Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This

Chapter 6

Reviews! What a wonderful thing. More I get into season two more I hate Shane and Lori. Please review so I know I'm doing good. Or just PM me. I love Dale! So I wanted to do a scene with him and Summer. Summer's in between being an adult and a kid, so think this is good.

I just watched the episode where they found Sophia in the barn. HEARTACHE! I'm going to not kill her off but one of the boys I invented will be. It's a powerful arche in the story so a child must be sacrificed. Hence the reason we aren't getting to invested in one.

Summer's POV:

Summer looked up at the RV. "Mind company Dale?"

Dale smiled. "Come on up," he answered as he put out another lawn chair. "You got bored entertaining the youngsters?" he asked as he held out his hand to her to help her with her last step.

Summer shrugged as she pulled out her baseball cap and put it on. "Shane took over entertain' Carl, Sophia and the boys are doin' lessons. Mom is doin' laundry with the other women," she answered as she pulled her blond hair through the back of her cap and into a pony tail.

Dale looked at it. "Bulldogs? Not familiar with that team."

Summer gave a small smile. "High school softball, sophomore JV team. You don't have to pretend to be interested, Dale, just wanted to look useful."

Dale looked at her. "I am interested. That explains the softball bat I've seen you around with. Bet you were the pitcher."

Summer sat down in the lawn chair and looked at him. "How did you know?" she asked.

"I've seen you throwing the ball to the kids, not to mention rocks down by the quarry. How long were you playin?" he asked.

"Since I was nine," she answered. "Uncle Merle wasn't the most reliable babysitter, he forgot me at school one day, mom was working, by the time Uncle Daryl picked me up, I had impressed the softball coach. Gave mom an excuse not to have Uncle Merle be responsible for pickin' me up."

Dale shook his head. "I'm surprised your mom even let him watch you."

Summer looked at him. "He's not all bad, was always there when we really needed him. I know he doesn' seem like much…"

"But he's family, I get it," Dale said. "You worried? About them not finding him?"

Summer shrugged. "More worried about Uncle Daryl not comin' back. And, I'd feel real bad if Mr. Grimes didn't come back after he got back the first time."

Dale gave a small laugh. "You sure you're related to Merle Dixon?"

Summer laughed. "Have you seen the glares my mother can give? When I do slip up, those glares, not to mention using the middle name, is enough to keep me honest."

Dale tried not to laugh. "Your mother does have the glare down to a science. She cares about you, so does your Uncles, even Merle. Must be hard for you, not exactly an adult, not exactly a kid."

"Tell me about it," Summer told him.

"Well, what I've seen is that you are showing responsibility, doing what needs to be done. Yeah you slip up with the language every now and then, but who doesn't," the older man told her. "I know your mom's proud of you, you can it in how she looks at you. And, though it doesn't matter, I'm glad I've got the chance to know you. Summer that's a pretty name," he complimented. "Born in the Summer?"

Summer laughed. "You would think that wouldn't you? No, day after Christmas. Mom wanted to name me Sunshine, cause I was like a ray of sunshine, Uncle Daryl talked her out of it. Thank God! He suggested Summer, and Grace came from some long dead relative that I don' even think mom even met."

"Well both names suit you," he told the teen. "You know you can come keep me company up here anytime," he told her.

Summer smiled. "You sure I'm not borin' you?"

"Not at all," he assured her.

Jewel's POV:

Jewel and Jacqui brought down laundry as Jacqui looked at Shane and Carl trying to catch frogs.

"Can someone explain to me how the women wound up doing all the Hattie McDaniel work?" Jacqui asked.

"The world ended, didn't you get the memo?" Amy asked.

"You don't mind if I join you guys do you?" Jewel asked before sitting down.

"The more the merrier," Carol told her as she glanced back to her husband. "It's just the way it is," she told the other women. Carol sighed. "I do miss my Maytag."

"I miss my Benz, my sat nav," Andrea said.

"I miss my Venti Mocha Caramel Frappicino from the Starbuck's right across from the hospital," Jewel said with a laugh.

"My computer and texting," Amy told them.

"Summer would say computer, she didn't have a cell phone," Jewel told the other women. "I was goin' to get her one for a Christmas/Birthday present this upcoming year. Do me a favor and not tell her that one?" she asked as the other women laughed.

Andrea looked around to make sure no one was around. "I miss my vibrator," she told the group.

Jacqui laughed. "Oh!"

"Oh my God!" Amy said.

Jewel looked at her. "You mean you didn't bring yours?"

Andrea looked at her. "No…seriously?"

Jewel shrugged. "Hello single mother, I carried that thing in my purse."

"I am never going to be able to look at you without blushing again!" Amy told her. "

Carol glanced over her shoulder. "I miss mine too," she said as the group of women burst into laughing spells again.

Andrea and Jewel both looked up as Ed came up to the group. "Problem Ed?" Andrea asked.

"Nothin' that concerns you," Ed told the other blond woman in the group. "And you, you should focus on your work, this ain't no comedy club," he told Carol.

Jewel watched Ed. "We've got this handled, Ed, why don't you just go back to whatever you were doing and let us do it," she told the man.

"Why don't you keep your nose out of it," Ed told her.

"Tell you what Ed, if you don't like how your laundry is done, your more then welcome to pitch in and do it yourself," Andrea said as she threw the shirt at him.

Ed threw it back. "Aint my job missy," he told her.

"Andrea, Jewel don't," Carol told them.

Jewel stood up. "Exactly what is your job Ed? Smokin' cigarettes? Wantin' a twelve pack of beer? Hitting your wife and daughter?"

Ed looked at her. "You're no better then I am, you're a Dixon," he told her. "I aint the smartest person in the world, but I can count. You had that kid at 15 ot 16, startin' whorin' yourself out early, but now you acting like your better then anyone else."

Jewel stepped up closer. "You want to say that again ass? I'm not scared of you."

"Come on let's go," Ed told Carol as he pulled on her arm.

"No Ed I don't think she has to go anywhere with you," Andrea said.

"Carol, you don't have to go with him," Jewel told her. "You and Sophia can come spend the night in my tent."

"Don't think I'm afraid to knock you both on your asses because your some college educated cooze. Now come on or you're going to regret it later," he told Carol as he pulled her arm.

"So she can show up with fresh bruises later, Ed? We've all seen them," Jacqui told him.

"Stay out of this. Now come on! You know what? This ain't none of y'all's business. You don't want to keep prodding the bull here, okay? Now I am done talking. Come on," Ed said as he pulled on Carol's arm.

"Get your hands off of her," Jewel said as she pushed Ed.

"Carol you don't have too…" Amy told the older woman.

Ed raised his hand and hit Jewel causing her to go off balance. "Stay out of this, or that kid of yours is going to be an orphan," he warned. "Now I'm not going to tell you again," he said as he pulled Carol.

The group of women try to protect Carol as Shane comes out of nowhere and pulled Ed off of them and threw him to the ground throwing several punches. "You put your hands on your wife, your little girl or anybody else in this camp one more time, I will not stop next time. Do you hear me? Do you hear me?!" Shane yelled.

"Yes," Ed told the man.

Shane looked at him. "I'll beat you to death, Ed," he warned.

"Ed!" Carol screamed.

"I'll beat you to death," Shane warned again before he got up as he walked over to the group of women, Carol ran to Ed. "You OK?" he asked Jewel.

"Isn't the first time I've been punched by an asshole like Ed," Jewel answered as she walked away and wiped away the blood.

Summer came down the ladder of the RV. "Mom!"

"I'm alright," she told her. "Give me a minute to clean up," she told her daughter.

"Summer why don't you go get something to help your mother clean up?" Dale asked as he came down the ladder.

Jewel nodded that it was OK. "Why do I think you wanted to say something' to me without her hearin' you?"

Dale nodded making sure Summer was out of earshot. "You've got a good kid there, and I'm not giving any credit to Merle, maybe a little to Daryl. But mostly it's your doin'. You've done everything to this point to keep her safe, but provoking Ed the way you did, that isn't going to keep either one of you safe," he told her. He held up her hand. "I'm not sayin' that he didn't deserve it, and I think you probably have a bit of experience with men like Ed and Kaden, and that's what makes you so protective of Carol and Sophia, and those boys. But you've got to pick your battles, for your sake and your daughters' sake," he told her as he squeezed her arm. "Now let me look at that cheek of yours," he told her.

Jewel nodded as Summer brought back some things. "You sure you're OK?"

"I'm fine," she assured her daughter.

Later in the day:

Summer looked up from the book she was reading as Amy and Andrea came up with fish. "That's a lot of fish!" she said.

"Oh baby. Will you look at that? Hey check it out ladies, because of you my children will eat tonight! Thank you," Morales said.

"Thank Dale, it was his gear and canoe," Andrea said.

"Mom look at all that fish!" Carl said.

Lori smiled. "Thank you."

"Whoa!" Carl said.

"Yeah whoa. Where did the two of you learn to do that?" Lori asked.

"Our dad," Amy answered.

"Can you teach me how to do that?" Carl asked.

"Sure. I'll teach you all about nail knots and stuff," Amy answered as she playfully hit Andrea's shoulder. "If that's okay," she directed the question to Lori.

"You won't catch me arguing," Lori told her as Dale walked up to the group.

"Dale?" Jewel questioned as she saw the look on his face.

"Hey, Dale. When's the last time you oiled those line reels? They are a disgrace," Andrea said.

Dale looked at the group. "I don't want to alarm anyone but we may have a bit of a problem," he said as he pointed to Jim.

The group turned there attention to Jim who was digging holes and they walked over there.

Shane was the first one to reach him and bent down. "Hey, Jim. Jim, why don't you hold up, all right? Just give me a second here, please," he said.

Jim looked up "What do you want?" he asked.

"We're all just a little concerned, that's all," Shane told him.

"Summer, get me my canteen and fill it with water," Jewel whispered in her ear.

Summer nodded before she took off.

"Dale says you've been out for hours," Morales told him.

"So?" Jim questioned.

"So why are you digging? Are you heading to China Jim?" Shane questioned.

"Why does it matter? I'm not hurting anyone," Jim answered.

Jewel bent down beside Shane. "It's over 100 degrees, Jim. You're going to hurt yourself," she told him.

Shane nodded. "She's right, you can't keep this up."

"Sure I can watch me," Jim told them.

Lori held Carl close. "Jim, they're not gonna say it so I will. You're scaring people. You're scaring my son and Carol's daughter," she told him.

"They got nothing to be scared of. I mean, what the hell, people? I'm out here by myself. Why don't you all just go and leave me the hell alone?" Jim asked as he continued digging.

Summer came up and gave Jewel the canteen. Jewel took off her plaid top shirt, leaving a tank top on and jumped in the hole beside him. She grabbed her hair and tied it in a bun, exposing a broken heart tattoo on her neck. "Hey Jim, you got some reason to dig, that's fine. I'll help you dig, but you need to drink this water. When you're done with this, then you take over and I'll drink water."

"I don't want help," Jim told her.

Shane sighed. "Give me the shovel Jim."

"Or what?" Jim asked.

"There is no or what. I'm asking you. I'm coming to you and I'm asking you, please. I don't want to have to take it from you," Shane told him.

"And if I don't, then what? Then you're gonna beat my face in like Ed Peletier, aren't you? Y'all seen his face, huh? What's left of it. See, now that's what happens when someone crosses you," Jim told him.

Jewel held up her hand at Shane. "Back off a minute Shane," she told him. "Jim, listen, please. I am willing to stay out here and help you dig these holes. I'm just askin' you to drink this water. Now, you're holes are going to get dug, one way or another. But they aren't gonna get dug if you pass out. Believe me, you're heading that way. Your breath is shallow, you are definitely behaving differently, and your not sweating. I've seen enough cases of heat stroke come through the ER to know what this is. Please, Jim, just take this, you can go sit by that tree, Summer will stay with you. When you drink that and get something in your stomach, then you take over? Come on Jim, please," she said as she held out the canteen. "I give you my word, I will help you until this is done. Everyone else will go and leave us alone, except Summer. She'll fill the canteens for us," she assured him.

Jim looked at her. "Everyone else will leave? And you don't care why I'm digging?"

"Everyone else will leave, and I don't care. I'll just dig with you, you have my word on that," she assured him.

Jim nodded as he took the canteen out of her hand and jumped out of the hole.

"Come on Jim, let's get into the shade," Summer said as she glanced back at her mother who had grabbed the shovel.

"Well go on, we're good," Jewel told the group.