Wow, this story has reached over 100 reviews! That milestone means so much to me. Until a few months ago, I hadn't written any fiction in almost five years, so it feels amazing to know you guys are enjoying what I'm writing. I'm a full-time editor and I make my living fixing errors and giving other people feedback, and it feels great to get some feedback of my own. You guys are amazing and you make me want to keep writing! :)
Here's chapter seventeen! Enjoy!
Beth drew her sweater closer to her body in an attempt to retain some warmth as she followed Daryl through the woods. This day was turning out to be colder than any they had endured so far, meaning that winter was definitely almost upon them. She wished she had thought to grab a jacket or a coat of some kind on their last supply run, and she considered mentioning it now, but she knew Daryl would shoot down the idea. With the location of Cara's assailants still unknown, the thought of going into a nearby town made him uneasy, and he had declared that they would hold off on supply runs until absolutely necessary. With the meat he would be able to procure from hunting, they would have enough food and supplies on hand for the next few weeks at least. He hoped that Cara's attackers would have moved on from the area before he and Beth would need to make another run.
Daryl had stuck to his word that he would not leave Beth alone, and now, here she was, trying to step as quietly as she could as he attempted to hunt down a meal for them. Daryl had given up letting Beth lead the tracking effort that day. It had been three days since she had taken the Plan B pills, but she seemed as though she were still feeling the side effects. They were nothing serious, but the fatigue the pills had brought about made it difficult for her to concentrate, and she kept losing her ability to focus on the tracks in front of her. She wanted nothing more than to go back to the cabin and curl up on the couch by the fire to sleep, but they needed meat, and Daryl wasn't about to let her go back to the cabin alone.
Daryl glanced back at Beth, noticing the way she had wrapped her arms around herself, and he knew she was cold. She looked exhausted as well; the circles under her eyes that normally weren't there were a dead giveaway. He knew nothing about the emergency contraceptive pills Beth had taken, and despite Beth's assurances that the side effects she was experiencing were normal, it still worried him. He sighed and focused on the rabbit tracks he was following. He had only managed to catch one squirrel so far, and he hoped it wouldn't be much longer until he came upon the rabbit who had made the tracks he was pursuing.
They continued quietly traversing through the woods for a while, neither of them speaking to avoid scaring off any potential game. Beth was getting much better at making her steps quiet, but Daryl was still aware of her presence behind him. A flash of movement to his left caught his eye, and in a heartbeat, Daryl had raised the crossbow and released a bolt into a squirrel that had been scurrying on a tree next to them. He went to retrieve his prize and attached it to his belt with the first squirrel. When he glanced back at Beth, he noticed that she was leaning against a tree with a hand pressed over her lower abdomen, her brow furrowed in what looked like pain.
"You okay? What's goin' on?" he immediately asked her.
Beth grimaced and stood up straight. "Just give me a minute. I need to check something."
She ignored Daryl's confused frown and turned and headed into the trees so that she was just out of sight. The cramps she was feeling were familiar, and she wanted to verify that they were what she thought. She quickly unbuttoned her jeans and pulled them down just enough to peek into her underwear. Sure enough, it seemed as though her period had finally decided to make an appearance. Beth sighed, thankful she had been wearing pantyliners as a precaution since taking the Plan B pills, but she knew she would have to get something more substantial before her flow increased. It had been a few months since she had even had a period, and Beth wasn't sure what to expect.
She made her way back to Daryl, who looked confused and mildly irritated.
"Can we head back?" Beth asked.
"Why? You okay?"
Beth nodded. "My period finally decided to make an appearance," she sighed.
"Oh," Daryl said, sounding relieved that it wasn't something more serious. He glanced down at the tracks in the ground, wishing he had some way of knowing how close the rabbit was.
"Do you need to head back right now?" he asked, trying to sound nonchalant. Beth huffed a little.
"I guess not right away, but soon would be good. There's stuff I need back at the cabin."
"Like what?"
"Like tampons, Daryl."
He reddened, suddenly feeling very stupid. Of course that's why she needed to head back. It wasn't just because she was in pain. He nodded in mild embarrassment.
"C'mon, let's go."
He reluctantly abandoned the rabbit tracks and began heading back the way they'd come. At least he had managed to get two squirrels. He had wanted to get more, maybe dry some of the meat they couldn't eat, but this would have to do. He glanced at Beth, who looked relieved to be heading home. She grimaced as her cramps grew in severity, and Daryl wished he could do something for her. Suddenly he realized that as far as he knew, Beth hadn't had a period since they had been traveling together. He frowned and glanced back at her.
"When's the last time this happened?" he asked, motioning toward her stomach. "Don't remember you goin' through this before."
"It's been a while," Beth sighed. "A few months. I haven't had a period since before the prison fell. Stress can do crazy things to your body. I guess those Plan B pills did something with my hormones and jumpstarted it again."
Daryl nodded and kept walking. He wasn't familiar with the workings of the female anatomy, but he was sure that skipping periods wasn't normal. He tried not to let himself worry about Beth's health and instead reminded himself that the arrival of her period meant one positive thing: she was not pregnant. After Lori's fate, the thought of Beth getting pregnant terrified him. And even if childbirth hadn't suddenly become so dangerous, the idea of traveling with an infant child in a walker-infested world was equally as terrifying to him. He suddenly wondered if perhaps it would be a good idea to search for birth control pills as an added precaution on their next supply run, whenever that would be. Daryl didn't want to take any chances.
Beth looked very relieved when the cabin finally emerged through the trees. They slipped past the spikes in the ground and went around to where they had made an opening in the barbed wire fence behind their first line of defense. Daryl had finished the barbed wire fence the day before, and he was satisfied with the way it had turned out. It was unlikely that any wandering ghouls would be able to approach the cabin without getting impaled on the spikes or snagged in the wire, and even if they did manage to get past both fences, the perimeter alarm still served as a final warning system. Daryl just wished that the walkers were the only threat to worry about, because the two fences would do nothing to keep out living threats.
As they entered the cabin, Beth immediately made her way to the bathroom, and Daryl went to start a fire in the fireplace to warm the chill from the cabin. He held his hands in front of the new flames and let the warmth seep into his cold fingers. Beth emerged from the bathroom and fell onto one of the living room couches with a groan. Daryl turned to face her and noticed her face was contorted with pain.
"You wanna take some ibuprofen or somethin?" he suggested. "We do have some."
Beth shook her head. "We should save it. It's uncomfortable, but it's nothing I can't handle. I'm just going to try to sleep for a while."
"Okay," Daryl agreed, wishing he could do something to help her feel better. "I'm gonna go gut the squirrels. I'll be outside on the porch if you need me."
Beth nodded with a yawn and curled into herself for a nap. She wished her cramps would go away, but she was thankful that they were back in the cabin where she could sleep and stay warmer by the fire. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to block out the pain in her lower abdomen for long enough to fall asleep.
Daryl went back outside with the squirrels in hand and sat down on the porch steps to gut and clean his kills. The sky was growing cloudy and the wind was starting to pick up a little. He didn't think it was cold enough for snow, but it was clear that some kind of precipitation was on the way. He was extremely thankful that he and Beth had the cabin to shelter them from the elements. The previous winter had been a mild one, but spending the winter scavenging and running from place to place had taken its toll on everyone. He was glad that he and Beth had a roof over their heads and a fire to keep them warm through whatever weather winter decided to throw at them.
Once the squirrels were skinned, gutted, and cleaned, Daryl made his way back inside the cabin. Beth was asleep on the couch, but her hands covered her abdomen and a slight frown creased her forehead. Daryl sighed, once again wishing there was something he could do to help. He went to the kitchen sink and washed the dried squirrel blood from his hands. Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he quickly gathered all the kitchen pots that were in the cabinets and filled them with water. He lit a fire in the wood stove and put the pots over the stove to heat the water. It took a while, but once the water was boiling, he brought each full pot to the bathtub and emptied the boiling water into the tub. He continued boiling water in the pots until the tub was full, which took almost an hour. He tested the water in the tub and smiled. It was still piping hot, but it had cooled down enough to be the perfect temperature for a bath. He made his way into the living room and knelt down next to the couch, shaking Beth awake gently.
"What is it?" she asked groggily as she opened her eyes.
"Got somethin' that'll make you feel better."
"Unless it's a chocolate bar you've been holding out on me, I think you're lying," Beth mumbled sleepily, and Daryl snorted.
"C'mon," he urged. "Come see."
Beth groaned and sat up. She followed Daryl into the bathroom with a confused expression on her face. She frowned when he pointed to the full bathtub.
"Daryl, I appreciate the thought, but a cold bath isn't going to numb my uterus out of hurting," she said, and Daryl rolled his eyes.
"I ain't that stupid, girl," he scoffed at her. "It ain't cold. See for yourself."
Beth knelt by the tub and put her hand into the hot water, and she moaned aloud at the feeling.
"Oh my god, how did you manage this?" she asked.
"Boiled a bunch of water to fill the tub for you," Daryl shrugged. "Took a while, but I wanted to help you feel better."
Beth took two steps back to where Daryl was standing and threw her arms around him.
"You are amazing and I don't deserve you," she sighed happily. Daryl felt his heart speed up a little at her words, and he had to fight the voice inside his head that countered that he was the one who didn't deserve her.
"You deserve more than I can give you," he mumbled. "But this is the best I can do right now."
Beth looked up at him with a wide smile on her face. "It's perfect. Thank you."
Daryl smiled back at her and nodded toward the tub. "Go on, then. Get to relaxin' before it gets cold."
Beth grinned and immediately pulled her shirt over her head, followed by her bra. Daryl leaned against the doorframe and shamelessly watched her undress as she wiggled out of her jeans. She hesitated, her hands stilling as they reached her underwear. She glanced back at Daryl, who frowned a little.
"Since when are you too modest to undress in front of me?" he asked.
Beth blushed and looked away from him. "I'm wearing a tampon and I don't want you to see . . ."
Daryl scoffed. "You serious? After all we've been through together, you're worried 'bout me seeing a little string between your legs? You're crazy, girl."
Beth laughed a little, realizing how silly her embarrassment was. Daryl was right. She shrugged and decided to let go of her shyness, removing her underwear and stepping delicately into the hot water. Goosebumps instantly covered her skin as she lowered herself into the steaming water, letting out a long moan as she did so. The heat enveloped her body and she felt her muscles immediately relaxing. She looked to Daryl, who was still standing in the doorway looking very pleased with himself.
"You should come join me," she said with a grin. "You went through all the trouble to heat up this water and I think you should get to enjoy it with me."
Daryl shrugged. "Nah. I did it for you. Want you to relax."
"I am relaxing, and I can relax just as well with you in here with me. Please join me?" Beth urged.
Daryl hesitated for a moment before shrugging and deciding to give in. He quickly pulled off his own clothes, and Beth scooted forward in the tub to make room for him. He stepped into the tub and resisted the urge to moan like Beth had upon feeling the hot water. He slid down into the tub to sit behind her, and Beth leaned her back against his chest, sighing contentedly. Daryl wrapped his arms around her and enjoyed the feeling of relaxation and intimacy.
"I'm feeling better already," Beth sighed. The hot water was already beginning to ease her cramps away.
Daryl removed his arms from around Beth's body and gently pressed her forward. He began rubbing her shoulders, his strong hands starting to work the knots out of her muscles. Beth groaned in appreciation as her eyes fluttered closed.
"You're the best boyfriend ever," she murmured. Her eyes snapped open and as she realized what she had said, but Daryl didn't look bothered.
"Sorry, didn't mean to say that . . . unless it's okay that I did?" Beth said uncertainly, and Daryl laughed softly as he continued to rub her back. They had never put a label on their evolving relationship, and she wasn't sure if Daryl would want to be called a "boyfriend."
"Ain't never been nobody's boyfriend before," he admitted. "But if that's what you want me to be, I'll try to be a good one."
Beth turned a little in his arms to see his face better. "We don't have to label it like that if you don't want to. But I want you to know that I'm yours. And I hope you want to be mine."
Daryl's chest constricted a little, and he tightened his hold on Beth, loving the sound of her being his.
"I'm all yours, girl," he said quietly. "I'm yours for as long as you'll have me."
Beth smiled and pressed her lips to his, feeling herself fall more in love with him. He was hers and she was his. They belonged to each other, and the feeling made her chest swell with happiness.
Just FYI, I don't know if my depictions of Georgia winter will be accurate. My grandmother lives in Marietta (a northwest suburb of Atlanta), but I have never visited during the winter. I live in Iowa, and our winters are pretty brutal (our high temperature today is 3 degrees!), and I've never experienced a southern winter. I apologize if my depictions of winter there are inaccurate!