Back: A Bethyl Survival Story

Where We End Up

Where We End Up

"Daryl.... please. Please wake up."

My eyes flutter awake and I can't see at first, but feel soft gentle hands on my face. I hear sorrow in the delicate voice calling to me and my chest has a slight pressure on it. When sight comes back to me, Beth, is kneeling beside me, holding onto my face taut and head in my chest.

"Beth..." I weekly get out from my parched mouth.

"Daryl! Oh thank you God! Yer alive!" She kisses my face and hugs my neck.

"Am I?"

"Yes! We've all been so worried." As I look up, I can see Sarg sitting my the stairs and Judith on my chest.

"How long have I been out?"

"About a week. Yer fever dropped, but it put you in a small coma. You survived the bite!" She kisses me again and I can't believe what she's saying. She unties my bonds and I scootch to have my back against the cement block wall and Judith siting on my lap. Let's get you outta this cold basement and upstairs for food... and a bath."

She holds her nose and smiles.

"I stink that bad?"

"Only cause you kinda used the bathroom on yerself while you were out... but what else could you have done?" We both laugh and head upstairs, I take a quick shower and change into new clothes while Carol and Beth prepare food. Walking down stairs, Bentley rushes up to me and gives me a big hug.

"Glad yer okay Dad!"

"You know you don't have to pretend I'm yer dad any more... right?" I saw with a hand on his nippy blonde hair.

"I know. But you are like my dad and I love you." He hugs me again and them runs off with Sarg to the dining room.

"Nice to see ya up." Ty calls from the couch.

"Good to be up. Thanks for taking care of me." I shake is hand and he just smiles.

"No problem brother. What family does." He smiles and goes back to reading. I pick up Judith from the floor and carry her into the kitchen, where Beth and Carol are huddled discussing something. When I clear my throat, yet both look up and Carol smiles, while Beth kinda frowns then gives a small smile.

"Good to see yer alive, Dixon." Carol comes over and hugs me as Beth peels potatoes.

"Good to see the house is still in one peace." I sit on the stool at the island and look at Beth. She seems a little different, but I can't put my finger on it. When I smile at her, she forlornly looks up and smiles small, them looks back at the potatoes. Carol plops the elbow noodles into the pot and then leaves, taking Judith to change her diaper. "You okay?"

"Oh... yeah. I'm fine." She keeps cutting, but it's obvious she's somewhere else.

"You sure, cause the night the walkers came in, you were shaking and now, you seem upset or something." I glance at her wrist, which are clean, except for the first and last scar she's ever had from cutting her wrist. I'm glad she didn't go extreme when I was out. She looks up at me an ten back to cutting potatoes.

"Yeah I'm fine... ow!" Slicing her finger open, I stand up quickly and grab her wrist, takin her over to the kitchen sink and turning on luke warm water. We run the blood off her finger for a few minutes and soon she's looking at me. But then looking turns into holding. An holding turns into crying. I shit the water off and just hold her right there in the kitchen. "We almost lost you. You almost didn't come back."

She cries and cries, like a waterfall in the summer the tears keep falling without any interference. I hold her tight and kiss her head.

"I don't know how I'd do this without you. I don't think I could...."

"Do what? Yer okay. You have Tyreese, and Carol, and Bentley, Judy. You'd be okay. But I'm here and everything's fine."

"I couldn't do this.... I don't know how we're gonna do it, but if I lost you... I couldn't do it. I couldn't..."

"Beth... what are you talking about?" I hold her at arms length so I can see her face. She wipes her eyes and looks up at me ready to tell me what's bothering her.

WHAM!