Chapter 8

It had been two days since Hershel returned home and for the last six hours the house had been a flurry of activity. Beth's birthday was approaching and whilst she didn't want to celebrate due to Hershel's ill health, he'd persuaded her to indulge her friend's request to bring her celebrations ahead of schedule.

After seeing Hershel's perseverance, Beth had reluctantly given in and as soon as she had given the go ahead, Eric and Aaron had jumped on the organisation committee. Hence, the comings and goings that Hershel could hear in the rooms below his own.

Although Enid was only employed for part of the week, she'd continued to visit since his release from hospital and had even joined in helping to arrange Beth's birthday, which is why it was no surprise that at seven o'clock that evening both Beth and Enid came to his room to aid him down the stairs and out into the garden.

For a moment, he simply stared at Beth as if she was the same small girl he'd first met in the barn so many years ago. Just like that day, she wore a yellow cotton dress, although this one did not have an elasticated waist band or daisy's lining the capped sleeves.

"Are you sure you're up t' this?" Beth asked gently as she gripped his elbow to steady him as they walked towards the double doors that led out to a slabbed area where they'd set up a seating area for the evening.

He stilled in his movements and met her concerned gaze. Tapping her hand gently with his own, he smiled a familiar smile that lit up his face and crinkled the lines around his eyes.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world" he replied, as he took a step forward.

Stepping outside, each of them froze as they took in the work that Eric and Aaron had put in. Flower arrangements dotted almost every surface and, where there was room, bouquets of yellow balloons floated in the air; occasionally drifting as a breeze blew through the garden.

There were at least three cake stands dotted with cupcakes of every flavour decorating the table and the smell of burgers and sausages permeated the air around them from where they cooked on the grill to one side.

Eric and Aaron, who held Annie in his arms as she happily babbled away, stood near the grill, as Tyreese and Karen sat talking with Enid and her boyfriend, Alden. Even Enid's parents had turned up and now so many people dotted their small garden and Beth couldn't help but smile gratefully at them all.

It was Hershel that once again froze to the spot as he took in the golden twinkling lights that had been strung in lines across the whole back patio. For a moment, it looked like a million stars had fell from the sky and a tear filled his eye. He was unaware of Beth's concerned gaze or hand squeezing his own as she kept her eyes trained on him, but before she could ask if he was alright, Aaron stepped forward, handing Annie to Eric, so that he could help Enid and Beth aid Hershel to a chair.

For the next hour or so, Hershel watched with a smile on his face as Beth flitted around the people that she held dear and he was grateful that she had them in her life, as she would surely need them when his time comes to an end.

"Okay" Eric yelled over the chatter as he clapped his hands, "time for presents".

Hershel chuckled slightly at Beth's discomfort before Aaron and Enid successfully pulled her towards the seat next to him.

"Y' didn't need to do presents" Beth started, "not after ya did all this" she waved her arm around at the decorations and food but was met with shaking heads.

"Honey" Karen sat next to her and placed a kind arm around her shoulders, "we know we didn't have to, we wanted to, and besides a girl's gotta have presents on her birthday, so no arguments". Everyone laughed at the woman's explanation, whilst Beth offered a small, shy smile before offering a curt nod in acceptance.

Looking in Enid's direction, Hershel managed to catch her eye as she bounced Annie on her hip. When she smiled at him, he simply nodded and watched as she slipped back into the house to receive the gift he had gotten Beth.

It was the movement of Karen fetching her card from a colourful gift bag that caught Hershel's eye and he turned back to watch Beth open her gifts.

He watched as she tore open the envelope by slipping her finger under the crease only to freeze when she opened the card. Her eyebrows pulled together as she lifted her head to meet the couple in front of her.

"I can't…I can't take this" Beth stated, holding up what Hershel could now see was a cheque. His brows furrowed too, as he looked to the smiling couple.

Tyreese wrapped an arm around Karen's waist as they stood united, "You can and you will" Tyreese explained as Karen joined in, "None of us knew what to get you" she signalled to everyone around them, "And, it was Eric's idea that instead of getting you things you are never going to use, that we give you the cash instead".

Beth looked back down at the cheque in her hands, "But this is more than what a gift would cost" pulling it closer to her face, she inspected the figure written on the paper, "this is enough to cover my bills for three months" she explained in awe.

Stepping forwards, Karen bent down in front of her, "We know" she smiled gently before glancing to Hershel, "We wanted to make things easier for you both, and before you say no…" Karen glanced back at Tyreese, "We've arranged for your shifts to be covered for as long as you need"

Shaking her head, Beth tried to push the cheque into Karen's hands, "I can't, I need this job" she protested.

Tyreese stepped up behind Karen and also bent so he was crouched down, "Hershel needs you more, and your job will always be there, Beth, when you need it" Tyreese looked to Karen as he cleared his throat in nervousness, "we've arranged for you to get full pay until you come back, too" he advised.

Frowning, Beth shook her head. It seemed like so much information was hitting her at once and she couldn't quite wrap her head around it.

"It was Enid" Eric explained to Beth's confusion, "she spoke with her boss and you qualify for some sort of compassionate leave, due to the circumstances" he looked at Hershel and grimaced at his choice of words, "Apparently, Tyreese and Karen can keep your job open and you will receive some kind of state pay whilst you look after Hershel".

Beth looked at Hershel, who sat next to her, before turning to face her friends "I don't know what to say"

Aaron stepped up behind her and squeezed her shoulder gently, "You don't have to say anything, you just have to let us help"

Beth simply nodded, swallowing past the lump in her throat at the kindness each of the people in front of her was offering. Without having a chance to think, Eric walked forward and handed Beth the remaining cards that were in the same gift bag that Karen had retrieved her card from. Beth sat and opened each one, surprise covering her face as each one contained cheques or cash. There was even a card from her colleagues, who Tyreese explained had had all put in their tips. To say that she was humbled by their generosity was an understatement and she proved her gratitude by fiercely gripping each and every one of them in hugs as she swept around them all.

Watching Beth embrace her guests in gratitude, Enid moved and sat down next to Hershel before nudging her shoulder gently against his own as she slipped the envelope she'd retrieved from his room into his hands.

Folding it in half, he slipped it into his cardigan pocket before leaning back to look at the twinkling lights that glistened against the darkening sky.

"Aaron and Eric did good, right?" Enid stated as she followed his line of sight, "It looks so beautiful" she added.

Hershel smiled as he lowered his head to look at the woman next to him, but it was Beth that spoke from behind him, making him jump slightly.

"It looks just like prom night" she recalled with a far off look in her eye.

"Prom night?" Enid questioned.

Hershel looked over his shoulder to Beth and raised his eyebrow, "Do you want to tell her or shall I?" he asked.

Beth shook her head and re-took her seat as she pulled a now sleeping Annie against her chest, "She doesn't want to hear it" Beth replied.

"Hear what?" Karen asked as she too pulled up a chair.

Enid turned in her direction, "About Beth's prom night" she clarified before noticing that everyone was congregating closer and taking their seats in anticipation of whatever story Hershel Greene was about to tell.

"I'd like to hear it" Enid's mother admitted, and it was all the encouragement Hershel needed.

"Beth and Daryl had been inseparable over the years, where one went, the other followed" he started before pausing as Beth slipped her hand into his large one.

"When they finally decided that they were actually going to go to prom, there was only a couple of days left to get them sorted" he chuckled remembering that day as if it was yesterday, "I took them to every town within fifty miles. We got Daryl's tux in the first store, but Beth, well she was another story".

"Every store we went to had already sold out. We must have tried every store we could think of".

He looked over to see her face glowing under the lights before sweeping a look over the faces that sat watching them.

"It was the day of prom and she still didn't have a dress. We'd just left the final store the last store on the list and was heading home empty handed when a thought struck me. Of course, I didn't tell her of my idea until we reached the farm and instead of telling her, I just took her to where I kept Annette's clothes".

"I remember her face when I turned around clutching a navy blue silk gown that fell to the floor in waves and the smile that lit up her whole face as if the man in the moon had simply shone every ray upon her".

"Hershel" Beth whispered as she stepped forward and fingered the material he held in his hands, "It's beautiful!"

"Why don't you go ahead and try it on" Hershel stated as he started slipping it off the hanger.

"I can't…" Beth sputtered before meeting Hershel's frowning face.

"What'd you mean, you can't? he shook his head, "If my Annie was here, she'd be practically forcing you into it at this point"

Beth fingered the material again, "Are you sure?" she questioned.

Hershel smiled gently, "I wouldn't have offered, if I wasn't sure"

Without another word, he draped the dress on the bed and left the room in search of Daryl.

"You need help with your tie?" he questioned as he caught Daryl in the mirror struggling with his bow tie.

Daryl glanced back over his shoulder, "Nah, I'm jus' gonna leave it undone".

Hershel chuckled and stepped forward to tie it anyway. He couldn't help his smirk when Daryl made no move to stop him from helping either.

As they waited in the parlour an hour or so later, Hershel couldn't help chuckling at Daryl as he paced the floor nervously as each of them waited for Beth. For a moment, Hershel felt like a proud father that was waiting with his son on his prom night and it was a feeling he'd never forget.

"Well?" Beth squeaked nervously from the door, "What d' yer think?"

Hershel rose from his seat at the same time Daryl froze on the spot. Neither missed the blush that swept across Beth's pale skin.

She looked like an angel and reminded Hershel so much of his late wife and the last time he'd seen her wearing this very dress. Raising a finger, he made a twirling motion and smiled when Beth giggled nervously but did as asked.

The dress fitted her beautifully and swayed around her legs as it fell in waves to the floor. The straps and high front were modest but it was the low draping back that provided its elegance. It was a vintage nineteen forties dress, and he knew no other girl at their school would be wearing something so beautiful.

"You look perfect" he whispered, before turning to retrieve the small camera he'd already loaded with film.

"Daryl?" Beth questioned as she looked in his direction.

As if her voice broke through his trance, he stepped forward and pulled out the corsage that Hershel had helped him pick out. Stepping back, Hershel gave them some privacy but didn't miss Daryl's response, "never seen nothin' so pretty" as he pretended to fiddle with the camera before telling them that it was time for photo's.

"Aw, that's so sweet" Enid's mother proclaimed as she dabbed her eyes before looking towards her husband; a memory of their own prom night crossing their thoughts.

"Then what happened?" Aaron asked as Karen and Enid nodded, each of them wanting to know more.

Arriving at the school in Hershel's pickup that he'd lent them for the night, Beth and Daryl sat in the parking lot; neither of them moving. The sounds of the music filtered outside each time the gymnasium doors opened as people filtered outside.

Prom night was something they'd both talked about at length, Daryl hadn't wanted to go but for Beth he'd agreed. She'd told him that they'd regret it in the future, but now they were here, she no longer wanted to go in.

They weren't like the other kids that attended their school and she knew the looks each of them would get, especially Daryl if Zach was here. So instead they sat watching their peers laugh, drink and joke in the parking lot as the time ticked on.

"Ya wanna go back to the farm?" Daryl asked a short while later as he rubbed his hands around the steering wheel.

Beth instantly felt herself relax at his words and nodded. Feeling the same, Daryl started the truck and they found themselves travelling home, to the one place they could always feel like themselves.

Parking the truck at the side of the house, they both started to head up the steps when Daryl turned towards the barn, "Ya hear that?" he questioned gently as his ears strained to listen.

Moving closer to his side, Beth threaded their fingers together before following towards the barn doors.

Peering inside, everything was dark but both of them could hear the sounds of music coming from Hershel's old radio. Looking at one another, Daryl frowned before stepping inside with Beth right next to him.

He hadn't put one full foot in front of the other when strands and strands of twinkle lights switched on overhead, lighting up the whole barn as if they were standing under a thousand stars.

Turning, they saw Hershel standing near the electric box to one side. For a moment Daryl realised that Hershel was the only person that truly understood them and that he had gone all out for them to have their very own prom night.

Nodding once in their direction, Hershel turned to head back to the house; a single wave from his retreating body in their direction before he disappeared inside.

Hearing one of Hershel's favourite songs from 1965, Daryl found himself turning to Beth whose eyes sparkled like diamonds under the many twinkling lights. His heart thudded in his chest at her beauty and how she radiated pureness into the darkened night.

He didn't speak, he simply held out his hand. Seeing movement from her side, Beth turned and saw Daryl waiting in invitation for her to dance. Placing her hand in his, he pulled her close as they began to sway gently to the music and crickets that chirped in the moonlight around them.

"What song was it?" Eric quizzed as Hershel finished.

For a moment, Hershel was confused, "Song?"

"The song Daryl and I danced to" Beth clarified, "It was Unchained Melody".

A series of aw's rang out from the women as well as a few, "I love that song" from several of their guests.

"It was one of Annette's favourites" Hershel admitted.

Beth smiled as she looked in his direction before hearing the familiar start up music from that very song play over the speakers that had been set up. She frowned as she looked around and spotted Eric waving his phone gently to confirm it was him that had started the song.

"May I have this dance?" Hershel asked from next to her, where Enid was already helping him to stand.

Standing up, she turned slightly and laid a sleeping Annie in Karen's arms before taking Hershel's hand.

She led him gently to the grass area and allowed him to pull her in to his embrace; one hand on her waist and the other holding up her own hand like they were about to dance a waltz. It was the same way he'd held her to teach her how to dance when she was just six years old.

As the song of her past played, Beth held Hershel close as they swayed slightly to the melody, everything melting around them as if they were the only ones in the garden.

"Would you like to open my present now?" he asked as he pulled back slightly halting their movements.

Without waiting for an answer, he released her hand and dug out the envelope before slipping it into her hand.

"What's this?" she whispered as Hershel chuckled.

"Open it, honey" he urged.

The sounds of paper tearing were the only noise they heard before Beth pulled out what was inside. He watched as her eyes widened before she wrapped her arms around him once more.

"I didn't need a piece of paper to tell me I'm your daughter" she admitted as she pulled back slightly.

Nodding, Hershel felt the lump squeeze in his throat, "I know" he offered, "You've always been my daughter. Ever since that first time I met you in the barn."

Enid watched Hershel and Beth dance from where she stood near the double doors and felt her heart ache the same way it had done since Hershel had been released from the hospital. She hadn't known the man all that long and she already knew she'd miss him terribly, so she could only imagine how Beth would feel once he passed.

Feeling Alden's arms wrap around her from behind, she sank back against him. "You okay?" he asked before dropping a kiss to the side of her head.

She turned to face him with a small smile on her face, "Just going to miss him, is all" she admitted.

After everyone had left and Beth had checked on Annie once more, she stepped into Hershel's room. For a moment, her feet stilled as she took in his thinning, frail body under the covers of his reclining bed. Her eyes automatically found his chest as she watched for the tell tale movements that he was taking a breath.

Holding her own, she felt her heart begin to break before a small rise of his body had her releasing a gasp.

Stepping forwards, she brushed a hand over her pocket where the adoption papers Hershel had given her rested. Reaching his bedside, she brushed his hair from his forehead and rearranged his blankets gently so not to disturb him before leaning up on her toes to kiss his forehead.

Since she was a little girl, she'd dreamed of calling Hershel her father and now she could. He had done so much for herself and Daryl over the years, more than she could ever repay, and now as an adult he was still going above and beyond.

Pulling back, she squeezed his hand before whispering into the quiet night, "G'night Daddy".

As Beth's footsteps padded quietly across the carpet towards the door, a tear slipped down Hershel's cheek at the words she'd spoken and he couldn't help the swell of his heart that his daughter loved him as much as he did her. After everything he'd done for her over the years, she could consider her debt repaid, she had done the one thing he'd always wanted but never wished on hearing; she'd called him her 'dad'.

Beth slipped quietly into her bedroom and clicked on the dim wall lights so as not to wake Annie, who slept across the hall. Heading to her closest, she pushed the hangers to one side before reaching towards the back, her fingers closing on the cool, soft material before she plucked the hanger and pulled out the very dress Hershel had let her borrow so many years before.

She didn't know if he remembered that she'd never given it back, she just knew it was something she never wanted to let go of. It didn't just hold the memories of their prom night, it also held the memories of the first time herself and Daryl had given themselves to one another.

Sitting on the bed, she draped the dress over her lap as she stroked it lovingly.

"Are y' sure?" Daryl whispered from the hay loft where he laid above her, their skin wet with sweat.

Unable to speak, she simply nodded and guided his lips back to her own; a whisper of "I love you" spilling from each of their lips before they connected in a tangle of limbs.

Tears spilled down her cheeks, not because she regretted that night, but because she knew that Hershel's story would soon becoming to an end and she knew that once it did, he wouldn't be far behind.