It Matters to Me Chapter 7, a walking dead fanfic

A/N Thanks so much for all your comments. I know we left off in a rough place but I hope you'll agree this part of the story needed to stand alone. Let's check in first with Beth Saturday evening, and then back at the diner.

She finally drifted off but woke again about midnight. She tossed and turned and eventually gave up. She decided maybe a hot bath would help. She drew the bath, slipped in the warm water and tried to relax. She gave up on that too. She heated and drank a glass of milk, crawled back in bed, and at 3:30am she gave up completely.

She scolded herself for being such a dummy. Why was she spending so much time worrying about this man and his feelings? She told herself if he didn't care about her that was just fine, then she didn't care about him either. She didn't want to care about him, not if he didn't care about her. Darn it, but she did.

Then she reminded herself of something else, she hardly knew him. They'd seen each other a few times and they'd shared a few words. They'd been on one date, which wasn't exactly a date at all, and she'd been to his home for dinner.

That was it. Nothing more.

There was a problem though. A big problem. It didn't seem to matter that she didn't know him better, or that she hadn't known him for long. She already felt something in her heart for him. If she were being 100% honest, she'd admit she felt that little twinge of something the first time she laid eyes on him at the Smithton Public Library.

The question was, why? Why would she feel so much so soon? Then again, maybe "why" didn't matter. Except it mattered to her. Her heart hurt.

It could be the way he'd looked in her eyes when he lifted her from the truck. Or it could be the way he squeezed her hand in the movie theater. Or it could be the way he touched her cheek so softly and looked so tenderly into her eyes as they stood on the landing.

It could be all those things. It could just be him. The man she already knew him to be.

She knew he'd be at the diner early for breakfast, he said he would be. The only reason she felt certain he wouldn't back out was he was meeting Merle.

Even though she was feeling sure that any chance at a relationship with Daryl was probably a lost cause, she took her time getting ready. She wanted to look nice when he saw her, both for him and for herself.

She tried splashing cold water on her face, then she tried applying a little lotion and finally she tried some ice on her puffy eyes. None of it seemed to help much. She rouged her lips and when she noticed how pale she was from lack of sleep, she added a little of the color to her cheeks.

She took her time trying to get her ponytail just right, tied the little scarf around the band and sighed, disappointed by her reflection. She was never going to look her best without getting some sleep, but there was nothing to be done about that now. She had work.

She left a little early thinking maybe after she got the coffee going at the diner she'd try drinking a cup. Surely if she added enough milk and sugar to it she'd be able to get it down. Everyone said caffeine kept a person awake and alert, maybe the coffee would help.

She stepped out her front door and drew in a deep breath. She hated how dark and scary it was outside at this hour. She had no choice though, she had work.

Her purse was in one hand and her flashlight in the other, and her tummy was in a knot as she hurried along the dark and quiet streets.

She was only about five blocks from the diner when, no sooner had she noticed the light from the flashlight getting dimmer, than the batteries died completely.

She panicked for a moment but what could she do? She'd didn't have spare batteries in her purse and there were no stores around. Even if there were, there wouldn't be any open this early, especially on a Sunday.

She'd just have to pray for the best. Monday on her lunch break she'd hurry to the drug store and buy batteries, and she already had her mind made up, from then on she'd carry extras in her purse at all times.

Everything was heavily cloaked in dark gray as she nervously walked along, and she tried her best to be cautious. She'd made the walk a few times now and she told herself not to worry, she was familiar with it. It was true and everything might have been okay, if that bicycle hadn't been chained to the stop sign pole at the corner of Sycamore and Ash streets.

She stumbled over what must have been the bicycle's rear tire, fell off the curb and onto the asphalt roadway. When she tried to break her fall, her knees and the palms of her hands were deeply scrapped by the rough asphalt. Even some of the loose pebbles were now embedded in her knees. She was fighting tears as she managed to get to her feet. Then disaster struck.

Surely the car would have stopped if they'd seen her, they must not have. She saw the headlights rapidly approaching and hurried to turn around, get back on the sidewalk and stay out of harm's way.

She wasn't quite fast enough.

She felt the vehicle as it seemed to push the back of her uniform skirt, propelling her forward with great force. Right into the bicycle and the stop sign pole. She hit both hard before landing on the sidewalk.

She remembered being so, so scared, and then the terrible pain. She recalled feeling as if she was stuck in that one spot, unable to move because her body felt too heavy. Those were the last things she remembered before everything went dark.

She must have either suddenly fallen asleep or blacked out. When she eventually came-to she used every bit of willpower and determination she could muster and forced herself to get up. She had to get to work. She'd promised Jim she would never miss a day.

He'd been so determined Saturday evening, but by the time Sunday morning rolled around he already felt his resolve weakening. How could he just walk away from her? How could he act like it didn't matter, when it mattered so much?

Yeah, in a lot of ways it was ridiculous. For hell sake, he hardly even knew her. They'd been on one date. Shit, it wasn't even much of a date, and it never would have happened at all if it wasn't for Mick.

Mick. What woman would want to go on a date with a man and his child?

Beth went. And happily.

Still she deserved so much more than him. She was so kind, so sweet, and dammit, she did something to his heart. It felt like she'd moved in it.

For some reason he put a little more effort in getting ready Sunday morning than he usually did when he went fishing. He washed up, tried combing his hair a little, and made sure he wore a shirt that wasn't wrinkled or stained.

He walked in the diner expecting to see her, but she wasn't there, and the longer she wasn't there the more worried he became.

Then it happened, just as they'd gotten up to leave, she was in the doorway and he felt his heart break at the sight of her.

It was all she could manage to pull the diner door open, then she saw Daryl hurrying toward her. She remembered him gently holding her face in his hands and asking her what happened. And if she never recalled one other detail about this day, she would always remember the sound of him calling her "Darlin'."

She made an effort to answer his question but it seemed impossible to talk. She was trying her best when suddenly she felt her body weaken. She was no longer able to stand, it was like she was watching herself as she began crumbling to the floor. Then she heard Daryl tell her, "Nevermind, nevermind," as he picked her up in strong arms and held her close to his warm body.

Merle was already in take charge mode, "I got ya Brother. Me n Mick are takin' your truck and the gear. You take my truck and get Beth ta the hospital. Ya know where ta find us later."

Merle continued to hold Mick while also holding the pickup door open as Daryl carefully lifted Beth into the seat. Then he firmly gripped his brother's shoulder while Daryl kissed his daughter and told her, "Ya do like Uncle Merle tells ya Michele Marie, and don't ya be gettin' too close ta the water. Everythin's gonna be just fine little girl. Beth's gonna be okay. I'ma see to it, alright?"

The little girl had big tears in her eyes, "But Daddy…"

Merle interrupted, "Hurry on n go now kid, I got Mick. I'll explain everythin' ta her. Go on."

Daryl didn't argue, he kissed his daughter again and told her, "Daddy'll be back soon," and rushed to get in the pickup. He was cautious, hurrying but also playing it safe as he drove to the emergency room. He didn't want an accident. Beth was hurt enough.

Meanwhile Merle was explaining to Mick, "Now think about sumthin' Miss Mick, who in this old world do ya know that can fix things better'n your Daddy can?"

Mick sniffled, "There's no on can."

"Exactly what I'm thinkin'. And your Daddy's gonna see to it that Beth gets all patched up just as good as new. She'll be just fine Sweetie. You'll see I'm tellin' ya the truth. And while he's doin' all that, you an me are gonna have us some fun. We're goin' fishin' just like we planned. Then guess what?"

Uncle Merle always had a good answer to the question about "guess what?" so with the tiniest smile she asked, "What?"

"Yesterday I went over ta the grocery n I bought me the biggest package a them Oreo cookies they had, right along with a quart a vanilla ice cream ta wash em down. Do ya think there's any chance at all ya might wanna share my Oreos n ice cream?"

She was happily nodding when she said, "Yessir, I sure would."

"First thing we gotta do though is go fishin'. I'ma need me some supper tonight."

He wasn't sure if she was unconscious, asleep or just resting her eyes. Whatever it was, he wasn't going to bother her with asking a lot of questions. For now rest was better. Still he kept glancing over at her, trying to sound calm and reassuring as he kept softly repeating, "It's gonna be okay Beth, I got ya. The Doc's gonna sew ya up an I'ma take care of ya. Just hang on."

He pulled in the hospital lot and by now the sun was out, his immediate world well-lit. He moved quickly as he jumped from the truck, ran around to the passenger side and again took her in his arms. He rushed in the big double doors of the hospital calling out loudly, "I need a doc right now!"

A woman motioned him over to the counter, "What's the nature of your wife's injuries?"

He didn't bother correcting her mistake, he only said, "I ain't sure Ma'am. I just know she's hurt an she needs help right now."

The woman got hold of someone on the intercom, and just seconds later two men wearing white uniforms came rushing through a second set of double doors with a gurney. They reached for her and told him, "We'll take it from here," but he didn't hand her over. Instead he took care of it himself, gently laying her down on the white sheet.

He wasn't about to sit out there and wait for her either. He was planning on seeing her through whatever came next. He never let go of her hand as the orderlies rolled the gurney to the treatment area. A nurse came over and told him, "You'll have to step back a little sir, I need to check her vital signs." He was torn, he didn't want to let go of her, but he wanted her to get better. He stepped back only as far as necessary.

She still hadn't opened her eyes or said a word and he was getting more and more concerned and agitated. He was just about to demand to see a doctor when the doctor walked in. The first thing the man said was, "You'll have to go out to the waiting room sir so we can treat your wife."

Daryl was about to take a stand but he didn't have to. Beth handled it when finally she spoke. She was trying to sit up, but she was too weak for that. Still she managed to insist, "No! Don't leave me alone. Please don't leave me Daryl."

He leaned in close and promised, "I ain't goin' nowhere Darlin'. I'm right here. Ya just get better now."

The doctor reconsidered, "Alright, you can stay as long as you don't get in our way or interfere with treatment."

Daryl responded only, "Thanks Doc, I won't."

The doctor spoke to Beth, "Young lady, can you tell me what happened?"

Daryl had again taken hold of her hand and was lightly rubbing his thumb across the back of it. He was hoping he could be of at least a little comfort to her, and now he also wanted to hear what the hell had happened.

Her eyes had closed but she gave the slightest nod of her head and in a weak and shaky voice replied, "I was walking to work. I was almost to the corner, I think it was Sycamore and Ash. There was a bicycle, I stumbled over it. I fell into the street…it hurt so bad…I got up…there were headlights…the car came fast…I tried to get out of the way…it hit me…on my behind…like a push…it pushed me into the bike, the pole, and I fell again. Everything went black and I slept."

The doctor told the nurse, "Sounds like hit and run. Have reception call the sheriff over."

Daryl was steaming, he wanted to lash out at something or someone, but he maintained control as he reminded himself he had to be there for her. He was also confused about something, he asked her, "You was walkin'?"

"My car's broken…it's why I took the job, for money to fix it."

He felt the anger fully consume him. What the fuck. He would have never let her walk to work in the dark. Hell he wouldn't have let her walk period. Shit, she knew he had a garage, why didn't she tell him her car was broken down? Then he thought a little more clearly. Why would she tell him? She didn't even know him when she got the job, and shit, after yesterday? He knew he'd been a dick when he took her home.

He'd work all that out with her later. For now he just wanted her to be okay, to not be in pain. That was the thought in his head as the doctor examined her and asked her what seemed like a million questions, all while two nurses kept busy cleaning her wounds.

She had tears in her eyes and he had a pain in his heart as the doctor stitched up a deep crescent shaped cut on her cheek. Then the sheriff walked in. He nodded his head in greeting, "Doc, oh hey Daryl," then he looked at the patient and asked, "And who's this?" Just as he recognized her, "Aren't you Beth Greene?"

In a weak voice she answered, "Yes, hi sheriff."

Daryl questioned, "Ya know her?"

"Yes, a little. I knew her Daddy, a fine man too. I know her brother and sister. How is Maggie these days Beth?"

The question brought a weak little smile to her face, "Maggie's always going to be Maggie sheriff."

The sheriff had his hands on his hips, nodding his head and smiling knowingly. Daryl had no idea what was going on and it occurred to him, maybe he shouldn't have been dwelling so much on himself and his feelings the night before. Maybe he should have been asking Beth about herself and her family. Shit. If she'd be willing to give him one more chance, that's what he'd do.

In that moment of realization he admitted to himself, he'd never be able to just walk away from this woman and pretend he'd never met her.

It was noon, six hours after he'd gotten her to the hospital. She'd been sleeping soundly for the past two of those hours and he'd stayed right there by her bed, his hand laying on hers as he watched her breath.

The doc and his staff had taken ex-rays to rule out broken bones and internal injuries. They'd cleaned her up, taken her blood, stitched what needed stitching and bandaged everything.

The sheriff had his report, Beth had even remembered the color of the car that hit her. Daryl, the doc and even the nurses agreed with the sheriff's assessment, "You're a strong woman Beth. Not only did you save yourself when you jumped out of the way, but the fact you're able to remember so much, and were even able to give me a description of the vehicle, it's going to help us catch the person who hurt you."

The doctor said he would release her providing she promised to follow certain rules, and there was someone to take care of her.

Daryl didn't have to give it any thought, he told the man, "Yeah, I'ma be takin' care of her."

The doctor nodded and advised, "She shouldn't be left alone for at least the next 24 hours, just in case any problems arise. Call me immediately if she gets sick to her stomach, if she complains about her vision or if she begins to say things that don't make much sense. I'm not worried about any of those things coming to pass, I'm just telling you as a precaution."

Daryl assured the doctor he'd be keeping a close eye on her.

The sheriff asked him, "Hey Daryl, write your home address and phone number down for me, would ya? If something turns up with the case, I wanna be able to talk to Beth." Daryl wrote everything down in the sheriff's notepad and that was that.

He pulled the pickup in front of the big double doors, hurried back in and one of the orderlies brought her out to the vehicle in a wheelchair.

He had her safely in the pickup and had hopped in himself when he saw the quiet tears begin to roll down her cheeks, "Thank you Daryl. You don't have to take care of me, really. You've done so much already. I'll be fine."

Maybe it was all the emotions of the day piled one on top of the other, but that was the breaking point for Daryl. He didn't raise his voice to her, but she could tell by his tone he was unhappy, "Bullshit. I'ma be takin' care of ya an that ain't all. We're gonna have a talk about a few other things, like why the hell you was out all alone, walkin' round in the dark at four-thirty in the mornin'."

He caught himself and stopped right there. He wasn't mad at her and he didn't want her to think he was. Shit, she was already crying. What the fuck was he doing, trying to make it worse? He was just upset she was hurt. He made an effort to soften his tone, "Hey, hey, Beth, I'm sorry. I ain't mad, ya scared me is all. I don't ever wanna see ya hurt."

"I'm sorry too."

"Ya ain't got nuthin' ta be sorry for."

He pulled up in front of her place, quickly walked around the pickup and lifted her down, but he didn't put her down. She protested, "Daryl, I can walk."

He was trying to ease the heavy mood when he smiled and teased her, "Yeah but this is more fun."

When they were just outside her door he asked, "Where's the key?"

She answered, "It's in my purse. Do you have my purse?"

"No, there was no purse. No nuthin'."

"When I left this morning I had my purse and a flashlight." She looked so distraught when she realized, "Oh no, I must have left them where I got hit." And there was a definite cry in her voice when she asked, "Now what? How will I get in?"

He set her on her feet and said, "Here, careful now. Sit here on the step a minute." He dug in his pocket and pulled out a small knife to jimmy the lock. He didn't have to. He barely touched the knob and the door drifted open.

"How did you do that?"

"It wasn't locked."

"I'm sure I locked it. I remember it clearly."

He helped her up, wrapped her arm across his shoulder for support, and they walked in. That's when they saw it, someone had been in her place. Her things were scattered everywhere and it was obvious she'd been burglarized. "Oh my goodness Daryl, who could have done this? Look at the mess, and my radio, my sewing machine, they're gone. I don't even want to look in my bedroom."

She had to though, she needed her things.

As she feared, the thief had been in her room. Her clothes had been tossed out of the dresser drawers, someone had rummaged through everything she owned searching for valuables. She almost died when she saw the little pile of panties and bras on the floor. Not only had some stranger been touching them, but now Daryl had seen them.

She didn't have long to be embarrassed. He had the clearer head and he asked, "Did ya have anythin' in here worth money? Sumthin' a thief would wanna take?"

"I had my jewelry box with the money I was saving to fix my car and my Mama's cameo broach. I had twenty-two dollars saved up, but that's not important. My Mama's cameo is priceless to me. It's all I have left of her." With that she began to cry harder.

He wanted to make everything better but he had no idea how he was going to do that. "Here, sit down here on the bed. Ya should be restin'. Shit Darlin', I'm so sorry you're havin' such a rotten day. Maybe we can get this fixed though. Lemme call the sheriff, where's the phone?"

"I don't have one."

That's when he made up his mind. "Alright then, tell me what ya wanna take and we'll get it in a sack or sumthin'. You're comin' home with me."

Her mouth had dropped open a little and she looked hesitant, "Um…well…um."

He looked at her and quickly realized something, "Ain't nuthin' gonna happen that shouldn't Beth. I hope ya know that."

She didn't want to stay at her place, not now. And she didn't want to be away from Daryl. It was just that life had suddenly become so complicated and she was overwhelmed. As if her face didn't hurt enough, now it felt hot and her voice was so weak when she told him, "I need clean clothes. I need my things. I need a bath. I have my sister, she could take care of me."

"I told ya, we'll take whatever ya need. I got a bathtub." His voice told the tale, his mind was made up. "As for takin' care of ya, I'm sure your sister can, but I'll feel better if it's me."

She was sitting with her eyes closed looking so small and so pale as she nodded her head in agreement. He went to her and using a gentle hand he guided her so that she was now laying on the bed. "Rest now, please Beth. I can take care a this."

No sooner did he move his hand away than he heard the soft sounds of what he now recognized as her sleep breathing.

He was determined to get this done. He'd seen the canvas carry bag in the corner and he thought that would work just fine to take a few things. Just enough to get her through until tomorrow, he could come get more if needed.

He picked up the bag and knew right away there was something in it, he looked in and saw it was a book. He didn't look further, he shrugged and left it. She might want to lay in bed and read later.

He didn't know what to do exactly, yet he knew exactly what to do. He grabbed a couple of pair of her panties, a bra and the pink pajamas laying by her pillow. He spotted the slippers in the corner and put those in too. He breathed a sigh and told himself okay, the hard part's over. Then he headed for the bathroom.

He smiled at all the feminine things, the basket of ribbons, bows and scarves. A small ceramic dish of clips, rubber bands and bobby pins. He left all that, sticking only her hairbrush in the bag. Then he added her toothbrush, and thought, yeah, she probably didn't use Lifebuoy soap. He picked up the bar of Camay soap, and grabbed the glass bottle of Breck shampoo from next to the tub.

Surely that had to be enough, besides, the damn sack was stuffed to overflowing. Then he saw the pink bathrobe hanging by a hook on the door. Shit, he supposed he better get that too.

He hauled it all out to the truck real quick, then hurried back in to her.

He was gentle when he woke her, "C'mon Beth, we gotta go."

She was groggy, still half asleep and her eyes still closed, "I'm so tired. I think I'll just stay here Daryl. I'll be fine."

His lips were close to her ear when he told her what he was sure had happened, "Listen Beth. Someone picked up your purse, it had your keys in it n your driver's license with your address. That's like an invitation to a crook. Shit, for all we know it was the asshole that hit ya. He coulda gone back for your stuff."

His voice had the stern tone he used with Mick, "Anyway. I ain't lettin' ya stay here till you're healed up and the place has new locks."

In her sleepy voice she protested a little more, "I have work tomorrow."

"Shit you're a stubborn woman. An no ya don't have work. Ya heard the doc. Ya gotta lay off for a week." He didn't bother to mention that with all the bruises and swelling coming up on her she probably wanted to lay off anyway.

"Do you have a telephone Daryl?"

That's when he made a little joke, "Yeah, why? Ya gonna call a cop an tell em I kidnapped ya?"

She started to laugh a little, but it hurt her face. "Stop Daryl, it hurts to smile. I'll have to call work and I should call my sister."

"You can do all that when we get ta my place, right after I call the sheriff."

"Alright." As soon as she agreed it dawned on her. Exactly where was everyone going to be sleeping at his house?

A/N I hope you enjoyed the chapter and that you'll leave a comment / review. As always, the chapter photo is on my tumblr blogs gneebee and bethylmethbrick. Please have a look. We'll see how this living arrangement works out next chapter. Until then remember, I love ya large! xo gneebee