Secret

It took 3 guys to lug a comatose Merle into the prison. The run had gone well but on the way back they decided to hit a previously unvisited place and that's where they ran into trouble. Besides getting trapped by a herd of walkers they ran into a band of brutal men who had their eyes on the groups' vehicles and weapons. Because of Merle's sharpshooting skills they were able to get the better of them but Tyreese had some broken fingers from being jumped by two men and Merle had a split eye and busted knuckles from getting Rick out of a jam. A bullet that came through the window grazed Merle's side and he fell into the broken glass cutting his face and chest and giving him a concussion.

"C'mon Merle, get yer lazy ass up," yelled Daryl in the back seat as he shook his brother. Tyreese looked back from the passenger seat. "Dude he's out," he said. "Saw it all the time in the NFL. Some dudes take a hit like a freight train and walk away like it's nothing, other guys look like they barely got touched and they're out for hours. Must be the impact angle or something."

They loaded Merle into Hershel's cell and took Tyreese to Beth's. Carol worked on setting Tyreese's fingers and fixing up the other minor injuries while Hershel concentrated on Merle. "I can't believe his nose isn't broken with that split over it," Hershel muttered. "Though it looks like it's been broken plenty of times before." Beth helped her father pick the pieces of glass out of Merle's face and chest and assisted while her dad stitched up the bigger cuts. Eventually Hershel sighed, "He's out all right. All those stitches and he didn't move. Blessings abound Beth! Clean him up."

Beth got a fresh bowl of disinfectant water and clean gauze and sat facing Merle on the bed. His pants were on but they had to cut him out of his stank wifebeater. His sparse chest hair was speckled with grey but his chest and arms were still powerful and led to a thick neck. She thought he was beautiful. She had always thought he was beautiful. And he had always looked right through her as if she wasn't there.

She sighed and dipped the gauze in the water and cautiously dabbed at a cut on his chest. "Sorry," she said softly, blowing on it. "I know it stings." She cautiously cleaned around the stitched bullet graze, blew on the skin to dry it and gently put a sterile bandage over it. She firmly pressed the top of the bandage and he turned his head. "Merle?" she asked. She moved his arm to his side and scooted up a little. "Are you awake?" she asked softly. There was no reaction and she stroked the side of his face. "Guess not," she said. "Well I guess you won't mind if I talk to you then."

She started wiping the grime off of his neck. "You don't even know I exist," she said softly. "But I watch you. I watch everybody but they don't notice because I'm quiet. I watch you the most though. I liked you the first time I saw you even though you weren't very nice. When Rick put it to a vote on what to do with you I voted to keep you here. I broke the tie." She moved to the shoulder nearest her then worked down his arm.

"That's a deep one, sorry baby if this stings," she said as she dabbed at his split knuckles. She firmly rubbed the gauze into his palm and gingerly washed his fingers. His hand was large with well-formed fingers and neatly trimmed nails. She interlaced her fingers through his for a moment noting how small her hand looked in his. She brought it up to her mouth and kissed a split knuckle then gently laid it down at his side.

"I guess this is pretty pathetic, huh?" she asked as she stood up and bent over to do his other shoulder and arm. His prosthetic was off and she made sure to clean his ragged stump well in case there were glass fragments in there. "I guess I don't really know a way to make you see me. I try to sing around you and sometimes I see you listening but other times you walk right through it. You think I'm some bible school kid who never did anything bad in her life and most likely that bores you."

Chest next, she thought. God help me I'd rather lie down on it. She exhaled and started dabbing at the cuts on his chest. She picked up a clean towel, wetted it and began washing his chest in circular strokes. Under her hands it felt even better than she thought it would and she proceeded slowly, enjoying it. She worked down to his stomach and his waist, admiring the faint treasure trail of curly brown hair that disappeared into his pants.

Biting her lip she pulled the front of his pants away from his belly and slipped the towel in about an inch underneath. She wondered what would happen if she just went a little farther. What would it feel like? Would it be big? What does a hard one feel like? Her cheeks got hot and she jumped when her father's voice came through the door. "He awake yet Beth?" Beth blushed and let go of Merle's pants. "Um no," she said. "I just found some more glass under his clothes and brushed it out." Her father nodded and said, "Are you OK? You look flushed." Beth smiled and blew a piece of hair out of her eyes. "I'm fine daddy, it's just a little stuffy in here. I'll get his face then I'm done."

"All right," said Hershel moving away from the door. Beth picked up the bowl then moved up to Merle's head. "The only chance I'll ever have to put my hand in your pants and neither one of us got to enjoy it," she said wryly. She picked a few stray pieces of glass out of his hair then ran it through her fingers tenderly. "Curly," she whispered. "I wonder why you shave it. If you let it grow it would probably be prettier than most of the girls' hair," she said. She brushed it back from his temples and cleaned the dried sweat from his skin.

"Well only a few minutes left and then as far as you're concerned I turn back into a kid," she said, frowning. "But I'm not a kid Merle, I'm a woman. I'm 18 now and I know what I want. I just don't know how to get it." She dabbed carefully around the wounds on his face and tried to clean it the best she could. "I want you to show me how to be a woman. I want to be your woman," she said wistfully as she looked at her finished work.

She dabbed his nose cut one last time and set the bowl on the chair next to the bed. She looked at his rugged face which looked younger now that he was relaxed in sleep. His lips, usually set in a cruel sneer were full and slightly parted. "I could take care of you," she whispered. She leaned over and softly kissed his stitched eye, then each of the small cuts on his face one by one then carefully moved her nose around his and placed a feather light kiss on his lips. She meant the kiss to be quick but couldn't resist lingering for a few seconds to etch it into her memory.

She moved her head slightly back and sighed. His eyes were still closed and his lips hadn't even twitched. It was like she'd never been there at all.

"There's a bruise on my dick too," said Merle. Beth screamed and jumped back, knocking over the chair with the water bowl on it. Merle laughed, holding his ribs as he leered at her. She was standing in the doorway red-faced with both hands over her mouth. It was positively the most embarrassing moment of her life and she was mortified. And he was laughing.

"Merle!" she cried indignantly. "How could you?" Her face was flaming and her eyes were shining with tears. Merle didn't know whether to hold his head or his side, he had been awake since she cleaned his bullet wound and he had thoroughly enjoyed the object of his nightly masturbation fantasies tending to his needs. "Well hell sugar seein' as it's the last time and all I might as well get a happy ending," he hooted. "Oh!" she said, her fists balling up at her sides. "You...you...BUTTHOLE!" and she pushed her way past Daryl to stalk out of the room.

"What's wrong with her?" asked Daryl as he walked into the room. He nodded at Merle's side. "You OK?" Merle alternatively laughed and moaned in pain from his burning side and splitting headache. Furious sobbing could be heard a few cells down in Beth's room. "Brotha," Merle said. "I ain't never been better in my life."

Thanks all for reading another of my one shots! I haven't had many reviews lately and they really keep me going so drop me a line.