AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Everyone breathes easier when the doctor gives Elaine theall cleara few hours later, saying she’s good to go home. I stay in the hospital the entire time with Daria and Elaine, not wanting to leave their sides, and the nurses had drawn the curtains closed and shut the glass door to Elaine’s room so no one could peer in and spot me. The last thing anyone needs is people wondering what I’m doing in the emergency room, when all that matters is Elaine.
When Leo had told me that Daria rushed out because Elaine had been taken to the ER, all thoughts flew out of my head and all I knew was that I needed to be there for them. I raced to the hospital, and my heart ached in a way it never has before at the sight of Elaine in the hospital bed.
Except, I do know a pain like this, don’t I? When I got here, seeing her tiny body in the bed reminded me too much of Sean. Of the countless hospital visits he had, reminding me of how I would sit by his side, keeping him company as he went through chemo. I know the pain of losing a brother, and I can only imagine the pain my parents went through in losing a child. I never, ever want Daria to have to experience something so horrific.
Relief loosened my chest when Elaine got up from the bed. The sight of her lying in it, looking so small—it had been nauseating. I never want to see her in a hospital bed again. And I’ve been fighting the urge to put Logan’s head through the damn wall.
This is the first time I’m seeing the guy in person, and I damn near want to fucking kill him for putting his kid in danger.
As Daria helps Elaine put her coat on, Logan stands by the end of the bed, watching. He glances at me, and I know the guy is curious as fuck as to what I’m doing here, but no one bothers answering the questions in his eyes. So, he just looks to Daria and Elaine, his throat working, before he says, “I’m gonna. . . I’m gonna go.”
My jaw tightens. Bianca and Tina are exchanging looks, and Daria glares up at Logan from where she stands in front of Elaine. “I think it’s best that you do,” Daria returns coldly, hands protectively on Elaine’s shoulders.
Logan’s lips purse. His gaze drops to Elaine, who is resting her cheek against Daria’s stomach. The little girl is exhausted, and I know Daria wants to do nothing but take her home. Emotion flickers across Logan’s face as he looks at Daria and says quietly, “I’ll get you the paperwork soon.”
I purse my lips. No doubt the paperwork he’s referring to is the one where he gives up whatever rights he has over Elaine. After today, Daria will have sole custody—as she always should have had in the first place.
Daria nods, not bothering to say anything. Looking at Elaine, Logan says, “Bye, kiddo.”
The words are heavy, and if I didn’t already know that he wasn’t ever in the running for father of the year, I would have felt bad for him. But I can’t bring myself to. My muscles are tight, arms crossed over my chest as I stand by the girls, like a damn sentry ready to protect them from anyone or anything. Logan has done enough.
Still, Elaine opens her eyes and looks up at him, and a tired smile comes across her sweet face as she says, “Bye, Daddy.”
Her soft voice clenches my chest, and I see the pain flicker across Daria’s face because she knows, unlike Elaine, that this is most likely the last time Elaine will see her father. I want to fucking wrap them both up in my arms, to keep them from feeling any kind of pain and hurt. But I can’t fucking do that, no matter how badly I want to.
It’s not until Logan leaves that Daria relaxes a little. She smiles down at Elaine, brushing the three-year-old’s blonde hair out of her face. Bianca steps up and touches Daria’s arm. “Call us if you need anything, okay?”
Daria nods, smiling at her and Tina. “Thanks, guys,” she says softly.
I soften as I watch Bianca press a kiss to Elaine’s head, Tina doing the same, before they give Daria a hug. As she walks past me, Bianca says quietly, “Look after them, yeah?”
I nod, looking her in the eye as I promise, “I will.”
When the two women leave, I step up to Daria and put my hand to her back. She looks up at me and I glance at Elaine before asking, “Ready to go home?”
Daria nods, and I want nothing more than to make the shadows in her eyes disappear. She went through hell today, worrying and fearing for her daughter, and my heart fucking breaks for her.
Once the discharge papers are taken care of, Daria carries Elaine and follows me out of the emergency department. I don’t have a car seat, obviously, so Daria sits in the back with Elaine, and I know it’s also because she doesn’t want to be separated from her, even in the same car. I can’t blame her.
As I drive us back to our apartment building, I can’t help but keep glancing at the rearview mirror, looking at Daria. Elaine lays on the seat, head in Daria’s lap, and Daria can’t keep her eyes off of her as she gently strokes her hair. The silence in the car is heavy, tension only slowly easing as I keep driving. I want to comfort Daria, but I can’t think of the words. I hate this helpless feeling, my grip on the steering wheel tightening as I drive. My concern is for Daria and Elaine only.
Arriving at the building, I drive down to the underground garage, parking in my spot. The somber silence continues as I get out of the car, hearing people chattering in the distance, their voices echoing along the concrete walls and floors, and I watch as Daria gets out of the car before carefully pulling Elaine into her arms.
When we’re in the elevator, I press the button for Daria’s floor and then my own, and the silence is broken by Daria asking quietly, “You don’t want to come over?”
I look at her, just slightly surprised. She holds Elaine close, her sweet little cheek resting on her mother’s shoulder as she sleeps. Daria looks up at me with those blue eyes, the shadows still present, and my chest tightens painfully. Softly, I say, “I figured you’d want to be alone with Elaine.”
Daria is gently rubbing Elaine’s back soothingly, biting her lower lip. Fuck me, I want nothing more than to comfort her and hold her. “I’d like it if you came over,” she says.
I wrap my arm around her waist, pressing a kiss to the top of her head as she leans into my hold. “You got it, honey,” I murmur, my hand lifting to brush a strand of Elaine’s hair away from her cheek.
An hour or so later, I’m shutting Daria’s front door after carrying in the bag of takeout that was left outside the door by the Uber Eats delivery guy. As I take out the food we ordered from Panera on the kitchen counter, I look towards the hallway that leads to Daria’s and Elaine’s bedrooms. Daria and I had been sitting on her bed, Elaine asleep between us, because Daria is scared to put Elaine in her own bed tonight. So, the two of us sat on the bed with a sleeping three-year-old, not quite talking, but just reveling in each other’s company. And I know Daria and I are together, but knowing that she wants me here with them means more than I can say.
Once I’ve got all of the food out, I walk to Daria’s room and lean against the door frame. “Food’s here,” I tell her quietly. She looks up at me, and I give her a small smile. “You need to eat.”
Her throat works and she nods. Slowly, reluctantly, she gets up from the bed and glances down at Elaine before taking a breath and walking toward me. When she’s close enough, I take her hand and lead her back to the kitchen. She sits down next to me at the round dining table instead of opposite me, and as we eat, I see the subtle yet seemingly perpetual furrow in her eyebrows.
“She’s okay, Ria,” I say. “She’s safe.”
