Hotel Key

Chapter 6

8 Years Ago

"But it's yer birthday!," RickyJo argued. Daryl sighed, looking down into her big green eyes and trying to resist the hopeful pleading expression on her face.

Daryl didn't like RickyJo spending money on him. It made him uncomfortable. And usually, she was happy to let him take her wherever he could afford, even if that meant all they could do was take a walk in the park because Daryl couldn't afford to take her on a proper date. But since it was his birthday, RickyJo suddenly decided she suddenly had carte blanche to spend whatever she wanted on him. She already bought him a new gun. And new bolts for his bow. And a new leather vest. And she even tried to give him a motorcycle, which Daryl refused to take. Even though that gift was technically from her Poppa. And now she was insisting on taking him on some sort of weekend vacation which had cost her god only knows how much more.

"I planned this special," RickyJo pleaded, puffing her bottom lip out in a sad little pout. "I got a cottage right on the ocean and I made reservations at this steakhouse place for tomorrow night and… It's yer birthday, I'm allowed to give ya a present for yer birthday. Ya promised I could!" Her voice was getting higher and squeakier as the intensity of her whining increased.

"Okay!," Daryl said, tossing up his hands in defeat. "Okay, okay! I'll go! But this is it! No more fuckin' presents!" RickyJo jumped into his arms, pressing sloppy kisses up the side of his neck until Daryl grunted and shoved her away from him. Then she headed for the kitchen doorway to jump all over Merle and Jessica.

A few weeks before, Daryl reluctantly agreed that RickyJo could get him a birthday gift. But he was expecting one gift. One. This shit was getting ridiculous. And her grandparents were no help. They were just as bad. If not worse. Her Gran tried giving him a credit card to go with the bike from her Poppa, saying it was for gas money. When that didn't work, she gave him a birthday card that was full of cash. Daryl was grateful that RickyJo's grandparents accepted him as part of their family. And that they approved of his relationship with RickyJo. He didn't mind staying on their property, since there were plenty of extra cabins and he could earn his keep helping out on their farm. But taking money from them didn't sit right with him.

"This is gonna be so much fun!," Jessica announced, rushing in to hug Daryl now that he finally agreed not to ruin all their plans. "Hurry up and get yer shit so we can leave!," she added as she began physically pushing Daryl towards the door so he would go pack a bag before he changed his mind.

"And exactly where do you think yer going young lady?," her grandfather asked, eying Jessica's protruding stomach with a raised eyebrow.

"Gall dang!," Jessica groused, cocking her hand on her hip as she turned towards her grandfather, ready to do battle with the man. "What worse thang do ya think is gonna happen, Poppa? It's not like I kin get any pregnant-er than I already am!"

Much to her grandfather's displeasure, RickyJo exploded in laughter. Merle had the unfortunate timing to be taking a sip of his beer at the time and he gagged, spitting and spilling liquid down the front of his shirt. RickyJo lifted her arm and gave him a good hard whack on the back, making him spill more of his beer. Merle cursed at her and she started up laughing all over again. Her grandfather turned on his heel and stomped off towards the garage, muttering and grumbling under his breath.

"I think all y'all better scoot outta her before Poppa comes back in from his smoke," RickyJo's gran helpfully suggested. Jessica was quick to oblige, giving her daughter a quick kiss before she hightailed it for the door. Daryl took off for his cabin to pack a few things and by the time he got back, everyone was waiting for him next to RickyJo's jeep. Her grandpa got her the jeep for her eighteenth birthday. And she wasted no time taking the poor machine out mudding and tearing through cornfields. She tossed Daryl the keys and climbed into the backseat with Jessica, letting Merle ride shotgun so he could serve as their navigator. And so that he wasn't sitting behind her hollering his loud mouth into her ear the whole drive.

"We have a reservation for King," RickyJo informed the desk clerk. The man started clicking buttons on his computer, glancing up every few seconds to stare at her ample cleavage. When it didn't look like he was finding her name, RickyJo added, "...we're in one of the cottages. Number four-o-one I think." The man's eyes widened. The small group in front of him did not look like the resort's usual oceanfront cottage guests. The cottages were quite expensive to rent. And he only ever saw foreigners or older wealthy guests check into them. The two women in front of him looked more like teenage girls. One of them was visibly pregnant. And the men with them looked like major rednecks. The younger of them had dirt crusted all over his boots and looked in serious need of a shower. RickyJo sighed as the clerk checked her ID twice and then scurried away from his post to fetch a manager. The manager was a middle aged man with a pointy little nose. He checked RickyJo's ID again. Then poked at the computer some more.

"Is there a problem?," RickyJo asked. She was ready to ask for the desk phone to call her Poppa. He was the one that made the reservation for her. So if there was some issue, she figured he could sort it out. Before she could ask, the manager must have finally found what he was looking for in the computer. Because suddenly his whole attitude changed.

"The reservation was under Augustus King, but the notes here say his granddaughter is the one checking in," the manager said, informing the desk clerk of his mistake. The manager headed around the counter and offered them a large phony smile. "Right this way, miss!," he exclaimed.

"It's about time," Jessica loudly complained. "I'm about to piss my dang pants." Merle took the opportunity to reach over and poke her in the ribs, making her yelp and clench her legs together. The front desk manager glanced back at them. But if he had any concerns about their behavior, he was smart enough not to voice them aloud. RickyJo followed the man through what looked like a full on maze. The cottage was quite a walk from the main hotel area. But the manager took them the entire way himself. After he opened the door, he handed RickyJo two sets of keys and told her he hoped she enjoyed her stay.

Jessica wasted no time darting inside in search of a bathroom. RickyJo grabbed Daryl by the hand and pulled him after her. The place had four bedrooms. But only one of them had an ocean view, a king sized bed, and its own patio.

"This one is our room," RickyJo declared, tossing her bag on the floor and flopping down on the freshly made bed. Daryl tossed his bag next to hers. He didn't fail to notice that RickyJo said this was not her room but our room. Which he assumed must mean himself and her. He swallowed hard. They never spent the night in the same bed before. For a while, that was because RickyJo wasn't eighteen yet. But her birthday was last November. Now it was July. And still nothing substantial had happened between them other than a lot of kissing and a little over the clothes fondling. But since her birthday, Daryl noticed the strange tension between them that was slowly building. He felt it the most when they were alone together. Like she was waiting with baited breath for him to finally make his move. And now he guessed she must have grown tired of waiting and decided to give him a little nudge in the right direction.

RickyJo held her arms up, gesturing for Daryl to join her on top of the bedspread. She still had her boots on and her feet were dangling down off the side of the bed. Her hair was spread out around her head like a golden halo and her shorts had rucked up so far that he could see the lace edge of her pink cotton panties peeking out. Daryl crossed the room and flopped himself down on the bed next to her. She grabbed for him, pulling him against her and hiking one long leg across his hips. Daryl wrapped his arm around her, holding her close and kissing her. She kissed him back eagerly, her lips parting to accept his probing tongue. He kissed her deeply, not being shy about coping a feel on her ass. When they finally came up for air, she leaned in close and spoke into his ear.

"I've still got somethin' else I'm gonna give you for yer birthday," she teased, her voice full of sexual innuendo. Daryl's mouth gaped open. He wasn't even sure how to respond. His brother, on the other hand, was more than willing to offer up his uninvited opinion on the subject.

"That's what I'm talkin' about," Merle hollered at RickyJo from the doorway of the bedroom. "It's about damn time ya got yer cherry popped!"

RickyJo flipped Merle off before she collapsed back onto the bed in a fit of laughter. Daryl rose from the bed and snapped the bedroom door shut. He was hoping to pick their makeout session back up where they left off, but RickyJo was already off the bed and exploring the rest of their room. Daryl headed out onto the patio and lit up a cigarette. RickyJo quickly got bored of poking through the empty drawer and joined him, taking a drag off his cigarette before handing it back. He wrapped his arm around her, pressing a kiss onto the round part of her cheek.

"Thanks fer all this," he told her. "It's the best birthday surprise I ever got." Really it was the only birthday surprise Daryl ever got. Unless he counted a surprise beating from his drunken father. Or the time Merle drug him to a strip club and paid one of the trashy women there to blow him in the bathroom stall. But the particulars didn't seem to matter to RickyJo. Her face lit up with joy at his compliment of her birthday surprising skills.

"Unlock yer faces," Merle hollered as he pounded on their bedroom door. "Jess wants ice cream and she's gettin' whiny!" Daryl laughed, flicking the butt of his smoke away as RickyJo pulled him eagerly towards the door. It seemed Jessica wasn't the only one that wanted ice cream.

The rest of the day went well. They got ice cream and walked on the beach. The steakhouse dinner wasn't until the next night. So they ate at a restaurant attached to the hotel. RickyJo proudly displayed the fake ID Merle procured her some time ago for the waitress. And then proceeded to slurp down a giant margarita like it was water. After a few beers, Daryl was finally able to relax and enjoy himself. He didn't even mind when RickyJo insisted on ordering him a piece of cake. Or when she and Jessica sang him a horribly off key version of happy birthday in the middle of the packed restaurant. It was his birthday. And he was here with his brother and his best girl. Who, in his opinion, really was the best ever, planning all this just to make him happy. Daryl decided he was going to stop stressing and just go with whatever the weekend had in store for him.

When they got back to the cottage, Jessica and Merle headed straight for bed. Jess said she was tired. But Daryl had a feeling they were about to test the theory on whether or not she could get any more pregnant than she already was. RickyJo had already disappeared in the direction of their room. Daryl rubbed his sweaty palms against his pants as he headed down the hall. He was terrified she might be on the bed waiting for him. It wasn't that he didn't want her. He did. Badly. But he was worried he might not be able to please her in the way that he thought she ought to be pleased. He was never anyone's first time before. And he was afraid he might hurt her or even worse, shoot his shit off before he even got inside her. The last time he had sex was before he met RickyJo. Which meant it was two years ago. Not that he was counting. But he felt like he could barely even remember what being with a woman was like. And he had certainly never been with one that he loved. Or even cared about.
"It's beautiful out," she said, leaning onto the patio railing. "...Wanna go for a swim?" Daryl was quick to agree. Anything that would put off his inevitable bedroom humiliation sounded like a good time to him.

They changed into their swimsuits and Daryl felt some of his nervous tension release once they splashed into the cold ocean water. They didn't go out far enough to actually swim. But it was still fun riding the smaller waves in and splashing at each other with the salty water. They walked back up to the cottage with their arms around each other. And by the time Daryl shut the bedroom door behind them, RickyJo was already kissing him. He lifted her up onto the bed, trying not to break their kiss as he shifted his body up next to hers. The only thing separating their bodies was the thin damp material of their swimsuits. And hers was the stringy kind that tied on and didn't leave much to the imagination. The moonlight was reflecting off the ocean and streaming in through the windows. Their skin was cold after their swim but quickly warmed as they touched and kissed each other.

RickyJo felt a heated pull between her legs. And the more Daryl kissed her, the more intense the feeling got. No matter how close he held her, it didn't feel close enough. She was nervous. But she trusted Daryl. And everything they were doing to each other felt so good. It wasn't until he rolled on top of her that the terrible images started flashing through her mind. Later, she would be hard pressed to explain exactly what happened. One moment, she was on the bed with Daryl. Then next, she was hiding next to a ratty sofa watching her mother get brutally raped. When the man was done with her mother, he grabbed her by the ankle and drug her from her hiding place. RickyJo thrashed and screamed, trying to free herself from his grip.

Daryl jumped off the bed, unsure of what he did wrong or or what he could do to help. One second, he and RickyJo were making out on the bed. The next thing he knew her body went completely stiff. And then she started flopping around like a fish out of water and screaming for him to let go of her.

"What the hell!," Jessica hollered as she pushed the bedroom door open. She expected to find her cousin being molested in some way. But Daryl wasn't even touching her. RickyJo was on the bed by herself, having a total freakout.

"Move!," Merle said, pushing past Jess and heading for the bed. "Go get the pills outta my bag," he ordered. Jessica rushed to comply, eager to do anything that might help. Daryl cringed when Merle leaned forward and grasped RickyJo by the arm. He gave her one sound slap across the face. Daryl didn't like it. But he had to admit, the slap seemed to jog her back to reality. Or at least she wasn't fighting someone that wasn't there anymore. "What happened?," Merle asked, directing his question to Daryl.

"I dunno," Daryl said. "...we were just kissing on the bed and she freaked out." He never thought he would be grateful that Merle kept drugs on him at all times. But when Jessica appeared with a large ziplock bag, Daryl was full of relief. Merle poked through the bag and pulled out a small football shaped pill. He forced it on RickyJo, making sure she swallowed it and then forcing some more water on her before he backed away.

"She was having some kinda panic attack," Merle said, trying to keep his voice low. "...and probably a bad flashback too." He had seen it a lot from the men he served on active duty with. The doctors said it was PTSD. Like having a name for the bullshit somehow made it better. He felt a lot of sympathy for RickyJo. Merle liked to razz her about being a spoiled brat. But really he had seen the scars on her neck and back. He knew she had been through some shit. Some truly terrible shit if she was still having flashbacks over a decade later. "What happened ta her," he asked, glancing at Jessica.

"She never says," Jessica told him, her face full of love and concern for her cousin. "I know what everyone knows. Poppa caught some guy touching her and killed him. She was about five at the time. It wasn't the first time the guy messed with her either. She had all sorts of burn marks. Some were fresh. But other ones were healed over from a while before. Gran told me the detective took one look at the pictures of her body and decided not to pursue charges against Poppa for killing that asshole."

"Stop talkin' about me like I'm not here," RickyJo grumbled from the bed. Jessica smiled, but her smile was small and sad. Merle wrapped his arm around her and led her back out of the room, closing the door behind them.

"Are ya alright?," Daryl asked, edging closer but afraid to get too close. RickyJo was huddled up against the mound of pillows on the bed, hugging her knees to her chest and shivering. "Yer cold," Daryl said, "ya want a blanket or somethin'?" RickyJo wiped at her eyes. She was still recovering from the aftershock of whatever happened to her. But as reality slowly set back in, she was starting to realize that she just completely ruined their special night with her bullshit. That's what was making her cry.

"Can you turn the tub on fer me?," she asked. Daryl nodded. He felt helpless and was just relieved to be able to do something to help her. He hurried into the bathroom and turned the water on, pulling up the drain plug on the giant whirlpool tub. He adjusted the water, making it as hot as he thought she could stand without getting burned. When he looked up, RickyJo was standing in the bathroom doorway, hugging her arms around herself and staring down at her feet. He stood up and held his hand out to her. She took it, letting him lead her towards the tub. RickyJo moved hesitantly, glancing up at him to make sure he wasn't going to object when she wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his chest. Daryl let out a big breath of air that he hadn't realized he was holding in.

"Will you get in the tub with me?," she asked, her red rimmed eyes still full of tears. Daryl was hesitant to get that close to her, scared that she might have another freak out like she had on the bed. But he still nodded and stepped over the edge of the tub, helping her in behind him.

She sat between his legs, leaning back on his chest. As the tub filled with hot water, the xanax Merle forced on her started working. She felt all the muscles in her body slowly relax until it felt like she was floating on a cloud.

"I'm sorry I ruined yer birthday," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Ya didn't ruin nothin'," Daryl assured her. "And ya don't need ta 'pologize fer shit that's not yer fault." RickyJo sighed, clearly still convinced that she not only ruined their night but that it was clearly her fault. She knew Daryl was older. He didn't need to waste his time with a kid like her. Especially one that didn't or couldn't put out. She was going away to college at the end of the summer. And then they wouldn't be able to see each other every day like they did now. RickyJo was worried Daryl might get tired of waiting on her and find someone his own age. She hoped if she slept with him before she left, he might be more willing to wait. Now she had even managed to fuck that up.

"You should find someone else," RickyJo said, fresh tears spilling down over her cheeks and dripping into the bathwater, "...someone that's not all fucked up."

"I don't want someone else," Daryl said. He sounded so sure of himself, RickyJo almost believed it. "I want you. I don't care about the sex shit. I'll wait until yer ready. As long as it takes."