A/N Thank you, Thank you - you guys are the best. There's a whole lot going on. Let's check in.
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His wife still has the IV but she assures him it's just fluids to keep her hydrated. When he gives her a questioning look she shakes her head like he's being silly, "It's just saline or something. Stop being such a worry wart."
All the emotions of the day, the fear he experienced for his wife and baby, and the nagging remnant of those fears he's still experiencing, along with his profound love for them, have joined forces with his primal needs – he's hungry and exhausted.
He doesn't raise his voice but she can tell immediately he's not happy with her. "A worry wart? Do ya have any idea what you n Annie put me through today?" Now he's shaking his head, "I's never so scared in my life." Then he's just grasping at whatever, "Worry wart. Pfft That's another thing, you're always callin' me names."
She can see the tension in his face, his whole body really. He's had an unreal day and through it all he's proved to her once again, he's the best person she's ever known. Her voice is soft, sweet and apologetic as she takes his hand and quietly tells him, "I'm sorry I've called you names. It's a very bad habit I think I've carried over since first grade. I won't do it anymore, unless they're nice names like you deserve to be called. And Daryl, I promise I'm doing really good. The doctor said I'll probably be able to go home in two days, I'm just not sure I want to."
She looks down at the baby sleeping peacefully on her chest, looks at her husband and asks, "How can I possibly go home and leave her here alone?"
Just the sound of her soft voice and the touch of her hand have calmed his rattled nerves and he leans in and kisses her cheek. He gets what she's saying, he feels the same way, but that's not what he says, "Hey now Beth, she won't be alone, ya know that. One or both of us will be here all day everyday as long as Annie's here. We can take turns too."
He gives her another little kiss, lays his hand softly on Annie's back and admits, "I ain't really mad at ya, ya know that don't ya? Mostly I just been worried and I'm tired and hungry. This has been some kinda day, ain't it?"
She softly laughs, "I'll say, but look what we got Daryl! We won the grand prize!"
He feels like his heart might melt as he looks at the two of them, "Yeah we did. We hit the jackpot."
She takes a serious tone with him, "I think you should ask Merle to give you a ride home. Rest a little, have a shower and have something to eat. You need to take care of yourself."
He shakes his head no, "I ain't leaving the two of ya."
"Daryl, we'll be fine, just think of all the people here who are keeping an eye on us." She squeezes his hand adding, "And we're not going anywhere without you, we'll be right here when you get back."
He still doesn't give in, "Nah, it's better if I just stay. You stayed with me."
She sighs in frustration and points out, "Not all the time. I stayed at the motel the first two nights. Then Merle took me home and I showered and packed a little bag. I took care of the food in the fridge and a couple of other small things around the house." She smiles as she teases just a little, "Besides, don't you want to go wash the fish and campfire smells off?"
He squints an eye and does his best to look angry when he asks, "What're ya sayin' Beth? Ya tellin' me I stink an ya don't want me around til I clean up?"
She smiles, shrugs and answers, "Kind of."
They're both laughing when the pediatrician walks in, but Daryl immediately tries to look serious. He grabs a crutch, stands and extends his hand, "Good ta meet ya Doc, I'm Daryl Dixon and this is my wife Beth. I guess ya already met Annie."
The doctor smiles down at the resting baby and her Mother, "Indeed I have. It seems your daughter was very anxious to meet the world," He smiles at Daryl and adds, "and I understand it was quite the exciting experience for you."
He nods and agrees, "No kiddin', she tested my nerves for sure."
"Well you did a great job. She's early but I don't think there's any reason to suspect she won't thrive. I have her at 31 weeks, close to 32. She's a little ahead of the curve in organ development, so that's good. Her lungs are almost fully developed. If she could have waited another week or so we'd be there. But she does seem to have caught on to the art of breathing. Aside from you giving her a little mouth to mouth and the paramedics giving her oxygen, she's been breathing on her own."
Beth asks hopefully, "So there's nothing wrong?"
"Well she is preterm so although there's nothing wrong per se, she's not as developed as we would prefer her to be. I'm sure I don't have to tell you she needs to put on some weight. Other than that, we need to observe her and make sure she continues to make developmental progress. We have to be certain she continues to breathe on her own, and we'll want her to show an interest in eating on her own. Tell me Mrs. Dixon, do you plan on breast feeding?"
"Yes."
"Wonderful. We'll see how she does with that. It might be challenging at first, even some full-term babies experience a little trouble in the beginning. If we can't coax Annie into cooperating, we'll have to supplement. Alright?"
"Yes, of course whatever she needs."
"Great. We have an excellent team of lactation specialists, the best around. They'll be in soon to check with you and they'll do everything possible to make sure it's a successful and loving experience for both you and Annie."
He answers a few more of their questions and when he leaves Daryl tells her, "Ya know you're right, I need ta go home and get cleaned up n all that, check on the house and get myself sumthin' ta eat. Ya want me ta bring anythin' back for you?"
"Yes please, the bag we packed for me and the baby, oh, and you know all those cookies I made? Why don't you bring those too, I'm hungry for sweets." She's smiling and he's laughing and she's thinking of something. She knows her husband. He's 100% on board with her breastfeeding Annie, but that's not the sort of thing Daryl wants to talk about in front of others. She thinks she might know why he's going home and she can't resist asking, "So what changed your mind?"
He's honest, it's Beth and he knows she knows him, "I got no interest in being here when that lactaid lady is talkin' to ya. I'll split when she gets here. You can just tell me what all she said when I come back later." She smiles and agrees, she can't even imagine how uncomfortable all of that would make Daryl, the poor man's been through enough today.
They've just settled on that when her doctor comes in and the first thing he does is tease Daryl, "What's the big idea of you stealing my job?"
Daryl shrugs and shakes his head when he answers, "Man, I never intended to steal your thunder, that's for damn sure. And it scared the hell right outta me too. Thank God it all turned out pretty good, that's all I care about."
Dr. Carson agrees, "All kidding aside my man, you did great. There was no tearing, no problems at all, I'm very impressed. And just look at Annie, she's a little doll. Dr. S tells me he's sure she's going to be just fine."
That's when all those questions Daryl has come out at once, "What about Beth though Doc? Is she okay? And do ya know what made this happen? Why the baby came so early?"
The doctor's voice has both a serious and a soothing tone, "Honestly? We can't say for sure. Often times with pregnancies there are indicators, serious ongoing problems and we suspect the birth will be preterm. Other times it simply happens."
He looks at her and says, "We've all talked many times about Beth's physical health the first time I examined her, it wasn't the best. Beth you know, your body was rundown and you've been fighting an uphill battle trying to remedy that, and through a pregnancy. That might be a contributor, but it's also possible that has absolutely nothing to do with it. In your case it seems to have simply happened. The good news is you and the baby are doing well. That's what we're going to focus on, and of course, getting both Mommy and Baby up to weight."
The doctor agrees with what she told her husband, she'll be released in two days, "There won't be any reason to keep you here, and I'm sure you'll rest better at home."
Beth disagrees with that, "Not without my baby I won't."
The doctor nods in understanding and says, "I know it feels that way, but you can stay with her whenever you want to, we just don't recommend overnight visits. No one's trying to be mean, we just want you to get your rest. That way, when Annie goes home you and her will both be healthy and rested. How's that?"
Daryl wants his girls to be alright and he jumps on that, "Yeah, that's good. That's what I want too."
Dr. Carson answers a few more questions and isn't even quite out the double doors when the lactation specialist arrives. She seems very nice and encouraging, but Daryl can't imagine being in on this.
He tells them, "S'cuse me, but I gotta get. I'll be back later and Beth can tell me all what ya talked about." He bends down, kisses his baby and his wife and promises, "I'ma be back soon, with cookies."
Beth smiles, "Alright," and then remembers, "Oh my gosh, would you call Shawn and email Maggie, please?"
He's never communicated with her sister. He's been copied on some of the messages Beth sends her, he's seen pictures of Maggie and she's real pretty and all, but in his mind he thinks of her as mostly bossy and crabby. He puts all that aside though, he knows he needs to do this, "Yeah sure, a course." Shit, besides, he'd do just about anything to avoid being here while some woman talks to his wife about their daughter latching onto her breast. He needs a beer, he needs a sandwich and then another beer. That ought to make everything right.
He gets to the lobby, calls his brother and then while he waits for Merle to arrive, he calls Shawn. Her brother sounds truly happy and excited, "Damn brother, I'm so happy that wasn't me. I don't think I could have done it. I would have passed out for sure."
Daryl assures him, "Nah, you'da done whatever ya had ta do, just like me, and then you'da done what I done, throw up right there on the highway."
They laugh and chat a little longer and when they hang up Daryl composes his email to Maggie. He tells her what happened without going into every little detail. By the time he's done typing everything on the phone, with his thumbs, Merle has arrived.
Merle's got that walk and that grin, he's like the cat that swallowed the canary when he comes strolling through those big automatic lobby doors. He's practically cackling when he says, "Well, well, well if it ain't Dr. Dixon. I always knew you'd make it big someday."
When they get in Merle's truck Daryl's smiling and shaking his head, but his voice is also full of emotion when he admits to his brother, "Fuck man, I's worried I'd pass out. I's so scared for Beth and for the baby. I knew it was too early, and fuck, what would I have done if things went wrong?"
Merle reaches over, grabs his brother's shoulder and says, "Hey now, there's no doubt in my mind ya woulda figured it out little brother. When the shit gets down that's how ya are. It's who ya are." He smiles and suggests, "I tell ya what, let's you n me hit the Dragon Room. I'll buy ya a beer and a corned beef sandwich ta celebrate. I'm sure you're starving since ya lost your lunch on the highway n all."
Daryl's fighting a smile as he reaches over and punches his brother's arm, "Yeah, I's just glad it didn't happen til I done what I needed ta do, and hell yeah, I could go for a beer and a sandwich."
They get back to the house, he's better now that his stomach is full and he's had a couple of beers. He hurries to shower, gets her bag and packs up the cookies in a plastic container, then grabs a couple of personal things he'll need. He's not quite ready to leave though. All afternoon his leg has been reminding him of what he needs to do next.
He gets on the phone with Dr. Jenner and he's honest with the man. He tells him what he did and why he did it, and he admits that the leg is causing him quite a bit of pain.
The Doctor responds, "First of all, congratulations on your new baby girl. How about I have a look at it, the chief of staff over at St. John's is a golfing buddy of mine. I'll give him a quick call and ask if he minds if I practice medicine at his hospital today. I don't anticipate anything other than for him to agree, he owes me a favor or two. I'll see you there in an hour or so."
They're happy but also melancholy when two days later Beth is released from the hospital. Daryl's honest with himself, he wants him and Beth to be sleeping together in their own bed, even though he knows it's going to be rough being away from Annie. They want Annie home too, and even though they fully understand why she can't be, it still hurts.
The first night turns out to be difficult. Neither of them sleeps well and they know exactly why, it's being away from their little girl that's got them anxious. The good news is they're together in their own bed with no one else around. They can cuddle all they want, talk and touch and tease.
Of course they can't take it as far as he'd like it to go, it's way too soon for that, but they can satisfy the hunger for at least some of what they're craving with each other. For now they settle on laying skin to skin, feeling each other's hearts beat and holding on tight.
They only manage to hold out on sex completely for a week. The first time they make love they're both very tentative and maybe a little more careful than they need to be. He's so afraid he'll hurt her, she's afraid of the same thing. But it's not long before they're right back to where they were, except for that one change, now he wears a condom.
They quickly get in a routine. Beth spends her mornings at the hospital with Annie, and Daryl spends his afternoons there and Beth is home. They make it a point to have dinner at home every night on their back porch, just the two of them. It's their time to talk and smile and share their news of the day, and spend some time just focusing on each other. Then it's back to the hospital together to spend part of the evening with their baby.
Annie's five weeks old when they finally get to bring their little girl home. It's sooner than they'd originally thought, but it still feels like forever. Daryl carries the tiny bundle into the bedroom, not her own bedroom, no. They have no intention of letting her sleep anywhere but right next to them until she's a lot bigger.
Her pretty bassinet is all made up and ready, waiting right next to their bed. Beth watches with a smile as Daryl carefully lays the little girl down. She still sleeps for the majority of the day; she still has so much growing to do. She's just a hair over five pounds, but she's healthy and thriving.
Beth looks over and sees the big bouquet of flowers on their dresser. There are balloons and a rattle, and a little stuffed bunny, all part of the big floral arrangement. They smile when they read the card, "Welcome home Annie! We Love You, Aunt Carol, Uncle Merle and Cousin Sophia."
Merle, Carol and Sophia come by every day. They don't stay long, just long enough to hold the baby girl for a few minutes and coo over her. Uncle Shawn and Frankie are the same. When they're in town they're there for a few minutes each day.
Beth can't believe how much better her brother is doing with Frankie gently pushing him to try harder and to do more. He's still wobbly, a little slow and unsteady on his feet, but in the house he walks around unassisted.
It's two weeks after Annie gets home that Shawn comes to see them alone. He sits on the back porch with his sister and brother in law and he smiles when he tells them the news, "Frankie has a photo shoot down in Miami next week and I'm going with her. While we're there we're getting married."
All Daryl has are beers, he teases, "If I'da known I'd have champagne."
Shawn laughs as he takes the bottle from Daryl's hand, "Like you and me are gonna sit around sippin' champagne." They clink bottles and Shawn admits, "I never thought I'd have this after what happened to me. I was sure I'd be institutionalized the rest of my life, then you two made me move and I met Frankie. Now I've got a life again and I'm the happiest man in the world."
Daryl disagrees, "No ya ain't, I am." They laugh and clink bottles again and smile knowing they're both right.
Aaron's by every week and often Jesus is with him. They seem to be a good match, this might just stick.
Even Rick surprises them with a visit and he brings Carl. Beth and Daryl suspect there's been some secret behind the scenes planning by Carl and Sophia when the Dixon's show up shortly after. It calls for an impromptu pizza party, although Beth sticks with a turkey sandwich, "I'm not sure Annie's ready for pizza yet."
They've been home three weeks when the front door bell rings and Daryl hurries to answer it. He's never met her yet he knows her right away. He speaks first, "Maggie?"
"Yes, and you're Daryl. You look just like Beth described you, except a lot rougher and scruffier."
Her remark doesn't offend him, he's not concerned with her opinion of him. It's just that he's pretty sure she's a steamroller. It seems like every time Beth hears from her sister she's a little down afterwards. He doesn't like seeing his wife like that.
He's not used to getting tough with women, but he feels like he needs to take a stand with this woman right from the start. He gets close, closer than he ever stands to a virtual stranger, looks her in the eye and lets her know, "You're Beth's sister and that means you're welcome in my home anytime, right up ta the time that you upset my wife in any way, then you're not welcome anymore."
She looks at him for a minute, deciding whether she wants to do battle with her brother in law. She decides against it, he looks like a man who means what he says. So she smiles and says, "Oh yeah? Well that's good to know Daryl Dixon, I'll mind my p's and q's."
One day while Beth's showering and the baby's sleeping, he takes a beer to the back porch to sit and relax a minute. He's just staring out at the pretty yard when his mind wanders to the accident. Even though it was a nightmare, and as much as he worries he might never be quite the same physically, he's almost glad he had to jump out of that bucket, and then got hit by a jolt of lightning. It's because of that he's been able to spend so much time with his wife and their baby.
It's even more time than he thought it would be, four months instead of three. When Dr. Jenner examined his leg at St. John's, he told him, "Daryl, I'm not going to lecture you, this was something you didn't have any control over, but hobbling around on the leg with no boot, trying to drive, getting on your knees to deliver the baby, you did some damage."
He never asked the Doc to do it, he never would have, but Dr. Jenner fudged a little in his report, he didn't say patient negligence caused a re-injury, he said, "The patient's leg sustained more damage than originally suspected and is taking far longer to heal properly." That kept the disability coming.
Five Years Later
The last time they were in Savannah was two years ago when Aaron and Jesus got married on the beach, they're all excited to be back. They've rented a bungalow and they're going to stay a week, the whole family's ready for fun, especially Daryl. They haven't had a real vacation in quite a while, and it's not just that, there's so much cause for celebration this weekend.
As he helps Beth out of the big Ford Explorer he kisses her cheek and asks, "You excited ta be back?"
She returns the smile, "Yes, I'm so happy. I can't wait to see everyone and I'm really looking forward to taking Annie and Max on a boat tour. I'm so glad you decided to turn this into a family vacation, I know we're all going to have a ball."
He lifts Annie from the backseat but he doesn't set her down right away. He holds the little girl, kisses her cheek and then asks her, "Are ya ready for Sophia and Carl's weddin' tomorrow Annie? I just know you're gonna make a beautiful flower girl."
"I'm happy Daddy. I love my pretty dress and my new pink shoes!" Daryl smiles at the tiny girl, she's only a hair bigger that her not quite three year old brother. There's no doubt he'll be passing her up soon.
He supposes it was destined to be this way, that she'd be tiny. She started out that way and that's the way she's stayed. She's a beauty too, it's like he told her from the start. She looks just like her Mama. She's all soft blonde curls and big blue eyes, and that big sweet smile. Those aren't the only things she inherited from Beth, just like her Mama she has a pure heart that's full of love.
Next he gets his rough and tumble boy Max out of his car seat, "Hey buddy, did ya have a nice nap? Are ya all rested up for our vacation?"
His son is all boy. Everything about him seems to be just the opposite of his sister. He's big for his age, with a powerful little build and lots of unruly straight dark hair. He's got brooding steel blue eyes and a habit of chewing the side of his thumb when he's thinking about something. He's independent, but he follows his Daddy everywhere.
He's also fiercely protective of his sister and his Mama. Right now he's got a bruise above his left eyebrow from a scuffle he got in just the other day. The neighbor boy pushed Annie down and made her cry. Max didn't hesitate, he jumped on the older boy with his little fists flying. His Daddy had trouble getting after him for it, his son's a Dixon after all.
Yep, Max is a lot like his Daddy, including his soft heart.
No sooner does Daryl set his son down than Annie's hugging her brother, "Oh Maxie, we're going to have so much fun. We're going to play in the sand and eat cotton candy and everything is going to be so good."
The key to the place is in his pocket. Daryl gets the stroller and the luggage out of the back end of the rig as they head in the modest two-bedroom bungalow they've rented. It's just right, everything they need. They hurry to unpack and get their swimsuits on and they're on their way to the sand. Daryl's always cautious about his family, if they're out and about, they stick together. They have a rule, they all hold hands as they walk along the boardwalk to the beach.
Suddenly Beth stops, seemingly frozen in her tracks as her hand covers her mouth and a loud gasp escapes her as she utters, "Oh my gawd."
Daryl's concerned as the whole family comes to a halt, "What Beth? What happened?" Annie seems a little frightened and he picks her up and holds her close while he waits for his wife to answer.
She gulps, she has to be careful what she says in front of the children, "That brown haired man over there, the one talking to the older blonde lady, that's Randall Burns."
His eyes look that way and he feels a coldness in his heart as he observes this guy who uses women, and he definitely looks like he's schmoozing this older woman. He's smiling, touching her arm, leaning in close, practically falling all over her. Yeah, the man's doing what he does. Daryl keeps watching as the women smiles back like she's all in love, and then hands Randall an envelope that he stuffs in his pocket.
That's when it happens, out of nowhere four cops show up, two in uniform and two detectives. In five seconds flat Randall is handcuffed and they're putting him in a police cruiser. The detectives are talking to the woman and Daryl realizes, she must be a detective too. A smile spreads across his face, it was a setup, they played that mutherfucker and caught him redhanded. Beat him at his own game.
Beth's looking over at her husband and she seems to have forgotten the children are there, but her question is sincere when she asks, "Are you disappointed the police are here? Did you think you'd finally get a chance to beat the tar out of him?"
Daryl's studying her. He's surprised she'd ask him that question, but then there was a time he talked a lot about doing just that. He doesn't say a word at first. One arm wraps across his wife's shoulder and he kisses her deeply, right there on the boardwalk in front of the kids and all. Then he rubs a hand softly over Annie's blonde curls and kisses her cheek. He looks back at Beth and states his truth. "I don't need ta beat the tar outta him. I already beat him outta everythin' he ever had that was worth havin'."
Then Maxie's tugging at his hand, "Quit kissin', let's go beach Daddy."
Daddy just smiles, "I ain't ever gonna quit kissin' your Mama, Max. C'mon, then, we got sandcastles ta build and I got kids ta bury in the sand."
And the Dixons lived happily ever after
A/N Thank you all so much for reading my story, and for your comments, follows and favors - I appreciate you all. You too my silent readers - KS, MaggieDee and all :) The final chapter photo, with babies, is on my tumblr blogs gneebee and bethylmetbrick, please check in out. I'll be back with a new Bethyl story on Friday the 28th of Aug, I hope you'll stop by and check it out. Until then, thank you again and remember, I love ya large! xo gneebee BETHYL ON!