No.
I will die from all the panic I will feel if he gives me back to the space station.
“Open your eyes and look at Daddy,” he commands, his voice firmer this time.
My eyes pop open, and Daddy smiles at me.
“Such a good girl for listening to Daddy,” he gently says. “I want you to listen to me very carefully. Understand?”
I nod.
“I am not going to give you back to the space station, no matter what. You are stuck with me for the rest of your life. You and I are a package deal. Even if you didn’t want me, I will stay by your side,” Daddy states. “So you don’t have to worry about getting sent back to the space station. Understand?”
“Yes, Daddy,” I whisper and snuggle into his chest.
“I can’t live without you. If you aren’t right next to me, then my life is not worth living,” he whispers and kisses the top of my head. “I know it might be a little dramatic for me to say that, but it is the truth. You mean everything to me. I don’t want you to think that I am going to send you back to the space station if you do something wrong. We are going to work through this together. You are so precious to me.”
My whole body relaxes against Daddy. I didn’t think I needed to hear those words so badly, but apparently I do.
“Any time you need a reminder, you let me know and I will tell you. It is the truth,” Daddy says.
“Otay,” I mumble into his chest.
Daddy wraps his arms tightly around me.
“Yamal should be here any minute now to talk to you about everything. I want you to be completely honest with him. Don’t downplay things because you don’t want to worry me. I want you to tell him exactly how you feel and all your symptoms. That way, he can help you to the best of his ability.” Daddy runs his hands through my hair. “Understand?”
“Yes, Daddy. I promise,” I say right as there is a knock on the door.
“You can come in!” Daddy yells.
I take a deep breath and slowly let it out as I hear Yamal’s footsteps approach the living room.
“It’s so nice to see you again, Nora,” Yamal says as he smiles at me. “Ronal.”
I give him a shy smile back, still self-conscious about being naked in front of someone else.
“What seems to be the problem?” Yamal asks as he sits down on the couch.
I push my face into Daddy’s chest, not wanting to look at Yamal. What if he tells Daddy to give me back to the space station?
“No thinking like that,” Daddy reminds me. “Yamal is going to do everything in his power to help you get better. You are not going back to the space station.”
“Ronal is right. I am here to listen to you, so that I can help you overcome it. There is no sending anyone back. That’s not how it works on Venkoria,” Yamal explains.
I take a deep breath and slowly let it out before I turn to look at Yamal and tell him everything.
“Well, it sounds like when the fire alarm went off, you were really scared. Now you don’t want to be away from your Daddy for even a second. Easy fix.” Yamal claps his hands.
“Really?” I whisper as I lean closer to Yamal.
“Yes, an easy fix. Your Daddy is going to put a harness around you and keep hold of the leash at all times when you aren’t right next to him. That way, you know he still has a hold of you. In time, your body will recognize that you are safe and nothing is going to happen. Eventually, you won’t need the harness,” Yamal explains. “But right now we need to make sure that you feel safe at all times so your body can relax and not be in fight-or-flight mode.”
“I have a harness I have been wanting to try out on her,” Daddy says. “The leash can be several different lengths.”
“Perfect. You can first have it as a pretty short leash so she can still touch you if she wants. Over time, you’ll be able to make the leash longer. But don’t do that until she is fully ready. We don’t want to make her panic if you decide to extend the leash before she is ready. That will only make her progress go back several steps,” Yamal reminds Daddy.
I let out a breath and lean into Daddy, happy we are finding a way to get me better. I don’t mind relying on Daddy so much, but I know that it will make things difficult if I have to touch him all the time. I don’t want Daddy to regret picking me as his.
