Chapter 28

Merle Dixon pushed off from the porch he'd been leaning against and made his way across to the forum. He'd been watching. Waiting. He'd listened to all these assholes beg for mercy for Pete, because he was a doctor. A surgeon. Big fucking deal. They acted like he was God's gift, because his mommy and daddy paid big money to send him to medical school. Any other world, any other parents, Merle figured, that could have been him.

Daryl noticed Merle coming into the group, sticking to the back at first before moving into Daryl's row of chairs. Then he was sitting right next to him. Daryl glanced at him, and Merle said nothing. Didn't even look at him.

"It's not how it looks," Pete spoke, unable to look at his wife or his oldest son. "I lost my temper last night. I admit that. But it's not something that happens all the time. I get angry. I took it out on her."

"Daddy, stop! Stop it!" Daryl cried, flinging his tiny self at his father as his mother lay crying on the floor. "Leave her alone!"

"Get off me, you little shit!" He pushed back on Daryl, sending him into the wall.

"She's my wife. Mother of my kids. I love her, and I'm so sorry I hurt her." He looked up at Jessie, who stared at him, her eyes full of tears, but not tears of forgiveness. She was holding her eldest son's hand. The teen's head was bowed, and he was shaking.

"You're a liar." Jessie's voice was low. Even.

"Get up! Daryl, get up!" Merle was just thirteen, but Daryl was a stock four-year-old, and it was all he could do to pull his brother up from the floor. Their mama was screaming now, as their daddy got up and started advancing toward them.

"Leave him alone! Leave my baby alone!" she sobbed as blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. He'd knocked out another molar.

"You shut the hell up, bitch!" their daddy seethed, turning to smack her again. She cowered, whimpering against the back of the sofa. Daryl cried, rubbing his eyes as he stared up at his father looming over him like a tree. "You're gonna learn to mind your daddy. You ever jump on me like that again, I'll knock you fuckin' head off, you hear me?!"

She didn't have to say anymore. The bruises all but showed the evidence of the past few weeks of abuse. She'd worn a short sleeve shirt on purpose. Bruises littered her skin, and some of the women couldn't even look at her. Some of the men held their wives a little closer.

"Honey, you know I love you. You and the kids. I'll do better. I swear it."

"Only way you're gonna do better for 'em is by leavin'. Or dyin'." All heads turned toward the last person they expected to hear speak. Merle Dixon.

"Daddy, no!" Daryl cried out, as he made a swipe for him. Before he could touch him, Merle lunged at his father, knocking him in the gut, sending him stumbling back a few steps. He gasped for breath, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water as Merle helped Daryl to his feet. For a brief moment, Daryl saw the devil in his daddy's eyes as he glowered at Merle. And then he was being led by his hand through the house and out the back door.

"S'alright, little brother," Merle promised, kneeling down in front of Daryl, wiping his face with a handkerchief. "You gotta stop that cryin', 'cause it's just gonna make Daddy madder than a hornet. "You stop that, now. Don't you cry. Where you hurt?" Daryl pointed to his elbow, and Merle lifted his brother's arm. "Ain't too bad. Just a scrape. C'mon. Let's take you to Mrs. Miller next door. She's got the best cookies 'round. She'll get you patched up. We'll stay 'til Daddy passes out."

"What about…Mama?" Daryl sniffled, swallowing hard and blinking through his tears. Merle looked down.

"She'll be alright in the mornin'. She always is, 'member?" Daryl sniffled again. "Hey now. What'd I say 'bout cryin'?" Daryl nodded and blinked back the last of his tears. "C'mon, kid." He took his baby brother's hand and led him across the yard to Mrs. Miller's front porch. A safe haven from this shit storm of a night.

"You have something else to say, Merle?" Michonne asked, a curiosity peaking in her voice.

"Yeah. I do. This sumbitch goes to work, holds a job, helps people. But he can't deal with all the shit out of his control, so he loses a patient, has to put 'em down. The whole group looks to him for answers. He gets angry. He goes home, does the only thing he can do. Don't have a dog, so he takes it out on his wife. Next, that won't be enough. He'll take it out on his kids. He'll make 'em think they ain't worth shit, and they'll grow up thinkin' it. They'll have each other for a while, but even then, it ain't enough. Life goes on, ain't that what they say?" Daryl smirked. "Then one day them kids'll wish they'd put a bullet between his eyes when they had a chance, 'cause if they had, maybe their lives wouldn't have added up to one big pile of shit after another. Maybe they woulda made somethin' of themselves if they didn't have that voice in their head all the time tellin' 'em they'd never be nothin'. They'd never have nothin'. 'Cause they're nothin'." His gaze turned on Pete. "Fuck you and your excuses. You ain't a man. You're just a coward tryin' to call the shots. Tryin' to be a man. You know what you are to your kids? You're one'a them." He pointed toward the gates. "You're a fuckin' monster, and monsters ain't got no place in this world." He turned and walked away, leaving the forum in a stunned silence.

Daryl sat there for a moment, eyes on Pete who looked like he wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Finally, he stood, turned and walked away.

Merle was halfway home when Daryl caught up to him.

"Hey," Daryl murmured, chewing his lower lip when Merle stopped and turned to face his brother. The dim light from a nearby porch showed the anxiety in Daryl's face, and Merle cleared his throat.

"A'right, don't make a big scene," Merle muttered.

"Just wanted to say thanks," Daryl said quietly. "You know. What you did back there for Jessie."

"Ain't do for her."

"I know. Just…thanks, though." Merle gave him a little nod.

"See you 'round, little brother." And then he walked away. Daryl turned slowly and headed back toward home.

She was in bed by the time he got home, curled up under the sheets with a book propped against her growing belly. Her gaze drifted toward him when he walked into the bedroom. She gave him an anxious little smile.

"How'd it go?"

"Didn't stick around for the verdict," he murmured, kicking his boots off and stripping down to nothing before moving toward the bed. She pulled back the sheets, and he climbed in, taking her book from her and putting it on the nightstand. She curled up against him, pulling the sheets over them both, and she sighed softly.

"It'll be alright, won't it?" she asked softly.

"'Course it will," he murmured. "Whatever they decide, we'll go from there." He put his hand over her stomach, caressing her softly there. They lay there quietly together, before Daryl jumped a little. A smile spread over Carol's lips, and they looked at each other. "Was that?"

"You felt that?"

"Was that you?"

"No," she giggled. "That's Sophia. She's saying 'hello.'"

"Wow," he murmured, moving his hand just slightly, hoping he'd feel that little bump again. They waited, and Carol grinned when she realized he was holding his breath.

"She's not too active yet. I wouldn't hold your breath," she pointed out.

"Nah, she'll move. C'mon, Soph. You gonna prove your mama wrong?" And there it was again. "Ha, see?!"

"Oh God," Carol giggled. "You're both ganging up on me. Not right, Sophia Dixon. Not right at all." She put her hand on her belly, and that was when she realized that Daryl was staring at her. "What?"

"You called her Sophia Dixon." Carol blinked a couple of times, realizing the power of what she'd said.

"Oh, I guess I did," she said quietly. "But that's who she is, right?" She watched the pride flicker over his face, and she got her answer when he eased her back against the mattress and kissed her softly.

"Yep. That's exactly who she is."

Several months later

Carol's eyes fluttered open, and she shivered, pulling the covers up to her shoulders. She yawned, blinking into the dim light of the bedroom and turning to see that Daryl's side of the bed was empty. She furrowed her brows and turned to check the clock. Three in the morning. Ah. She smiled a little and reached for the baby monitor, one of the best things the supply run crew had brought back recently. It was turned off.

She flicked the switch on and heard the soft coos of their baby daughter and Daryl's soft voice whispering to her, and she placed her hand over her heart.

Slipping out of bed, Carol pulled on her robe and padded down the hall to the room that Daryl had painted all by himself in pink and purple. Just standing in that room could make a person forget the grim world that waited outside the gates of Alexandria.

She peeked through the crack in the door as a soft, yellow light glowed in the corner by the crib. Daryl was sitting in the rocker with Sophia in his arms, and his eyes were fixed on her. Carol bit her lip as the tears welled in her eyes, and she sighed softly.

Daryl had been completely enamored with their daughter. The moment she was born, he was all about her, helping out with feedings and changings and bathings. He wanted to be there. He wanted to be there for it all, and Carol had never been so happy. He was her partner in every sense of the word.

"What do you think? Hmm, Princess Soph? You gonna go to sleep for Daddy? He's got a long day sittin' on that wall tomorrow." Sophia blinked up at him, a little grin pulling at her mouth. "That a smile? You gonna smile for me? C'mon. You gotta. That way I can tell yer mama I got the first smile." Sophia's face scrunched, and she promptly sneezed right in Daryl's face. Without missing a beat, he wiped her little nose. "Bless you."

Carol stifled a giggle as she watched Daryl make funny faces at Sophia to calm her. Sophia hated sneezing. She could be the happiest, most content baby ever, but one little sneeze, one little hiccup, one little gas bubble, and she was not a happy camper.

When Sophia had settled, forgetting about the horrors of that sneeze, Daryl pressed his lips against her forehead, and Carol finally made her presence known.

"The monitor was off," she said softly. He looked up quickly.

"Yeah, she was kinda loud. Didn't wanna wake ya."

"You could have woken me," Carol said with a little smile. "I don't mind." She moved in and knelt down next to the rocker. "I don't mind one bit. How's my girl?"

"She's perfect like her mama," Daryl pointed out.

"Oh, stop," Carol snorted.

"Don't say what I don't mean," he shrugged. "That right, Soph?" Sophia yawned, and Carol laughed. She stood and reached down to take Sophia from her daddy.

"C'mere, sweetheart." She kissed Sophia's nose and carried her over to the crib. "You go to sleep now. Mama and Daddy are really tired, ok?" Sophia looked up at her mother and kicked her little legs. "Now, now, you settle down." Sophia grunted, and Carol pulled the blanket up to her baby's belly. "That's my girl. You sleep now." Carol glanced at Daryl. "I'm starting to think Merle gives her sugar water when he feeds her." Daryl chuckled at that.

"Wouldn't be surprised. She's got him wrapped 'round her little finger. I caught him singin' to her last week. Ain't never gonna let him live that down."

"What was he singing?" Carol asked, moving to turn the nursery light off. "Please, God, let it be Mary Had a Little Lamb." Carol winced.

"Nah, I think it was Pour Some Sugar on Me."

"Oh God," Carol groaned. "He's going to warp our precious baby girl." She looked toward the ceiling and shook her head.

"C'mon now, every kid should have that one uncle they can remember when they're older and say 'damn, my uncle was awesome.' I'm glad Soph has that."

"Me too, I think," Carol said with a little grin. Daryl took her hand and led her from the room, taking her back to their own bedroom. "Oh! Lori got the news today! She's about six weeks."

"Jesus, Judith ain't even walkin' yet."

"Well, I guess they're having their second honeymoon," Carol said with a grin. "C'mon, it's a good thing. She's terrified, but Jacqui and Hershel are confident they can get her through it. And with the new group coming in with Aaron next week, he's hopeful for another doctor." Since Pete's exile out of Alexandria, Hershel and Jacqui had taken over the medical duties. Thankfully, there had been no serious illnesses or injuries, but they had gotten Carol through her pretty dramatic delivery of Sophia, and she had assured Lori that everything would be ok. She just hoped she was right and that they would have an actual physician soon.

"Speakin' of, you wanna have another one?" Daryl asked, raising his eyebrow. Carol snorted.

"I just had one. No way am I putting myself through that again anytime soon."

"Just sayin', we can if ya want. I'm all for it."

"Really?" she asked.

"'Course. Would be nice for Soph to have a brother."

"Oh, the next one's a boy, huh?"

"Yep."

"I suppose you have his name all picked out, too?"

"Nah. You're good at the name thing. I'll just spoil 'im."

"Oh you're impossible."

"C'mere. I'll show ya how impossible I can be." He pressed her down against the mattress, covering her neck with kisses as she bit back squeals of laughter. "So, whaddya say? Someday?" Her laughter faded, but her smile remained, and she reached up to stroke his face.

"Someday," she said with a nod. "Here? This place? We can have everything we never thought we could." Daryl traced his thumb along her lips and nodded. She spoke the truth. But the thing was, he had everything he ever wanted. He had Carol. He had his little girl. He had a life that his daddy had told him he'd never have. He was happy, and damn it, he was going to enjoy every minute he had with them, because in this place, he could.

The End

Author's Note: I want to thank each and every one of you who has read and left feedback for me. You guys are awesome! Thank you so much for your support and encouragement!