“What’s wrong?” I asked her, worriedly. She looked ready to cry, flinching away. “Oh, sweetheart, whatever it is, it’s okay. What’s the matter?”
Davis sat up, waking because of my not-so-quiet talking. It seemed to only make her more nervous. He turned on the lamp on his nightstand, illuminating the room enough for me to see the wet spot between her thighs. She’d had an accident.
“Sweet child. It’s okay. Let’s get you cleaned up. Davis will get the bed changed for you. Don’t worry, okay?”
She looked at Davis as if waiting for him to do something. When he got off the bed, she backed away scared, and that’s when I flashed back to my childhood. She had been abused by her father. It was obvious by the way she cowered away from Davis, like he would punish her for having an accident.
“He will not hurt you.”
I grabbed her hand, took her to my bathroom, and started a bath for her. I needed to wash her hair anyway, so at least she would have nice clean curls for tomorrow. She was shy, but when I added bubbles to the bath, she quickly undressed and got right in.
“Does your dad hurt you, Calliope?” She didn’t answer, neither shook nor nodded her head. The action told me everything I needed to know.
He did.
“My father would hurt me and my brother, too. Any time he got mad, or things weren’t going his way at work, he would take it out on us. Usually my brother more than me, but I know that fear you’re feeling, Calliope. I’ve lived through it. I won’t let him ever hurt you again. You hear me? Never again. I’ll make sure of it, I promise.”
She stayed silent, but I saw her give me a small nod before she continued to play with the bubbles. I washed her hair as she played, having to soak it and wash it multiple times. I had to use a multitude of deep conditioners and oils to finally get a brush through her wet hair. It took a while, and she was all pruned by the time I got her out.
“I’m a little old lady,” she whispered, showing me her pruned fingers. I smiled, having gotten a sentence out of her.
“If you’re an old lady, then I must be a dinosaur.”
She giggled at my joke, relieving some of my worry for her. Her giggle was magical, like fairy dust and rainbows. I wanted to hear it as often as possible, and I would make it my goal to make her laugh daily.
Could I keep her?
Davis’ P.O.V.
Calliope watched me carefully as I made her bed. I had done this many times for Izzy when she was younger. It was something I was used to, even though I hadn’t done it in over a decade. This little girl seemed so scared of me, and all I wanted to do was offer her a hug.
“All ready for you, princess.” I patted the bed for her, giving her my warmest smile, but it didn’t convince her in the slightest.
“Let’s get you back in bed now.”
Lisa guided her to bed, tucking her in as I stayed back so as not to frighten her further. Lisa took my hand as we left the room, but I heard Calliope whisper “thank you” to me before I was out of earshot.Progress.
I got Lisa to go back to sleep, but sleep evaded me for the rest of the night. So, I decided to make a breakfast of champions when seven o'clock rolled around. I wanted Calliope to wake up to a big meal, one she could pick her favorites from. I made a large array of foods.
Omelets, pancakes, waffles, even crepes were made for her to choose from. Anything that screamed breakfast, I cooked it. Bacon, sausages, muffins, biscuits, all displayed on the table. Seeing I made too much food, I invited Izzy to come over as well. Maybe if Calliope saw me with her, she wouldn’t be so wary of me. Who knows though, Izzy and I don’t exactly have a conventional father daughter relationship.
“What’s all this?” Lisa asked with a smile as she grabbed the coffeepot and made herself a cup.
“Breakfast, of course. Izzy should be here soon, too.”
“Perfect, I’m going to go check on Calliope. You keep being your sweet self with your freaking country music.” She laughed as she went to exit the kitchen.
“Hey, leave my country music alone, woman. You know you secretly like it.” I called after her. When I turned, I found that she never left. Instead, Calliope had come and stood in the doorway with wide eyes. “Good morning, Princess. I didn’t know what you liked, so I made everything. You are welcome to eat as much as you want.” She didn’t move, probably trying to decide if this was some sort of trap.
“I told you he was sweet.” Lisa winked at her as she took a sip of her coffee.
“I have come for my promised food and I brought Jared with me!” I heard Izzy yell down the hall.
“We’re in the kitchen.” Lisa called out.
“What do you mean Jared is with you?” I asked, a little sternly, scaring Calliope by mistake.Dammit.
“I mean, he’s with me. I am sure you can put two and two together. Get over it,” Izzy paused, seeing Calliope standing in her way. She cocked her head to the side for a moment. I had to swallow my anger down, and chew her out later when I wasn’t around Calliope. She couldn’t be sleeping with Jared already.I would kill him.
