I look away from Ronal and purse my lips. Why does he get to have a say in this? He isn’t in charge of me.
“Let’s try something,” Daddy mumbles. “Can you look at me again?”
Sighing, I look at Daddy and watch as he unscrews the lid from the bottle and puts some of the liquid in his mouth. Before I know what he’s doing, he leans down and holds my face as his lips come in contact with mine. I open my mouth, and he releases the liquid in my mouth, me drinking it subconsciously.
“I think this method will work perfectly,” he whispers as he smiles at me.
THREE
I blink several times and stare at him. What did he just do?
“Let’s try it again,” Daddy says before he puts some more liquid in his mouth.
I gaze at him as he puts his lips to mine again; him releasing the liquid in my mouth, and me drinking it. I don’t know how many times Daddy does this before he sits straight, a smile on his face.
“Such a good girl for Daddy.” He runs his hands through my hair. “We’ll do this again in a couple of hours so you can get your stomach full.”
I open and close my mouth several times, trying to come up with something to say but ultimately failing. Why is he so dedicated to feeding me and keeping me alive?
“I know you must be confused about a lot of things, but everything is going to be okay. Daddy is going to explain some things to you once you get all better,” he informs me. “Right now, I just want you to focus on getting better and letting me worry about everything else. Understand?”
No, I don’t understand.
Nothing is making any sense to me.
“The doctor should be here soon. He is going to check on you to see if you have any other health issues.” Daddy keeps stroking my hair as he looks down at me. “I’m so glad I got you. I can’t believe I waited so long to pick you up. I’m sorry about that.”
Tears form in my eyes at his words, and I blink them away. Why am I getting so emotional from him apologizing to me? I shouldn’t care about what he says and why he is sorry.
“How is your stomach feeling?” Daddy asks.
I think about how my stomach is still cramping. I thought once I got food in me, my pain would stop, and everything would be better. Why hasn’t it gone away?
Daddy places one of his hands on my stomach and gently presses, making me whimper.
“Still hurts,” Daddy mumbles. “I’ll remember to tell the doctor about that.”
Why does he care so much about me? Does he truly care, or is he just trying to put on a show?
“Is there anything else hurting?” Daddy asks. “You can tell me, so when the doctor comes, if you don’t have the energy, I can speak for you.”
I blink up at him several times, my heart melting at his words. He is being so caring about me. It’s so confusing.
Did we get everything wrong about the Venkorians and what they really want with us? Or are they putting on a show, as I thought earlier?
“What else is bothering you?” he asks. “Does anything on your body hurt? Do your limbs hurt? Are you super sleepy and don’t have the energy to do anything?”
It’s like he knows my body better than I do. But I already knew I was exhausted.
“Come on, Little Pet. You need to tell me what you are feeling,” he gently says. “Just talk to me. No one is going toget mad at you for telling the truth. I just need you to tell me everything.”
I open and close my mouth several times but ultimately close my mouth as I stare up at him. Why should I tell him what I am feeling? I don’t want him to make it all better so he can torture me for hours, months, or even years.
No.
“Little Pet.” His voice is harsher this time. “Talk to Daddy and tell me what is going on.”
I shake my head and close my eyes, trying to relax. The sooner he gives up, the sooner I will be able to die peacefully.
