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A sob came from the bed, pushing him forward. The hallway light had been left on, so he could easily see her sitting up in bed, her hand against her chest.
“H-hack?
“It’s me.”
“I . . . I . . .”
He settled in next to her, feeling her trembling. “Nightmare?”
“Y-yes.”
“It’s all right, baby girl. You’re safe. I’m here. I’m not going to let anything bad happen to you.”
“Can I . . . can I have a hug?” she asked in a small voice.
Fuck. Didn’t she know she could have whatever she wanted?
“Come sit in my lap, baby,” he said. He was beyond holding back. He needed her, and even more importantly, she needed him.
She climbed into his lap and he held her tight. “You need your weighted blanket. Where is it?”
“I spilled coffee on it,” she said with a sad sniffle. “I had to wash it yesterday and it’s not dry yet.”
“Where’s Wally?” He found him in the bed. “Here he is. You hold him tight and give him all your worries.”
“He’s gonna get fat.”
“I’m sure he can handle them. Or you can give me some. Do you want to tell me what the dream was about?”
“It’s just . . . being back here.”
He closed his eyes, trying to rein in his anger. It wasn’t going to help anyone if he exploded.
“If I could kill that fucker, I would.”
“Kind of hard to kill a dead man.”
“I’d make it slow and painful.”
“Would you pull out his eyes too?” she asked.
“Nah, because I’d want him to see me coming. I’d go for his balls. I know just how to make something painful without going too far and hitting an artery. No need to make someone bleed out too quickly.”
“That’s very gruesome.”
“Shit. Sorry, Ladybug. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
She pushed her face into his neck. “You didn’t. For some reason, when you have your arms around me, nothing seems to scare me.”
“Whenever you want a hug, I’m here.”
She yawned.
“You need to go to sleep, Ladybug. We’ve got to get rid of those dark marks under your eyes.”
“Don’t let go of me,” she cried, tightening her hold on him. “Please.”
“I won’t. I promise.”
