Page 11 of Bliss: Part 2
The rest of the guys said their goodbyes too, being sweet and gentle with her before heading out.
“Tell Kenneth to come by in the morning. It’s late. She’s okay. And he needs to get some rest, too.”
Odin stopped at the door and nodded. “Yeah. Goodnight.”
When it was just me and her again, I moved the bed controls, gently easing her back into a more comfortable position. Her eyes stayed on me, watching every movement like she was afraid I’d vanish.
I tucked her in and brushed her hair back, then kissed her forehead before settling into the chair beside her.
“Get some sleep, sweetheart. I’m right here.”
Her eyes were still glassy, her expression distant.
I hated whoever caused her to feel this way. My baby wasn’t herself right now, and it was breaking me.
“You want water, baby?”
She shook her head. “No, thank you, Daddy.”
I smiled softly. “Alright. Just let me know if you need anything, okay? I’m not going anywhere.”
She paused, her brows furrowing before asking, “Where will you sleep?”
“Don’t worry about me, baby. I’ll be fine.”
She closed her eyes for only a moment before looking up at me again. Her lips trembled again, and my chest squeezed but not in a good way.
“Daddy?”
“Yeah, sweetheart?”
“I remember.”
I sat forward. My heart was pounding.
“You remember what happened?”
She nodded, eyes watering until one single tear rolled down the side of her face.
“You wanna tell me now? It’s okay if you wait. We got time.”
“No...I want to.”
My hand brushed through her hair, and I nodded. “Okay. I’m here.”
She looked down at our hands, her voice shaking.
“I remember it being so hot. I was walking back to the parking lot and...this m-man...” She stopped and took a shaky breath before continuing. “He said there was an oil leak. T-that I had to walk around the back. So I did. Past the trailers. And it was so warm and...”
She sniffled and wiped her eyes with both hands.
“It’s okay, baby,” I whispered. “You’re safe now.”
She fought for air, her chest heaving. She was breaking down again, and I hated seeing her like this. It fucking broke.
“I think I fainted. It all went black. And when I woke up...I was un-under him. And it hurt, Daddy. It hurt so b-bad.”
I pulled her into my arms, holding her as tightly as I dared. My eyes burned, my chest tight with pain and rage. Every emotion swirled at once, and I felt like I was going to fucking burst.
