Not Desperate

Chapter Thirteen

The Talk

Damn! It almost physically hurt to walk away from her. He was hard and struggled to walk to his truck without giving it away. When he got in, he slammed the door in frustration. He sat there for a couple of minutes watching as she turned off all the lights and headed to her bedroom. He wondered what it looked like, if it was girly or not. When his phone rang, he jumped out of his seat. He didn’t recognize the number, but answered it anyway. And he regretted it.
“Hey baby brother! Where you at? Called home and you weren’t there.”
“Had to go to the garage after work. Why the hell you calling me?”
“I’m in a bit of a bind. Need ya to come bail my ass out.”
“What the fuck you do Merle?”
“Nothing big. They calling it assault, but the guy walked away on both legs, so I’m just calling it a misunderstanding. Your buddy Rick brought me in. Want me to tell him his boyfriend says ‘Hi’?
“Fuck you Merle. I’ll be there as soon as I can. Don’t do nothing until I get there. Just sit still and keep your pie hole shut.”
Rick met me outside when I got to the station. “Shane had a field day with this. He’s ready to send him off to West Georgia Correctional. Almost beat the shit out of each other before we got Merle handcuffed and in the car.”
“Great,” Daryl sighed. “What the hell did he do?”
“Beat the piss out of some poor Asian kid. Merle was drunk or high or both. Kid’s in college and delivers pizzas. Apparently, Merle’s order was wrong.”
“So what’s gonna happen to him?”
“He’s being released on bail and is scheduled for court next week. Assault charges, just gotta get the kid to come in and make a statement, if he’s willing. Len and Joe got in some good hits too. They’re back there with Merle, sharing a cell. Be careful going back there. Anyone comes to claim those guys is gonna hafta deal with Shane, he’s still on a rampage.”
“I can deal with Shane, don’t worry. I hear you met Yvonne today.”
“Yep. You’re right Daryl. She is a beautiful woman. You’re very lucky.”
“I think I am too.”
Rick walked him into the station and to the desk where he would pay Merle’s bail. As he waited for him to be released, he began to worry. He’d half to tell Merle about Yvonne if he was going to agree to go to Carol’s. When Shane escorted Merle through the doors, both their mouths were flapping at each other, trying to outdo the other in volume. Shane handed Merle over to Rick to finish the process and walked up to Daryl slowly.
“So you’re the famous Daryl Dixon. Heard your name too many times today. You better keep an eye on your brother. Something bad could happen to him if he’s not careful. Oh, and I met another one of your friends today. Best keep an eye on her too. Smart girl like her won’t be around your druggie ass long. Better man’ll come find her.” He didn’t give Daryl a chance to respond, just winked at him and walked away.
Daryl almost punched him in the fucking face. He couldn’t because he was in the fucking police station. He just grabbed his brother and left. As he passed Rick, he said, “I’ll kill his ass if he even looks at her.” Once in the truck, Merle starts talking, asking what took him so long to get there if he was at the garage.
“Wasn’t at the garage when you called, dipshit. I had to drive from Woodbury.”
“How come you there? Making a deal?”
“Fuck no Merle! Goddamn you know I don’t do that shit!” he paused and thought. “There’s something I need to ask you though and after tonight, you can’t say no.”
“I’d never say no to you baby brother. You save my ass every time. I owe you,” Merle said quietly.
“I’m going to Carol’s for dinner Wednesday night, need you to come with.”
“Aw hell no! You ain’t getting’ me to go over there. She’s crazy!”
“She ain’t crazy! She’s been through a lot of shit, you know that. She’s a good woman who gave your ass a chance till you fucked up.”
“I know I did. She ain’t never gonna forgive me neither. That ship has sailed baby brother.”
“Probably has, but I’m not asking for you. I need you to be there for me.” Daryl paused and carefully contemplated his next words. “Merle, I met somebody and Carol’s gonna help me. She’s gonna help me not fuck this up. She wants to meet her and her son and you’re gonna be there for me. You better not be drunk or high either. I’ll stomp your ass.”
Merle didn’t say a thing. He just sat there trying to find words. “She’s got a kid, huh. You know that’s a trap Darlina. She’s gonna take your balls and you’ll never get anything in return. But, if you’re okay with that, if that’ll make you happy, then I’ll go. Want to meet the woman that’s gonna take you away from me.”
“She ain’t gonna take me away Merle,” he said as they pulled up to the trailer. Neither made a move to get out. “You’re my brother. I could never leave you. Don’t ask me to choose either, because I won’t. Need both of ya. Just be my big brother for once and don’t scare her off. I really like her.” They climbed out of the truck and went inside. Daryl went straight to his room and closed the door, leaving Merle in the living room to reflect on the night.