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“Addie?” he said hoarsely.
“Hey Daddy. How are you feeling?” I asked reaching for his hand.
“Better,” he smiled. “You look rested,” he remarked.
“I finally got to sleep in a real bed,” I winked.
“Shouldn’t you be at the diner?” he asked. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that once Daimon and I had ‘gotten engaged’ I had decided the diner no longer mattered. My father and his health came first.
“Daddy…” I said softly.
“It’s fine, Addie. Let’s not talk about it now. We’ll figure it out once I leave the hospital.”
The orderlies came in and helped my father into a chair next to me. He sat comfortably and watched TV with me, telling me they should put better movies on. He then started listing them to me one by one. I rolled my eyes at him until he stopped and lowered his head a little. His face began to contort as he grunted and held tightly onto the chair.
“Daddy?” I inched closer. “Dad?” I panicked and pressed for the nurse. She came in and looked at my father.
He started to cry out in pain. My heart began to break as tears streamed down his face. The pain he must have felt had to be beyond anything he had experienced before. I was told to leave the room and I began to pace frantically outside. One of the student doctors who worked with Dr. Cohen came and checked on him. I began biting my nails as I kept hearing my dad shout out in pain.
“Addie.” I heard Daimon call out to me. “Is everything okay?” he asked as he reached out and took me by my arms to stop me from moving. He looked at me apprehensively, waiting for me to answer him. That’s when he heard my father yell. “What the fuck?” he roared. “What in the hell is going on here?” he shouted at a nurse who walked by.
“I don't know,” the nurse said.
“Well find the fuck out now,” he bit out. The student doctor came out of my father’s room soon after the nurse Daimon yelled at went inside.
“Ms. Sakis, your father has a severe bacterial infection. It happens sometimes after an operation. We’ll be giving him some antibiotics and monitoring him closely,” he smiled at me.
“Will my father-in-law be all right?” Daimon asked.
“Yes, unfortunately these things do happen, but we got it in time and with a round of antibiotics he should be fine. But please, next time do not yell at our nurses,” the young doctor said to Daimon. Daimon stepped closer and pushed me behind him.
“I pay enough money to have him here on this floor to get exceptional service. So I will do what I please when it comes to my family,” he said in a serious tone.
“Yes of course, sir,” the student doctor said nervously.
“Addie? Are you okay?” Daimon asked as looked me over. His usual icy blue eyes had a tenderness to them, easing my fearful heart. It was the warm, adoring look of his which opened the floodgates.
“Yeah, I just—I just—” I began to cry. “It’s hard hearing my father cry like that. He hasn’t done that since my mother passed.” I lowered my head into my hands. Daimon reached out and wrapped his arms around me, holding me tightly.
His strong arms.
His hard body.
His soft breathing.
His scent.
God, I could so easily lose myself.
“What are you doing?” I asked as I pushed him off me, regaining what little strength I had.
“Comforting you,” he said as he tried to reach out to me.
“Well don't do it,” I hissed, holding up my hand.
“Why?” he asked.
“Because I'm not used to the nice Daimon,” I said flatly. Because I don’t want to need you, because I can’t long for you, I thought to myself.
“You said you hated it when I showed others my good side and not you. Now you hate my good side and want my bad. Make up your mind, Addie,” Daimon said coldly.
“You listen here, what I said was I hate how you act differently with others, just act like the jerk I know you are and stop faking it with other people,” I fired back.
“Who says I'm faking it, Addie?” He stepped closer and towered over me, my eyes looked up to see him glaring at me. The warmth that had been there a moment ago was now replaced by solid ice.
“Addie?” My father called out to me. I ran into his room and away from Daimon’s loaded question.
***
I woke up early in the morning to ready myself for a jog. I needed to clear my mind and think about what exactly I was going to do with the diner. Daimon was asleep on the couch at the other end of the room. I slowly crept up and stared at him as he slept. His half-naked torso was wrapped around his sheet while his arm was behind his head, stretching out his body. He was sexy there was no way around it. It was too bad he couldn’t stay asleep all his life. Drako wagged his tail and waited at the door for me as I hurried downstairs.
