After the fifth dose, Daryl was sick again; he barely made it into the house after the chemo before he was flat on the floor. Merle had helped him up the stairs but Daryl wanted to walk inside himself, and Merle needed to get to work anyway.
Daryl was shot out again, and he wouldn't be able to make it to his bed, so he laid down right where he stood.
When Andrea came out of the bathroom and saw him lying on the living room floor, she was startled, but she knew now just to get a blanket and pillow for him and cover him up.
Later, after Merle got back from work, Daryl was well enough to sit out on the deck in a lounge chair. Andrea fussed over him most of the night and Merle cooked a meal that he tried to eat. Eating was hit or miss now, and Merle worried that he was losing weight.
He would ask Allie the next time about getting Boost, he had seen it in the store, and it looked like something that would bring up Daryl's calorie intake. Just when they thought they had turned a corner, the sickness was right back again, but there was an end in sight, and they tried not to lose sight of that.
After dinner, Merle and Andrea sat at the table out on the deck, and Daryl dozed in the lounge chair. They lit candles, the firepit and Tiki torches and just talked quietly together. It was a warm night for December, and that was one of the perks of living in the south. There was a warm breeze blowing through the trees, and in the distance, they could hear Andrea's windchimes.
It was peaceful and serene.
"Hey brother," Merle called to Daryl when he saw his eyes open in the darkness, Daryl didn't reply, but Merle persisted, "I know you're awake, I got a question."
No answer from Daryl, but he started to stir and sit up. "Go ahead, I know you're gonna ask no matter what."
"Allie," Merle started.
"What about her," Daryl snapped. But in reality, he had been thinking about her while he was laying there in the chair. If he could pick out a perfect girl, she would be it. She had it all and pushed all his buttons, beauty, brains and a banging body that he could see even under the scrubs she wore.
He thought about her a lot. Tonight, with the heat of the fire pit on him and a warm blanket, he could imagine she was laying there with him.
"You sure you ain't interested in her?" Merle said, "Cause I think she likes you."
"You're crazy," Daryl replied even though that was a lie. The truth was he was so sick, and felt weak; he'd noticed so many changes in his body from the medications already. There was no way she'd be into a man like him, even before cancer. They were miles apart socially, and now he didn't feel like a man at all.
"Not kidding, you see how she always makes sure you have something to eat and drink every time we go there, she's sweet on you."
"That's her job you dumbass." Daryl snapped back, "She does that for everybody there."
"Yeah, but she always takes the time to talk to us, I think you should go for it." Merle said and turned to Andrea, "You took him for fluids that day, what did you think?"
"She's a sweet girl, very caring," Was all Andrea would say.
Merle turned and winked at Andrea with a smirk on his face. She knew that look and sighed to herself; Merle was about to poke a snake.
"Well, if you ain't interested, I'm gonna bring Axel over to meet her, he likes nurses he said."
"Don't you fuckin dare," Daryl said pulling himself up higher in the chair in a rage now, "I will kill him and you!"
"Yeah," Merle said, "That's what I thought."
"You're a real dick; ya know that?" Daryl growled from his chair.
"Yeah, and life is short, as we both know, stop wasting time," Merle muttered.
"Fuck off," Daryl said, but then he quickly apologized.
"It's alright brother; I just want the best for you."
"I know," Daryl said, "I'm trying."
Then he closed his eyes again and went back to dreamland where she waited and where he could kiss her like he wanted to so badly.
Merle nodded, it was a start.
3333333333333333333333333
Week six came and went, and he wasn't sick, he finally got to read the book Allie had given him, and he finished it in two days. It was great, and Daryl was just grateful he was able to function. At chemo that week Merle invited Allie to go for some shots of Stoli when Daryl had his last treatment, and to his surprise she accepted.
Sometime in late January or early February, they were going drinking with her.
She also gave him part two of the two book series called "Seize the Night." He started that book right away, and it was warm enough to be out on the deck to read. He loved to be outside, and when he was feeling up to it, he planned to be outside as much as possible.
He actually felt good, like a switch had been turned on inside of him that day, he felt like good things were coming his way after so much bad.
That night Andrea told Merle some news, and later they told Daryl, he was going to be an uncle that summer. The house was full of good cheer that week and things were looking better and better.
Daryl had never seen Merle happier in his life; there was going to be a baby in the house! The cop that lived next door had a couple of kids, and he and Daryl had been tight before he got sick. He decided to call Rick the next day and come back to life among the living.
333333333333333333333333333333333333333
Lori plopped Judith into Daryl's lap the next day as they sat outside on the deck with Rick having dinner. Merle had taken Andrea out to celebrate their new baby, but they would stop by later. As if on cue, Judith wrapped her little arms around him and squeezed him tight.
"She's got quite a grip," Daryl said rubbing the top of her little head, Judith was 18 months old and the spitting image of Rick. Her big brown eyes were a feature from her mother though and her dark hair, but she was all Rick otherwise, just like her older brother Carl.
"I think she missed you," Lori said, "We all did, but we understand."
"Thanks for the casseroles Lori, Andrea wanted me to thank you for weeks now, but I forgot," Daryl said pointing to his head, "It's scrambled up there sometimes, so much going on."
"Hey," Rick said, "We understand like Lori said and it's so good that you're up and around again."
"For now, " He replied, "Good days and bad, but I want to hear about what's been happening with you."
"Well, did you hear Carl is getting his license?" Rick said with a wince.
"I didn't have him come by the shop, actually both of you, we have a few used cars back there, and I think there's a Trans Am back there with his name on it," Daryl said with a grin.
"We will then, I can see him driving one of those," Rick said nostalgically and looked over at Lori.
"Just like you did," She said with a smile and sat down next to her husband.
Judith squirmed in Daryl's arms and settled her head against his chest, her little fingers wound their way around his hair, and to everyone's surprise, she fell asleep.
"Looks like you're stuck here for a while," Rick laughed.
Daryl held the sleeping baby on his lap and realized he hadn't felt this relaxed since September before the phone call came. He was almost done, it was almost over.
Soon Merle and Andrea were there with a peach pie they had stopped to get, and everyone was eating that, even Daryl with a sleeping Judith on his lap. Lori had offered to take her, but he declined, preferring to hold her.
She had that sweet baby smell and somewhere deep in his heart he hoped one day to hold a child of his own. Daryl allowed himself to think about those things again, to think about living.
"So Rick," Merle started, "The boy came to see me at the shop, he wants that Trans Am bad, he planning to play Smokey and the Bandit or what?"
Rick and Daryl both laughed because as usual Carl was two steps ahead of them.
"Seems so," Lori said with a smile.
"Will ya sell it to me on payments Merle?" Rick asked.
"Hell no," Merle said, "It's been sitting out there since the old man had the shop, I'd pay you to take it off our hands, your money's no good."
"Oh, no we couldn't," Lori started, but Merle silenced her with a wave of the hand.
"Please," Daryl said, "I'll be happy just seeing the kid driving it."
"Well, I appreciate that," Rick replied.
"And we thank Lori cooking food for us every week for months, helping Andrea out, it's what we do," Merle said.
"I hear congratulations are in order," Lori said taking Judith from Daryl's arms so that she could put her down for the night and Andrea broke out into a big grin.
"The baby is due in July," She said to Lori and ran her fingers over the slight swell of her stomach.
"It's so good to have some good news for a change," Merle said, "Between him feeling better and this I feel like the luckiest man in the world."
He raised his glass and Rick, Andrea and Daryl clicked glasses in a toast.
"To good friends and good health," Rick said.