Chapter Nineteen

Carol fidgeted in the hard plastic chair, waiting on Daryl to come back from talking to his brother. She hoped he had better luck than she had had.

"We caught lobsters," Lily said around a mouth full of fries.

Jake rolled his eyes, looking too wise for his age. "They were crawl deads, dummy."

Carol gave him a look. "Actually they're called crawfish and do not call your sister a dummy. They do look a little like lobsters."

"Dad says they're called crawl deads," Jake muttered under his breath.

Carol looked up at the sound of heavy footsteps approaching outside of the lounge. She already knew it was him. She knew the distinct sound his footsteps made as each foot hit the ground, knew the exact way his body would shift with each step. She sighed, her pulse picking up. She would never take his presence for granted. He stepped in, looking much more relaxed than he looked when she had first seen him.

"Everything okay?" She asked, glancing at the kids who were staring up with wide eyes, watching Daryl.

He blew out a breath and sat down heavily in the seat next to her. "I don't know," he said, his voice glum.

She had been thinking since she got here but she wasn't so sure she should suggest anything to him just yet. He had taken a shaking blow today and maybe he needed time to just think about things for a while.

"He's gonna be in here at least another day," he said, reaching over and stealing a fry from Lily.

"Then he can go home or... Will he be arrested?"

He sighed, chewing miserably. "Other than bein' half dead, he didn't have anything on him. He wasn't in the process of selling anything or buyin' anything so there really wouldn't be a reason for them to lock him up. If they'd raided the house he'd been in then I suppose he could get busted for somethin' if he was in it, especially since he's got a hell of a record. This ain't the first time he's gone on a dope bender."

"When can he leave?" She asked.

He rubbed a hand over his face. "That's the thing. They'll release him tomorrow but they're sayin' he's gonna need to take it easy. He's gonna need time for his body to get it's strength back."

She watched him as he looked between Jake and Lily and then shook his head, running a hand through his hair before looking at her. She reached out, grabbing his hand. She knew that he wanted to help his brother, but he wouldn't leave them even to do that. He was torn and she couldn't stand seeing him this way. Being with someone meant that you had to make sacrifices but this one was too great for him. It would hurt him and she wouldn't see him hurt. Not when she had a solution. "We'll bring him back with us. I'll get the guest room ready tonight and tomorrow you can pick him up."

He looked at her, lost for words for a few moments before he shook his head. "The man is toxic right now, Carol. You know it. He ain't your problem. I'll figure somethin' out."

She scowled at him. "He's our problem. Do you really think I'll sit back and let you take this on by yourself? He needs you, and that's okay, but it's high time that Merle Dixon's stubborn ass learns that we're a package deal. Of course I don't want to deal with that man but he's family and I'll be damned if I watch you suffer because you think that I would make you choose between us or him. You love him, he's your brother and he's coming home with us."

"He's gonna pitch the biggest fit you ever heard," he grumbled but she could see the relief in his eyes. "You don't know how damn awful that man can be when he's in a mood like he is now."

She squeezed his hand. "I'll be right back."

"Where the hell are you goin'?" He asked, frowning.

She kissed him quickly and left the room without a word. She knew he didn't want to talk to Merle about this so she would just do it herself. She wasn't afraid of him. When she stepped into his room and shut the door firmly behind her he looked over sharply.

"Girl, you can't take a hint to save your life, can you?" He asked.

She shook her head. "No, I can't. Tomorrow we're picking you up and bringing you home with us. Other than clothes, is there anything Daryl needs to get from your house?"

His eyes widened and he sat up straighter. "Have you lost your goddamn mind! I ain't takin' no charity from you!"

"I haven't lost my mind, Merle, but my patience is another story. You need someone to help you and we're all you have. There's plenty of room. You'll have your own space and you'll either learn to like it there or you can be a miserable bastard the whole time, it doesn't matter to me either way. Daryl isn't going to be forced to choose between us. For whatever reason, he wants to help you and this is how he's gonna be able to do that." She said this all in a rush, her arms crossed defensively over her chest.

"You can't force me to go to your house," he said angrily.

"No, but I can use my notoriety to pull some strings and I'll have you thrown into rehab before you can blink if you really want to try me. You almost killing yourself hurt him enough and I won't have him being hurt by you anymore. What you did to us is water under the bridge as far I'm concerned because you didn't know everything back then. You didn't know about any of it and I can forgive you for that easily. Daryl could have stayed with me back then if he'd chosen to do that but he wanted to make sure you were okay, because he loves you," She shook her head, her heart pounding hard in her chest. "But I won't let you hurt him just because you can and that's exactly what you're doing."

"I brought him right to your goddamn door knowin' what it would cost me!" He barked, causing her to jump. "I didn't ask him for his fuckin' help and I'd rather have my ass locked in rehab than deal with you and your holier than thou goddamn shit!"

She nodded, her eyes locked onto his and pulled her phone out of her pocket, working furiously. It only took her a few moments to find a number for a clinic in the city.

"What the hell are you doin'?" He growled.

She looked up from the phone and then held it up, her brows going up. "Looking up a clinic to call."

"You evil fuckin' bitch!" He roared.

She raised one eyebrow at him. "You just said-"

"Put that goddamn thing away!" He growled.

"So tomorrow, when he comes to pick you up, you're going to come home with him willingly?"

Merle ran a hand over his face and stared up at the ceiling. "I'll go, but I'm tellin' you right now I'm gonna make your life suck."

"Bring it on, Merle. I'm a lot stronger than I look. I was an unwed teenage mother of two and came out on the other side just fine. You do not scare me."

He didn't look at her but she could see in the tight set of his jaw that he was furious. "Get out," he said, his voice deathly calm.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Merle," she said with a thin smile. She slipped out of his room without another word.

~H~

Merle wanted to flog that fucking woman! Coming in here all high and mighty and making threats. Who in the actual fuck did this bitch think she was? She got knocked up by his brother but that didn't make her shit to him. Even if she had invited the boy right back between the damn sheets as soon as she saw him. That didn't make her any kin of Merle.

And then she's gonna try to guilt him! He'd already told his brother how much he regretted what he had done. It fucking ate at him every damn second since the moment he'd found out what he had done. He felt bad enough so he didn't need her making it worse.

The door opened then and he damn near threw his water glass without looking. He wasn't in the mood for anymore bullshit. He looked up and saw Daryl stroll into the room, his face clouded over with worry and Merle knew why. He was carrying the little girl that Merle had seen. The one he hadn't known he was even related to till today.

Merle met the kids eyes and was surprised to see crocodile tears on her cheeks. When he looked at Daryl he was just reaching up to swipe them off the girls face. He looked at Merle then. "She overheard us talkin' about you comin' tomorrow but she'd also heard that you had died so she pitched a fit cause she thought we were bringin' home a dead body."

Merle scowled.

Daryl looked at the girl then but she was still staring at Merle. He forced her to look at him with a finger under her chin. "See. He's as alive as you and me."

She looked back at Merle and then squirmed until Daryl sat her on the floor. She gripped the side of Daryl's shirt, huge eyes searching his. "I guess you don't look all that dead."

Merle had no idea what to say. He didn't talk to little kids.

"I told you that," Daryl said. "Now we gotta go."

"Who the hell picked out your outfit, girl?" Merle asked suddenly once he got a look at the kid's clothes.

She looked down at herself and then back up at him. "I did. I don't like for my clothes to get bored."

Daryl groaned but for some reason this struck Merle as some funny shit. He chuckled and then winced slightly as a pain flashed through his chest. "That makes plenty of sense to me, girly."

She nodded. "Mama makes me wear what she picks out but she wasn't home when we got back from the woods and daddy didn't know he had to pick out stuff. I got lucky today."

Hearing somebody refer to Daryl as their dad was a strange thing. He nodded at the girl though, despite the weird feeling. It wasn't a bad feeling, just odd. It kind of felt like pride. If nothing else, his brother at least had himself a couple of sharp kids. And now that the boy wasn't around, Merle could see a lot of his brother in the little girl.

"Come on, Lily. We gotta head home," Daryl said, his eyes shifting from Merle to the little girl. It was obvious that Daryl didn't want her around him. Not yet anyway. Merle didn't really blame him much for it.

She looked up. "Hold on a second," she said, dropping Daryl's shirt from her small fist and then rushing towards the hospital bed, scrambling up before Daryl could catch her. She sat down on the edge of the bed, peering at Merle curiously, her face close to his. "Whats a jackass?"

He glanced at Daryl who seemed extra nervous now that the girl was closer. "It's like a... well, kinda like a horse I guess." He didn't know why his brother looked like that. Merle was a real son of a bitch sometimes but he'd never treat his own niece bad, even if he couldn't stand her mama.

She frowned, leaning closer, studying his face. "Sometimes I don't think mama is as smart as she thinks cause she said you was the biggest jackass she's ever met but you don't look like any kind of horse I ever saw."

"Shit," Daryl muttered, walking towards the bed.

Merle laughed again and his brother paused in the middle of the room, shaking his head as the corner of his mouth turned up. Merle watched Daryl carefully and when his little brother's eyes fell on the little girl again Merle saw something in his expression that he'd never seen before. Like a potent mixture of love and awe that had Merle actually looking away.

Could he really walk right into the middle of that? Could he somehow find some niche of his own in his brothers strange new life?

"Okay, squirt, let's get the hell outta here. You're brother's prolly pacin' a hole in the floor," Daryl said, lifting her off the bed.

"You sure you're comin' to stay with us tomorrow?" The girl asked, her small arms going around Daryl's neck.

He nodded. "I spose I ain't got much choice. You're mama said I have to come stay with you or she's gonna have me locked up somewhere," he said morosely.

"Merle," Daryl snapped.

Lily looked on, her eyes wide. "She's nice most of the time. You must have really been some kind of jackass to make her say something like that. I'll try to keep you out of trouble when you get there."

Daryl sighed and shook his head, that strange look on his face again but Merle found himself laughing again. He wished the little shit would quit being so goddamn funny cause laughing hurt.

"I'll be here around lunch time. You need anything from the house?" Daryl asked, backing towards the door.

Merle shrugged. "Clothes I suppose. Ain't got a whole lot else there."

Daryl nodded and then gave him a meaningful look before glancing at Lily. "Thanks, Merle," he said in a low voice.

Merle realized then that Daryl hadn't been keen on the idea of him meeting the girl at all. "She's my blood to, little brother. Carol's a different story though. You keep that in mind."

He seemed relieved but then he grinned. "Yeah, well, Carol ain't like a lot of other people. You ain't gonna scare her off easy, Merle."

Merle snorted, watching him go. The girl turned and waved. Merle waved back.