A Case of the Blues: Chapter 15
Merle grabbed some cable ties and quickly tied Jimmy up by his wrists and ankles – he would deal with him when he was more awake later on. "Make one move an' you'll fuckin' regret it, you swine," Merle snarled at the bloodied up boy lying on the ground.
Meanwhile, Daryl had rushed Beth upstairs to his bedroom, making sure to keep her as covered as possible. He quickly checked Beth over for any bruises or marks, gritting his teeth when he saw her cheek which was red and inflamed.
"That bastard…" he whispered under his breath, barely audible against Beth's sobs.
Beth's watery atlantic eyes found his and his heart broke for the second time that day. "I'm s-sorry," she choked out, her cries even louder and harder than before.
"No Beth, ya don't need to be sorry. This wasn't yer fault. None of it," he assured her, cupping her face in his palms to make sure she looked at him when he spoke. "Do you wanna get cleaned up?"
She sniffled and nodded, suddenly aware that she was shirtless. Instantly she covered her chest in embarrassment, and Daryl averted his eyes. They had seen each other naked before, but in her position of vulnerability, he didn't want to intrude on her privacy. He gestured to the door inside his bedroom. "The en suite is there, take as long as you want. There's towels, but I haven't got any girly shit, I can run down th' store, or if you don' mind usin' my-"
He was cut off by her pressing a finger to his lips. "Just stay here, please. I don't mind using your things."
He nodded but kept his eyes averted as she headed into the bathroom. Once the door shut behind her, he let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding.
"Merle!" He yelled out of his doorway. "Get that shithead outta here, don' wanna see 'im again!"
…
Beth stripped down and turned on the shower. Stepping inside, she felt the first hot droplet hit her skin. Her senses were hyperaware – she could feel every individual drop of water trickling down her skin and over her curves. The warm streams of water formed a steam as she stood there, her head fully submerged under the heavy force. Her eyes were open as the water fell on her head and magically avoided her face as she looked down at her feet. She decided to turn the temperature up. Her skin began to burn with the mellow droplets becoming blades of scorching heat, but she didn't care. She wanted to be clean. Clean of him.
Picking up Daryl's wash cloth and shower gel, she squeezed a generous amount onto the cloth and began scrubbing every inch of her body. Her skin felt sore and raw as hell, but she didn't stop. She had to rid herself of any traces of Jimmy. That name. Her mind became fuzzy as her vision did too, tears welling in her eyelids. She threw the wash cloth down and sat in the corner of the shower, bringing her knees up to her chest. She buried her face into her legs and cried again.
She didn't remember when, but at some point she had fallen asleep in this position. She knew that because she had just woken up to knocking on the bathroom door. What if Jimmy had found her?
"Beth, you okay in there?"
It was Daryl.
She choked a sigh of relief and struggled to stand up, her limbs weak and tired. She turned the shower off and climbed out, wrapping a towel around herself before opening the bathroom door. Daryl's eyes had a hint of worry in them but instantly became relieved to see that she was okay.
"I was gettin' worried," he whispered, and began looking around the room again, not wanting to make her feel exposed again. But all he could think about was how beautiful she looked straight after a shower. Beth brought one hand up to his cheek and she felt him lean into her touch, his eyes closing at the contact.
"I'm okay. I just need a nap."
"Alright."
He headed to his bed and pulled the sheets back. She looked a little awkward, unsure, and then he realized she was naked under the towel. Obviously, you dumb fuck, he thought to himself.
"Uh… Here." He strode over to his wardrobe and pulled out a plain navy tee shirt and handed it to her. "Ya can keep it," he grunted and began to walk out of his room.
"Thank you, Daryl," Beth whispered, following him to close the door behind him. "For everything."
"Ain' nothin' to thank me for, baby girl. Shout me if ya need me."
Daryl headed downstairs for the first time since the incident. Walking into the living room he was presented with Jimmy, tied up to the radiator, and Merle pointing a loaded gun in his direction.
"Thought I told ya t' get rid of him," Daryl growled, not once moving his eyes off the bastard inside his house.
"He puts up a good fight, baby brother. 'Sides, I thought you'd wanna get a good kickin' outta him, nows that yer girl ain't in eye or ear shot."
Usually, Daryl would've jumped at the chance to pounce on him and beat him to death. But he knew that would scare Beth, and he didn't want to have the police after him for murder. Instead, he walked over to Jimmy and knelt down in front of him, the boy's face inches from his. Daryl vibrated his throat, letting the mucus slid into his mouth to mix with the saliva before spitting on Jimmy's face. The look of horror in his eyes was enough for Daryl.
He remained knelt down beside him and pulled his phone out of his pocket. Dialling 911 he showed the number to Jimmy before pressing the call button. Jimmy let out a defeated sigh. "Fuck you," he spat blood.
"Hello? Yes, I'd like to report attempted rape on a young female. No, he's here with me. It's Dixon. Yep. See you soon, Sherrif."
He hung up the phone and stuffed it back into his pocket. Remaining knelt close to Jimmy for a few seconds longer to intimidate him further; he eventually stood up and stood beside Merle without another word.
"Was that Grimes?" Merle asked. Daryl nodded and hummed his reply, cracking his knuckles.
A/N: Ooooooo! Rick's coming! I hope you liked this chapter. Sorry it's short, my imagination is dead today.