We Belong Together

Chapter 7

It had been a month after the miscarriage and Beth was falling back into a normal routine. Zach had been with her until he had to leave for Tennessee and then Maggie had stopped by every now and then to check on her and make sure that Beth was ok. Beth seemed to be adjusting well to Zach being gone and she enjoyed her sister's company. Even though Maggie was still pregnant and Beth had lost her baby, she was still excited for Maggie and for becoming an aunt. Maggie would be cautious around Beth with talking about the baby. She didn't know if it would upset Beth so soon after her miscarriage. Beth acknowledged that it did bother her in the beginning and she was a little depressed about it but she maintained a positive attitude about the ordeal. As soon as Maggie saw that the subject wouldn't upset her sister, she began talking about the baby again and the girls discussed themes for the nursery, items that were needed for the baby and how Maggie was feeling now that she was beginning her 2nd trimester. It was in the middle of one such conversation that Maggie asked the inevitable question. "Have you seen Daryl since he took you to the hospital?" Beth stopped in her tracks. Daryl took her to the hospital? "What, he took me to the hospital?" Beth asked her sister. "Yeah, said he saw you in the parking lot and that you fainted. He caught you and put you in his truck and rushed you to the hospital. He was there for hours after they brought you in. He waited to hear if you were going to be ok". Beth was speechless. Daryl WAS there. She knew it. She had heard his voice when she was out of it in the hospital. "He acted very concerned about you, wanted to know how you've been. He also didn't know you were pregnant. It was a little bit of a shock to him I think", Maggie said. Beth couldn't believe what she was hearing. Daryl had taken her to the hospital and hung around to make sure she was ok. Could it be that he still cared about her? "Did he say anything else?", Beth asked, trying to remain calm and not let Maggie know that she was really interested in what he said. "Bethy, you know that man still loves you. Everyone knows it. Even Zach. They ran into each other at the hospital. Thought we would have to separate them.", Maggie continued, "Dad even told him that he wished things were different." "I knew that Daryl wasn't too keen on our relationship but I never thought it was that volatile between him and Zach", Beth said. Maggie looked at her sister, "Zach still sees Daryl as a threat. Always has. Not surprising since his wife is still holding onto him". Beth's head snapped up and met her sister's gaze. "Maggie, I tried to forget him, I tried. I can't help it. I'll always love Daryl but I know I'm married to Zach and that is all that matters." Beth said to Maggie but Maggie was unconvinced. "Ok, if you say so, but I've known you all your life, Bethy and I can tell that you still pine for him. Hell, if he came up to the porch right now you'd probably go off with him. That's why Zach gets so upset. He knows you're physically here with him but not mentally " Beth looked down at the dishes in the sink that she was trying to wash. Her sister was right. She had to find closure before she could move on with her life. It wasn't fair to her or Zach that she was stuck in an emotional limbo with a memory. She was determined to find Daryl and talk to him. Several days later, Beth entered Tyrese's garage. "Can I help you, miss?" a guy in dark blue overalls asked. "Yeah, I'm looking for Daryl, is he here?" she asked. "Yeah, over there", and he pointed to the back area of the garage where an old blue ford pickup was parked. Beth made her way over to the vehicle and called out to him. "Daryl", she said. Daryl's head popped up from the other side of the truck, his face void of emotion but she could see a spark in his eyes when he saw that it was her. "What cha want?", he asked. "I need to talk to you. I wanted to thank you for taking me to the hospital. Maggie said you were the one that brought me there." Daryl paused for a moment and then went right back to playing with some wires underneath the steering column. "S'alright. I would've done that for anyone. No need to thank me". She could tell that he felt awkward, especially with her so close. "Daryl, there's something that I want to ask you", Beth said. "Beth," Daryl sighed, "it doesn't matter. You made your choice. You're still with him." "Really, that's how it's going to be. Damn you are a stubborn son of a bitch. Daryl, I know you still have feelings for me. " Beth responded back to him testily. Daryl threw his towel down on the ground and came around the front, getting right in her face. "What do you want from me, girl, huh? You're married. Doesn't matter what you want to ask me. We got nothing to talk about", he said angrily. "That's not true, Daryl, everyone keeps telling me that you still love me. That you regret not being with me. We got to talk about this. I just want closure." Beth met his angry gaze. She was nervous as hell with coming here but she held her ground. She had to find closure somehow. Even if it meant standing up to him and him being angry with her. Daryl let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine, what do you want me to do, Beth?" Beth answsered, "Why don't you meet me at Joe's bar tonight when you're done here. We can talk then". "What's your old man going to say about that?" "He ain't going to show up is he?" , Daryl asked her. "No, he won't. Just meet me there, please. All I want to do is talk to you." Daryl nodded. "I'll see you then", Beth said and she turned and walked off. Daryl went back to working on Tyrese's old car. He wasn't sure how to take that entire conversation. What the hell did she want to say to him and why the did he agree to meeting her? He had been really good at keeping his distance from her, even though he was dying inside to just catch a glimpse of her. How as he going to handle himself tonight with her right there? This couldn't end well he thought.