I do not own any of TWD characters.
Black and Bruised – Part 2
Beth called ahead to see if Merle would help them get in the house with Jacob. It was a good thing too, because it took both grown men to wrangle the half asleep boy up the stairs and into his bed. Beth went from room to room gathering up enough pillows to prop him up so that he could rest comfortably. Katie Raye stood out in the hallway looking all matter of worried and concerned about her older brother.
"Bubby gonna be okay?" Katie Raye asked her dad when he came out of Jacob's bedroom.
"Mmmhmmm" Daryl answered his daughter. "I'm gonna shower, then I wanta talk to you and your other brother. Meet me in the den in about fifteen."
"Yessir" the girl already looked defeated. Katie Raye wandered off to find Micah to let him know that they were more than likely in a big ole heap of trouble.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Daryl stepped out of the shower and quickly dried his hair with a towel, then wrapped another around his waist. Quietly, he stepped into his and Beth's bedroom. Beth was lying underneath the covers but was not asleep – she stared at the rotating blades of the ceiling fan.
"Ya alright?" Daryl asked as he stepped across the room to grab some clean boxers out of the laundry basket that had been sitting in the middle of the bedroom floor all week. With the holiday and Jacob's accident putting laundry away had been the last thing on Beth's mind.
"Yeh" Beth sighed. "I can't believe our kids are so out of control. And I can't believe I'm gonna have to look Brad in the face after all these years."
Daryl plopped down on the bed beside his wife and took a few seconds before he spoke. He'd gotten really practiced at that skill over the past twenty years. As much as a hell raiser as his wife was, she was super sensitive and it sure didn't take much to hurt her feelings.
"First of all" Daryl began, "our kids are just like anybody else's kids 'round these parts. They like to have fun, they're rough and rowdy, and they get into mischief. They ain't mean spirited or hateful though – we got good kids Beth. Things just got outta hand last night – they gonna have to start behavin a little more responsibly. I'm gonna talk to em."
That's when Daryl heard the sniffles start. "I know they're good kids" Beth stated. "Katie Raye and Micah didn't mean for Jacob to get hurt."
"Naw, they didn't" Daryl agreed. "Don't change the fact though that we're lookin at some pretty big medical bills ahead of us and we damn sure coulda lost a barn in the whole deal."
"I know Daryl. I know" Beth hiccupped.
"They gotta be reminded of how hard we work for a livin, for what we have, our way of life. I mean, hell, compared to the way Merle and I grew up, we're fuckin millionaires. But Beth, farmin, we're always one accident, one storm, one drought, one burned up barn, one wrecked combine away from financial disaster."
"Mmmm" Beth agreed with her husband – it was the truth. They had done well for themselves – made a good living off the land, but all of it could be gone in an instant with any random calamity.
"Now, I thought you and Brad had a good talk 'fore he left for the big city" Daryl rubbed Beth's bottom and spanked it lightly. "Thought ya'll left things on good terms."
"We did" Beth turned over to look at her husband. "We both cried – a lot. I did love him Daryl, but I wasn't in love with him – I think he already knew it."
"So, what's got ya all tore up 'bout seein him again?" Daryl asked her.
"I don't know" Beth shrugged her shoulders. "Just reminds me how selfish and thoughtless I was back then. I was awful Daryl – probably the most self-centered human around. What on earth you ever saw in me I'll never know."
"Girrrrrl" Daryl growled and got under the covers with his wife. "I knew the real you under all that fake ass bullshit you was all caught up in."
XXXXXXXXXXX
It was dinner time before Beth and Daryl made it downstairs to talk to their two younger children.
"Daddy" Katie Raye huffed out. "We been waitin all afternoon on ya'll."
With the look Daryl gave his daughter, immediately the girl realized she better watch herself.
"Sorry" she apologized.
Beth glanced to Daryl silently begging him to not be too rough on the kids. And he wasn't. He let them know however, that their brother was going to be missing out on the remainder of his baseball season, and most likely this year's football season. Daryl also made it perfectly clear that Jacob had been lucky that he'd fallen on his arm and not his neck. "it could've been a very different outcome for your brother – he could've been paralyzed or killed." It was at that point, he had his daughter crying and Micah was on the brink of doing so at any moment. Beth sat quietly on the couch and let her husband handle the situation.
As if that weren't enough, Daryl started in on the whole responsibility for our actions speech next. Before all was said and done, the duo had received the terms of their punishment and both of them knew enough to either keep their mouths shut or murmer the occasional "yessir".
"This coming week, you two will be at your Momma and Auntie Carol's beck and call for help in the garden" Daryl began. "Whatever needs pickin, you two are gonna do the pickin."
"Yessir" Micah solemnly stated. Katie Raye nodded her head in agreement while wiping her tears with a tissue.
"The followin week" Daryl continued, "Katie Raye, you'll be workin for ya Uncle Merle - peach harvest'll be in full swing. Micah, you're workin with me. Got hay to take care of, cutting, rakin, and haulin – 'long with any other farm business that needs to be tended to. That oughta take us up to the beginnin of school."
Both kids just looked at their dad. "Daddy" Katie Raye couldn't let anything go – she had just enough of her momma in her and Merle had rubbed off on her too, "I got 4H camp the last week of July."
"Not unless your Uncle Merle says ya earned it" Daryl told her. Katie Raye didn't say another word – she knew her dad meant business.
The remainder of the weekend had been pretty uneventful. It was Beth's week to play the early service at church, so she and the younger two children went to Sunday services while Daryl took an already cabin fever suffering Jacob to the grocery store with him to do the week's shopping. They'd made arrangements for Carol's daughter, Sophia, to stay at the house with Katie Raye and Micah until Daryl and Beth could get back home from Atlanta. Sophia was plenty capable of supervising the younger two in their garden duties and run a household. Sophia had already helped Carol and Beth with enough canning seasons that she was going to go ahead and start canning beans. Merle and Carol were right across the field if they were needed. Daryl made it pretty clear to his two youngest offspring that Sophia had better NOT need to go get her parents for help.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The three Dixons looked in awe at all of the photos lining the hallway and waiting room of the doctor's office. The walls were covered with photos of former patients - it was a who's who of the Atlanta NFL, NBA, MLB, WNBA and even the Atlanta national lacrosse and soccer teams. What impressed Daryl the most though, was mixed in with famous athletes that Brad's office had operated on were just, normal everyday people. School bus drivers, garbage men, police officers, and housewives were included in those photos. Every photo showed the patient, fully recovered and active in their everyday lives.
They were called back promptly at 1:00 and the initial greeting between Brad and Beth had been only slightly awkward. After giving Beth a genuine hug and shaking Daryl's hand, Brad was the ultimate professional and quickly turned his attention to the patient in need. As a group, they looked over the xrays again and Brad further explained what would be needed to get Jacob on the road to a complete recovery.
"Buddy" Brad looked at Jacob. "I just don't think you're gonna play football this year." Everyone in the room had already figured as much, but still, the young boy was heartbroken at hearing it from the doctor. "I promise you though" Brad continued, "if you do everything I ask of you, and everything that the PT asks of you while you're recovering, you may even be better than you were before." Brad smiled at the young guy and offered up a fist bump to his good hand.
"Now, your mom and dad and I have to talk boring hospital and insurance stuff" Brad smiled at Jacob. "We have a patient lounge with movies, popcorn, cokes, and other snacks. Just help yourself to whatever you want. It's fully equipped with wifi and plenty of charging stations. Go on back there and just relax for a while. Chill out on the recliners – they're heated and will give you a massage!
"Cool!" Jacob took off for the lounge.
Once Jacob was on his way to the lounge, Brad led Daryl and Beth to the finance director of the practice. "Hey Sweetheart" Brad said to the person sitting behind the desk. An attractive red head glanced up and smiled at Brad.
"Hey you" he replied. Beth's mouth dropped open and Daryl had to elbow her to get her to close it.
"Daryl, Beth" Brad began "this is Jeff, my husband. He's going to handle all of the insurance business for ya'll – I've always thought that to be a pain, but that seems to be his thing. I am going to join ya'll though – I feel like we need to clear the air a little."
This was it – Beth was going to vomit all over the place. Brad was going to get her and Daryl in a small enclosed room and just let them have it. Beth knew and accepted the fact that she deserved to be chewed out for the terrible way she'd treated Brad twenty years ago, but Daryl really had not done anything at all except fall victim to one of her usual dating scams.