A/N: So...I had something completely different planned for this chapter but this is what happened...

Warning: Some Triggers may apply!

Wife Swap

Chapter 8

"She ain't pregnant," Daryl said more to himself than Lori.

"She is," Lori replied.

"Naw, she ain't. She cain't be an' if she is, it ain't mine."

Lori rolled her eyes. "She is pregnant, Daryl, and the baby is yours. If you don't believe me, then you should call Maggie and see when a good time would be for you to go by there. Maybe hearin' it from Beth would have been better but she's kept it from you this long, we didn't think she would ever tell you. You need to talk to her and see what would be best for not just yourself or her but for your baby as well."

Daryl had turned away from Lori and was trying not to let her know he was worried about Beth and the baby, even if he didn't want to believe it could be his.

He figured Lori was right, maybe he did need to hear it from Beth. Maybe that would help them both move on and he could quit trying to find things to take his mind off of her.

Lori stood there, waiting for Daryl to say he would go see Beth and talk to her or at the very least tell her to fuck off and mind her own business.

Instead, he looked up at her and shook his head then he left her standing there as he disappeared into the house.

Merle was leaned up against the wall, just inside the living room doorway when Daryl stepped inside.

"What tha fuck did she want with ya?" He asked.

Daryl shrugged.

"Don't ya play dumb with me, baby brotha. What'd she want? Ya fuckin' 'er since you an' Blondie ain't together no more?"

"Fuck off, Merle."

He stormed into the bathroom, slammed the door shut and sat down on the floor in front of it.

There was no fucking way Beth could be pregnant and if she was, well, he kept telling himself that there was no way in hell it was his but he had to admit, it got under his skin to know that she had kept this from him.

Yeah, he couldn't blame her for keeping it from him when he had made it pretty damn clear he didn't want kids, now or ever, but still, how could she keep that from him? Even if the kid wasn't his, why not just tell him that and put him out of his misery?

"Hey," Maggie whispered when Beth's eyes fluttered open. "How are you feelin'?"

"Like shit," Beth mumbled.

"Yeah, alcohol will do that to you," Maggie said with a small smile. "C'mon and get up. Lori is here and she seemed really anxious to talk to you."

"I don't want to talk to her."

Maggie rolled her eyes. "Quit actin' like a baby and get up before I pour ice water on you."

"Fine. I'm gettin' up."

When Beth had finally got out of the bed, Maggie left her alone to get changed but not before letting her know that if she wasn't out of there in ten minutes, she would send Lori in.

She splashed her face with water a few times before finally making her way out of the bedroom to face whatever hell awaited her.

Lori was sitting on the couch waiting for her and she could hear Maggie fumbling around in the kitchen.

"What do you want?" She asked Lori when she sat down.

"Well, there's no easy way to say this so I'm just goin' to spit it out, I went to talk to Daryl this mornin'."

Beth shrugged. "Okay? Why would you need to tell me that?"

"Because I told him that he needed to talk to you, that the two of you needed to figure things out for yourselves and the baby."

"What?" Beth shrieked and jumped up. "Why would you do that? That's none of your business, Lori!"

"What the hell is goin' on?" Maggie asked.

Lori stood up and turned to Maggie. "I told Beth that I went to see Daryl this mornin' and I told him that they needed to talk because she's pregnant."

Maggie's eyes widened as she looked at her sister. "You're pregnant? Bethie, why didn't you tell me?"

"Because it's none of your business just like it's none of Lori's business or….or even Daryl's. It's mine."

Lori shook her head. "It is my business, Beth. You came to me for advice…."

"Yeah," Beth scoffed. "Obviously I made a mistake by doin' that!"

Maggie sat down on the arm of the couch and shook her head. "I let you drink. How could you let me do that? Why didn't you tell me about the baby?"

"It's not any of your concern, Maggie. This is just one big fuckin' mess. You should have kept your mouth shut, Lori! It wasn't your place to tell him."

"I had to, Beth. At the rate you were goin', you would have killed that baby or yourself."

"So what?! It wouldn't have mattered!" She shouted.

Maggie continued to sit there, staring at her sister in disbelief and praying to God that everything would be fine and if it wasn't, she had to take her share of the blame. She should have seen the signs, after all that's what big sisters are for.

She jumped up when Beth started for the front door though her reaction was a little delayed from the shock she was still in.

"Bethie, please don't go. Stay here and talk to me," She pleaded with her sister.

"There's nothin' to talk about."

She had drove away from her sister's house with no real destination in mind, she just needed to get away from there and away from what her life had become.

Life seemed to be one big shit storm after another and there was nothing she could do to right all of the mistakes she had made over the years but that never stopped her from trying.

Daryl didn't want a baby and she wasn't going to force him into something he didn't want. Not telling him was her way of letting go, letting him move on and not have to be something he would hate.

Her phone rang, playing Daryl's ringtone for the first time in a long time, but she couldn't bring herself to answer it.

Daryl sighed and tightly gripped his phone in his hands.

"She didn't answer?" Maggie asked, setting a glass of tea down on the coffee table in front of him.

"Naw. Don't blame 'er though."

"Don't do that, Daryl. Don't give her an excuse to tuck tail and run."

"Why tha hell not? I've done it."

"I know you have but that doesn't make it right. She should have told you about the baby, maybe gave you a choice as to whether or not you wanted to be in its life." She stared at him for a moment before asking, "If she had given you a choice, if she gives you a choice, do you want to be in the baby's life, Daryl?"

He shook his head. "Naw."

Maggie let out a deep breath and stood up. "Okay then, maybe you should go."

And that's what he did.

He left there and went straight to his brother's house. It was the last place he wanted to be but it was the only place he could go.

When he walked in, he went to Merle's liquor cabinet and instead of pulling down one of the many bottles of alcohol, he pulled out a couple of baggies.

"That's my good shit," Merle's gruff voice called out.

"I know," Daryl mumbled.

"What tha hell ya want that for?"

He shrugged and Merle chuckled as he took the baggies from him. "I ain't lettin' ya have that shit 'til ya tell me what ya want it for."

"What tha hell does it matter what I want it for? Ain't like ya ever needed a reason ta take it."

Merle shrugged. "Maybe not. Maybe I don't want ta share it."

He sat down in the recliner and stared up at Daryl. "Go on. Sit yer ass down, boy."

Daryl sat down and started chewing his bottom lip.

"What's tha matter with ya?" Merle asked. "It got somethin' ta do with Blondie?" Merle chuckled again when Daryl dropped his eyes to the floor. "Yeah, I knew it did. Ya gon' tell me what's goin' on with y'all or do I got ta beat it out a ya?"

Daryl knew it was useless to keep it to himself and what would it matter anyway? Maybe Merle knew what was going on because it sure as hell seemed like he was the last to know.

"Beth's pregnant," he muttered, expecting Merle to say something stupid or give him hell over it.

"I'll be damned. Congratulations, baby brotha," Merle said, standing up and holding his hand out for his brother.

"What tha hell's wrong with ya?" Daryl asked.

Merle snorted. "Ain't nothin' wrong with me. Jus' happy for ya is all."

Daryl stood up and shook his head. "Ya ain't happy fer me. Why would ya be? Ya ain't never liked Beth."

Merle clenched his teeth and sat back down. "Ya think I don't know I've been a dick ta her an' ta you? I know it, you know it, she knows it, hell, the whole damn town knows it but that don't mean I ain't happy for ya." He stopped and smiled at his brother. "I know what you're thinkin' an' no, I ain't had nothin' ta drink an' I ain't put nothin' up my nose today. I ain't done that shit in over a month."

"Then why ya still got it?"

He shrugged. "Hell if I know. But I ain't touched it an' I sure as hell ain't lettin' you touch it jus' 'cause you're havin' trouble with ever'thin'. 'Sides, Carol would kill me if I did."

And there it was. Just when he thought Merle actually gave a damn about him, he didn't. He was acting this way for someone else.

"Ya don't want a kid?" Merle asked and he shook his head no.

"Why tha hell not?"

Daryl sat down and rung his hands and said, "I'ma be jus' like him. I already am with Beth an' I don't want ta see what I'd do ta a kid."

Merle sat up straight in his chair and stared at him. "What tha fuck do ya mean you're already like him with Blondie?"

"I done stupid shit. I've hit 'er a couple times," Daryl chanced a look in his brothers direction and when he did, his whole body went stiff.

Merle had jumped up out of his chair and started towards his brother. "Out a all tha stupid fuckin' shit ya could a done ya went an' hit 'er? What tha fuck's tha matter with ya boy? Thought I's clear when I told ya not ta ever be like that."

He opened his mouth to speak but before he could utter a word, Merle had grabbed him by the front of his shirt and was pulling him up.

"I ain't gon' lie or act like I ain't done stupid shit an' fucked up things 'tween me an' Carol but I ain't never laid a hand on 'er," Merle growled as he shoved Daryl backwards. "I ain't never laid a hand on my kid either."

"Is this really necessary?"

Rick shook his head and looked up at her from across his desk.

"Yeah, Beth, it is. I ain't takin' the cuffs off 'til I know you've calmed down."

"I didn't even do anythin'," she huffed.

"You were speedin', ran two stop signs and you blew twice the legal limit on the breathalyzer. How the hell is that not doin' anythin'?" Rick paused and shook his head again "Besides, I've already called Maggie and she's on her way to get you. I'm not goin' to book you but you have to promise me this won't happen again."

"I promise it won't," she said, trying to push down her anger at him for calling Maggie.

She sat there, handcuffed to the chair until Maggie showed up.

No words were exchanged between the sisters until they were in Maggie's car.

Maggie took a deep breath and turned to her sister. "Here's the deal, Beth. When you sober up, I'll carry you to the doctor and you...you can have them do whatever the hell you want. Daryl doesn't want the baby and it's obvious you don't either. After we're done there, we're goin' to see a good lawyer, not one of the asshole's from around here, and you're goin' to file for a divorce. It's past the point of tryin' to work things out so why fight it any longer than you need to. You okay with that?"

Beth nodded and Maggie started the car.

Rick sat his keys down on his nightstand then sat on the bed with his head in his hands.

"Hey," Lori said, sitting up in bed and putting her hand on his shoulder. "Heard you arrested Beth today."

He nodded. "Unofficially."

"You need to talk to Daryl. Maybe you can get him to see that Beth is the best thing to ever happen to him."

Rick raised his head and looked over his shoulder at his wife. "It's not goin' to be that easy."

"Well, something has to be done or Maggie's carrying Beth to see a lawyer."

He took Lori's hand in his and said, "As much as we know they love each other, I can't see them being in the same room anymore. Maybe we should focus less on them and more on us."

Lori smiled and leaned in to press a kiss to Rick's cheek.

"Here, put this on your faces," Carol said, tossing a bag of frozen peas and fries on to the table in front of Merle and Daryl before she sat down. "Either one of you want to tell me what the hell I walked in on?"

Both men kept their heads down as they each grabbed a bag of the frozen food and did as they were told.

Carol shook her head. "This shit has to stop. I don't know what's goin' on with you, Daryl but you need to get yourself together. And you," she pointed at Merle. "You swore to me that you were done with the drugs, drinkin', women and fightin' and I walk in here to see you slammin' your brothers head into floor and drugs all over the table. I told you if you did any of those things you would never see or hear from me and Sophia again."

Merle groaned and mumbled something she couldn't make out.

"It ain't his fault," Daryl muttered and glanced up at her.

"Oh really? And how exactly is it not his fault?"

Merle slammed the bag of fries down on the table and rubbed his hands together.

"Darylina here told me what a piece a shit pussy he's been. Beatin' on 'is woman like he was our ol' man."

Carol felt her mouth fall open as she looked at Daryl.

There was nothing but anger in her eyes and in her face when Daryl raised his head.

He was sure that since Merle hadn't kill him, Carol would.

He laid the bag if peas down on the table and stood up.

"Think I'm gon' go," he said.

"Yeah. That would probably be the best thing for you right now," Carol said.

Two Weeks Later...

Beth took a deep breath and laid back on the table.

Maggie squeezed her hand and closed her eyes. She couldn't believe Beth was lying there about to go through with this but it wasn't her place to stop her.

The doctor came in and sat down on a stool next to her.

"Mrs. Dixon, I understand you're around eight weeks so before we do the procedure I'm going to do an ultrasound to confirm it. Are you okay with that?"

She nodded her head and winced when the cold gel hit her stomach.

She had her head turned away from the ultrasound machine but she didn't have any reason to look at it when she heard Maggie gasp and choke back a sob.

Daryl walked out of Dr. Linson's office and stared up at the sky as he pulled a cigarette out and lit it.

He had told her that today would be the day he sat down with Beth and talked to her about the baby, their marriage and where things were heading but before he tried to do that, he had to stop by and get the reassurance that he was doing the right thing.

He took one last drag from the cigarette then threw it down and stomped it out before getting in his truck and heading to Maggie's.

Beth's car was in the driveway when he pulled up so he took that as a good sign this was supposed to happen.

He knocked and when Glenn answered the door, he immediately knew something wasn't right by the look on his face but he didn't say anything.

"She here?"

"No," Glenn shook his head.

"I take it she ain't at tha farm 'cause 'er car is 'ere. Ya know when she'll be back?"

Glenn shook his head again. "Maggie said they'd be gone for a while."

"Ya mind if I wait for 'er then?"

Glenn's eyes grew wide. "That's...that's not a good idea."

"Alright," he said and gave Glenn a nod as he backed away from the door half hoping Beth would come running out to stop him.

He got in his truck but couldn't brand himself to turn the key and pull away so he sat right there until Maggie's car pulled up three hours later.

He got out of the truck but stopped when Maggie walked around to the passenger side and helped Beth out of the car and into the house.

Though it wasn't that far from his truck to the front door, he fought back the urge to turn around and run every step of the way and even after he had already knocked.

Maggie opened the door and stepped out, shutting it behind her.

"Now's not a good time," she quickly said.

"I jus' want ta talk ta her. We need ta talk 'bout tha kid an' ever'thin' else."

Maggie crossed her arms and took a step closer to him.

"There's no more talkin', Daryl. You don't ever have to worry about the baby and as for you and Beth, well, you should get a lawyer."

"It's my kid. I gotta talk ta her 'bout it sometime."

"No you don't. She took care of it so there's...there's no reason for you to talk to her."

Maggie felt her heart break and her stomach turn when she saw the look on Daryl's face and the tears in his eyes.

"She...she...?" He backed away. "No. Fuck! She didn't..."

She watched him get in his truck and spin his tires as he left but she knew he was hurt but she had to believe this had been the right thing to do, not for Beth but for herself.

Daryl looked down at the bottle of Jameson in his hand and shook his head but poured himself another glass anyway, turned up the radio in his truck and sat down on the stool next to it.

He hadn't stepped a foot inside their house since he'd talked to Maggie nearly a week ago.

All he had done was stay in the garage and hope like hell Beth was happy now because he sure as hell wasn't.

He had hurt her so many times and taken everything she had wanted away from her with only a few words and yet, he was the one sitting there falling apart.

"That was Eric Church with Smoke Little Smoke" the man on the radio said. "Up next we have Luke Bryan and John Anderson."

He finished his glass before the opening chords of the song but as he sat his glass down and picked the bottle back up, he stood and walked the two steps to his truck and sat down in the seat.

When our baby Kate was born it was the biggest day of my life

Lyin' there, little bows in her hair

In the lovin' arms of my wife

I was the proudest papa in the USA

Makin' a livin' on the road somewhere a thousand miles away

It was a happy day, but kinda' sad

And I wish I coulda' been there

Yea I wish I coulda' been there

I wish I coulda been there for that

Little Bobby hit his first home run

He was the hero of the hometown crowd

Two to one, it was a winnin' run

Everybody was cheering loud

And mama she was smilin' sayin' he's a chip off of the old block

But I was on the road somewhere between Memphis and Little Rock

He took one last drink from that bottle before throwing it down and pulling out his knife.

Beth rubbed her eyes and sat up in bed. It was still dark out but she swore she had heard someone screaming.

Maggie swung her door up and rushed in.

"Bethie, Rick is here," Maggie managed to get out.

She jumped out of bed and pushed past her sister.

When she walked into the living room followed by Maggie, Rick and Glenn stood up.

"Oh God," Beth let out a cry. "Where's Daryl? What happened?"

Glenn shook his head and Rick took a step towards her.

A/N: we've all established that I write really angsty fics and I'm cruel with cliffhangers, right? Anyway, this is just a bump in the road. I swear! We'll pick up right here with the next chapter so don't go on a witch hunt just yet.

Also, I don't own the song used in this chapter.

As always, love or hate it, please leave a review!

-A