Jesse and give him some company. She also wanted to give Daryl a little bit of space and not be too suffocating. But she figured she'd probably give him a call at least at some point.
Just as Beth grabbed her laptop to turn on some music, her phone rang. She set the laptop on her bed and pulled her phone from her pocket. It was Haley.
"Hey," Beth answered. She wasn't sure if she should say anymore than that to start off with so she stuck with the single syllable.
"Hey… Are you home? I was hoping to talk to you in person."
"Yeah. Um, come on over." And that had been the extent of that conversation before Haley hung up.
Beth shut her phone and placed it on her bed next to her computer. She wasn't too sure what to expect when Haley would arrive. She tried not to think about it but it didn't stop her from checking her bedroom window every few minutes to see if Haley's car was parked out front. The anticipation of what was to come was killing her.
It was about half an hour later when Beth heard a faint crunching of tires on gravel that she rushed back to the window. She climbed downstairs and out to the porch where she met Haley. They shared in a quick hug before Beth led the way back upstairs to her room and shut the door behind them.
"I'm sorry I haven't kept in contact with you like I should have," Haley began. She at least looked a little better, more composed, since Beth had seen her that morning.
"We're both guilty of that. It's not all on you," Beth admitted.
Haley sighed. "I've missed you. And our gossip time." She forced a laugh and Beth smiled. Then she shook her head as if in disbelief. "I messed up."
Beth suddenly recalled Jesse having said those three exact words earlier. "What do you mean?"
"What happened between me and Jesse. Just everything." Haley sat down on the edge of Beth's bed. She was a little hesitant to continue. "This is going to sound absolutely ridiculous but… he told me he loved me."
Beth furrowed her brow. "How is that a bad thing?"
"Because we've only been dating for a couple months. How can he know whether he loves me or not? He barely knows me." Haley paused before continuing, "I just got defensive and I told him that. I don't know… I just kinda hate that word. It's like guys say it to you to try and brainwash you, like they expect that's what you want to hear."
"Jesse isn't necessarily like other guys though, Haley. You can't compare him to your exes."
"I know. But… I felt so bad afterward. He looked so torn. All I could do was apologize. I don't even know if I truly meant it. It just… scared me, I guess."
Beth could only nod as Haley continued:
"Then I thought that he had… backslid. Is that the word? I thought he started using again. But I was wrong. I was so worked up and paranoid about it ever since… I never asked him though, I just assumed. And you know me. I kept it bottled up, so when the next time came that I felt he was using… I kinda exploded."
"Why did you think he was using?"
"He always seemed so fidgety. And the friends that he hangs out with… He almost backslid a couple times before. He told me when he was thinking about it and I had to talk him out of it. Back when Daryl told him about his real dad. I mean, what the hell was Daryl thinking anyway? It wasn't any of his business…"
Beth bit her lip before she could lash out and defend Daryl. Haley had a point, but Daryl wouldn't deliberately do that to Jesse to try and mess with him. "I'm sure he meant well…"
"It all started with him getting kicked out of his aunt's house. All of that put a lot of stress on him. And then he thought our argument was his fault. I feel like I'm walking on eggshells. I don't want to say the wrong thing to him. And now with him in the hospital, I feel like he might have done something stupid because of me." Haley wiped at her eyes before she could start crying. "It's taken me all this time to realize that he's never had someone to care about him."
Beth involuntarily pulled Haley into a hug. She hadn't thought about it like that. And it was so strange to think that Daryl and Jesse were actually related, and how similar they truly were. They both needed someone in their lives that could show them love because they'd never really had anyone before either of them. She could see the change in Daryl since they had become closer.
"Everything will be okay. I called you and let you know what was going on. You showed up. That means something," Beth assured her. "He knows you care."
Haley nodded while taking a step back and breaking the embrace. "I'm sorry for coming over and making a fool of myself… I just needed to get it out of my system."
"You're fine." Beth forced a smile. "I'd rather you come over crying and getting everything out of your system than beating yourself up over it."
"I'm gonna go back up to the hospital whenever I leave here." Haley wiped at her eyes again and took a deep breath, exhaling. "How have you been? How are you and Daryl? You guys look good."
"I've been okay. And we're doing well." Beth nodded. She didn't really think going into full detail was the appropriate action at the moment. Not until things were at least a bit more settled.
Haley smiled. "That's good."
I have officially started a companion fic to go with this story, titled "Fix Me (Side B)". By the time you have finished reading this, the first chapter of said fic will have been posted (you can find it on my profile). The first chapter starts off with Haley and Jesse. It'll explore multiple POVs and really, it'll just be an overall expanded version of this I guess. And I'll take requests. So, feel free to check that out and let me know what you think. Any feedback is appreciated.