Thank you to everyone who is leaving me love on this story. I truly love writing it. Now, I am about to pull the oldest trick in the book, but there was no other way for them to get together, Allie would never date a patient or see them out of work. So I had to do what I had to do. I wouldn't either unless ya know it was Daryl, lol. Hope you enjoy and will let me knowwhat you think.
Merle had news to tell the next time he brought Daryl for chemo and Allie and Maggie both excitedly congratulated him. His grin was a mile wide, and it was evident he was a man in love and so excited to be a father. It was always wonderful when people brought good news to them; sometimes it could be a place of great sadness, but not on this day.
Today was a good day.
"So," Allie said as she walked with Daryl to his usual spot, "It's you who's gonna be an uncle."
"Yeah, well, he's gonna be waiting a while for me to return the favor." Daryl laughed.
"Say, Allie," Merle said as he took his usual chair, "Besides going to the movies with the lovely Tara, what do you do when you ain't here?"
"Hmm," She hummed, "I read, listen to lots of music and hang out with my cat."
"You need a life, girl," Merle said with a grin.
Allie laughed, "You aren't the first person to tell me that."
"I imagine I'm not," Merle said good-naturedly, and she smiled.
"I'll be right back guys."
And then she was off to get Daryl's juice and medication.
"Can you stop for one second?" Daryl groaned.
"Don't think so brother, she's the one," Merle replied, and then he opened up the book he brought to read that day, The Great Gatsby.
"Allie, you make this so much easier for me," Daryl said as he looked up at Allie after everything died down with Merle's news and Merle's assessment of her life. She was changing the dressing on his PICC line, and because he could only see her eyes since she was wearing a mask, he noticed right away the dark green of her eyes. "I want to thank you, for everything."
"It's my extreme pleasure, "She answered, and he believed her, she loved her job, anyone could see that, "And you are so welcome, Daryl."
"Still, you make it so much better," He said, and then wanted to suck the words right back into his mouth, it sounded so stupid to him. He felt like a teenager asking a girl on a date, the last time he had done that he was sixteen.
It was Christmas Eve, and he was tempted to invite her to their house for dinner the next day. But, he knew she wouldn't accept because she would feel like she couldn't because he was her patient.
"Seven weeks down Daryl, you got this." She said with a smile and a pat of her hand on his.
"What are you doing for Christmas Allie?" God he loved the sound of her name on his lips, he could say it every day and never get tired of it.
"Working." And that answered his question.
"You're always working, ain't you got a family?"
She shook her head, and it looked like she wanted to say more, but was unsure. They had pushed the nurse-patient boundaries somewhat with small talk about their lives, with a lot of help from Merle but she never felt uncomfortable nor did he. Finally, she answered him, "I don't speak to them, they're in NJ."
She removed the mask and gloves after she finished the dressing change but remained to talk to him before moving to her next patient.
"I'm sorry," Daryl said, and his eyes were soft, pulling her in. She was so kind and so alone, and he did want her, as much as he said different, and he longed to kiss her.
"Oh, please don't be, I'm not." She replied, and Daryl raised his eyebrows encouraging her to continue. "My father is gone and let's just say my mother isn't really a mother."
"Neither of my parents was so good either, ain't you got anyone? I mean I got Merle, pain in the ass that he is sometimes, I know he loves me. Do you have any brothers or sisters?"
"One brother, in Poughkeepsie, NY," She shook her head, "Just too busy with work anyway."
"I know, you're always here. That ain't no life, though, trust me on that. Getting cancer gave me a whole new spin on what life should be like," He said, "I'm gonna try not to waste it."
"I think we could all use a little bit of that don't you think," She said with a smile and touched his hand again, "And don't you worry about me, I won't work too hard."
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It was New Year's Eve and snowing lightly. Chemo had been a few days ago because of the holiday, and he was off schedule. He had been sick, but it didn't last as long as the other times, and he felt good enough to drive that night.
Daryl had gone for a Neupogen shot two days before and was rehydrated by IV at that point as well, and he felt like he was on top of the world. As he drove down the street past the hospital, he thought about Allison, and what she might be doing that night, surely she didn't work Christmas and New Year's, he hoped she was out having fun.
She deserved it.
A few miles up the road and he saw an old Jag pulled over on the side of the street with its hazards flashing. It was an XJ6, he was sure by the rear lights, and those cars were trouble. Standing to the side, dialing a cell phone was Allison.
She looked up and saw him, and a slow smile crept over her lips.
"Daryl, you're driving? Feeling good?" She said, forgetting about the phone and her car as she approached his window.
He nodded, threw the truck in park and got out. "Car trouble?"
"Yeah, Christine here is a temperamental girl." She said.
"Let me call Merle, he's got a tow truck; we can fix it for you."
"Oh no, I couldn't," Allison began to shake her head, but Daryl waved her away.
"You can and you will, you need a ride somewhere?" He said, trying not to sound so bossy, but making his point because he wanted to do something for her for a change.
"Just leaving work, I was going home." She replied. "It isn't too far; I was going to walk."
"I'll take you wherever you need to go; you can't walk out here in the dark, it's New Year's all the amateurs are out tonight."
"Daryl," She laughed, "We're out."
"So we are." He laughed and remembered that most of the times that he had laughed lately had been with her.
"Where were you going? I don't want to keep you."
"I was going to get some beer for Merle and me, ain't got anywhere to be." He opened the passenger side door, "Come on at least let me buy you a coffee."
"What about Merle's beer?" She climbed into the truck and settled her backpack on the bench seat between them. The radio was playing, "Fire" by Bruce Springsteen and she liked that song a lot.
Late at night, I'm taking you home, I say I wannastay, you say you wannabe alone. You say you don't love me. Girl,you can't hide your desire, causewhen we kiss, mmmmfire.
"He's got to come to tow your car; he can get it," Daryl said getting into the truck and shutting his door.
"Are you sure," She answered.
"Yeah, I got this," He said looking over at her in the dark.
"Didn't peg you as a Springsteen fan," She said with a grin.
"Don't everyone love the boss," He replied taking out his phone.
She watched as he dialed Merle's number and told him where to get Allie's car.
"He's gonna come get your car and tow it to the shop; it's probably the alternator, those cars eat them like candy, he and I will fix it for you."
"No, Daryl."
"Allie, do you know how much parts cost for that thing?" He said, "Those older cars are a bitch, not to mention it's a Jag which is a whole other set of issues. Please let me help you for a change."
Allison looked over at him, and she couldn't say no, he wanted to do this for her so badly and she understood it.
"Alright but ignore the check engine light, that's always on."
"Typical for that model, how are the windows?" He laughed.
"They go up and down when they want to, and the heat only works in the summer." She said with a giggle. "No AC except maybe now cause it's cold, that's why I call her Christine."
"Haunted, every damn one of them," Daryl said turning to see if there was any traffic coming and pulled out. "So, coffee?"
"Sure."
"Why do you drive that old thing anyway?" Daryl asked.
"I was my husband's," She said, "I guess I just can't let it go yet…" Her voice trailed off, and Daryl just knew.
"Did he..?" Daryl asked cautiously, not wanting to pry or make her sad.
"Yes, he died," Allie answered, "It will be three years this summer."
"I'm so sorry Allie," Daryl whispered.
Now he knew what made her look so sad sometimes; life had treated her the same way as it treated him.
She became a widow at 22, Daryl just couldn't wrap his head around that.
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They sat and talked for hours as if they were friends out for the night, and maybe now they were. She told him more about Zack and Daryl opened up about Chelsey, who broke his heart when they were 20 by telling him he wasn't good enough for her. They had dated for four years, and she just left him like he was dirt under her feet.
"I got left cause my ex decided she didn't want a man with grease under his nails anymore," Daryl said.
Allison disregarded that girl's opinion and told him so; he was more than good enough for any lucky girl that got him.
"What's a little dirt? " She laughed, "You know I touch a lot of gross stuff, that's what soap is for, dirty hands never bother me."
Her words made Daryl smile, and he wondered if she actually believed that, he hoped so. Merle had been telling him for years and yet coming from her held so much more weight with him.
Daryl was saddened by what had happened to her husband, but she coped well it seemed, although he could see a lingering sadness in her. He had seen it before a few times, at chemo, when he looked at her when she was unguarded and when she didn't have the nurse face on that she wore for him and Merle.
Life had not been kind to her either, but somehow it bonded them closer that night.
Coffee turned into dinner at the only diner that was open that night and just before midnight they pulled up to Allison's house, and he walked her to her door. They stood there talking and somewhere in the distance fireworks were being lit off.
"Must be New Year's," Allison said as they looked up at the lights in the sky.
Daryl gazed at her in the moonlight and was overcome, not for the first time, with the burning desire to kiss her.
It was a new feeling, lately, the desire to be close to a woman. His past experiences, after Chelsey had been quick fucks behind whatever bar he was at or in his truck; he'd never slept next to a female before.
He'd never wanted to kiss anyone again after Chelsey, but Allie was changing all of that.
She looked up at him, and he met her eyes, there was an electricity in the air. It was different between them all of the sudden, changed, and he swallowed hard.
"Allison can I…"
"Kiss me ..." She replied in a breathless whisper.
Then her lips were on his, and she tasted so sweet to him, just like he expected she would. He groaned as she wound her fingers around his jacket and pulled him closer. Daryl swore he heard more fireworks then, or maybe it was the feel of her against him.
For months he had felt like he was in some kind of limbo, poked and prodded, cut up and pulled apart, but this felt good, better than good.
Daryl's hands slid down to her hips, and he pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. Allison willingly surrendered to him in a way that made his heart like to beat right out of his chest. The feel of her tongue against his sent heat right down through his belly to his dick, and he moaned out loud.
She did have the piercing Merle was going on about, and it felt incredible, and he wasn't telling Merle about it either.
"Come inside." She breathed out before his lips were on hers again, he couldn't get enough of her kisses and somewhere in the back of his mind he knew he was in deep shit.