Chapter Text
The fact that her father only lived thirty minutes away was baffling to Layla. Ever since she'd been old enough to comprehend her mother's ravings she was sure he must live very far away or that he was dead. That had to be the reason he was never around- other wise he was the "no good, useless, rat bastard, son of a bitch," that her mother would scream about in her rages and that idea sent a sick bubbling feeling through her stomach.
Looking grimly out the back window of Mandy Reed's car Layla was doing her best to will that bubbling feeling away. She was minutes away from meeting her father and she did not want to throw up in front of him; who would want a kid who throws up because they met their dad for the first time? As the houses passed by Layla's forehead became more and more pinched knowing that they would soon stop at any one of these houses and then she'd have to get out of the car. Her mind was racing around and around, so fast that she leaned her head against the cool window just to keep herself from spinning away. Would he like her? Would he be mean? What would living with him be like? Her mom hadn't packed her any toys, would he have toys for her to play with? Was she going to stay there or would she get to go back with her mom? Did she want to go back to her mom? The bile was just about to touch the back of her throat when the car eased to a stop and she was able to choke it back down to her stomach.
"Okay honey, we're here," Mandy said looking at Layla through the rear view window with a sweet smile "I'm right here with you, we'll go in together." Layla couldn't bring herself to smile but nodded and waited for Mandy to open her door.
The roof was clearly sagging on one side, shingles hanging on for dear life. A molding couch sat on a porch with peeling brownish grey paint and the front door was wide open which made the knots in Layla's stomach jump violently. It reminded her of a dark cave in a book, one that monsters and dragons hid in and waited for someone wander by so they could jump out and eat them up. She followed Mandy Reed- who looked as nervous as she was- through the dead grass up to the open door; as they reached the porch a tall bald man stepped out with a lit cigarette hanging from his mouth. He surveyed the two with cold eyes
"can I help y'all?" he asked around the cigarette. Mandy straightened herself before answering
"I'm Mandy Reed with DCFS and I'm here to speak with Daryl Dixon," she looked him up and down wearily "is that you?" Without breaking his eye contact the man yelled suddenly making Layla jump
"Daryl!" She wasn't sure if she was relieved or worried that this man was not her father. A man with shaggy hair came to the door and he seemed to go pale at the sight of the little girl hiding behind the social worker
"Mr. Dixon?" Mandy asked tightly, he gave her a short nod "I'm Mandy Reed from DCFS, you've been working with an agent and I'm here now to drop off your daughter Layla Holloway." Mandy's lips flattened and her eyes hardened as she looked from Daryl with his unkept hair and stained shirt to the dirty house behind him and she made a mental note to find whoever had approved this house and give them a good dressing down.
"You gonna give my brother his kid or what?" The other man asked harshly, flicking his cigarette butt into the yard
"I just need to view the house and talk to Daryl but yes- I will be leaving Layla here with him- Mr.?" Daryl elbowed the man in his ribs and gestured toward the door
"'S my brother Merle he was just leaving," he said pointedly. The tall man- Merle- held up his hands and gave them a snarly smile that sent an uneasy feeling into Layla's heart
"fine then, see y'all later." As he sauntered by them Layla had to resist the urge to bolt in the opposite direction.
The moment they were in the house Mandy was inspecting every nook and cranny for anything that might prevent her from leaving Layla with Daryl. When she sat down with a sour, defeated expression she began pulling out papers for Daryl to sign ready to get down to business
"her mother was deemed unfit and she was removed the other day. She spent last night with a foster family and we would like to make it clear that this is a temporary placement until her mother Ms. Brandy Holloway can prove to the courts that she can provide a safe and stable environment for Layla." She pushed a pen toward Daryl who was looking greener and greener with every word "you can work out visitation with Ms. Holloway should Layla be returned to her care and you may petition for full custody of your daughter but that will require different paperwork that we can talk about later on, does all this make sense?" At the mention of full custody Daryl seemed to choke on the air and nodded while trying to catch his breath; the moment he signed the papers Mandy began tucking her papers away and stood swiftly, still looking like she'd taken a large bite of lemon. Before she left she kneeled down next to Layla and handed her a card, face softening as she took in Layla's serious expression
"you need anything and you call me sweetheart." And with that she was left alone with her father who was slowly turning from green to red as he realized he had no idea what to say to Layla.
"It ain't much," Daryl mumbled quietly "sorry 'bout that." Layla looked at him with her eyes wide and inquisitive
"it's okay, momma and I live in an apartment and it's way smaller. I don't even got my own room there." She bit her lip nervously before working up the courage "you really my dad?" He resisted the urge to look down at his feet and nodded.
"You got any toys to play with? Momma wouldn't pack any of my toys 'cause I ain't stayin' here." Daryl shook his head calmly despite the punch to the gut feeling that had come over him. He hadn't thought about Layla staying with him and he wasn't sure if that was something he wanted or not; he remembered that Layla had been moved for a reason and guilt flooded his stomach. Maybe it was a question of what was best for Layla, but he was less sure about that.
"How'd you get that shiner?" He asked still keeping his voice low and quiet, like he'd scare her off if he spoke louder than a whisper. Her face went blank and she looked past him to the dingy kitchen
"you got anything to eat in there?" He paused for a moment- debating if he should let her skip over his question- before jerking his head toward the kitchen
"let's go find out."