I do not own any of the TWD characters - Em is all mine though.
Teething (Em) and Tantrums (Not Em)
It had been several weeks since Daryl had admitted to Beth that he indeed had intended on killing Spencer Monroe. Daryl was not only disgusted with himself, but worried that Beth was afraid of him. Goodness knows, they'd discussed the subject on a near daily basis. Once Daryl finally told Beth what all Spencer had said about her, she herself would have liked to have a go at the s-o-b in question.
"Ya think you should talk to someone?" Beth asked him one morning over coffee.
"Now why would I want to talk to someone?" Daryl asked Beth without looking up from the papers he was reading over. "Lord knows, we've discussed it till I'm sick of talkin 'bout it."
"I mean a professional Daryl" Beth rolled her eyes. "I remember somebody pushing me to talk with someone not too long ago."
"It's different" Daryl snapped a little too quickly.
"Why?" Beth snapped back. "Why is it different Daryl?"
"Just is" Daryl responded curtly.
"Cause you're a man?"
"Yes" Daryl told her exactly what she expected.
"Daryl, I'm beggin you. Please go see someone. It doesn't make you weak" Beth pleaded.
If looks could kill, Beth would be six feet under right now but she wasn't going to give up until Daryl gave in. "Please Daryl - I think you'll feel better."
"I don't wanta feel better Beth. I deserve to feel like the miserable human being that I am" Daryl screamed at his wife and stood abruptly from the table. "I gotta go '' Daryl stomped away from the dining room. Beth heard Daryl grabbing his coat from the front hall closet.
Beth jumped from the table herself. "Daryl, don't leave the house like this" Beth all but begging.
"I'm done with this conversation Beth. Done!" Daryl opened the front door. "Don't wait supper on me tonight - I've got a late meeting."
"How late?" Beth yelled after her husband. The door slammed shut.
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It was well after midnight when Daryl finally got home. Beth was in the nursery with Emily - she was extra fussy with some teeth that were giving her trouble. The baby had just drifted off and Beth rose from the gliding chair to put Emily down in her crib. After watching the little girl's chest rise and fall a few times, Beth smiled to herself and turned to go. Beth jumped a bit at seeing her disheveled husband standing in the doorway of the nursery.
"I didn't hear ya come in" Beth whispered.
Daryl didn't respond verbally, but pulled Beth into a hug. He reeked of cigarette smoke and booze and he wasn't real steady on his feet. Beth pulled back to look into her husband's eyes.
"You okay?" Beth asked in an even quieter whisper than before.
Daryl shook his head no. "No" he answered in a whisper matching his wive's. "No I'm not."
"It's alright to not be , ya know" Beth questioned. Daryl gave a little snort. "It really is" Beth confirmed. "Let's go to bed."
Beth led her husband to the bedroom - Daryl held on to his wife's hand and trailed along behind like the frightened little boy he remembered being. "Why don't ya take a quick shower, get the smoke outta ya hair." Beth continued leading Daryl to the bathroom where she turned the nozzle onto a super hot setting. Before leaving him alone Beth placed a single kiss to her husband's lips. "Don't be long."
Daryl had not taken long in the shower and the warm water had helped him feel more alert if nothing else. He decided he should brush his teeth as well, at least try and get rid of the ashtray taste left behind from chain smoking all night long. Daryl opened the bathroom door to find his wife still awake and waiting for him.
"Come on to bed" Beth said.
Daryl climbed in the bed and Beth immediately curled herself around him. "I love you" Beth told Daryl. "I love you for wanting to protect me. Daryl, you are not a bad person. You're not!" It was at this point that Daryl began to cry - something he hadn't done since he was a very young boy. He'd learned early on that crying didn't get him anything but another beating. "It's okay Babe" Beth encouraged. "Let it out."
Daryl was so tired of holding years and years, decades even, of hurts and fears in. He was so tired of putting on a brave front. And he was so tired of holding it all in. The floodgates had been opened and now Daryl was openly sobbing. Beth continued to hold her husband, brushing the hair out of his face, and whispering calmly to him.
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Beth awoke to a low, gruff humming. Emily must have gotten up during the night - the sun wasn't fully up yet. Beth slipped into her robe and houseshoes before heading to the nursery to check on the both of them.
Daryl looked up when he sensed Beth in the doorway. "This teething is a bitch ain't it?" Daryl grimmaced.
"Yeh" Beth replied. "Yesterday was awful - just plain awful."
"Shoulda called me" Daryl stated. "I coulda come home to help ya out."
"We managed" Beth answered her husband. "You're here now" Beth smiled. "How long ya been rockin her?"
"Bout an hour" Daryl said. "Ya can tell where that little tooth is. Look here" Daryl motioned Beth over and pulled back the baby's little pouty lips to show Beth the angry, red gum.
"Bless her" Beth agreed. "Maybe it won't be too much longer."
"Hey" Daryl said. Beth looked into Daryl's eyes. "Thank you."
"For what?" Beth asked with curiosity.
"For lovin me" Daryl answered and kissed Beth gently. "Sorry 'bout yesterday and my breakdown last night."
"It's okay" Beth said.
"No, it ain't" Daryl contradicted. "I shouldn't left the house like that - no excuse for that."
"Well, just don't let it happen again" Beth said with a teasing tone. "Now, the breakdown, Daryl everyone has their limits. I think you just finally reached yours."
"I'm staying home today" Daryl stated. "Gonna get some rest, probably make an appointment with one of them headshrinkers."
Beth didn't make any comment but just gave a little nod to her husband before taking Em from him to try and put her back down in the crib.
"Come on Babe" Beth whispered to Daryl. "Let's go get us a nap 'fore the sun comes up."