Wife Swap

Chapter 11

Daryl stood there, staring down at Beth in shock. He couldn't believe she had said what she did and he sure couldn't believe she was calm about everything.

She recognized that he was shocked by her words and maybe they had stung a little but she had spent too long tiptoeing around him and his fears and issues. She wanted a child but had been willing to give that up for him but who was she kidding, it wasn't her choice. It was his.

If he wanted her and the baby, she wouldn't be happier than she had ever been but if he didn't, if he didn't want either of them, she knew she would be fine. A little heartbroken and upset, sure. But she would be fine.

She stepped back and watched him watching her. For as quiet as he usually was, this quietness was too quiet and she could feel herself on the verge of tears. Not for just Daryl or herself but for their whole situation.

Finally, Beth took a deep breath and said, "Don't stand there and look at me like that when you've done a hell of a lot worse to me. You don't get to play the victim, Daryl. Neither of us can but certainly not you. You don't get to stand there and act like you're hurt because I didn't include you in what I have chosen to do."

"That kid is mine jus' as much mine as it is yers!" He shouted and stepped closer.

"Maybe so but just because you helped make it, doesn't make you a father and I'm not tryin' to force that on you. I was tryin' to find a way to...," she stopped and shook her head. "You know what, Daryl? I don't even know what I was tryin' to do. This is your chance to get out though. As much as I do want you and I love you, I'm not goin' to choose between you and our baby."

"We can get help, Beth."

"Get help? Do you really think bringin' someone else into this will help us? We've already tried that and it doesn't work. And even if it did, where would that leave us? You would only end up hating me or either you would want out and you would end up leavin' us. I'm not goin' to put my baby through that."

She walked past him and made her way to Shawn's room to get the things she had left but she didn't expect him to follow her.

He shut the door behind him and waited for her to turn around.

Rick sat down on the couch and leaned his head against the back of it as he tried to think about anything other than work.

"You should go to bed," Lori suggested from the doorway of the kitchen.

"I'll be fine," he mumbled.

"No you won't. You've been goin' nonstop, Rick. You need to rest. Your neck and back will just end up hurting in the mornin' if you fall asleep on that couch."

He closed his eyes but nodded and said, "I know. I'll go to bed in a few minutes. I'm goin' to watch the news first."

"Alright," Lori nodded. "But don't make me have to get up tonight to get you to come to bed."

He stayed there and listened to Lori moving around in the kitchen before heading to bed.

Once the lights were all out and the house seemed to grow quieter, he rubbed his hands over his face then sat up and took his notepad out of his pocket to look over his notes from the day.

"They've been gone a while," Glenn muttered as Maggie paced the hallway.

"I know," she said. "But maybe it's a good thing, maybe they will actually talk things out for once. Lord knows they need to before they end up killin' each other or themselves."

"What if they don't? Do you think Beth will file for a divorce?"

Maggie turned and looked at him. "No. I don't think she will file for a divorce and I don't think he will either. Even with all of their fightin', they still love each other too much to do that. If neither of them files, I at least hope they both change their minds about the baby."

When she turned around to face him, he was leaning against the door staring down at the floor.

"I jus' want another chance, Beth. That's all I'm askin' for."

"I've given you more chances than anyone else would have. What's goin' to make this time any different from the others?"

"I don't want ta lose ya."

"You've said that before," she said as she turned away to start gathering Shawn's things.

Without thinking, he pushed away from the door and grabbed her arm, spinning her back around to face him.

"Please, Beth. Jus' give me one more chance," he pleaded. "I know what I'm losin' this time an' I don't want ta lose it. I don't want ta lose you or that baby. I promise I won't let ya down."

Though she believed him and saw the tears and hurt in his eyes, she said, "I'll think about it, Daryl. But you can't push me. You have to let me decide on my own."

He quickly nodded and though he wanted to reach out and hug her, he kept his arms at his side.

Two Days Later….

Daryl sat in the waiting room, staring at the floor and thinking about Beth. He was worried about Shawn and whether or not this transfusion would work, just like they all were, but he couldn't help but think about her. She had said she would think about giving him another chance but he didn't dare ask if she had. He knew she probably hadn't given it a second thought after they got back to the hospital and he couldn't blame her for that. He wouldn't have thought anymore about it if he was in her shoes but that didn't keep him from worrying she had decided not to give him another chance.

And whether she knew it or not, this waiting and not knowing was killing him. He really wanted to try to make this work, to right all of his wrongs, but the choice was hers.

He looked up from the floor when he heard Maggie's and Beth's voices getting closer.

Beth let out a deep sigh as she sat down in the chair next to him and Maggie began pacing.

"How is he?" Daryl asked quietly.

Beth shook her head. "It's hard to say for sure but I believe he'll be fine."

She was silent for a moment before she spoke again.

"When you said you wanted to try to work things out, did you really mean it?"

"Yeah," he nodded.

"Well, I've been thinkin' and I'm not sure how to work it out. If we try, there has to be some really big changes and not just with you, we both have to change everythin' we've been doin'. That's the only way this will ever work."

"What'd ya want me ta do?"

"It's not about what I want, Daryl, but I do want you to get some kind of help."

He nodded but didn't say anything so she leaned in closer to him.

"I'm willin' to try, Daryl, but before we decide on anythin', we need to sit down and have a talk about what this means. I mean really talk. We need to lay everythin' out in the open and figure out where we went wrong. We have to do things differently this time."

He nodded again and quietly said, "I know."

"Mr. Dixon, what a pleasant surprise," Dr. Linson said when she saw Daryl in the waiting room. "What can I help you with today?"

He looked around nervously. "Can….can we talk in yer office?"

"Yes, of course."

He followed her back to her office all the while trying to sort through everything he wanted to talk about.

"Have a seat and tell me why you're here," she said as she closed the door.

"I…uh…I talked ta Beth an' asked 'er if we could try ta work things out."

"And what did she say?"

"She said she'd think 'bout it an' she told me today she was willin' ta try if we both made some changes."

"That's wonderful news, Daryl, but I'm sensing you have your doubts about it. Do you want to tell me about those? What are you worried about?"

"What if we change too much an' she still don't want ta be with me? What if I don't change enough?"

"Have you discussed any specific changes?"

"Not yet but she said she wanted me ta get help."

"So you haven't told her that you are getting help. Do you think that's fair to her or yourself?"

"Naw, jus' ain't had a chance ta tell 'er."

"Well, I can tell you now that if you don't tell her, you may never get the chance to tell her. And since you haven't told her about that, I'm assuming you also haven't told her about wanting to continue with my program."

He shook his head.

She leaned forward in her seat and stared at him for moment and then said, "How about we make a deal."

"What kind a deal?"

"Well, I know you have trouble telling Beth what's on your mind or what's going on so I'll tell her myself but only if you can get her to come in with you and she can see for herself that you are trying. Does that sound fair?"

"Uh…yeah. I guess."

"What have I told you about guessing, Daryl? You can't guess at life and you certainly cannot guess when it comes to your marriage. You know I'm not going to force this subject, it's up to you whether or not you want to step up and ask her to come in to save your marriage, I'm just giving you an option. You just think about that a minute while I see what appointments I have available."

"I see you're takin' Mama's advice," Maggie said as she sat down beside Beth.

She shrugged. "I don't even know why I'm doin' it but Mama always knows best."

"She does and I agree with her. Making a list of everythin' you love about Daryl and list of everythin' you don't like about him will show you that your love outweighs everythin' else."

Beth snorted. "And what if it doesn't? What if it shows me we just can't work it out?"

Maggie rolled her eyes. "You have to quit bein' so negative and see the good in things. Think about it, Bethie. Daryl found out that you are in fact pregnant and now y'all are goin' to try to work out your problems and it's all for the better. That baby deserves to know his parents love him and they love each other."

"Maggie, I'm not keepin' the baby."

"What the hell are you talkin' about?"

"Even if Daryl and I can save our marriage, we're not goin' to keep the baby. I'm still givin' him or her up."

"Have you told Daryl about this?"

"No, I haven't yet but I know he'll understand. This isn't the right time for us."

"Oh sweetie," Maggie said as she tucked a strand of hair behind Beth's ear. "There will never be a right time if you think that way. And who says it's for you to decide when the right time to have a baby is? If it's meant to be, it will happen and obviously this little one was meant to be."

"I wish I believed that but I don't. Not anymore."

Rick sat back in his chair and shook his head while he stared at the forensics report from the explosion.

He wasn't sure what he would do with this information but no matter what, it wasn't going to end well.

He tossed the report onto his desk and rubbed his hands over his face.

Something had to be done, he knew that, so he pulled out his cell phone.

After two rings, they answered.

"I need you to meet me at my house in an hour," he said and quickly ended the call.

A/N: Don't hate me. We all know I love cliffhangers but this one was unintentional. I had a lot more for this chapter but the app I use decided not to save it all. I have a rough draft of it on my computer at work so Monday I'll edit it and use the other part of this chapter for the next one. I hope y'all understand and as always, please review.

Also, is it too soon to post a Bethyl Halloween one-shot?

-A