A/N Thank you so much, again! I apologize for leaving you on a cliff, but I'm going to do my best to make it up to you right now. I hope you enjoy.
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His chair flies back from the table and he's on his feet demanding, "Whaddya mean accident?! Where is she? Where's Beth?!"
Abraham and Aaron are on their feet next, trying to calm him with words like, "Daryl, come on now, you don't want trouble."
There's simply no stopping him and seeing the look in the boarder's eyes has Mister Horvath quietly replying, "She's in her room Son. The doctor just left."
As Daryl begins to head that way the older man reaches out and with surprising strength clasps the boarder's arm, stopping him long enough to say, "She's badly hurt and she's going to need you to be strong for her, and no matter how you're feeling, try and act calm. Even if you don't feel calm."
The words of caution add to Daryl's anxiety and concern, but he knows the man's right and before breaking free of his grasp he nods and says, "I will be." He'll be whatever he has to be and do whatever he has to do, for her.
His heart is pounding as he walks quickly through the sitting room, then the kitchen and then he's at Beth's door. He stops just long enough to try and steady his breathing and his nerves before entering.
His hand is on the knob and Mrs. Horvath is at his side, tugging at his sleeve as she tries to stop him, "You cannot go in her room Mister Dixon!" He looks at the woman but it's like he doesn't really see or hear her. It wouldn't matter anyway; nothing is going to prevent him from seeing Beth. He doesn't bother to do so much as knock before turning the knob and entering Beth's room.
What he sees breaks his heart.
For a moment he can't move, it's like his boots are nailed to the floor. All he can do is try to calm his heartbeat but his heart won't stop racing. He isn't even aware that Mrs. Horvath is still admonishing him, and he doesn't hear her husband as he takes Miss Erma's arm and leads her back toward the kitchen, telling his wife, "There's no sense trying to keep the man away Dear, I don't think we could. Besides, this might just be for the best."
Mrs. Horvath nods, resigning herself. Why does she continue to fight this? Why did she even bother to try in the first place? She's known almost since the day the boarder first moved in, him and her Sweet Beth had an attraction that wouldn't be denied.
For now she has to take care of the task at hand, she's got a house to run. All she can do is silently pray for the best as she rolls the cart into the dining to feed the table of hungry men, while also explaining to them what has happened.
Earlier
It's Monday morning and Beth's tired and doesn't have nearly her usual level of energy. The explanation is simple, she's been up half the night as the scene played over and over again in her mind. Everything about it is so vivid; the look on his face when he walked in the door and saw her and Zach, the way he rushed up the stairs without even speaking, followed by the sound of his door slamming. Moments later she clearly heard his feet hitting the back stairs, even though his truck was parked at the curb he didn't come through the front room. Instead she heard the backdoor shutting hard. He must have hurried around because it was only seconds later when she heard the engine of the panel truck coming back to life.
Zach caught on to her distress right away whispering his question, "That's him, isn't it? He's your Sweetheart."
She was trying so hard not to cry, but she was certain she must look as upset as she felt when she whispered back, "Yes, we were supposed to meet in the park at two."
"No wonder he's mad. He probably thinks he's been stood up for some other guy."
What a horrible thought, and yet she realizes Zach is probably right. She isn't sure what to do or say next, and even if she did know what to say she isn't sure she can speak without starting to cry. She simply nods in response as Zach gets to his feet. He extends a hand to her and she stands too, and he apologizes, "I'm sorry this happened Beth, but I'm sure he'll come around." He smiles and adds, "You're a great girl, if he's got any brains at all he won't be able to stay away."
His expression and tone become more serious as he continues, "And thank you for being such a good friend to me. Now that we've talked, I've made up my mind, it's time I start acting like a man. I'm going to tell my Mother I plan to marry Amy with or without her blessing."
That gets a genuine smile from Beth and she replies, "That's wonderful Zach, I just know it will all work out for the best."
As soon as her caller's out the door she rushes to her room and quickly locks herself inside. She practically falls down on the bed and has herself a long hard cry. Her feelings bounce back and forth between hurt and angry. How could Daryl have acted that way? It was such an innocent encounter. Of course, how would he know it was purely innocent? But how could he doubt her feelings for him? And why didn't he let her explain?
She's so sad, hurt and confused she can't seem to fall asleep, and when she does finally drift off she doesn't stay asleep. Throughout the night she wakes and thinks of him. Sometimes the tears she cries are caused by sadness, other times by anger.
When it's time to rise and start the day she scolds herself one last time, she has to stop thinking about all of that. She's already let it ruin her night, she's not going to let it ruin her day and besides, there's work to be done and chores to be completed.
With the coffee pot in hand she sets off for the dining room, but he's waiting and he stops her. He hands her a note that she slips in her apron pocket, and she hands him the note she wrote him. Just those little gestures leave her feeling hopeful, and when breakfast is done a plan is agreed upon. They'll meet tonight, they'll talk it over and she prays they'll work it out. Who knows, maybe they'll even kiss and makeup.
When the men have left the house, her workday begins in earnest. As far as the tasks the day holds for her it starts off like any other Monday. The first order of business is cleaning up the kitchen and as she does her chore, once again her mind is on Daryl.
She completes her work in the kitchen and feels a bit of pride as she looks around. She thinks of a phrase Daddy uses, "it's as shiny as a new penny." It puts a smile on her face as she picks up her bucket and the carpet sweeper, it's time to go upstairs and tackle her chores there.
In the short hallway she encounters Mister Dale and steps out of his way as he walks toward the kitchen. He's carrying a 25 pound sack of flour to replenish the supply in the big crock. Once they've passed she proceeds on her way until, just as her foot has landed on the first stairstep, she hears something she's never heard before and never thought she would ever hear. It's Mister Dale yelling a profanity, a particularly ugly word, followed by a shriek from Miss Erma and her words, "Oh Dear God."
It sounds as if there must have been some sort of disaster. Beth quickly sets her things down and hurries to the kitchen to help. It's an amazing sight really. Terrible yes, but at the same time it's quite something to see. It seems there was some sort of weakness in the flour sack fabric or perhaps it was a tear. It doesn't matter either way, all that matters is when Mister Dale accidentally dropped it, it was as if there had been an explosion. Now flour covers every surface.
As the three begin the work of cleaning up the mess they discover that it's not just surfaces that are covered, the flour dust has seeped into every drawer, every cupboard, every crack and crevice. By the time the cleaning work is done it's close to noon, and they're all a mess and in need of a bath. Miss Erma insists Beth take her turn first while she prepares them all a simple lunch of sandwiches.
Beth hurries with her bath, has her lunch, and even though she's so tired she can hardly think straight, she doesn't want to take her rest period. She wants to get right back to work because she's well aware, whatever she doesn't get done today will need to be done tomorrow.
It's after one o'clock by the time she takes the pail and the carpet sweeper and makes her way upstairs. She's still sneezing from breathing in so much flour, but she tries not to let it bother her.
She completes the task of thoroughly cleaning the men's bathroom and has just started on the baseboards in the hallway when she hears Mister Dale coming up the stairs with the Vacuette. As he sets it down he explains to her, "I cannot accept the loss of 25 pounds of good flour caused by careless packaging. I'm on my way now to demand a replacement. You just leave this contraption up here and I'll retrieve it when I get back home."
She nods, says, "Yes Sir," and gets busy finishing the baseboards and the wainscotting. Then it's time for the chore she hates the most, vacuuming. The machine is heavy and between the cord and the hose it always seems like something is tangled up or worse, wrapped around her leg. In addition, it's way too heavy and quite cumbersome. It doesn't seem to make the work easier, as far as Beth is concerned it makes it harder. Still it's her job and she doesn't ever complain, she simply does her best.
When the upstairs work is done she's even more anxious to start downstairs, but Mister Dale has not yet returned. Ever since this morning's mishap she's been working as fast as she can and it's getting late. She'll have to begin preparing the table and dinner soon, and she'd sure like to get the living room vacuumed first.
Later she'll blame what happened squarely on her own shoulders. Miss Erma told her several times today to just do what she could do, assuring her that they'd catch up on the rest of the work throughout the week. "It will get done and Mister Dale has even promised he'll pitch in and help. You already look so exhausted, if you tire yourself out too much you'll get sick. We don't want that, do we Beth?"
She replies "No Ma'am," but she doesn't follow the advice. Maybe it was work ethic, maybe it was misplaced pride, maybe it was just her stubborn determination. Whatever the reason it causes her to make a serious error of judgement. She keeps thinking about how if she could just get that vacuuming done she'd be all caught up. The chore doesn't take too long and the vacuum is right there, she just has to get it down the stairs.
If she can manage to do that and get the table set, she'll be able to start on the men's dinner and have it ready to serve on time. Tomorrow she would only have Tuesday's usual chores. She's grateful tonight's meal is simple, it's something a little different this Monday. There will be patties of fried venison burger, mashed potatoes, gravy, peas and biscuits. Of course, there will also be Miss Erma's tapioca pudding for dessert.
So Beth makes her fateful decision, she's going to stop being such a baby. She's a grown woman for gosh sake. And the Horvaths have been overly cautious just because of that one little mishap. She's perfectly capable of carrying the Vacuette down the stairs.
It takes both hands for her to carry the machine which means no holding onto the banister. She'll just be extra careful. She takes a deep breath and steps down stair one, then two, and as her right foot lands on the third step she sneezes what is surely the biggest sneeze of her life. Between it, and the cumbersome size and weight of the machine she loses her balance.
As it's happening she doesn't feel pain, only fear and panic as she begins to tumble down the staircase, certain she's going to die. In her terror she retains a tight grip on the Vacuette, as if it will save her. She thinks she may be screaming but she can't be certain, and then everything goes dark.
There was one blessing. The linen service delivery man, a big and very kind Negro fellow by the name of Tyrese, happens to be carrying in the freshly laundered bed linens for Miss Erma. They hear the commotion just as Mister Dale is walking in the back door. Immediately all three rush toward the terrible sound.
She lay there, eyes closed and blood pouring from her cheek and forehead. Miss Erma is in tears but that doesn't stop her from saying, "Dale, hurry, get the doctor."
"I will, but we can't just leave her here." He looks to the only one among them he knows has the strength, "Will you carry her Tyrese?"
"I surely will. I'll carry Miss Beth wherever you say, Sir."
"Yes, please, let's get her to her room, and thank you. I'm going for the doctor."
The big man effortlessly picks up the young woman and follows Miss Erma, and on the way to her room Beth regains consciousness. She's confused and panics again, "What are you doing Tyrese?"
"I'm not gonna hurt ya Miss Beth. I'm just gettin' ya to your room where you can rest."
He's gentle as he lays her down and Miss Erma already has a cloth in hand to gently clean the blood from Beth's face. The man asks, "Why don't ya let me carry the linens upstairs for ya Miz Horvath, while you're tending to Beth. I can put em away. Just tell me what door is the linen storage."
"It's just to the right of room 10, and thank you Tyrese, I don't know what we'd have done without you. I'll put in a good word with your boss. On your way out you go to the cookie jar on the kitchen counter and take a dollar for yourself."
"No Ma'am, ya don't have ta pay me. It's right that I should help." He looks down at the young woman who's crying now and says, "You get better Miss Beth, I'll see y'all next week."
He's no sooner gone than Mister Dale is back with Dr. Carson. The Doctor doesn't bother to tell them it would have been better if they'd waited for him before they moved her. What good would it do to bring that up now? He begins the task of assessing Beth's injuries and doing what he can to help her.
Work is harder than it needs to be. Mostly that's because Daryl is exhausted. Just thinking feels like a huge chore, and yet he can't stop thinking.
He had a terrible night but he doesn't feel one bit sorry for himself about it. It's his own damn fault. He screwed up and screwed up bad. Why couldn't he have just said "Hello" and waited to see what happened next? Beth would have introduced him to whoever that fellow was, then Daryl could have gone up to his room and waited until the guy left. He and Beth could have still had their Sunday time together, meeting secretly in the backyard.
Instead he's spent his time feeling miserable, and by the look of her eyes this morning he's responsible for her having a bad night too. A bad night usually causes a bad day, he just hopes to God that's not the case for Beth, and he's also praying her and him can iron out this trouble they're having.
Shit, they were getting so close, everything between them seemed so perfect, and then he ruined it all with his hotheaded bullshit. All the thinking he's doing, on top of how tired he is, is making this day seem a week long.
He's relieved and hopeful when it's finally time to punch the clock and head home. All he has planned when they talk tonight is to beg her for forgiveness. He may not know much about women, but he knows enough to know he never wants to lose this woman. Beth is everything to him and he owes her an apology.
He almost runs in the side door and up the stairs, hurries to wash up and he's at the table. He's so damn happy he's going to see her in a few minutes that he's having trouble hiding his smile. Then Mister Dale walks in and tells them the news.
As soon as he hears those awful words he knows he's done pretending. He's going to her and no one can stop him. If they don't like it well they can just handle that however they want, but he's got to see her with his own eyes. He has to know she's okay. He wants to see her breathing and he wants to hear the words from her, the promise that she's going to be alright.
Aaron and Abraham try to stop him, but they know it's useless. When he pushes them off they accept he's going to do what he's going to do. Miss Erma tries to stop him, but bless Mister Dale he takes her arm and leads her away. The man understands they'll be no keeping Daryl from Beth.
The minute he opens Beth's door and sees her laying there is the minute he feels his heart stop beating. She looks so small and pale and so hurt.
There's a crescent-shaped and painful looking red wound on her cheek and one above her eyebrow, both appear to have a lot of stitches. Her arm is laying outside the blanket, exposing her wrist which is resting on a pillow. Her hand and wrist have been casted in plaster of Paris.
That isn't all that's been casted, one leg is also outside the covers. The leg is resting on two pillows with casting covering her foot to just passed her ankle. What little he can see of her body is covered in angry looking red marks and bruising.
He hurries to her, dropping to his knees at the side of her bed. He lightly touches her arm and in a hushed voice says, "Beth, Sweetheart I'm so sorry. What happened?"
He sees the tears quietly streaming from her sad eyes and his heart breaks again when she turns her face away from him and toward the wall. Her voice is weak when she responds, "Oh Daryl, please don't look at it, I know I must look ugly." Her words are followed by a muffled sobbing noise.
Mister Dale is still there, watching as the scene unfolds and he says to Daryl, "I've got to help Miss Erma get dinner on now, then I'll tell you everything Son."
Daryl nods in Mister Dale's direction, then tries to reassure her, "You're the prettiest girl I know Beth Greene, you're always gonna be." He props himself on the palms of his hands so that he can lean in close enough to kiss her cheek, just above the fresh wound.
Her voice is so weak he has to lean even closer to hear her say, "I'm sorry I didn't meet you at the park. I didn't plan on what happened. It wasn't my doing…"
He feels as if he may drown in guilt and self-hate, he interrupts but keeps his voice low and tries to speak in a comforting tone, "No Beth please, don't apologize. Ya got nuthin' ta be sorry for. I was a jerk. I never shoulda acted like I did. I shouldn't have run off. I should have talked to ya." This time he places a kiss on her forehead.
The moment is interrupted as Mister Dale pokes his head in the door, "Son, you come eat now. Miss Erma saved you back a plate in the kitchen. C'mon now."
He politely tells the man, "I can't leave her, I won't."
To both his and Mister Dale's surprise it's Beth who speaks up. Although her voice is weak her tone is no-nonsense, "I'm going to be just fine right here Daryl and if you don't go to the kitchen and eat you're going to upset me. You've been working all day." He looks at her and thinks, isn't that just Beth? It's who she is. Even bruised and battered like she is, instead of thinking of herself, she's worried about him.
It's been a rough day and hearing the sweet young woman get after the boarder has made Mister Dale smile, he can't resist a little teasing, "Best listen to the boss son, c'mon." Daryl agrees only because she gets after him again, but he has every intention of making it the fastest meal he's ever eaten.
Daryl sits at the kitchen table feeling out of place and uncomfortable as he looks at the plate in front of him. His stomach has a mind of its own though, it's been growling for an hour. He shovels in a big bite just as Mister Dale sits down next to him and begins to tell him what happened.
Just as the man's mentioning how tired Beth looked all morning, Miss Erma's rolling the cart in the kitchen and Daryl makes a big decision. The cat's out of the bag anyway and he's tired of pretending and tired of sneaking around. It's time to just tell them.
He begins, "I'm just gonna come clean with you folks. What happened is my fault and I need ta tell ya the truth. I upset Beth yesterday. I got mad cuz she was here talkin to some other fella. Ya see, Beth n me, we been sneakin' around seein' each other for a couple months now. I woulda been proud ta take her out and show her off, but we knew she'd lose her job and she needs the work."
He isn't worried about what they might think of him, but he doesn't want them thinking Beth did anything wrong, so he adds, "I want ya ta know we wasn't doin' anythin' we shouldn't. I wouldn't ask that of her or take nuthin' from her. It was never more than huggin' and kissin' and talkin'."
He swallows another big bite of food and continues, "We was supposed ta meet at the park yesterday and she didn't come. I didn't know what ta make of it cuz she's always on time and I was gettin' nervous thinkin' sumthin' musta happened to her. I waited thirty minutes before I thought I best come back here and check on her."
He takes a deep breath before admitting, "I walked in the door and I seen her sittin' there on the couch with that other fella. They was drinkin' tea, talkin' and gigglin' and that green-eyed monster got hold of me. I acted the fool, I didn't give her a chance to explain, I just ran up the stairs and then I left for my brother's place. I upset us both. I didn't get a bit a sleep last night and I don't think she did either."
Mister Dale is nodding in understanding when he says, "Well I don't think it was your fault son, it was a misunderstanding, one I'm afraid Miss Erma and I had a big part in."
Daryl looks confused now, "How's that?"
It's then that Miss Erma comes clean herself and admits her share of responsibility. She tells Daryl about the visit by Mrs. Neudermyer and about the accusations leveled by the woman. She tells how she sent the woman packing, while also believing the story Shelly Neudermyer told. "I'm sorry son, I'm sure I misjudged you...no, that's not right. I never should have judged you in the first place."
She bows her head slightly and continues, "I should have just gone to Beth and asked her about the situation, instead I arranged for a young man from our church to call on her yesterday. I want you to know, honestly? There was no spark at all between them."
It surprises him he's not more angry with the woman, but there's something comforting about knowing these people are looking out for Beth and her well-being. Plenty of folks wouldn't care what happened to the help as long as the help got their work done.
Miss Erma makes a promise to him, "I plan to try and make it up to you both the only way I know. While she's recovering I'll be tending to her every need myself and she'll have the best of care, I promise you that. I just need to find someone quickly who can help me with the house."
Even as distracted as his mind is for some reason the idea comes right to him, "I know someone who might wanna take that on. She's been tryin' ta find some day work."
Miss Erma perks up, "Oh really? Who would that be?"
"My sister in law, Carol Dixon. She's a good cook and she keeps a real nice home. Her and my brother got em a place not far from here. Only thing is, they got a seven-year-old girl, they gotta be takin' care a her first."
Miss Erma doesn't even get a chance to speak, Mister Dale says, "How about you give me your brother's address and I'll go over and talk to him and his wife right now."
Daryl shrugs, "Sure, but I'm warnin' ya, my brother ain't exactly a…well he ain't that good around people. Just don't let him throw ya off, he's a whole lot rougher cob than me and a big blowhard, but down deep he's a good man."
It's then Miss Erma demonstrates the level of trust she has gained for the boarder, "If you don't mind, I'd like to go with my husband to meet Carol. I'm sure Beth will be in good hands with you while we're gone."
Daryl nods, "Yes Ma'am, I ain't leavin' her."
Then something occurs to Miss Erma, "What am I thinking? I can't go anywhere, I've got a kitchen to clean."
As if they've been summoned the men begin streaming into the kitchen. Of their own accord they've cleared the table, each carrying a handful of dishes and Mister Eric makes the announcement, "We decided we'll do the clean up tonight, you folks have had enough for one day."
Much thanks are expressed and within five minutes the Horvaths are on their way to the home of Merle and Carol Dixon.
They're no sooner out the door than Daryl is back in his Sweetheart's room. He thinks she's asleep as he quietly closes the door, and does his best to keep his steps as silent as he can as he walks to her bed.
Once again he drops to his knees beside her as his hand lightly rests on her shoulder. He's so tired himself that he lays his head on her mattress, and it's not long before he hears her whisper, "You need to get to bed Daryl, I'll be fine." She's not fine at all, everything hurts and she's sure if her injuries don't kill her the pain will.
His head's off the bed, he's looking in her eyes and the tone of his voice is firm, "I ain't leavin' ya tonight Beth."
Still she tries, "But Daryl, the Horvaths won't..."
He lightly runs his finger down the curve of her now swollen face as he tells her the news, "The Horvaths know everythin', I told em all of it. They ain't mad and they still want ya here. Mrs. Horvath says she's gonna take real good care of ya."
She can't quite believe what she's hearing, "Are you sure Daryl?"
"I'm sure. I think they think this is their fault, the same as I think it's my fault."
She's not hearing that, "It's nobody's fault but mine."
He smiles when he says, "Nah, now wait a minute, I thought we agreed it ain't no one's fault at all, it was an accident."
She smiles at their exchange, he always knows how to make her smile, but it hurts. Her whole body hurts and she thinks back to that moment she began to fly down the stairs. In the short time it must have taken her mind went to so many places, and in those few seconds she had her epiphany.
Life can be so fleeting and people shouldn't hesitate to seek the things they desire, and so she invites him, "Why don't you lay up here with me Daryl? Just lay next to me until we hear the Horvaths drive in."
She doesn't have to ask him twice. His boots are off in seconds and he carefully climbs over her so he can lay against the wall, away from her castings. He wraps an arm softly across her abdomen, asking her what seems like a million times, "Am I hurtin' ya Beth?"
"No, this is nice. It feels warm and comforting, the best I've felt since it happened."
He smiles as their foreheads press together and he cuddles a little closer. He softly says, "Sleep now Beth. Ya need rest." It's only seconds later that he hears the sounds of sleep from her.
He looks at her bruised and scared, but still pretty face and dares to hold her just a little tighter as he softly whispers, "I love ya Beth," and he's out a light.
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A/N It seems everyone got honest :) Please leave a comment and let me know your thoughts. As always, there's a chapter photo on my tumblr blogs, gneebee and bethylmethbrick, please check it out. I'll be back next week with more of The Stranger Upstairs, I hope you'll be here too. Until then remember, I love ya large! xo gneebee