Finger On The Trigger
Part II
Chapter 12
"Tha fuck's 'is problem?" Merle asked.
Daryl jumped up and glared at his brother and then at Beth.
"What tha fuck do ya think?" He looked down at Beth as she stood up. "This how tha hell ya been survivin'? I thought ya was stronger an' a hell of a lot smarter than that."
"What are you talkin' about, Daryl?"
"Ya got yerself knocked up an' I think we all got a pretty good idea a who's kid it is."
"Well, you're wrong," she said as she shoved Daryl away from her and then looked at Merle. "Get them out of here. Please, Merle."
He tipped his head at her and then raised his hand towards the others, motioning towards the door. "Y'all heard 'er. It's time fer y'all ta go."
Daryl and Maggie looked at each other, then to Merle and both opened their mouths to protest but were cut off by Beth.
"I'm sorry, Carl," she said as she took a step towards the boy. "I know I owe you an explanation and an apology for leaving the way I did but I hope you understand that I can't give you either of those right now."
Carl hung his head but nodded. "I understand, mom," he grimaced and looked up at her with tears in his eyes. "Is it still all right if I call you that?"
"Yeah, it is," Beth replied as she reached out to hug him.
As she pulled away from Carl, Merle motioned towards the door again and walked over to stand behind Beth. "Come on, y'all. Get goin'."
Daryl and Maggie glared at Merle as he put his hand on Beth's shoulder.
"I can't believe you, Bethie," Maggie almost whispered. "I never thought you would be the type of girl who would throw away a marriage..."
"Unless this dumbass forced 'er or talked 'er into it," Daryl said, cutting Maggie off.
Merle's hand tightened a little bit on Beth's shoulder and she reached up to squeeze his hand.
"Bethie, did he do somethin' like that?" Maggie asked.
"Y'all need to leave," Beth said and then shouted,"Get out! Now!"
Merle ushered everyone out and as he shut the door, Beth grabbed his arm.
"I'm sorry Maggie was actin' like that and I don't know why Daryl was sayin' those things but I'm sorry."
Merle shrugged. "Ain't no reason you should be sorry. There was a time I'd a done tha things Daryl was talkin' 'bout. Not forcin' a woman, I'd never do that, but I'd a made sure we was both drunk or high enough we didn't care what we was doin' or I'd a talked 'er into it somehow."
"Still, that doesn't excuse them, Merle. You're not like that now."
He nodded and pursed his lips. "You're gon' have ta talk ta Officer Friendly an' let 'im know that kid is his an' that Annie an' Shawn are 'ere."
"I know," Beth muttered while rubbing her stomach. "But I don't know what to say and if I did, I don't think he would believe me. Besides, you saw him jump up and run out of here. What am I supposed to say after that?"
Rick rubbed his hands over his face and took a deep breath, tears welling up in his eyes.
He couldn't believe it.
How could she be pregnant?
How the hell could she be pregnant?
He never thought she would sleep with Merle and he didn't believe she would but what other explanation was there?
He knew, by the size of her stomach, there was a chance it could be his.
He could have gotten her pregnant before the prison fell. Hell, after their first time together, they went at it like rabbits every chance they got. It didn't matter where, so long as no one could see them or could walk in on them.
But how the hell was she able to survive this long being pregnant and on the road for God only knows how long?
If she's been on the road with Merle since she ran from the church, how the hell was he able to keep them both alive?
But what if the baby is Merle's?
Fuck!
He pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes, trying to clear out the image his mind had conjured up of Beth and Merle together.
Damn it!
Where the hell was his mind?
Beth wouldn't cheat on him.
She wasn't like that. She wouldn't do that to him.
She wasn't Lori.
She wasn't him.
Fuck it all!
She was so much better than him.
"Rick," he heard his name being called and quickly wiped away the tears that had managed to escape.
"Rick?"
He turned around to see Maggie walking towards him.
"Is she comin' back with us?" he asked once she had gotten closer.
"No. I didn't ask her," she replied. "She told us to leave."
"Leave?"
"Yeah. She wanted us out of there."
"What the hell happened?"
"She's pregnant, Rick," Maggie replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "What the hell do you think happened?"
"I don't know what I think anymore but she wouldn't do that."
"Maybe we're wrong," she said softly. "Maybe we're misreading the whole damn thing but it doesn't look good. We find her after all these months apart and she's pregnant. I don't want to believe it either but it doesn't look good, Rick."
He shook his head and asked, "Is she still in there?"
"Yeah," Maggie nodded. "And Merle is still in there with her."
Beth sat down on the bed where Shawn and Annie were sleeping and rubbed her hands over her stomach.
"I'm sorry, baby," she muttered softly. "Everythin' will be all right."
Rick raised his hand to knock but before he could, the door swung open.
He took a couple steps back as Merle stepped outside and shut the door behind him.
"I figured one of y'all was gon' come back 'fore y'all left. Surprised it's you since ya jumped up an' ran out on 'er. But 'fore ya say anythin' an' 'fore I let ya step foot inside that door, I'm only gon' tell ya once, Officer Friendly, she tells ya ta leave ya better do it tha first time an' if ya raise yer voice or start accusin' 'er of anythin' then I'm gon' kick yer ass an' I jus' might kill ya."
Before Rick could even process what Merle was saying, Merle had grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and was pulling him into the trailer.
A/N: I know it has been a long time since I have updated any of my stories but I have been dealing with a lot in my personal life this past year and a little over a month ago my dad lost his battle with cancer and since then I've been writing like crazy though most of it probably won't ever see the light of day.
I hope y'all continue to stick with me because I fully intend to complete my stories. I will never leave them incomplete no matter how long it takes me to finish them. I hope y'all understand.
-A