Thank you very much for your patience in regards to this story. I know I'm not writing it as quickly as I have written my others but I'm really making headway on my original story that I'm working on. Also, for this story, I'm trying to be humorous - I guess? - so I hope some of you, at least, enjoy it. Thank you!

…

Chapter Four.

She doesn't mean to call Daryl – especially when she's on the verge of tears. On the phone, she tries to keep the emotion and panic from her voice but it seems like Daryl picks up on it anyway. She really didn't want to bother him. From her daddy, she knows that Daryl is kept plenty busy by other people in town and she can't just shoehorn her way into his schedule.

But what she told him on the phone is true. She runs a medical office and she can't run that office if she doesn't have running water. And when she woke up this morning and went into the bathroom, leaning into the tub to turn the knobs so she could take her shower, the pipes groaned as if in pain and then absolutely nothing. No water came out. Just a few drops. She hurried to the sink to try those knobs but again, no water came out.

Looking at the clock, she saw that Otis wouldn't be here for another hour and she quickly got herself downstairs, looking up the number for Pete's Plumbing in the yellow pages. But the phone just kept ring and ringing and she was about to have a full-blown panic because her daddy showed her so much about the farm and how to run it but he had never showed her anything about the pumps. She didn't even know where to begin.

And then, for some reason, Daryl's face popped into her mind and she was calling him before she could stop herself and think it further through.

She gets herself dressed and pops two pieces of bread into the toaster and frowns because she can't even brew coffee. When she hears a pickup truck coming up the dirt road to the house, she hurries outside. She can't help but release a sigh of relief when she sees Daryl behind the wheel – as if she thought that he actually wouldn't come even though he said he'd be there. There's a man sitting in the front passenger seat next to Daryl. Dark-skinned, bald and stocky and Beth knows it's Theodore Douglas. T-Dog. They go to the same church.

"Thank you, thank you," Beth says quickly as soon as they step out of the truck, hurrying down the front steps, meeting them. Louis jumps out of the truck, too, and is instantly bouncing around her, his tail wagging and his tongue hanging. "Hey, boy," Beth smiles as she rubs him behind his ears for a moment.

She then looks to Daryl and T-Dog as they go to the back of the pickup truck, getting their tool belts and boxes and Louis is still jumping around here like an eager child on Christmas.

"I can't thank you both enough for coming out here like this," she says again as they come back towards her. "I tried calling Pete-"

"That man probably isn't sober yet," T-Dog comments and Daryl smirks in agreement, his eyes settled on Beth, not saying anything for a moment; just looking at her.

And Beth can't help but look at the man and just like she had yesterday and on Sunday outside of the drugstore, she feels a clenching in her stomach that she desperately tries to rid herself of. It's not that having a crush on Daryl Dixon would be the worst thing in the world. And she knows very well that this is what it is. A crush. A crush that has sprouted out of nowhere, it seems.

It's just… having a crush on the man is inappropriate. He just got out of a long-term relationship and she can tell he's not looking for another and her daddy just died and she's trying to get her footing when it comes to running the practice and running everything on her own… she doesn't have the time to have a crush.

It makes perfect sense to her brain and she wishes her stomach could just get on board.

"The main pump is this way," she then remembers to say and she points over her shoulder, back towards the house, and Daryl and T-Dog both follow after her, Louis running around all of them, as she walks them around to the side of the house.

She finds it amusing that Louis is so excited to be here – after all, his visits to the vet haven't been that great so far – but then she thinks of when he was a puppy and she had brought him here to her daddy after finding him in that rest stop and for a few weeks, this farm was home to him. He must remember – not that he's too old to have forgotten already.

"So, I'm not sure what happened," she says as they come to a stop next to the large main pump, rusted but her daddy had always said that that's just on the outside. Inside, there's nothing wrong it. "I had water last night and then this morning, nothing."

Daryl crouches down, opening his toolbox and takes out a wrench, twisting open the side panel. Beth stands, watching them, as T-Dog stands behind Daryl, shining a flashlight into the large pipe that sucks the water from the well and brings it towards the house. T-Dog says something, too low for Beth to hear, but Daryl does and he just grunts in response.

Beth's not too sure what to do. She doesn't want to stand there and look over their shoulders as if she doesn't trust them. She should go back inside and get her office ready for the first appointment of the day – if she's still able to keep them and doesn't have to cancel everything today. But she doesn't think she will have to. Daryl has a reputation in town. Apparently, he can fix anything and build anything, too. Her daddy hadn't been able to say enough good things about Daryl during their phone calls. It had been obvious to Beth that Hershel had missed Shawn – Shawn off gallivanting around, never staying in one spot for too long but rarely choosing to come back to Georgia – and in place of his son, the older man had chosen Daryl Dixon as some sort of surrogate.

Beth wonders if Hershel had ever talked to Daryl about her.

Not that it matters if whether or not he had.

"Would you two like some juice?" She asks, remembering that she can't offer them coffee at the moment and she really needs coffee soon, herself, or she should not be held responsible for her actions.

Daryl doesn't lift his head from the pump and T-Dog is the one to smile at her.

"That'd be great, Doc. Thanks," he says.

And finally, not feeling like a lump on a log, Beth turns and head back towards the house.

She wishes she had had to call them out here for something other than no running water. She wishes she had gotten the chance to take a shower before seeing Daryl this morning. Rosita has told her that a person actually shouldn't shower every day but Beth does simply because she absolutely loves showers. She loves standing under the almost too-hot spray, washing her hair, having it smell like coconut, and scrubbing her body whether it's really dirty or not.

She's always had the worst habit of staying in the shower for too long before Maggie or Shawn were pounding on the bathroom door for her to hurry up and stop using up all of the hot water.

Beth just feels infinitely better when she climbs out from a shower than when she had climbed in and not having taken one this morning, she feels crummy and greasy and she wishes Daryl didn't see her like this.

She sighs heavily to herself. She knows she's being completely ridiculous but she keeps insisting on being. Isn't that the definition of insanity, she wonders to herself, as she climbs the back steps and heads into the kitchen.

Going to the cabinet, she takes down two glasses and sets them on the center island counter before opening the refrigerator door – adorned with pictures of the Greene family.

Sometimes, it feels so strange for Beth when she stops and looks at them or when here at night, by herself in this big house, she walks past the empty bedrooms upstairs. She's the last Greene here. She's all on her own. Daddy and mama are dead and buried in the small cemetery next to their church. Maggie's in Michigan with Glenn and Shawn is wherever Shawn wants to be and now, there's just her. Just her in this big house on this big farm and this farm has been in the family for generations and what is she going to do if she just can't do it? She doesn't even know how to look over the pumps when they stop working.

And then, before she can stop herself, hot tears flood her eyes. This happens more than she would like. She'll get to think of the farm or the practice or how she's all on her own and she just feels completely alone and overwhelmed with it all. She tells herself that can do this. She's not a little girl anymore and her daddy and mama did not raise a weak girl. If she can make it through veterinary school – the hardest thing she's ever had to do – and get through the deaths of both of her parents, then she sure as pudding can do all of this, too.

She hears a knock then on the kitchen screen door and with the jug of apple juice in her hand, she spins towards the sound. It's Daryl and he's watching her through the screen and she's suddenly aware that a few of the tears have escaped, slipping down her cheeks. She is quick to turn her head from him and wipe them away though she knows it's too late and he has now witnessed her, standing in the kitchen and crying in front of the refrigerator.

And with that, Daryl Dixon more than likely thinks she's crazy.

"Hi," she gives him a smile. "I have the juice," she then tells him lamely.

She then goes to the screen door and pushes it open so he knows he can come inside. He still seems to hesitate and she doesn't really blame him. What normal guy would want to be around a girl he hardly knows who's crying in her kitchen?

But then he does step inside, his eyes on her and not leaving, and Beth turns to go fill the two glasses with the apple juice.

"The pump was pullin' in mud last night," Daryl speaks then. "All the rain we've been havin' lately, it's been buildin' up in the pipes. Think me and T got it cleaned now. Jus' gotta try…" he trails off then and he nods his head towards the sink.

"Oh!" She sets the glasses down on the counter and hurries to the sink. She breathes with relief when she turns the knob and water comes streaming out. She watches it for a second and then turning it off, she turns towards Daryl, her smile wide. "Daryl, thank you."

He shrugs as if it's not a big deal and she knows that to him, it's probably not.

He goes back towards the door and opens the screen door. "We're good, T!" He calls out. He turns back into the kitchen and the screen door slaps behind him.

Beth doesn't mean to but since he's standing in her kitchen, she can't help but look at him. He's wearing jeans and a black tee-shirt and she can see his build beneath. His hair is dark and too long and yet, she can't imagine him with nicely trimmed hair. It wouldn't be him.

"I can't thank you enough," she says.

He shrugs again. "'s nothin'."

"What do I owe you?" She asks, moving towards the desk in the corner where she pays all of the household bills; the spot where her daddy and mama and her grandparents did before her. She even still uses a checkbook, too, just like they had. She knows it would be so much easier, doing everything on the computer, but she likes sitting down on Sunday evenings and working the numbers out with her pen and calculator.

She picks up a pen and her checkbook now and turns back towards Daryl. He has taken one of the glasses of apple juice and he is lifting it to his lips but he stops when he sees what she's holding. She can't help but laugh, just imagining what he's thinking.

"I know," she shakes her head slightly. "My sister says I need to come into this century but I like writing checks," she explains with a shrug. "Do I write it out to you? I actually don't know the name of your company," she then realizes.

He takes a gulp of apple juice then and shakes his head as he sets the glass down again. "You don't owe me anythin', Doc," he tells her.

Her frown is immediate. "What do I owe you?" She asks again, her tone a bit firmer.

"Nothin'," he states again. "This is me payin' you back for Louis' exams."

Beth's frown deepens. "I charged you for that."

Daryl doesn't say anything to that. He just takes the second glass of apple juice and heads back outside. Beth doesn't hesitate in following after him, her checkbook still in hand, back to the main pump where T-Dog is, wiping their tools and putting them away. He straightens when he sees them coming and grins when Daryl hands him the glass of apple juice. Louis is back to dancing happily at Beth's feet, wanting her to give him attention but first, she has to deal with his stubborn owner.

She gives Daryl a glare and then looks to T-Dog. "How much do I owe you?" She asks him in a sweet-as-pie voice.

But T-Dog is just like Daryl and he takes a sip of his apple juice and shakes his head. "Whatever Daryl told you the amount was…" he says and looks to Daryl then, a little confusion clear in his eyes. And Daryl shakes his head back at him. T-Dog looks back to Beth with another smile. "Don't worry about it, Doc. We were happy to help you out."

Beth looks back to Daryl with a set jaw and as intimidating glare as she can manage – which to Daryl, she figures, must not be that intimidating at all because Daryl just smirks at her and then leans down, grabbing his toolbox.

"Let's go, Louis," he commands to the dog and the dog obediently comes trotting after him as Daryl heads back towards the truck.

T-Dog tilts his head back and drains the rest of the juice before handing Beth the empty glass. He bends down and picks up his own toolbox. "Thanks again, Doc," he says before following after Daryl and Beth still stands there, clenching her checkbook as a moment later, Daryl pulls the truck around and drives off down the path.

…

Rosita Espinosa was her best friend in high school and when Beth went off to college in Atlanta, Rosita went to cosmetology school in the next town over and they stayed in touch for the most part but Rosita had her life and Beth had hers. But when Beth came back, the two have instantly fallen back into being best friends and Beth is so thankful for that because even though it's a small town and she had lived there her whole life with everyone knowing and liking her, it feels good to have at least one confidant among them all.

Rosita works at "Sheer Genius", the one women's salon in town, and after her last appointment for the day – adorable Sophia Peletier with her cat, Mr. Higgins – Beth drives the pickup from the farm into town and parks in the salon's lot. The lights are on inside but she knows that Rosita is the only stylist still working. Wednesdays are her late night. And when Beth walks inside, Rosita is standing at her chair with Lori Grimes sitting in front of her, facing the mirror, a cape around her front as Rosita combs her long, dark wet hair. Baby Judith Grimes is fast asleep in her carrier at her feet.

Both women turn their heads when they see Beth and they smile warmly – a greeting that gets Beth smiling at them, too. She stops to help herself to a Dum-Dum sucker from the jar next to the front door and she then comes, plopping down in the empty stylist's chair in the station next to Rosita's.

"We were just about to call the diner for some dinner. You in?" Rosita asks.

"God, yes," Beth says. "Do you think any of Paulie's cake would be left?"

"Not at this hour," Rosita shakes her head. "What are you thinking?" She then asks Lori, looking at her in the mirror's reflection. "You would totally rock a bob."

"And I still think you're insane," Lori quips back. "What do you think, Beth?" She asks.

Beth has unwrapped her cherry sucker and has popped it into her mouth. "Does Daryl Dixon have an office?" She asks thoughtfully, gazing up towards the ceiling, obviously not hearing a word of the previous exchange between the women. Rosita and Lori both look at her and after a moment, Beth looks at them. "What?" She asks.

Lori lets out a laugh and Rosita grins.

"Exactly. What?" Rosita teases her.

"It's just that he's so infuriating," Beth says, sitting up in the chair. "He and T-Dog came to the farm today because I had a problem with my pumps-"

Rosita opens her mouth to make a comment about that.

"-quit it," Beth cuts her off before she can and Rosita grins. "And Daryl refused to charge me. He was being completely ridiculous about the whole thing. I think I might just have to mail him a check."

"Just go give it to Paulie," Rosita suggests. "You know that woman will make him take it." She pauses. "Actually, Paulie adores you so she probably will be on Daryl's side about not charging you."

"Or I can take it, honey," Lori offers. "Daryl's hanging out at our house tonight. Rick and him and some others are over, playing cards and acting like men."

Beth sighs though and shakes her head. "I don't have my checkbook with me." She pops her sucker back into her mouth and sucks on it for a few minutes, thinking to herself.

She doesn't know why Daryl has to be so darn stubborn. She charged him for Louis' medicine. And what did he say to her just yesterday? "We all gotta make a livin', Doc. You're no different.". Well, he's no different either. Why does he expect her to charge him but doesn't charge her in return? That man is so confusing. And why, when he's absolutely nowhere near her, does her stomach still clench itself just at the thought of him?

It's probably because he saw her crying in her kitchen this morning. He probably feels sorry for her. And if that's the case, he's not just confusing. He's infuriating. How dare he feel sorry for her. If anything, she's the one who should feel sorry for him. Amy was cheating on him and now he's had to move back in with his mom. Everyone knows that.

Lori exhales a deep breath. "Oh, just keep it the same, Rosita. One inch as you always do."

"One of these days, Lori, you're going to let me do something big," Rosita says as she begins sectioning and snipping away.

"Daryl Dixon is not allowed to feel sorry for me," Beth announces then suddenly.

"What?" Both Lori and Rosita ask at the same time.

Beth doesn't explain. She gets up from the chair, her mind made up. Her purse is still slung across her chest and she opens it, pulling out her wallet.

"Lori, when you go home tonight and Daryl's there, give this to him and make sure that he knows that it's from me." Beth pulls out five twenty-dollar bills and holds them out for Lori to take.

Lori looks at the one hundred dollars for a moment and then slowly, she takes the bills from her, slowly as if she's almost afraid of them. "Sure, sweetie. And… and Daryl will get what this means?"

"Oh, he'll get it," Beth says firmly. "And no matter what you do, don't let him give it back. He's going to take it and he's going to keep it and you can tell him we're even."

With that done, Beth feels instantly better and with a smile to herself, she plops down back in her seat and pops her sucker back into her mouth.

…

Thank you very much for reading and please take a moment to leave me a review!