A Hard Man To Love

Surprise

It had been about six weeks since your honeymoon in what was now the official Dixon family cabin. Merle had taken Daryl up there the weekend after you got back to scout the entire property and check for any issues they would need to be aware of. They made a few repairs, put up a few deer stands, and started to get to know the neighbors that weekend. A few weeks after that Carol had her mother take Sophia and Lizzie and she and Daryl made a weekend trip up there. You and Merle were planning another trip over the weekend but you weren't sure if that was actually going to happen.

Sitting in the bathroom stall at work, you stared at the little stick with the plus sign on it. Pregnant. Merle was going to shit a brick and probably lay one too. Dropping your forehead into your palm you felt tears starting to form in the corners of your eyes. It wasn't that you weren't happy you were pregnant, in fact you were ecstatic. You'd wanted to be a mother for so long and Merle was the only man you could ever imagine having children with.

When Merle got sober and you stopped using condoms you hadn't even considered this possibility since you'd been on the pill for years. He'd make a wonderful father if he didn't completely freak out at the thought. Andrea's little deceit in claiming Merle was her baby's father never even fazed him because he knew it wasn't remotely possible. Merle loved children and he was absolutely wonderful with his nieces. Though you weren't sure how he was going to react to a child that was actually his. It was your sincere hope he'd be happy at the prospect of being a father but considering his own childhood you just weren't sure.

While you sat there staring at the stick in your hand you had the urge to call Carol and talk to her about how Daryl took the news of her pregnancy with Lizzie. You couldn't though. Merle needed to be the first to find out about this before any one else. Fortunately, the test you used had a cap for the end you peed on so you stuck it in your purse to show Merle later. Once you figured out how to tell him that was.

Standing up you turned and flushed the toilet after putting the strap of your purse over your shoulder. Your eyes focused on the lines of the floor tiles as you walked to the sink to wash your hands then brushed the tears from your eyes. Somehow you made it through the rest of your shift without tears or worry and headed home with a mostly clear head. Merle was in the kitchen reading some papers when you got home. His blue eyes were tight, the tendons in his neck were standing out, and it looked like his jaw was clenched as well.

"Merle?" You walked to the island and set your keys and work bag down.

Merle pursed his lips and handed the papers across the island to you. You watched him walk to the refrigerator and retrieve a bowl which he sat down in between you and braced his hands on the counter. "Go on Angel. Read it."

His voice was decidedly angry but eerily calm as well, which worried you.

When you looked down at the papers you realized they were a paternity order outlining that Merle had been deemed the father of Andrea's baby and awarding her child support. You narrowed your eyes at the papers and read them again. They didn't make any sense at all.

The two of you looked at each other across the island and you held the papers up with a shake of your head. "This doesn't make any sense."

"No kiddin', I didn't take a paternity test Angel. Andrea never showed up with her baby."

"How the hell can the judge order paternity when it's never even been determined?" You were completely baffled. Merle had denied paternity and the court should have ordered testing. That was the way it was supposed to work before the father's name was put on a birth certificate or child support was ordered. When you looked back up at Merle he was chewing on his lip and looked haggard.