When Beth wakes up in the middle of the night, it takes her a few seconds to remember where she is, because the feeling that she is still hundreds of miles away from home returns. She looks around her room and, as familiar warmth fills her heart when she thinks that she's back, she closes her eyes again to start drifting off. The sound that woke her repeats, and she flies into a sitting position. At first, she tries to understand what it is and then gasps with realisation. Somebody is throwing stones at her window. It's a hot night, and she is surprised the window is shut.

Her heart speeds up as she imagines Daryl standing outside, waiting for her to open the window, but she doesn't allow herself to believe that fantasy. That can't be possible, why would Daryl randomly show up at the farm and wake her? Nevertheless, she quickly looks in the mirror of her dresser, with the moonlight providing some lighting, and quickly combs her hair. Just in case. When she is more or less satisfied, she runs up to the window and pushes the handle, her heart thrumming away in her chest.

'Jimmy,' she breathes out, and the disappointment that hits her is so strong it almost feels painful. She tries not to roll her eyes, as she already knows the reason why he woke her at two in the morning. 'What are you doing here?' she whispers, as quiet as possible, not interested in waking anyone else.

'I know it's late but… Could we, possibly, talk?' Jimmy trails off and looks at her with such plead in his eyes that her heart warms up to him.

'Right now? Can't it wait?' Beth asks nevertheless.

'Please,' Jimmy says, and Beth can't help but huff in annoyance.

'Give me a minute,' she answers and shuts the window. She decides not to get changed since it's only Jimmy, and it won't be the first time he sees her in pyjamas.

Beth creeps down the corridor and then down the stairs, doing her best to be silent, but the stairs creak under her feet a few times, and she almost curses under her breath at how old their house is.

Jimmy is standing outside, watching her as she appears on the porch, shutting the front door quietly behind herself. She doesn't lock it since she won't be gone for too long, and they live in a quiet area, anyway. There isn't much to be afraid of.

Beth strolls down the steps of the porch, slow and relaxed, and comes up to Jimmy, who seems nervous.

'Can we take a walk?' he asks in a whisper, and even that seems too loud with the silence that surrounds them, only filled with light chirping of crickets and occasional hoot of an owl.

Beth nods hesitantly, not knowing where this conversation is going to go, but follows him, as he leads the way. It doesn't take her long to realise where they are heading.

It's a short walk – five minutes or so – and Jamie doesn't say anything when they make their way through last of the trees and come out to the small creek. This was their place when they were little, and Beth smiles remembering how simple everything was back then. Her mother was alive, father was much younger and stronger, and she and Maggie were just little girls, who would play dolls, ride Nellie, and swim in the river at hot summer days. Right now life seems so complicated, that Beth doesn't know how to even begin solving her problems.

Jimmy picks up a little stone and throws it in the water, and that draws Beth's attention.

'What did you want to talk about?' she asks not as annoyed as she was back in the house. He is obviously worried, and there's something heavy on his minds. She can guess what it is but prays she is wrong. She doesn't want to hurt him.

'Us,' he says simply, not looking at her, and with that, Beth's heart skips a beat in horror.

'What about us?' she asks, pretending to have no clue what he is talking about.

Jimmy takes a minute to think at his response.

'You remember, a little more than two years ago, you told me that you were in love with someone?' Jimmy whispers, and Beth feels air rush from her lings at his words. 'That it was so real, and pretty much the only thing that made you happy after your mom died?' he repeats her phrase with complete accuracy, and Beth shivers. She made him unhappy, and he hasn't moved on.

'Yes,' she brings herself to say, already knowing what his next question is going to be.

'Is it still like that?' Jimmy asks and looks in her eyes, and he seems so worried as if his life depends on her answer. Beth feels like she can relate to that.

She knows what she is going to say, without even thinking about it. Jimmy will always be her friend, but she would never lie in fear of losing him. He deserves her honesty. So she says what she knows is the only possible answer.

'It is. I still love him.'

The hurt across his face is obvious, but he doesn't seem surprised. He knows her too well.

'You don't seem too happy,' he shares his observations, looking away again.

Beth notices how cold the wind is and regrets not taking a cardigan. She folds her arms, trying to warm herself up a little bit. The night is hot, but it feels much colder near water.

'It's complicated. But I don't think I will ever be able to have what I feel to him with someone else,' she looks down, suddenly starting to shiver. 'I'm sorry, Jimmy.'

Beth really is sorry. No matter what, she never wanted to hurt her friend.

Jimmy doesn't say anything to that and just walks away, leaving her standing there, shuddering in cold wind. The starting rain gets heavy fast, and she decides to head back. When she reaches the porch of the farm house, she is soaking wet and it takes Beth a few seconds after coming back in to realise that she is crying.

'Beth, what happened?' she hears Maggie's voice and turns around. Maggie is standing in the doorway of the living room, and it's obvious she has been awake for quite some time. 'I heard you walk downstairs and thought that maybe you had a nightmare or something, but then you left…' Maggie goes quiet when she sees her sister's face, and Beth feels tears run down her cheeks in an endless flow. 'Oh, Bethy… What happened?' she asks again, giving her a tight hug, not minding the fact that her clothes can get wet too.

Beth's tears become hysterical, and she can't force herself to say anything. Why does she have to love someone who will never love her? Why does life have to be so unfair? She hurt Jimmy so much and right now she wishes she could just reciprocate his feelings. She knows Jimmy would have made her happy. But her heart seems to be the most stubborn thing in the world, and she simply doesn't know what to do. She hugs Maggie back, her cries become so loud and desperate, that she is afraid she can wake daddy. Beth doesn't want to explain anything, and Maggie doesn't ask any more question.

Beth wakes up with an impossible headache, and her throat is so sore it is hard to swallow. She ignores all of it and gets up at a usual time, knowing that there are too many things around farm that need to be done, so she simply can't afford to relax. She can't force herself to eat any breakfast and just starts with the chores.

As she feeds chickens and collects newly laid eggs, she feels dizzy and touches her forehead. Beth shivers when she realises she probably has fever. It feels like she is about to faint, so she sits down quickly, trying to catch her breath.

Maggie walks past the barn and looks at Beth, confused.

'Are you okay?' she asks, and Beth forces herself to nod.

'Yeah, fine. It's really hot in here and I just need to sit down for a minute.'

Maggie doesn't seem to believe her but decides not to argue and walks off, leaving Beth alone again. She knows her health and remembers that she will only feel worse if she doesn't stop the illness from spreading.

Beth gets her purse and takes the pickup truck, deciding to drive into town to get some medicine. She feels very weak but can't force herself to tell Maggie or daddy or even Shawn. She doesn't want to be a constant problem. The drive seems endless, and she lets out a relieved breath once she stops the truck in front of the pharmacy. It is right next door to the diner, and she wonders whether Daryl is there for breakfast as he always used to be.

She quickly chooses some painkillers and some kind of anti-flu medicine to get rid of the fever. Beth becomes very aware that pharmacy has air conditioning on, and she starts shuddering. As she walks up to the cashier, she looks in a mirror hanging behind him and frowns at what she sees. Her eyes have that unhealthy sheen to them, and her nose is red. She wraps herself in a cardigan ever more, and the shop assistant gives her a weird look. Of course, it is June, and the temperature must be reaching 90 degrees. She also buys a small bottle of water and then leaves the pharmacy.

The second Beth is outdoors, she takes two painkiller pills, washing it down her throat with a few gulps of water. Her throat is very sore, and swallowing is painful.

'Beth?' she hears someone say and turns around. She doesn't hide her surprise at the fact that Daryl is standing there, looking at her with concern. 'Are you okay?'

For some reason, that question makes anger boil inside her chest.

'Don't pretend like you care!' she exclaims, and her voice sounds so croaky, that she can't help but put touch her throat, as her headache suddenly starts increasing. That makes her anger even stronger. 'You can't just show up here like you actually care about my well-being after you said I mean nothing to you! I'm not a toy!' her voice becomes a whisper since talking is too painful.

'Beth, you're sick, you need-'

'I don't need to do anything you say,' she whispers and spins away to get into pickup truck, desperate to leave him behind. She only reaches the door when she feels him snatch her hand, stopping her.

He pulls away immediately after touching her skin, and despite her health, Beth feels the same electricity she always experienced when he touched her. She feels tears gather up in her eyes when she realises how big of an idiot she is.

'You have fever, Beth,' Daryl says, as if he never noticed the harsh tone she spoke to him in. 'You can't drive.'

Beth turns to look at him, and suddenly it's all too much for her. She starts sobbing for what seems like the hundredth time in this week and realises that she is tired of pretending to be strong. She wants someone to take care of her, and that makes her feel so selfish and unworthy of her family's love, that her sobs get even louder. Daryl's frown is so deep that she's surprised he can see something behind his knotted eyebrows. Beth continues crying when she feels him pull her in a warm hug. She starts wiggling, trying to avoid it, but when his palm starts stroking her hair carefully, she can't stop herself from wrapping her arms around his middle. It's when Beth breathes in his familiar smell – he smells like smoke, car oil, and forest – she feels herself to calm down a little bit. Her tears keep soaking the fabric of his shirt, but he doesn't seem to mind, and Beth finds herself thinking that he is the best person in this world. Even though he doesn't care, he is kind enough to help her when she needs it.

'I can't do this anymore,' she whispers, even though she didn't expect herself to say anything like that. She doesn't even know what she means by that; whether it's her daddy's loss of a leg, troubles at the farm, her love to Daryl, or the fact that she hurt Jimmy. Probably everything at once.

'I know,' he says. His palm touches the crown of her head again, and Beth closes her eyes, trying to remember this moment, to keep it in her memory forever. 'You should call Maggie and Shawn and ask them to take you home,' Daryl says quietly without pressuring her, merely suggesting, and starts to pull away. But the second he does, Beth feels a familiar pang in her heart and she grabs his sleeve.

'No,' she says, clinging desperately to his chest, and feels stupid but is far too afraid to even imagine the strength of pain she will experience once she is not in his hug anymore.

Daryl seems to understand, because his arms return, and Beth closes her eyes in delight.

'Do you want me to drive you home then?' he offers.

Beth looks up at him and nods. She doesn't care whether he will hate her for doing this but she wants to be near him for as long as possible. Her throat feels very scratchy, and she starts coughing so hard that it hurts somewhere deep in her chest.

When Daryl pulls her towards the pickup, she feels so weak she can't even climb into the car, so Daryl has to help her. Driving back to the farm, he never lets go of her hand, and she leans onto his shoulder. She prickles at the thought that this will end soon but doesn't let herself to concentrate on it.

By the time he drives into the yard of her house, she is almost falling asleep, and every movement echoes with pain. Daryl must understand that because he scoops her up in his arms and carries her towards the front porch. Maggie's voice sounds like she's under water, and Beth forces herself to open her eyes, while her arms are still around Daryl's neck.

'Beth!' her sister exclaims so loud it makes Beth's head hurt. Maggie then looks at Daryl. 'What did you do to her?' she asks in voice that tells Beth she is genuinely scared. She opens her mouth to say something, but Daryl speaks up first.

'Didn't do nothing,' he says. 'Maybe if you did better job at looking after your sister, I wouldn't have found her in town so sick she can't stand straight.'

'It's not her fault,' Beth manages a whisper. She hates that two people she loves most in this world have to argue about her.

'You gonna let me take her upstairs or what?' Daryl says, his tone less harsh this time, and Beth thinks that he must have heard her words.

'Yes, it's this way,' Maggie says, instantly putting her anger aside but not forgetting about it. Beth knows Maggie will never stop being pissed off with Daryl.

Beth hears the screen door swing open, and can't force herself to open her eyes anymore. The last thing she feels before drifting off in pain is Daryl putting her in bed, tucking her cover in, and brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. Beth manages a smile before letting heavy darkness consume her.

Thank you so much for reading, and please, review! :)