Chapter 16: Family

Merle hadn't gotten a good look at Daryl's wife since he'd regained consciousness, and he had a feeling that Daryl wanted Carol to keep her distance. He knew why. He hadn't exactly been the best big brother. He'd gotten his ass beaten black and blue more than a few times growing up, and he knew Daryl had too. He'd tried to shield him from most of it, but he knew that once he was out of the house, Daryl had gotten it just as bad if not worse than he had.

His head throbbed. He knew he was lucky Daryl hadn't split his head open like a melon when he'd hit him. Still, he had a good-sized goose egg on the back of his skull that he was sure would be there for a while. He figured he'd done something over the years to deserve it, so he was going to let Daryl have that one. But only that one.

He watched the way Daryl peered in at him every time he passed the room, and he would hear footsteps occasionally coming from overhead. The attic. He wondered with amusement if they weren't clearing it out to keep him chained up in there like some kind of house pet.

No. He knew his brother better than that. Daryl would come around. As much of a dick as he'd been, as many bad choices as he'd made over the years, they were still brothers, and that blood bond meant something whether Daryl wanted it to or not.

When Daryl came back by the room with a box in his arms, Merle finally had had enough of his brother's back and forth.

"The hell are you doin'? You got geeks in the attic or somethin'?"

"We got stuff in the attic. Stuff you're gonna need if you're gonna be stayin' in our house. Blankets. Clothes."

"You want me to stay?" Merle asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You're gonna make yourself at home whether we like it or not," Daryl smirked, coming into the room and putting a box down in front of the closet. "How's the leg?"

"Feels better'n my head. Ya have to hit me so goddamn hard?"

"Yeah." Daryl folded his arms across his chest, and a smile spread across Merle's face.

"Taught you well, boy." He eyed his brother. Something had changed in the past year. He stood more confidently. He didn't look so uncomfortable in his own skin. His hair had grown out some. He looked him in the eye, even if he looked away after a few uncomfortable moments. He carried himself like a man, not like a punk-ass kid looking for a fight. He'd grown up, and Merle was certain that woman had had a thing or two to do with it. "Didn't she have a kid? A husband?"

"Yeah. She did," Daryl said with a nod, leaning against the door frame.

"What happened to 'em?"

"What happens to everybody?" Daryl asked. "They ain't here."

"Sorry. Kid always looked so scared. Like her mama. I knew it the second I saw that prick. He beat her, didn't he?" Daryl said nothing, but the way he flinched told Merle all he needed to know. "Good riddance. Sorry 'bout the girl, though." He watched the way Daryl stared at him for a moment before crossing the room to sit in the chair by the bed. "What's the matter with you? You're lookin' at me like you seen a ghost."

"Feels like I'm lookin' at one," Daryl admitted. "Buried you a long time ago."

"Started over with your new family. Then made yourself a new one when they left you behind."

"The hell did either one of us know 'bout family?" Daryl asked. "Don't know how we both lived through that shit."

"Maybe it was the universe's way of preparin' us for the bullshit we're livin' through now. Sick fuckin' joke, but we're still kickin'." Merle looked to his brother. "How'd she die?" Daryl looked at him. "The girl."

"Traffic snarl on the highway." Daryl's voice was low, and his gaze fell away from Merle's face. "She got scared. Ran. Walkers went after her." He rubbed the back of his neck. "She was just gone. We looked for her. She was gone. Walkers got to her 'fore we could."

"Christ," Merle muttered. "A kid dyin' like that? If that ain't the proof you need there ain't no Almighty sittin' in a chair made of clouds, I sure don't know what is." Daryl raised his gaze to meet his brother's.

"You gonna take me to Woodbury? Where you saw Rick?"

"I'll take ya. But it's a goddamn graveyard. Your boy Rick? He's probably halfway 'cross the state by now. But I'll take you." Daryl nodded then, and across the hall, Lydia began to cry. Merle looked up in surprise and saw the color drain from Daryl's face. "You got a kid here?" He narrowed his eyes at him. Daryl sighed heavily and disappeared from the room, finding Carol standing by Lydia's crib, holding the crying infant.

"She ok?" Daryl asked. Carol nodded.

"She just wanted her mama. Right, Lydia?" Lydia fussed and buried her face against Carol's neck. "How's Merle?"

"He agreed to take me back to Woodbury. That's somethin'."

"Yeah," Carol murmured. "As long as he agrees to bring you back."

"Well, look at this cozy scene." Carol and Daryl both turned to see Merle leaning against the doorframe, a grimace set on his face as he fought back the pain.

"Merle. You should be in bed," Carol insisted. "Your stitches could break."

"Nah, looks like you did a damn fine job. I'm guessin' it was you. Baby brother woulda probably sewn my mouth shut if he had a chance." He smiled wildly, and at Daryl's annoyed look, he chuckled. He nodded to the baby and looked at Daryl. "She kinda looks like you."

"She ain't…" Daryl bit back the words before he could stumble over them. "We found her. She's ours, but we found her."

"Good to see you again, Merle," Carol said flatly, shifting Lydia in her arms. "Glad you woke up."

"Are ya?" Merle laughed. "Well, at least somebody's happy to see me. Can't say my little brother's too thrilled just yet. Maybe he's just worried you'll realize you married the wrong brother."

"Go to hell Merle," Carol snorted. Merle watched the grin play across Daryl's face when he looked at her. Yeah. His brother was a married man. And he sure could do a lot worse, as far as Merle was concerned. There was a fire in her eyes that he hadn't seen back at the quarry. Of course, she'd barely spoken to him back then, let alone looked at him long enough for him to see what was behind those gorgeous, blue eyes. But the way she looked at Daryl? Yeah, Daryl had himself a good woman, and the tug in Merle's gut made him feel a type of way he wasn't used to feeling. For the first time in his forty-seven years of life, he was jealous. Daryl had grown up, grown as far away from the man he was just a year ago. And he was all the better for it. Merle wasn't just jealous. He was proud.

"So, what's her name?" Merle asked. Daryl and Carol stared at him for a moment. "Always wanted to be an uncle. Only right I know what to call my first niece." He saw the slight start of a smile hiding on Carol's face beneath the veil of uncertainty. And then the tension eased from her shoulders. She handed Lydia over to Daryl, who bounced the baby girl in his arms. "Her name's Lydia."

"Lydia," Merle considered for a moment. "Lydia Dixon. It's a good name. Strong." He turned then and hobbled back to his room with a grin spread across his face. For the first time in his life, his baby brother had a real family.

Author's Note: I'm always nervous doing Merle's point of view, so I hope this did the character justice. As always, feedback is greatly appreciated! Thank you for reading!