Sherry spent her days in a haze. Whatever they had given her was taking a long time to leave her system. She followed her roommate, Arat, around doing whatever she was told to do. Arat was impatient, easily angered by Sherry's slow bumbling hands. She made it clear she didn't want to babysit Sherry.
Being a good Savior, you did Arat as Negan told you to do. Even Arat who acted above everyone else. She was one of the few that resisted Negan's charm, yet they had a weird symbiotic relationship. Negan, oddly enough, respected Arat. That always confused Sherry because Negan didn't seem to respect anyone.
Sherry couldn't help that she could barely connect her thoughts. She couldn't help if she was weak and tired because they still doled out her food in tiny amounts as a form of punishment. Couldn't help the worry that preoccupied the thoughts that she could actually formulate. No one, Arat included, would answer her questions about Dwight's whereabouts.
It may have been a couple of days or even a week or more for all she knew when they finally released her from her cell. Though she was still stuck in the Sanctuary when they let her out the cool crisp air felt good in her lungs.
She kept her head down, not making eye contact with anyone. Too ashamed and angry to have left only to be brought back.
One day while working in the kitchen there was a commotion outside. Sherry heard raised voices, people running. Simon being summoned over a crackled radio.
She watched out the window, as Simon ran down the pathway that led to the gate. Soon after, Arat entered the kitchen, grabbing her by the arm, she began dragging her toward the other side of the kitchen.
Sherry fought her weakly, dragging her feet, trying in vain to pry her fingers from her bicep. She was too weak, she couldn't fight off Arat.
"No. Please, I've been good. Don't put me back there."
Arat ignored her and shoved a shelf on wheels to the side, exposing a door. It was well hidden by the backing of the shelves stocked with food staples. Arat, pulled her close to her face, cold black eyes searching Sherry's. "If you don't shut the fuck up, I'll kill you."
That was enough to still Sherry. She wasn't where she wanted to be but she didn't want to die and she had no doubt Arat would do just as she said.
Arat somehow managed to get the padlock unlocked with one hand, holding Sherry's almost limp body with her other. Down the concrete steps, she shoved Sherry. She landed solidly at the bottom of the steps, pain radiating from her elbow. Her cheek hit the dirt floor and the smell of mildew burned her nostrils. The stench, as well as the pain in her elbow, made her eyes water.
Arat picked her up by her hair and led her down a long corridor, through another doorway. Now they were underground, no longer under the main building. It was dark, but Arat knew the way. Concrete doors lined the hall and Arat stopped at the last one, throwing her inside.
"You can scream all you want, but you know no one's gonna' hear you," Arat said coldly. Sherry knew this to be true, she screamed her voice hoarse when they first locked her away.
She scrambled to her feet and pushed against the door as Arat slammed it shut. Her nails dug in as she sank to the door, defeated. Sobbing.
Thankfully, they didn't keep her locked up for very long this time. Al came to fetch her hours later. There were rumblings that the sheriff had come with an entourage of officials, snooping around. She wasn't sure if they found anything, but it gave her hope. Hope she kept well hidden.
Beth would always blame herself for Sherry and anything that might have happened to her. No amount of insisting on Daryl's part could persuade her otherwise.
He tried to keep her focused on the future. On what had to be done next once she was able to come back home. He took pictures of the house and showed her. Told her what needed to be done, asked her if she had any ideas, anything specific she wanted to be done. She was interested, but he could feel the heaviness she carried.
The lack of little sleep was starting ware on Daryl. Checking on Jesus regularly, a full day of work followed by visiting Beth whenever he could made for long days. And it wasn't that he didn't have time to sleep, it was that he couldn't sleep. Not without Beth by his side.
One night it was late by the time Daryl got back to the bottom of the mountain where his cell service was restored. His phone chirped, notifying him he had missed messages. Two of them actually. They were from Beth's psychologist.
Glenn insisted Daryl call him back right away on his personal cell no matter the hour. He was exhausted and tempted not to call Glenn back. He had already spoken with Glenn's secretary explaining Beth had to go out of town, canceling her appointments for the foreseeable future. Maybe Glenn was worried about her? Why was Glenn so insistent he call him back? Curiosity got the better of him and he hit the call back button. Expecting to get his voicemail due to how late it was, he was surprised when Glenn answered right away, sounding a bit relieved.
Daryl began apologizing for the missed appointments. He didn't want to appear dismissive of Glenn's time, but he couldn't risk taking her off the mountain for her appointments with him.
"This isn't about the appointments. I need to speak to Beth. In person."
"Listen, doc, I don't mean ta' be rude, but a few things have come up and Beth is indisposed," Daryl, began to explain. Yes, the therapy appointments were important but keeping beth alive was more important.
"Sheriff, I don't think you understand the urgency. I need to speak with her as soon as possible."
"Well, I'm afraid she isn't in town right now, she's staying at my brother's up the mountain and they don't have great cell service. I can relay a message to her if you want."
Glenn interrupted him before he could go on. "I'm sure you understand I can't tell you what it is I need to speak with her about. I apologize for being evasive and I don't mean to be pushy about the matter. If you give me directions, I can go to her."
That got Daryl's attention. He imagined the doctor wouldn't appreciate having to drive up the mountain in his Prius or whatever tiny car he probably drove. "You understand it's a half hour up the mountain? It's not easy to locate and this time of year it's rough goin'."
"Yes, I understand. I'm not a delicate flower, Sheriff," Glenn said with humor and a slight chuckle. "I grew up in Michigan. My first vehicle was a beat up old Ford. It was a piece of crap but it got me through plenty of snowstorms."
Well, that put Daryl in his place and he smiled in the dark of his truck. "Okay, how 'bout I take you up there." Whatever it was, it was obviously important and he didn't want Glenn speaking to her by himself.
They made a plan for Glenn to meet Daryl at the station the next afternoon. Glenn couldn't wait any longer, he had to tell Beth who she was and his relation to her. Every time he looked in Maggie's eyes the truth almost came tumbling out.
It wasn't unusual for patients to suddenly stop going to therapy, especially once they began to improve. Daryl said Beth had to unexpectedly go out of town, but once he didn't hear back to reschedule her appointments, he didn't want to risk losing contact.
It was a strange thing to be able to tell someone who they are. Not only that but to be able to tell them you are related to them. What were the odds?
He had no idea how he was going to go about this. "Hey, your name is Beth Greene. You went missing five years ago. I know who you are and where you come from. And oh, I'm your brother in law." If it wasn't happening to him, he wouldn't believe it.
Daryl hadn't been kidding when he said the road was rough. Even in the sheriff's Bronco, it was a bumpy and slow ride. The sheriff was a quiet man. Spoke when spoken to, didn't offer up much conversation. If Glenn wasn't mistaken, Daryl had more interest in this than that of sheriff. Taking her to and from her appointments, allowing her to live in his home, and now she was staying at his brother's home, it all seemed to go above and beyond the call of duty.
It wasn't his business why she was staying with the sheriff's brother. Now that he knew his connection to Beth he felt a tad bit responsible. Protective even. Not that he had to protect her from Daryl. He seemed like a good guy. Still, she was his sister for all intents and purposes.
"I appreciate your taking me up here," Glenn spoke when the silence and his own thoughts finally got to him.
"No problem. I come up here most evenings anyway."
"You do?" Glenn asked somewhat surprised. "After working all day?"
"Yeah. Ain't no big thing."
"Do you come here to see your brother? Or Beth?"
"Beth?" Daryl sent Glenn a sharp look. "How'd you know her real name?"
Damn. "I um," he stumbled with his words. "Shit. I'm sorry."
This was getting old. "Let me guess," Daryl interrupted. "You can't say?"
"Bingo," Glenn said apologetically.
The rest of the ride was in silence. Not strained silence necessarily. Daryl was curious. Glenn couldn't say anything. That was that.
As they pulled up a driveway that was so well hidden Glenn didn't even notice it until they were right up on it, Daryl finally spoke, his voice serious, "Is what you got to say gonna' hurt Beth?"
Glenn nodded solemnly. "I can't be sure of her response. It probably won't be easy to hear."
"She's been through a lot," Daryl said. A warning.
Glenn nodded again. This much he knew. "Can I ask why she's up here?"
Daryl quickly filled him in about Negan knowing Beth was with Daryl.
"Does she want to be here?" Glenn asked.
Daryl pegged him a sharp look. Glenn couldn't help but squirm under his stare. "It's for her protection."
"Of course, I didn't mean to imply otherwise." But Glenn knew keeping someone where they didn't want to be usually didn't end well.
The remaining questions Glenn had about Daryl and Beth's relationship were answered when Beth wound her arms around Daryl's shoulders in greeting. It was more than a hello, how are you type of hug. She pressed her body against his and he leaned down and buried his face into her neck breathing in deeply.
She was surprised to see Glenn coming in behind Daryl. Shocked actually. She smiled uncertainly, unease showing in her eyes.
The house was full of kids and two adults Glenn guessed to be Daryl's family. He made quick introductions. Merle. Andrea. A tiny baby named Mirriam. Mathew, Thomas. Micheal, Beau, Garret, and Jamison. Glenn was a bit awestruck. Hershel and Anna were a handful enough. He couldn't imagine seven.
They quickly made themselves scarce after Daryl mumbled something quietly to them. Daryl and Beth sat on the couch. As Glenn perched himself on the edge of a well worn Lazyboy, he noticed their fingers interlocked tightly.
"I want to be sure that you're okay with Daryl being here," Glenn began. He wanted to give Beth the courtesy he would anyone else.
"Anything you have to say can be said in front of Daryl. I'll tell him anyway." She gave Daryl a small smile and he winked at her in return. This, their relationship, to Glenn's perception, was as he suspected. There was more to this than Daryl's duty as sheriff. More than a girl needing help.
"Okay. Let's start with your name. It's not Angel."
Beth took a shaky breath. "No, it's not. It's Beth." Her voice was little more than a whisper. "I've known for a while. I'm sorry I didn't tell you."
Glenn smiled kindly, putting up a hand. "That's completely fine. Beth, do you know your last name?"
"No," she said shakily.
"It's Greene. Your name is Bethany Hope Greene." He spoke her name slowly.
Her lips moved silently, repeating the name to herself. She searched her mind, waiting for a piece of her memory to fall into place. "I'm afraid that doesn't sound familiar."
"That's okay. I'm not expecting any answers from you. You're not required to tell me anything I don't already know." Though he admittedly wanted to know it all.
After a moment Beth calmed visibly. Her shoulders relaxed, her posture curved into a more comfortable position. "Is that all? How did you find this out?" She asked Glenn. "Did you know?" She asked Daryl.
"This is the first I've heard of it, Ms. Bethany Hope Greene," Daryl said with a sweet smile Glenn guessed was reserved only for her.
"I'm afraid there's more," Glenn said almost regrettably. Who's to say how she'll react to any of what he was about to tell her.
Beth sat up straight again, the frown of uncertainty returning to her mouth. Glenn retrieved a folded envelope from the back pocket of his jeans and took out a piece of folded paper. He handed it over to Beth.
With shaking hands she unfolded it, the word Missing at the top. She stared at her own face. It was the same but somehow different. It meant nothing to her. Not the name. The date. The photo.
He took a photo from the envelope next. The photo he collected for today was from Shawn's Facebook page. He wasn't sure the legality of printing off photos from your brother in law's Facebook page in this instance but he did it anyway.
In the photo, the Greene's stood in front of their house. A happy family, A man, and a woman. A teenage girl to the man's right and two younger kids in front of them. A girl and a boy. The girl was obviously Beth with skinned knees and gangly long legs and blonde hair in braided pigtails.
The man and the woman were the people from Beth's brief memories that always came and went too quickly. They were much younger than they'd been in her dream at the hospital. She had no doubt it was them. She traced her finger affectionately down the woman's long graying hair.
"Mama," she whispered aloud. Instantly tears pooled in her eyes and streamed down her face. Daryl placed a protective arm around her shoulders. "And that's my dad?" She asked Glenn.
"Yes." Glenn was practically kneeling on the floor in front of her now so close to the edge of the chair he was. This was harder than he thought it would be, switching from therapist to family. A lump of emotion burned in his throat. That vague protectiveness he felt grew. She was his family and he didn't want her upset no matter how necessary it was. It was too late to turn back now.
"That's your brother Shawn." He pointed to the boy standing beside her in the photograph who was giving her bunny ears with two fingers behind her head. "He's about eighteen months older than you."
She smiled affectionately at the face she didn't even recognize. She didn't know him, but somewhere deep down inside she felt something for him. Felt something for all of the people in the photograph. Something was better than nothing.
"How old am I?" She asked after a moment, suddenly aware she didn't exactly know.
"Twenty four."
"Yes. I'm sorry. It said my birthdate on the missing poster," she apologized realizing her error.
"It's okay. This is a lot to take in." He wanted to hug her, or at least place a hand of comfort on her shoulder or knee. He held back, wanting to respect her space. The last thing she needed was someone she hardly knew crowding her.
He pointed next to the teen standing next to her father. Their father. "This is Maggie. Your sister. She's six years older than you." He tried unsuccessfully to keep the affection out of his voice.
Tall and skinny. Arms crossed across her chest. She was full of teenage attitude, wanting to be anywhere but taking that picture.
"My parents. Are they," her voice drifted off. Are they alive? Are they well? Can I see them? Do I want to see them? Would they want to see me? Why would they want to see me?
I left them.
"They're good. They live outside of Atlanta. Still in the house, you grew up in." The farmhouse she affectionately remembered.
"Do they know about me? That I'm not missing?"
"This is where it gets rather muddled." Muddled was an understatement. "They do not know and I can not tell them unless you want me to. I can tell them that you are alive and well and that's it or I can tell them the whole story. Or you can tell them if you want. Ultimately, it's up to you. You should know it's also your prerogative to not have any contact with them if you choose."
He wanted so badly for her to demand to see them that very day. He saw their hurt, knew their pain. It wasn't his decision to make though.
"I must have hurt them so badly," her voice hiccuped on a sob.
Glenn gave up and moved to sit on the sofa next to her. "They miss you," he conceded. "The last five years haven't been easy. But a lot of good things have happened. Shawn and his girlfriend just had a baby boy. They plan to get married in the spring. And Maggie. She has two children. She and her husband met shortly after you went missing."
Beth continued to stare at the photograph. The faces had gone blurry because she couldn't stem the deluge of the tears. "I don't know how I'd face them after what I did."
"We don't have to figure it out today. But we do need to figure it out soon."
"What's the rush Doc?" Daryl spoke for the first time since he repeated her full name.
"Well, I'm afraid there's a personal motive to move things along," he admitted. He took the remaining photograph from the envelope. This one he didn't have to take from Shawn's Facebook account. He carried this picture in his wallet.
Beth took the photo from him. She let out something between a gasp and a whine. "This is you."
Glenn nodded. "That is me and your sister on our wedding day. Beth, I'm your brother in law."
Beth shot up from the couch. The photos and missing poster falling to the floor. She looked from Daryl to Glenn.
"What the hell is going on here? You expect me to believe you just happen to be married to my sister?"
Glenn nodded slowly. "I know. It's crazy. I didn't recognize you at first. Once I did, I knew I had to tell you the truth."
Daryl watched the scene unfolding. He wanted to put his arms around her. Tell Glenn to leave. He wanted to protect her. But there was no protecting her from this. This was just something she had to work through no matter how painful it was.
"Not to undermine what you're feeling, this has put me in a precarious predicament. I can no longer see you as your therapist which is fine. We can find you a new therapist. The problem is, because of privacy laws I can't tell the family about you without your permission. Not telling my wife that her sister is alive after being gone for five years, well, I honestly can't imagine carrying that secret around with me indefinitely. So I chose to come here today and tell you everything."
Beth stared at him skeptically.
"I am not being deceitful. It's my duty to tell you."
Beth didn't know what to do. First Sherry may or may not still be stuck at the Sanctuary. Same with Dwight. Then Negan wasn't going to be charged with any crimes so he'll be able to continue ruining people's lives. And now this. Part of her wanted desperately to fill in the blanks. The other part of her was afraid to. Now that the basic facts were presented to her, she wasn't sure how to react or how to feel.
She looked at Glenn, her brother in law. The only family she has had any contact with in five years. She believed him when he said he went being deceitful, but damn.
"My family must hate me," she voiced her greatest fear. "I've hurt them so badly."
Glenn stood, breaching the no physical contact with patients protocol - because she was no longer his patient, she was his sister - he placed his hands lightly on her shoulders.
"I can promise you they do not hate you. They love and miss you."
They left it at that for the day. Both Glenn and Daryl weren't sure how much more Beth wanted to know. She promised to make a decision about telling the family by the end of the week.
Andrea swooped in from out of nowhere and took Beth into her arms and guided her to the spare room she'd been using as her bedroom. Daryl did his best to not take it personally. Beth seemed to need Andrea at that moment. Not him and he needed to get Glenn back to town. Before leaving, he slipped into the room, kissed her damp cheek goodbye.
She lay on her bed, covered by a blanket with Scooby-Doo giving a thumbs up on it. Her eyes were closed, puffy from tears. As he stood again, she whispered, "I love you."
Time stood still as though they were thrust into a vortex. He didn't dare move or breathe.
Her eyes slowly opened. "Please don't say anything back. I just wanted you to know."
He wanted to say the words back to her. He respected her wishes though and didn't. He held onto them instead, burying them down deep for another time.
By the time they'd driven back down the mountain and said his goodbye to Glenn, Daryl was too keyed up to go home, so he went to the station again, spending another few hours pouring over the reports and information he had about Negan and the Sanctuary. Cross referencing names with the missing person's database. A few names pinged back. Unfortunately, they were all of adult age and, as Glenn had laminated to Beth, adults can choose to go missing on their own.
He'd make contact with them again, letting them know they had loved ones that cared enough to report them as missing. He understood people sometimes had a very good reason for leaving. Some families were abusive and dangerous. It was their right to leave. He doubted any of the Saviors would want to return to their other lives. Everyone seemed determined to stay there.
Or, maybe, they were just afraid to leave.
When sleep became inevitable, he began shutting things down for the night when he turned to leave, he noticed the cot in the back still set up from Beth. Instead of going home to an empty bed, he laid down in the cot fully clothed with no blanket and settled in for a night of very little sleep.
Whether it was his imagination or not, the pillow still held Beth's scent making his chest ache deeply.
"I understand you're upset with Daryl and all. Finding out that guy is actually your kin. I mean, wow. It's a lot to take in. But, Daryl really cares about you. I ain't never seen him so hooked on a girl ever." Andrea spoke quietly, sitting on the bed in Beth's bedroom. It was late. Everyone was asleep except Beth and Andrea. The house was dark and quiet.
She had laid in bed and cried for a few hours until she was sick of her own self. This lying around and wallowing wasn't solving anything. She began to formulate a plan. And while it wasn't the most sound plan, it felt good to be doing something.
"I'm not upset with Daryl. Or Glenn for that matter. That's not what this is about. I'm tired of waiting. Ya' know? Tired of waiting for others to fix my problems for me. I'm guessing that's how I ended up at the Sanctuary to begin with. I was trying to find the easy way out." The scar on her wrist subconsciously itched. "I can't keep expecting Daryl to handle everything for me."
She sighed, sat on the bed next to Andrea. "I've hurt so many people. My own family. I don't know how to face them. I wouldn't even know where to begin. I got to try to make it right. I've got to find Sherry, get her out of there.
"Me. I have to do it. Not Daryl. She's my friend. It's my fault she's there. I persuaded her to stay, and then I just left her. Apparently, when the going gets tough I leave." The irony wasn't lost on her that that was exactly what she was doing now. Leaving.
Beth felt bad lying to Andrea who had been nothing but kind to her. But the fact remained she was tired of relying on other people to fix her problems for her.
"For starters, it's not your fault. She didn't have to stay," Andrea told Beth. Trying to be a voice of reason. "But you can't just go traipsing off into that hippy-dippy commune from hell. It's not safe."
Andrea's description of the Sanctuary made Beth smile as she stood again and began organizing a few things into her backpack. A flashlight. A canteen of water. A few of Andrea's homemade granola bars wrapped in a tin. A large bag of trail mix. A small amount of cash she had from working at Carol's bookstore. She wanted to be prepared, better prepared than when she left the Sanctuary.
Beth smiled at Andrea. "I can tell by the look on your face, you don't really believe that. If you didn't have a baby and six other kids to care for, you'd gladly be joining me."
Andrea might look like the stereotypical mountain wife with a flannel coat, muck boots, and numerous kids but she was smart and she held no tolerance for a man mistreating women or children. She'd love nothing more than to bring a world of hurt onto Negan.
A hum of laughter sounded in the quiet room. "Probably. But, Daryl will be so pissed at me if I let you go." Andrea stood and switched baby Miriam from one shoulder to the other, went to her dresser and began rifling around in the top drawer.
"I appreciate what you're trying to do. Goin' to find your friend is admirable. What if this Negan guy catches you? Then what will happen?" Andrea asked, her back to Beth.
"You're not letting me go, I'm going on my own. I'll figure it out when I get there. I'm not dumb, I'll be careful." She didn't see it as a choice.
Andrea sighed and turned back to her, an antler handled hunting knife held out in her free hand. "I know you're not dumb. Here, take this. I hope you won't be needin' it."
Beth took the knife, felt the weight of it. Removing the sheath, the four-inch blade sparkled in the kerosene lantern light. Emotion clogged her throat. It wasn't just a knife Andrea was offering her, it was a way to protect herself.
She wound her arms around Andrea and Miriam, hugging them tightly. When they pulled apart, Andrea nodded, emotion showing on her face. She then busied herself in the closet this time, pulling out a large camouflage coat.
"Wear this. You'll be warm at least."
"Thank you for everything." Beth would have never guessed she'd have friends, friends that were genuinely good people, outside of the Sanctuary.
Andrea watched as Beth put the sheathed knife on her belt and then put the oversized jacket over her yellow shirt and grey sweater that had seen better days. She checked her pack one last time and turned to the door that led down the hall to the living area. She stood there a second, wanting to say something but nothing else was to be said.
Andrea nodded. "Go on now, go find your friend and get back here as fast as you can. I'll try to stall Merle and Daryl as long as I can. And if you see that son a' bitch Negan, kick him in the balls for me."
I might be Andrea. Except I don't live in the mountains. hahaha
Thanks for reading! Leave a comment. ;)
