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Chapter Sixteen
The wailing that woke Owen up a few days later chilled him to the bone. It was only a second until he was out of bed and sprinting into the nursery where Cricket was sitting up in her crib, sobbing.
She’d taken her mask off which wasn’t allowed but it would probably be miserable to ugly cry with with it on, so he’d let it go as long as that’s why she’d taken it off. Not that she was ugly even when her shoulders were heaving and it seemed like she could barely breathe for how hard she was crying. Poor thing.
Owen checked to make sure he wouldn’t pinch her, but once he was assured she was clear, he put down the dropside of the crib and reached for her.
“Babygirl, what’s wrong?”
Which is when she hit him and screamed.
“No! Get away from me! Away! Nooo!”
He took a step back, both startled and to get out of the line of fire. What the hell had happened to his sweet Cricket? He’d seen her cry before, but this was something else. She was pitching an honest to god fit, and that wasn’t going to fly. Not that she’d hurt him when she’d slapped his hand but that wasn’t the point.
If he thought he could reach her through her tantrum he would’ve tried again but she seemed consumed by it—limbs still flailing, wordless screams so shrill he thought they must be hurting her throat—that Owen decided to wait until she’d burnt herself out.
It was hard watching her; she was going to have bruises from knocking into the side of the crib, and he couldn’t imagine how much pain she was in to be lashing out like this. As her Daddy, how was he going to handle this?
He knew how to deal with brats who pitched fits for attention but he was dead certain that wasn’t what was happening. Cricket was too absorbed in her own world for that, appearing to be completely unaware of her surroundings.
Owen pulled the rocking chair over and sat while he waited and tried to turn on his clinician’s brain but didn’t have much success. It was a huge relief when after about ten minutes, Cricket’s meltdown appeared to be waning. An even bigger relief when she basically collapsed into a heap and he was confident he could approach her.
He sat down gingerly on the side of the crib, and set a hand firmly on her back.
“I’m right here, babygirl.”
Cricket whimpered and he could tell her sniffles rolled back into crying even though she’d buried her face in her arms. Luckily it was nowhere close to where she’d been moments before. Like pockets of rain after a thunderstorm, the worst was done but the tempest wasn’t completely over.
“Can you turn over, sweetheart?”
Reluctantly and shamefaced, his Little girl did as she’d been bade and rolled onto her side. Good enough. He would make one point and then see to whatever her needs were.
“Cricket, we don’t hit people. I understand you’re upset but it’s never okay to hit someone.”
“I know, Daddy. I’m so sorry.”
“Now tell me what’s going on that had you throwing a tantrum like that.”
* * *
Shame curdled her stomach.
“I…I had an accident.”
“Are you hurt?”
Ugh, why was he so kind and patient when she was such a huge mess? After she’dhithim? And why couldn’t he just be psychic? It was bad enough that it had happened, but now she had to say it?
“Not that kind of accident,” she whispered, wishing she could crawl under the crib and never come out.
Yes she was a Little, and yes it had turned out she liked playing pretty young, but she’d never seriously considered diaper play or omorashi or anything like that. Besides, this wasn’t play. It had just…happened.
Daddy didn’t even blink.
“That’s okay. Sometimes babygirls have accidents.”
“But I don’t!”
