She pulled at the edge of her blanket. "You're very calm about things that should probably get a bigger reaction."
"What kind of reaction did you want?"
"I don't know. Something. Not — this." She gestured at him. At the absolute stillness of him in the chair. "You just take it in and file it somewhere and keep going."
"Would you rather I tell you you're wrong?"
"Are you going to?"
"No," he said. "Because you're not." He shifted in the chair to face her more directly, and she turned toward him, the blanket bunched in her hands. "You've been dropping the ball on your own needs long enough that it feels normal. It's not normal. And you don't have to keep doing it."
"And if I do?"
"Then I'll notice." He held her gaze. "And we'll talk about it."
She looked at him for a long moment. "This is a lot," she said quietly. "What this is. Between us, you being my Daddy, it’s a lot, isn’t it?"
"Yes."
"You're not going to make it smaller to make me more comfortable."
"No."
She exhaled. Looked back at the sky. "Okay," she said.
He stood up. "It’s time for you to get some sleep."
"Right now?" She asked, looking a bit dejected.
"I've got patrol rotation at ten." He looked at her once more in the porch light, blanket around her legs, looking up at him with that expression he was going to stop pretending didn't do something to the inside of his chest.
“Do you want to stay out here for a while or go up to bed?”
“I don’t think I’m ready for bed yet, Daddy.”
"Then I won’t make you go up yet. But you will call me if you need anything. Doesn't matter what time."
"Okay."
"Yes, Daddy,” he corrected.
“Yes, Daddy.” She nodded. Pulled the blanket up as if trying to hide the blush crossing her cheeks. She liked saying it, good. He liked hearing it.
"Goodnight, baby."
“Goodnight, Daddy.”
He went inside.
Thirty seconds later his phone buzzed.
Emily: Does the twenty foot rule apply when you are out on patrol?
He looked at the message. Looked at the back door.
Rampage: No. Just stay in the house or on the porch. Do not go anywhere else.
Emily: Good because I don’t know when I’ll go in.
