I do not own any of the TWD characters.
Hahahaha! I realized that Beth had cooked chicken casseroles and roasted asparagus for them one night earlier in the week, and I had planned on them having roasted asparagus in place of the peas. Soooooo, I had to go back a chapter and change "roasted asparagus" to "roasted Brussels sprouts". Hope everyone is okay with the change.
Have These People Ever Had a Normal Holiday Meal?
"Mr. Dixon" Noah spoke timidly, beckoning him to meet him in the dining room. Daryl kissed Beth on the forehead before leaving her side to go see just what it was Noah couldn't say to him in front of everyone else.
"Beth" Daryl instructed, "Get your shoes on. We're goin to the ER to get that hand tended to."
The whining began immediately. Daryl knew that it would and he would deal with Beth when he finished speaking with Noah.
"What?" Daryl asked Noah gruffly.
"I didn't want to mention it in front of Beth" Noah began. "She's probably going to need a tetanus shot. In the short time I've known Beth, the one thing that stands out to me is that she's not a good patient."
Daryl grunted in agreement. "You ain't lyin." That's when he heard Negan getting after Beth in their bedroom. Daryl could hear Negan's deep voice asking questions. Beth was trying to play the silent act by refusing to answer, but Negan wasn't a man that would accept that. Daryl figured he better get in there and separate the two before there were more injuries.
"What's up?" Daryl asked looking to Negan. "Get your shoes Beth. Let's get this over with so we can have some dinner with our family."
Beth huffed, and probably wanted to stamp her foot, but instead she turned and went into the closet just inside the bathroom door. Daryl spun around to ask Negan just what the hell his problem was, couldn't he tell that Beth was upset enough as it was? Negan already knew that Daryl was about to rip him a new one so he held up his hands in mock surrender.
"I simply came in here to help her get her shoes on" Negan started. "She's fucking bleeding all over the place, by the way." Negan pointed to the carpeted floor – blood dribbles mapped out Beth's path.
"Fuck" Daryl sighed.
"Don't worry about it" Negan told him. "I can take care of it. Anyway, so I was just trying to ask her if she was okay and dammit, Daryl, something's not right. The more I talked to her about what happened, the more upset she became."
"That's weird" Daryl agreed.
"Fuck yeh, it's weird" Negan echoed.
"Finally" Negan looked towards the bathroom where they heard some cabinet doors being slammed, then the flush of the toilet. "Finally" Negan whispers. "Princess said she was distracted by a phone call – the phone call is what got her all out of whack and caused her to cut her hand."
"Well, what the hell kind of phone call woulda done all that?" Daryl asked.
Negan held up Beth's phone in the air as if it were the missing link to some great mystery. "I asked her that same thing."
"And?" Daryl prompted. Beth walked out of the bathroom with her coat.
"Let's go Daryl" Beth pouted. "Let's just get this over with – fuckin hate hospitals."
"Language", Negan mumbled to Beth, casting a glance her way.
"I know ya do Baby" Daryl tried to soothe her. "We won't be long. And if you're good, I'll get ya some cheese fries tomorrow."
"From MBurger?" she asked hopefully.
"Of course" Daryl answered.
Negan rolled his eyes. Daryl was pussy whooped for sure. "Come here Princess. Let me help you with your coat."
Reluctantly, Beth trudged over to Negan where he gently assisted her with the wrap. "I love you Baby Girl" he said placing a kiss on her forehead.
"Love you too" Beth replied. "Sorry I've been so grumpy. I'm just not feelin myself this week."
"Beth" Negan turned her around to look at him. "Who was the phone call from?"
"What?" Beth blinked her big blue eyes at Negan. Negan knew she was stalling for time.
"The phone call you said you had. That's what distracted you when you cut yourself" Negan reminded her.
Beth looked at the floor to avoid the gaze of both men.
"Beth" Daryl spoke first. "Baby, who was the phone call from?" Negan looked on in anticipation.
"Shane" Beth all but whispered. Daryl and Negan gave each other an icy stare while a drop of blood trailed down Beth's finger, collecting with another on the tip of her pinky finger before dropping silently to the carpet.
"Get her stitched up before she fucking bleeds out!" Negan ordered. "We'll discuss this later", giving a solemn nod to Beth. Beth nodded back in his direction - she didn't think she'd ever seen Negan so serious or cold in his demeanor and it scared her. She shivered, not from cold, but fright. The tension in the room cut have been cut with, well, her favorite kitchen knife that was currently covered in her own blood.
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Of course, a trip to the emergency room with Beth Greene Dixon would be anything but normal. Upon their arrival, she blacked out right there in the middle of the waiting room. Except for the fact that it scared the shit out of Daryl, it did get them back in an examination room more quickly.
Daryl filled out paperwork, while a nurse got Beth a snack and some juice. They really didn't think she'd lost enough blood to be that weak, but when Beth admitted that she hadn't had much to eat all day long (besides fermented fruit), they figured her blood sugar was low. That's what prompted a round of blood tests.
And then, of course, they wanted to x-ray the hand, but just as the guy from radiology came into the room to take Beth down, someone told him that they had decided against it at the last minute for some reason. Every time Daryl turned around it seemed that someone new was coming into Beth's room.
Negan kept firing texts to Daryl – plotting terrible scenarios of what they should do to Walsh when they finally got hold of him. As much as Daryl enjoyed Negan's creative plans of torture, it was causing him some difficulty in keeping up with what was going on with his sweet wife. Daryl finally had to put the phone away– several doctors had been in and out of the exam room and he was losing track of who all they were and what they were doing. Before he knew what was going on, Beth had been stripped down to her skivvies and was in a paper gown.
"What the hell Beth?" Daryl asked when they were alone. "How come ya half naked? They hadn't even done anything 'bout that hand yet 'cept bandage it?"
Beth had a funny look on her face. She'd finished the goldfish crackers a nurse had given her and was now peeling a banana. It was like once she started eating, she just couldn't quit. Beth devoured the banana in three to four bites and was washing it all down with a swig of orange juice..
"I don't know" she answered. "Maybe they don't wanta mess my shirt up." Beth really had no idea how she ended up in a pink paper gown.
Finally, a doctor they hadn't seen yet came into the room and introduced himself.
"Wait a minute" Beth held up her bandaged hand. "Did you say you're an OB/GYN?"
"Yes, that's correct" he replied.
"I think you're in the wrong room. I'm just here 'bout my hand" Beth held it up again. "Just need stitchin up. I've got people waitin Thanksgiving Dinner on me."
The doctor smiled patiently, "Are you Beth Dixon?" he asked checking the chart in front of him. Beth nodded. "I have the right room. We'll get to that hand" he said smirking. "I thought they told you why we couldn't do the x-ray and that you would be expecting me."
Daryl and Beth both looked at the man – one as dumbfounded as the other.
"Your blood test indicated an increased level of hCG" the doctor stated. Still, the two of them looked like a pair of deer in the headlights. "It's a pregnancy hormone" he offered more information to try and clarify the situation.
Daryl's mouth dropped open about the time Beth's good hand went to cover her mouth to prevent an expletive from coming out.
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Eventually, they got to the original reason of their ER visit. The hand was stitched, glued, and a tetanus shot administered. Daryl reminded Beth during the whole ordeal about the cheese fries that would be delivered to the hotel spa for her to enjoy tomorrow. She smiled the entire time and was just as pleasant as could be. Like bribing a fuckin toddler Daryl thought to himself. Instead of a Hot Wheels car or a Barbie doll though, it's fried, greasy food. Go figure.
Daryl couldn't decide if the cheese fries had her smiling or she was still in shock over the news neither of them were expecting. He had to admit, it hadn't really sunk in yet with him either.
Daryl and Beth left the ER with antibiotic ointment to use once the glue wore away, a mild pain killer (non-narcotic, of course), a prescription for both iron supplements and prenatal vitamins, and strict instructions to schedule an appointment with her regular OB/GYN immediately.
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Daryl and Beth had told everyone back at the apartment not to wait on them to eat since they had no idea how long they would be. Honestly, they hadn't expected to be gone nearly four hours.
"Really" Beth told them "we can eat a plate when we get back. I know for a fact that Rick eats for a solid three hours at Thanksgiving anyway, so at least we'll get to eat with him."
"I do not" Rick protested, even as he was picking the cracker topping off the top of some casserole. Did he really think no one noticed him eating while he stood there in front of them Beth wondered.
So, just as expected, when they returned from the emergency room, Rick was still at the dining room table, along with Glen and Negan. All three men were putting the food away – Negan was trying to polish off all of the oyster casserole.
"I saved you some oysters Boy" Negan teased Daryl. "Know you're going to need them tomorrow night."
Daryl snorted at the comment. Beth winked knowingly at her husband.
"Ya'll aright?" Glen asked after looking the both of them over carefully. "You both just look rattled."
Both ignored Glen.
Annette had slept off her stupor and was fussing over Beth, even while rubbing at her own temples. "Let me fix your plate Bethie" Annette said quietly.
"Okay Momma" Beth answered. There were some dessert plates left on the table. Beth peeked into the living room and waved at everyone. They all greeted her happily, telling her that they missed them and were glad that they were back. Lucille and Michonne were playing cards with Andre – Kings Around the Corner if Beth was correct. Maggie was holding and playing with Lila.
"I'm gonna need them oysters tonight" Daryl clarified.
"Daryl Dixon!" Beth gasped in front of all the other men sitting around the table.
"It's the truth!" Daryl exclaimed. "You and I are goin on to the hotel – ain't gonna be no hen party tonight. Think ya'll already had that today." Everyone snickered at that comment. "I gotta go to the office for a while in the mornin". Beth didn't miss the look Daryl gave Negan.
"so I'll be out of your way early on and you women can have your spa day. But you, Baby Girl, are all mine tonight – just mine." Daryl picked up a brussel sprout and shoved the entire thing into his mouth.
"Dude" Glen laughed out loud. "You're working tomorrow? What a goober!"
Negan's eyes snapped to Daryl. "Did you want Glen in on that project we were starting tomorrow?" he asked Daryl.
"Uh, yeh" Daryl stammered, then looked around the room. "Rick too."
"Yeh, so Rick" Negan piped up "how 'bout when Michonne leaves for the spa in the morning you come on over to my office? We'll show you how the big dogs roll."
Glen had good heartedly accepted his fate that he was working the next day as well and was too busy smothering a roll with butter to notice the surprise on Rick's face.
"Uh, well" Rick stuttered. "I've got the kids tomorrow."
"Bring the kids" Negan instructed. "We've got a daycare. You can meet the sitters I've got lined up for Andre and Lila for tomorrow night."
Rick could tell by the look in Negan's eye that it wasn't a request, it was a demand. Rick wasn't sure what was going on, but something was definitely up. "Okay" Rick agreed. "Yeh, we'll be there."
Beth had thoroughly enjoyed the Thanksgiving feast even though her plate had to be rewarmed in the microwave – everything was delicious. As a matter of fact she ate every morsel from her plate and began picking the scraps from Rick's – a deadly mission at best. Rick gave her that side eye thing he reserved for really sticky situations. She thought he may have been contemplating stabbing her other hand with his fork.
"What?" she asked Negan, completely unaware of the whipped cream in her hair.
"You've got a little" Negan made a motion to his face to try and get the girl to clean herself up a bit. She wiped everywhere but where the mess was. Negan chuckled.
"I'm starvin" Beth said. "Think I had some cheese and crackers this morning."
"Ya had all them snacks at the" Daryl quit talking mid-sentence. Luckily, no one made much of his almost slip of information. "Beth, Baby" Daryl spoke softly. "When ya finish eatin, will ya go pack for us?"
"Of course" Beth smiled back at her husband and looked warily at Negan. "I'll go get started on that right now."
Negan thought Beth looked awfully pale. And weak. Hell, he thought to himself, no telling how much fucking blood she lost before they got her stitched up. He'd spent an hour cleaning up all the blood around the apartment.
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"Ladies" Beth began "looks like we're not gonna get our wild night at the Waldorf after all. Sorry."
They all smiled up at her. "Well, we're not gonna get a wild night, but you are" Maggie snorted.
"Margaret" Annette snickered, but playfully put her hand up to try and hide the blush forming on her cheeks.
"Yeh, yeh" Beth told them. "Make your jokes all ya want, but I'm gonna be the one sleepin on super fluffy pillows and in between the best linens in the whole city of Chicago tonight."
"Honey, you ain't gonna be sleepin any" Michonne continued with the teasing.
Beth couldn't fight the blush any longer. "Guys" she finally laughed herself.
Lucille stood and pulled Beth into a hug. "I think our car's here Sweetheart – judging by the dark and sinister man standing in the doorway with my coat." They all looked to Negan who indeed was holding his wife's coat open for her. Beth couldn't help but think that Negan looked a little sad, worried even.
"Let's go Sweetheart" Negan told his wife. "You've got a big day tomorrow – need to get some rest tonight." Lucille hugged Beth and kissed her on the check before waving goodbye to everyone else and ruffling Andre's hair. The little boy had finally crashed in Daryl's leather recliner. Both Negan and Lucille smiled down fondly at the young boy.
"Ladies" Negan offered and tipped his head. "Beth, Annette, dinner was the best I've had in a while. Thank you for everything."
Annette smiled back at the couple. "Thank you Negan – always good to spend time with ya'll."
Maggie patted Annette on the knee. "I'm just gonna go put Lila down for Chonne. Will ya go get Glen? Tell him we need to be gettin on home too?"
"I sure will" Annette told her stepdaughter.
"Chonne" Beth spoke up. "Ya mind helpin me pack? My hand's a little stiff?" Beth held up her glued hand only to wave it around in a jerky manner. Michonne smiled and jumped up from the floor.
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"Daryl" Beth gushed. "The room is beautiful – it's so nice. But, ya know we coulda just stayed home for one more night."
Daryl raised an eyebrow at her. "Are ya kiddin me?" Daryl snorted. "Tired of sharin my woman with a six year old. I need you Beth." Daryl pulled Beth into a needy hug. They stood in place for what seemed like an hour. "I love you so much Beth" Daryl finally said as if he'd been holding his breath.
"I love you too" Beth smiled up at him "Daddy" she added with an evil grin.
Daryl could no longer hold back the tears. "I just can't believe it" he admitted. "I never thought in a million years when we took you to get your hand stitched up, we'd be getting the news we got tonight."
"You're not upset are ya?" Beth asked. "I mean, I know we weren't planning on babies this soon, but gosh, I just can't quit smilin."
"Hell naw, I ain't upset" Daryl kissed her shoulder. "I'm surprised" he stammered. "Surprised as fuck." Daryl pulled the sweater up and over Beth's head, making sure to be careful with her injured hand. "Think it's okay if we mess 'round?" Daryl peeked out under his bangs at Beth.
"I asked the doctor when you stepped out" Beth blushed. "I wondered. So I asked."
"And?" Daryl asked.