Hello! Sorry for the delay but this one is a little longer so I'm hoping that makes up for it! And trust me, I do agree that First Blood is a little much for a four year old. lol I picked that one for sentimental reasons. My grandpa let me watch that with him when I was about that age and I became obsessed with Rambo and was pretty sure I had the coolest grandpa in the world. Rocky would have been a totally better choice! But I hope you all enjoy this chapter and, as always, thanks so much for reading!

Chapter Seventeen

Daryl was half expecting the boy to be asleep when he slipped into his room but he wasn't. He was sitting on the floor with his back leaned against the side of the bed, watching cartoons. When he saw Daryl come in out of the corner of his eye he stood up quickly.

"I thought you fell asleep," he said in a conspiratorial tone.

Daryl shook his head. "Nope."

"Did you get it?" he asked excitedly.

Daryl held up the DVD. "Yep. But it ain't much of a secret. I told your mama what we were up to."

Jake's face fell a little. "So, I guess I should go to bed now, huh?"

Daryl grinned. "Nope. She's all for it."

The boys face grew pensive. "But you told her. She never lets us stay up so late."

Daryl nodded and then held up the plastic bag he was holding in his other hand. "I told her about the movie but I left out the best part." He felt the boy's eyes on him as he started the movie.

"What's in the bag?" he asked following Daryl onto the bed and leaning his back against the wall next to him.

"Somethin' that your mom would skin me over," he said mysteriously. He reached in and pulled out two spoons, handing the boy one of them and then produced a pint of chocolate ice cream.

Jake grinned, inching closer, like he wasn't sure if Daryl wanted him to sit too close. He hated that the kid was so unsure so he opened the lid to the ice cream and then pulled him right onto his lap. "She's gonna do more than skin ya," Jake said, scooping up a large glob and popping it into his mouth. "You ain't just lettin' me eat after supper. You're lettin' me eat ice cream in the middle of the night and if that ain't bad enough, you're eatin' it too right here in the bed. She'd skin us both. You better hope she don't come snoopin'."

Daryl laughed. "I'm not scared of your mama."

"You should be," Jake said absently, his eyes glued to the TV now that the movie started. "She's mostly nice but I've seen her mad. She's pretty tough too."

Daryl shook his head. "Then if she catches us, I'm the one in trouble. Not you."

This seemed to appease the boy and he relaxed, finally leaning back and making himself more comfortable. To his surprise, Daryl felt comfortable too. He wasn't forcing this. Once he calmed down and didn't feel so pressured, this was coming naturally. Of course, he was breaking all sorts of rules but he wanted to start out on the right foot. He wanted to build a relationship that was just theirs. He wanted to build a relationship with both of them that they would look back on and feel good about. Not like his own childhood had been. And the boy was a lot more leery than his sister, waiting patiently for a chance to ask Daryl questions. Lily talked a mile a minute, didn't hesitate to lead Daryl around and show him this or that, and Jake would just be quiet and wait his turn. Despite the fact that he was damn glad the little girl was already bonding with him so soon, he didn't want Jake to feel left out.

"This is so great," Jake said after they both gave up on the ice cream.

Daryl leaned his head back against the wall and put his other arm around the boy. "Yeah, it is."

"It's gonna be nice havin' another man around," Jake muttered.

Daryl glanced down at the top of the boy's head. "Yeah, I reckon it will be. You done a good job so far, though. Pretty brave move comin' outside like you did when I first got here cause you thought your mom might be in trouble."

Jake shrugged. "Lily ain't ever really worried about stuff ever so I'm stuck worryin' for the two of us. Like all them times mama didn't know I was payin' attention to how sad she was. Lily believed her when she said she was just tired but I never did."

Daryl swallowed hard. "Well, now you ain't gotta worry about anything. And if you start to feel like you're about to worry then you just let me know and then I can either fix the worryin' or I can worry with you and keep you company. But you gotta be straight with me and let me know."

The boy was quiet for long time and when he finally spoke again Daryl had to lean down to hear the words. "I've been a little bit worried."

"There you go. What about?"

"I guess I'm worried that you ain't gonna much like it here. And if you don't like it here then maybe you'll decide that it'd be better to live somewhere else. I even told Lily to stop talkin' so much, in case it might bother you but she don't listen to anybody. Sometimes she don't even listen to mama. I want you to like it here."

He winced. It was so fucking clear that both of his kids had issues because of his absence in their lives. This little one was just a lot better at hiding it. He wasn't sure how to reassure a four year old kid but he had to try so he took a deep breath. "I hadn't ever liked anywhere I'd ever been until the day I met your mom. I was just a little bit messed up and maybe someday I'll tell you all about that. But when I met her all that changed for me. I was happy no matter where we were or what we were doin'. Then I had to leave and I thought that I lost all that and then I wasn't happy about anything. I didn't think I ever would be again and then all a sudden, I found her again. And then I found out about you and your sister. And now the three of you are the only things in the whole fuckin' world that matter to me. Home ain't a house or a place and you need to remember that. Even if the four of us have to live in a box under a bridge, I'm gonna be happy because I'm gonna be with you and your mom and your sister and I swear, I ain't ever gonna go anywhere. You're stuck with me for the rest of my life so you ain't gotta worry about whether or not I like it here. Cause I love it here. Cause I love your mom and I love you and I love your sister and that ain't ever gonna change no matter how much Lily talks or how much trouble I get in for lettin' you eat ice cream in bed after supper. You understand?"

The boy turned in his lap and met his eyes and Daryl was once again startled by the resemblance. He held his gaze and finally the corner of Jake's mouth turned up and he nodded. "I understand."

"Good," he said firmly. "Cause us guys, we kind of have to stick together and I can't have you thinkin' I'd split on you."

"But we still gotta take Lily with us when we go to the woods?" Jake asked, his voice hopeful.

Daryl laughed. "Yeah, we gotta take Lily. Fair is fair and she can learn just as much as you can out there."

"I guess it won't be too bad," he said, settling back down.

Daryl rested his chin on top of the boy's head. "Nah. Won't be too bad at all."

~H~

Carol woke up to the sound of the alarm. She didn't know when Daryl had came to bed because she hadn't even woken up. She cursed herself for that as she rolled over, throwing an arm around him.

He grumbled and then shut off the annoying buzz.

"I thought you weren't working?" She mumbled sleepily.

He rolled into her, his lips on hers before she could even open her eyes. "I ain't. Remember, I gotta date. We're hittin' the woods. Don't expect us back till lunch time."

She sighed. "I get to go back to sleep..."

He chuckled. "Yep."

"This feels amazing," she muttered. His lips grazed hers once more and then he was out of bed. She burrowed into the blanket, making a content sound. "Be careful," she managed before she drifted back to sleep.

She woke up again to the shrill ringing of her phone. She frowned and blinked at the clock and then her eyes widened when she saw that it was almost ten in the morning. The ring tone told her that whoever was calling wasn't one of her regular contacts or a song would have played instead of the ringing. She grabbed it, looking at the screen with a frown. It was Russel. "Hello?"

"Carol? Is Daryl around? I need to talk to him," the man said, sounding off.

She frowned and threw the covers back, slipping out of bed. "No, I'm sorry. He took the kids and left earlier. Is something wrong?" She didn't have to ask because she could tell by the sound of the man's voice that there was something troubling him.

"Well, I got a call a few minutes ago. Apparently a nurse found my card in Merle's wallet and decided to call me. They were looking for the number of a relative but I wanted to call Daryl before they did. They wouldn't tell me much but I'm thinkin' it must be bad. They seemed pretty eager to reach his next of kin."

Carol felt her heart sink. "Do you think he's been in an accident or something?"

Russel seemed to hesitate but finally he sighed heavily into the phone. "I'm thinkin' maybe it had somethin' to do with drugs. He was suppose to be in rehab but I don't think he went."

"Oh my God," Carol muttered, wishing that Daryl were there. He wouldn't be home with the kids for hours. "What hospital?" She asked, making a split second decision.

Russel told her and she ended the call. She dressed hurriedly, put her hair up and then grabbed a notebook from the drawer of her nightstand. She jotted down a message and stuck it to the fridge, explaining to him where she was and why and to come as soon as he got back with the kids. She couldn't even guess where they could be or she would have tried to find him. There wasn't any time for that though. If Merle was in bad enough condition for the hospital to call Russel then... She shook the thought.

Daryl was not going to lose his brother just when he found her and his kids. It wouldn't be fair. That couldn't happen to him. She knew that he was upset about what Merle had done but he was still Daryl's brother. He was still family. And, he was the only uncle her children had. They deserved to know him. He wouldn't die.

She grabbed the keys to her car and took off, hoping Daryl and the kids got home sooner and could meet her there. She didn't speed but she felt like she should have. She had to face the facts and the facts were, whatever had happened to Daryl's brother was probably bad and he could very well lose him. What if he... She shook the thought and parked as close to the entrance as she could.

She had to stand there and wait as the woman at the front desk arranged for her to see him. When the woman asked if she were family she had claimed to be his sister-in-law. The lie had left her lips easily. She was told to take a seat and the doctor would be out to see her. This made her even more nervous.

There were others waiting in the room. People waiting to see loved ones, some with puffy eyes and clinging to tissues. Others, mostly the men in the room, stoic and silent. She studied each individual face, finding beauty in their desolation, and idly wished she had a camera. She scolded herself, frowning at her insensitive thoughts but she didn't have time to dwell because someone was approaching her.

"Mrs. Dixon?" The man asked with a small reassuring smile.

She nodded, blushing furiously and not sure why. She stood up and took the hand the Doctor offered. He didn't really look old enough to be a doctor at all but that was something she would wonder about later. "Is he..."

"It was touch and go for a while. His heart stopped in the ambulance but they were able to bring him back. It happened again once he was brought in. He's awake but he isn't a very cooperative man. Something tells me that it has more to do with his general personality than the overdose."

"So, it was drugs?"

The man nodded, flipped through a few papers on the clip board he was holding. "Yes ma'am. And this isn't the first case we've gotten. There seems to be an epidemic. A new brand of heroin that's much more potent than what used to flow through these streets. Users assume they have a ready tolerance for it but it takes much less of this type to achieve the high. It's also full of additives. He is far from the first case I've seen, even just within the last twenty four hours."

She bit her lip and glanced at the closed door they had stopped in front of. "Is he going to pull through?"

"He's going to live, if that's what you're asking. From the looks of it, he's not a heavy user. There weren't many track marks and his veins are healthy. The problem with this drug is, no one simply tries it. As soon as they get that first hit, that becomes their focus. A urine analysis showed traces of other drugs. My advice would be to try to get him into a rehabilitation center as soon as he gets released."

Carol nodded, surprised that Merle had such a problem that Daryl had never mentioned. Of course, they hadn't had a whole lot of time to discuss very much. The doctor opened the door and motioned for her to go on inside.

"Good luck, Mrs. Dixon. You'll need it with this one," he said sympathetically.

The door closed behind her and she found herself standing there under the suspicious gaze of Merle Dixon.

Now that she knew who he was she studied him more closely. This was the man that had caused her and Daryl so much heartache. But it hadn't been intentional and she refused to let herself resent him for it. She had wasted enough of her time on hating Merle Dixon. He had realized his mistake and he had righted his wrongs.

"Weasely little cock sucker couldn't even come to the goddamn hospital?" He asked after a heavy silence.

She swallowed and walked further into the room. He was pale, drawn and scowling at her. "I got the call this morning. He wasn't home so I came. He'll be here."

"Home, huh?" Merle sneered. "Looks like he moved right on up. Just hope he remembers that white trash don't wash off."

She eyed him and then sat down in the chair closest to the bed. "How do you feel?" She asked, ignoring his open animosity.

Merle rolled his eyes. "You got what you wanted, lady. You ain't gotta keep up appearances with me."

She swallowed hard, reminding herself that he was hurting because of his brother and she just happened to be the one that he could blame for that pain. "I'm not here because I think I need to keep up appearances. I'm here because I got a phone call saying you were here. No matter how we feel about one another, you're Daryl's brother. You're my kids uncle and..."

"The boy. I'm the boy's goddamn uncle. Just because you're fuckin' my brother again don't mean I gotta play kin to some little girl that happens to belong to you," he snapped, his eyes boring into hers hard. "You ain't shit to me lady, and neither is your illegitimate daughter."

She realized then that he couldn't have known. She wasn't sure if it would matter either way. He was going to be openly hostile regardless. "Actually, she is your niece. They're twins, Merle. She doesn't look as much like her dad, but she's still his. As for me, you're one hundred percent right. I'm not shit to you and that's okay because I don't need to be. But if you ever talk about either one of my children in that tone of voice again I'll be happy to take that IV out of your arm and shove it straight up your hateful ass."

He looked surprised for a few seconds and then composed himself. "Why don't you take your empty threats and get the fuck outta here, lady."

"Why don't you stop acting like an overgrown child and tell me how you feel. I'm not leaving you alone until Daryl gets here."

He stared at her, his eyes narrowed. She stared right back unflinchingly.