Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This

Chapter 18

Author's Note: AH 50 followers! I am so blown away! Love you all! Season 3 is blowing me away! Merle is kinda redeeming himself now that he ran and helped kill Walkers so Rick wouldn't be bate. I'm sure he'll do something to muck it up! I changed the order of the pills, I figured since they have a nurse around it would be logical.

Merle punched the wall. "You are gonna tell me who knocked you up so I can kill the SOB! Or do you even know?" Merle asked his teen sister.

Daryl grabbed onto his older brothers shirt and pushed him against the wall. "Cool it, we got it 'andled."

"How the 'ell do you think this is 'handled? Our 15 'ear old sister is seven months pregnant? This happened on YOUR watch baby brother," Merle hissed.

Jewel got up off the couch. "You need a lesson in basic math big brother, seven months, you were here. Right before you got carted off to lock up. Easy to sneak out on YOU and your passed out friends. YOU, not Daryl. YOU were the one 'in charge' but GOD forbid you ever 'atch anyone but yourself," the fifteen year old hissed at him.

Daryl glanced at her. "Easy Jewel's," he warned.

Merle sighed. "Alright, so I 'as here, and then that makes it my responsibility to take care of you and make the guy do the right thing."

Daryl looked at Merle as he still held onto him. "Oh that's a brillen' plan there big brother, force her to marry some ass," he told him. "Jewel and I 'ave discussed this, and Jewel's gonna keep the baby, and raise it. By 'erself with our help."

"I'd rather not 'ave Merle anywhere near my baby. He did such a bangup job with the two of us. He ran the first chance he got, leaving us 'ith our dad. HE knew exactly how dad 'as, he did it to 'im first. So, I'd rather he just forgot his way home one night. Or, go sell some more drugs to some underage 'ids and get put away again. Funny how you 'ell me to stay away from them but you go sell at my school. Double standard much?" Jewel goaded him as she glared at him.

"You better watch it girl," Merle warned her.

"Merle," Daryl warned. "Why don't you go down to the bar? Get drunk, pick up some girl and go to there place tonight."

"We 'aven't finished here yet baby brother," Merle told his brother.

Daryl turned and looked at him. "Merle, she's pregnant, she's keeping' the baby, we're helping' her with whatever they need and YOU are not gonna ask her again who the father of the kid is. So yes, big brother I think we are done 'ere," Daryl told him.

Merle looked at him. "You're telling' me what to do?"

"When it comes to this, yes," Daryl told him. "You are either gonna support her or you're gonna get out. She's gonna do right by this baby, something' our father never did, and you're either gonna help or you need to go."

"When did you grow some balls?" Merle asked his brother. "You sure you want to do this alone girl?" he asked his sister.

Jewel looked at him. "Yeah."

Merle knocked Daryl's hand away from him and walked over. "Then we're doin' it together. Dixon's stick together. And that kid is a Dixon right?"

Jewel nodded as she crossed her arms. "Yeah the kid's a Dixon."

Merle nodded as he hugged her. "So…Uncle Merle got a good ring to it doesn't it?" he asked as he glanced at Daryl.

The young boy looked up at the group. "He's my brother, I should go!" Mitch told them as he crossed his arms.

"All that would accomplish is us havin' to keep an eye on you, and distractin' us from finding your brother," Shane told him.

Jewel and Daryl exchanged glances as they walked over to the boy. "You sure you were ever a cop Shane, cause if you were, your people skills are seriously lackin'," Jewel told him. Jewel bent down and took Mitch's hands in hers. "I need you to look at me and listen' OK?"

Mitch looked at her skeptically with his big brown eyes. "Ok…" he answered hesitantly.

"It sucks to be the youngest doesn't it? And I don' mean in this group, I mean as the youngest in your family," Jewel told him. "I mean you got these two big brothers' you look up to, always' wantin' to prove yourself as good as they are but they are always' telling' you to stay or you'd just get in the way. Annoyin' isn't it?" Jewel asked.

Mitch nodded his blond hair waving wildly with the motion. "Very much so," he agreed.

Daryl bent down leaning on one leg. "Well bein' the middle kid isn't such a picnic either. Havin' an older brother telling' you what to do and a younger siblin' to watch out for. But I know Luke wouldn' want to have to worry bout you while he's tryin' to get back to us."

"Look around, there's a lot of people who are goin' to look for him, a lot of people who care," Jewel assured him. "You and Sophia are goin' to stay back here with Dale, T and Summer and me. I mean I'm goin' to need the help, T's down to one arm, Summer can't put any pressure on her ankle, and Dale has to fix the RV. So, see I kinda need you," she told the young boy.

"It'll be fun, to be useful," Sophia assured him.

Daryl looked at the boy. "And we'd all feel better not to have to worry bout you too. I'm thinking' about Luke how worried he must be about you. So I want to tell him your safe when we find him."

Mitch nodded. "I'll stay here and 'elp!" the boy agreed.

"Alright, then, up to the RV and check on Summer and T for me, you too Sophia," Jewel instructed.

Carol smiled and kissed the top of her daughter's head. "Listen to what your told."

"I will," Sophia answered as she went to the RV.

"How's T Dog doin'?" Glenn questioned.

"I've done what I can but if we don't find some kind of antibiotics around here, there's not a whole lot more that I can do," Jewel admitted.

"I'm sure there's got to be something' in some of these cars," Andrea said.

"You would think so, wouldn't you?" Dale asked. "So far nothing'," he answered.

Daryl glanced at Jewel. "You check Merle's stash?"

Jewel shook her head. "I don't think what he's got in his stash would be that helpful," she told her other brother.

"Not that stash," Daryl said as he went over to the motorcycle picking up a dirty rug and threw it at Dale. "Keep your dirty rags off my brothers motorcycle," he groused at him. "Painkillers and Doxycyline," he told the group. "Not the cheap kind either, the heavy duty kind," he said as he pulled out a bottle throwing it at Jewel. "What?" he asked as the group looked at him. "Merle got the clap on occasion."

Jewel rolled her eyes. "I try not to think about our brothers' venereal diseases," she said as she rolled her eyes.

"We gonna stand around here all day or are we movin?" Shane asked as he tried to change the image out of his head.

"We're goin'," Rick told them.

Rick's POV:

Rick put things in his bag as he glanced over to Jewel who had taken charge of the youngest Armstrong boy and gave a small smile to himself. She was an asset to the group, and he found himself wanting, no needing to be around her more, for his sanity. She was able to calm him and keep him focused like no one in the group could.

"Rick?" Lori called out to him.

"Yeah, over here," Rick answered as he turned his attention to his estranged wife. "Carl ready?" he asked her.

"Yeah, he's glad we're letting' him go with us," Lori told him.

"I know you don't agree with it," Rick answered.

Lori nodded. "I can't win all the battles," she answered honestly. "Can't always be the bad guy. So, want to tell me what's goin' on between you and Jewel?"

Rick looked at her. "Shane get you to ask me because I don't share with him anymore? Last time I shared things, he started sleepin' with you," he told her.

Lori sighed. "Shane mentioned that the two of you were alone when he came upon you last night. He didn't tell me to come to you. I came to you to ask you because of Carl. If somethins' goin' on between the two of you, developin' I just want to prepare Carl. He doesn't need to be blindsided."

Rick ran his hand through his hair as he took a breath. "I agree, that wouldn't be fair to him. He knows we aren' together anymore, and that you and Shane are together. Lori, if you are askin' me for a definition of what is goin' on between her and I, I don't have one. I know it's a lot different then what you and I ever had. I know if I ask her something' she's not goin' to tell me what she thinks I want to hear, but answer me truthfully. I….I talk with her, something' you and I haven't done in a long time."

"You think we grew apart cause we married so young?" Lori questioned.

"We grew apart because we were two different people. The same people we were in high school, were holdin' on to something' that was long dead," Rick said as he gave her a small smile. "I don't hate you, Lori."

"I know," Lori agreed.

"Dad you ready?" Carl asked as he joined his parents.

"We're ready," Rick and Lori both told the child.