Page 33 of Saving Little Jenna
"Are you sure, Little one?" I looked at her with concern.
She nodded frantically. "Yes, Daddy. Look, I can have another bite and have no reaction whatsoever. Would I be able to do this if it hurts?"
Carefully grabbing a spoonful and putting it on the other side of her mouth, she ate the ice cream with a forced smile.
I frowned and sat back in my chair. "Why don't you eat it from the other side of your mouth?"
"Yes, I can do that too."
She shivered nervously as she shifted it to the other side. Just as expected, she let out a loud scream and put both hands on her jaw.
"Aha, I knew it!" I wagged a finger at her and took the plate away from her. "You're in trouble, Little girl. No more ice cream for the next one month. I should wash your mouth with soap for lying to your Daddy."
"No, Daddy! I sorry. I no lie again. Please, I don't like the taste of soap."
When she stuck her lower lip out and tears formed in her eyes, I instantly regretted my words. I was so overly concerned about my promise of protecting her, it was traumatizing to see that I had failed. She must've been punished with soap in the mouth as a child, so I should've been careful with my words. It wasn't like I was really gonna do it.
I sighed and shook my head. "Daddy's very disappointed in you, sweetheart. I've waited patiently for you to trust me, and just when I thought we were getting somewhere, you lied straight to my face. You know how much I care about your well-being, so lying about such an important thing will get you in trouble next time."
A tear rolled down her cheek as she scrunched her face, her hands still on her jaw. "I'm sorry, Daddy! Please don't leave me! No one's ever been nice to me like you, and yet I repay your kindness with lies and ungratefulness. The truth is that I've got nothing to repay you for your kindness. I'll change, Daddy! Promise!"
"Hush now, my silly girl." I pulled her in for a hug as she began rubbing her eyes. "I can't even be mad at you without instantly regretting it. Nothing you do will change how I feel about you, honey. Little girls only need to be good and behave for their Daddy. You don't need to repay anything. Besides, I already have everything I need, you. I've never been happier in my life, but it's a double-edged sword. I care too much about your well-being to let you lie about it. No more lies, okay?"
She peeked up at me from my chest with red eyes and spoke quietly. "Okay."
As hard as it was to see tears in her eyes, it was important she knew how serious this was.
Breaking the hug, I sat back in the chair and smiled at her. "So how long has it been since you've been to the dentist?"
"Never been to one." She began swaying her legs back and forth. "In fact, I've never been to a doctor before. I never stepped outside my house all my life. I wasn't allowed to. There were times I was so sick that I was sure I would die. Apparently, it still wasn't a good enough reason to visit a doctor. There were so many of us, one less child wasn't a big deal to my parents."
I felt rage like I had never felt before. The picture in my head of Jenna as a child suffering for days from disease was far too painful. What kind of parenting had she gone through? It was becoming likelier that her parents were monsters who liked watching their children suffer. I occasionally saw such neglected and abused children on the news, but it was far more surprising to meet someone in real life.
I crossed the distance, scooped her out of the highchair, and took her back to my seat before sitting her down on my lap. I threw my arms around her.
"I'm sorry I got mad at you, sweetheart." I kissed her on the cheek as she looked up at me with big eyes. "You've had a horrible upbringing. I shouldn't have been so hard on you. If you're telling me this because I asked you to be honest, don't. I only need you to be honest about things that concern your current well-being. I can wait as long as you need when it comes to knowing your past."
She shook her head. "No, Daddy. I told you because I trust you. Yes, it was hard to constantly scream in pain and spend sleepless nights when diseases struck, but I don't think about it as much anymore. It's because your love for me has healed me, Daddy. Yes, it has. I spend more time thinking about how lucky I am and how happy you make me."
"I'm the lucky one, sweetheart." I gave her a quick peck on the lips and pulled her closer into my lap. "You've brought joy in my life when I thought it wasn't possible. I was sure I would have to remain single forever. I thought I could derive joy from my work, but the joy you give me is incomparably infinite. This is why we must talk about something important. I know you've been running away from someone dangerous. It doesn't matter how big of a threat it is. I'll move heaven and earth to protect you, and I won't let anyone lay a finger on my baby girl."
I hoped she'd tell me soon what the danger was so I could make arrangements accordingly.
When she just rubbed her face in my shirt, I continued. "Your uncle John has a good dentist friend who's also a Daddy. He'll let us in right away and we'll get your teeth checked up in no time."
I made a mental note to get her up to date on the vaccinations she was supposed to take as a baby and growing up.
Later that evening, I phoned John while Jenna was taking a nap. When it rang but went unanswered, I was about to hang up but then I heard Michael's voice on the other end.
"Hello, Uncle C- I mean, just Clark." Michael was speaking in a deliberately deep voice. "This is your friend, John, speaking."
Sometimes I couldn't believe the antics Michael came up with, but they were innocent so I played along.
"Oh, John!" I said, trying to contain my laughter. "You sure sound different. What's wrong with your voice? I hope I'm not distributing you."
"Oh, it's nothing." Michael giggled before going back to a deep voice. "Just a little cold. You know me. I'm just doing my boring work-related work, typing away at the computer and looking at charts all day."
"Sounds about right. How's Michael? Is he being a good boy? I've been considering giving him the biggest gift ever for being so nice and friendly to Jenna, but it wouldn't be appropriate if he was being a bad boy at home."
