by Sean Michael
Oh shit. “Daddy has to stay here, honey. The doctors want him to stay a few days.”
“No!” That was a stubborn little pout. “Daddy go home!”
“In a few days, honey. Eric, tell her.” He didn’t want a screaming match all the way home.
“Jo. Jo, you go with Bee, hmm? He’ll take you for food. It’ll be like a big-girl sleepover. You and Bee.”
She frowned. “Party?”
“Uh-huh. A party. Like in the Big Lizzie book. A nighttime sleepover.”
He raised his eyebrows. A party. He was having a big-girl party. Good lord.
“’Kay, Daddy. Bee!” She pushed up into his arms. “Party! With cakes!”
“I’ll pay you back, Brock. I swear.”
“One way or another you will.” Surprising himself, he leaned over and kissed Eric’s cheek.
Josie giggled, then leaned in and kissed Brock’s cheek. “My turn!”
Brock chuckled. “Okay. Give your daddy a kiss, too.”
Josie happily smacked her lips against Eric’s cheek. “Ni-night, Daddy. Goin’ party with Bee!”
“You have a good time, Jo.” Those bruised eyes smiled at him. “Night, Bee.”
He shook his head. “Night, Eric.”
He headed out with Josie in his arms. Less than twenty-four hours since Eric showed up in his lobby, and his life was upside down. Again.
Damn it.
THANKS TO Stephanie, Brock had his car to put the car seat in. Thanks to McDonald’s, there was a bag filling the Lexus with the smell of grease. He helped Josie out of the car and put her over one hip. He was getting good at this. Which was a little scary.
He handed the food bag to her and headed for the elevator.
“Home?” Josie cuddled in closer.
“Yeah. You and your daddy are going to be staying with me for a while, okay?”
“Party?”
“Um… sleepover party, right? I have a little bed for you.” He prayed Stephanie had managed to put everything together.
“Little bed?” She laughed, blinking at the elevator. “Push the button?”
“Yeah, here.” He leaned forward and pointed to the one with the PH on it.
The little finger pushed, Josie crowing as it lit up.
He chuckled. She was going to get a kick out of his panoramic, floor-to-ceiling windows.
Josie smiled at him, squealing as the elevator zoomed up. Right before he’d left, El had shown up at the hospital with a huge bag of clothes and toys and odds and ends, so between that and what Jack had brought, Josie had plenty of stuff. El had left with a threat to call the family lawyer, which hadn’t been pleasant. But now Josie was in a tiny pair of jeans and a T-shirt that said “My Daddy Loves Me.”
Honestly, he figured he now had enough crap to clothe this child for ten thousand years or until she was about to enter high school, whichever came first.
The elevator stopped as they hit the penthouse floor, and he headed to the second door. “Do you know how to use a key?” He held it up.
She shook her head, very seriously. “Daddy says little girls never-never touch a keys.”
“Okay, honey, that’s a good thing.” He opened the door. “Welcome home, honey.”
He swung open the door, eyebrows going up. It looked like childproofing meant moving everything that had been at three feet or lower up and away.
She kicked to be let down, eyes huge. “Big.”
“Yeah. Have you seen the view from the big windows?”
There was a box spilling over with toys next to the couch and a rocking horse next to the big easy chair. It looked like it didn’t matter that he’d left the stuff from El in the trunk of his car. He assumed his den had been turned into Josie’s bedroom.
“Huh?” Her thumb popped into her mouth.
“There, see—you can see the whole city.” He put the McDonald’s bag on the glass-topped dining room table.
She looked out, slowly backing away from the window. “High.”
He chuckled. “Yes. But the windows are made of special glass that can’t be broken. Come sit and eat your supper and I’ll show you where you’re going to sleep.”
There was a tiny little plastic table and chair placed by the TV, a stack of Disney movies just waiting.
Bless Stephanie’s heart, she’d thought of everything. Or knew someone who had.
“Are you hungry?” he asked, pulling out one of the fancy chairs that went with the dining room table. He needed one of those booster things.
Which was when he noticed the red plastic thing in the corner. Stephanie really had thought of everything.
“Uh-huh. Want Daddy.”
“I know, honey, but he’s going to spend a day or three more in the hospital. We talked about this, remember?”
“Uh-huh.” Her bottom lip trembled. “Hug, Bee?”
“Sure, Josie.” He picked her back up and hugged her tight. “Now how about you eat your burger and fries, huh?”
“You eat, too?” She settled fairly easily, picking at a fry and slowly tearing the bun to pieces.
“Yeah, I think I’ve got a chicken burger or something here.”
He didn’t usually eat in places like McDonald’s, but it had been easier to just order something with her than to worry about trying to get food from two different places.
She had the little toy out of its package and was playing, jabbering away, toying with her food. Jesus, this was exhausting. The nanny was coming tomorrow and then he could… something. Get back to work, maybe. He’d had Stephanie cancel his vacation.
He ate about half his own burger and left the rest. “What time do you usually go to bed?” he asked, as she seemed to be done eating.
He got a curious little look. “After cartoons.”
“Oh, okay. I think there’s a bunch of cartoons over there by the television.”
“’Kay. Call Daddy now?”
“No, you already said good night to Daddy and he needs his sleep, honey.” He gathered up their junk and put the bag in the garbage. “Come on.” He held out his hand to her.
She reached for him, her little fingers wrapping around one of his.
He took her over to the little table. “So, what one is your favorite? You could show it to me.”
“Mermaid.” She looked, pushing the discs around, then picked up Mulan. “This one for Daddy.”
“Yeah? You don’t like it?”
“I….” She looked utterly confused. “Daddy like.”
He felt the same way. “Oh. Okay. Did you want to watch that one, then? Or the mermaid one?”
“Daddy one.” She started dancing a little. “Potty?”
“This way!” He hurried her to the bathroom, not wanting an accident on his carpet. He helped her unfasten her little jeans, then stepped out, listening to the tuneless singing.
God, how did Eric do this day after day? How had he done it all alone?
He leaned against the wall. The movie should be good. She’d sit quietly through that, right?
The toilet flushed, then he heard, “Bee! Bee! Wash hands!”
Brock shook himself and went in. “You need help with that, honey?”
She jumped up, hands waving. “Too tall!”
He chuckled. “Yeah, I suppose it is.” He picked her up yet again and leaned her over the sink.
She looked at the faucets. “No hot.”
“Just cold.” He turned it on one-handed and pushed the soap dispenser closer to her.
She soaped up and started playing, splashing and making suds.
“You want to have a bath?” Eric had mentioned something about a bath yesterday—was it really only yesterday?
“Bath!” She clapped her hands, suds going everywhere.
“Okay. Okay.” He chuckled and shook his head. “Not too hot, right?” He started hunting for the plug—he’d never had a bath once in all the time he’d lived here, only showers.
“Not too hot. Not too cold. Juuuust right!” Josie�
�s clothes started flying off.
“Like Goldilocks and the three bears, right?” He kept looking, and finally found the plug in the cupboard under the sink.
“Locks and bears. They eat o-meal.”
“That’s right, oatmeal. And they’ve got chairs and beds that don’t fit, too, right?”
He got the tub filling, making sure it wasn’t too hot. He didn’t have bubble bath of any kind, but he put the soap dispenser from the sink on the edge of the tub; Josie seemed to be able to make bubbles out of it without any problem.
He plopped Josie in the tub and she started splashing and laughing, playing happily. While she was otherwise occupied, he headed out—she needed pajamas, which he hoped Stephanie had put in the room with her bed.
The den had been transformed into a little girl’s room—with a small pink bed and dresser, a toy box, and a wee kitchen. Stephanie deserved a raise.
He found pajamas in the second dresser drawer and he tugged them out, grabbed the hair brush that was on top of the dresser, and headed back to the bathroom where he could hear very enthusiastic splashing happening.
Josie was laughing happily, lying on her belly and kicking her legs. “Bee! I swim!”
“I can see that. Look, I brought you pajamas.” They were pink with a unicorn on the front and little rainbows all over them.
“Ooooh…. Pretty. Horsie!”
“Yeah. Nice and pink, just for you.”
He had no idea how long a bath was supposed to last, but she seemed pretty happy to be in the water. “Did you wash yourself?”
He couldn’t wait for a shower and change of clothes himself. He’d get his chance once she was asleep.
“I swimmed.” She looked inordinately pleased.
“Yes, I saw. That was very good. Do you ever go swimming at the pool?” Could kids as little as Josie even swim for real?
“Only with Daddy. Daddy says only with him. Only only ever.”
“He’s a smart guy, your daddy.”
Josie nodded happily. “Out!”
“Okay.” He grabbed a towel and held it open for her.
She pushed into his arms, dripping wet and wriggling. He got her dry, and then dried his own neck and shoulders. Then he handed her the pajamas.
She stared at him. “Pull-Ups?”
“Yeah, you pull up the pajama bottoms. Do you need help with that?”
“Nighttime panties first.” She looked utterly confused.
“Nighttime panties. Okay. If we go into your bedroom, do you think you might be able to find them?” Because he didn’t have a fucking clue what nighttime panties were.
She nodded and he led her to the little room. She padded across, bare naked, bounced on the bed, and searched through the toy box.
“You’re looking for nighttime panties,” he reminded her.
“Oh!” She looked around, then headed for the bag that Jack had brought. In there were these… diaper-type things that looked like Depends.
“Nighttime panties,” she pronounced.
“Okay, cool.” He shook his head. There was so much stuff involved in dealing with a little girl. Things he’d never even dreamed of, let alone thought about.
She got dressed, then grabbed a little blanket from her bag. “Blankie and cartoons?”
“Okay, honey, that sounds good.”
He led her back into the living room and put Mulan into the DVD player.
She stood watching him, waiting. When he sat down, she crawled up into his lap and cuddled in. “My Bee.”
He blinked and patted her back automatically. “Okay, watch your cartoon, honey.”
“Daddy’s cartoon.”
“Right. Watch Daddy’s cartoon.” And go to sleep. Please.
She patted his arm and popped her thumb in her mouth. The movie hadn’t played five minutes before her eyelids were drooping.
Thank goodness.
She was cute and sweet and so much work.
There was no way at all Eric was going to be able to cope on his own. Hell, Brock couldn’t believe he’d done it so far, healthy or not. It was a good thing he was loaded and could afford the help Eric was going to need for as long as it was needed.
He nudged his shoulder a little to see if Josie was asleep. When she didn’t respond, he shifted her and stood, carrying her to the den—her bedroom. He put her in the tiny little bed, covered her up. She whimpered softly but settled as he patted her back.
Once he was out of her room, the door closed partway, he leaned against the wall and groaned. God, he was utterly exhausted. He slowly slid down the wall, his head resting back against it.
“You better be a fast healer, Eric.”
Chapter Four
BROCK CHECKED his watch and growled. The private ambulance transporting Eric back to his place was late. By ten minutes. He didn’t mind so much for himself, or the nurse waiting to look after Eric, but Josie had made three cards and a present concocted of paper and lots and lots of glue, and she was wearing a brand-new dress. She was so excited.
She’d been up since dawn, just waiting, wanting her daddy home.
“Bee! Bee, now? Daddy come now?”
He looked at his watch again. Still late.
“Soon, honey. Any minute now.”
The young woman who was the nanny came in. “Josie, do you want to go color?”
Josie looked at the woman and scowled. “No! Wait for Daddy with my daddy Bee!” Man, she had a stubborn streak when it came to her daddy. He had a feeling she got that from Eric.
“I would call you the minute he got here.”
“I want my daddy.” She pushed into his arms. “No go with Miss Lacy. Stay with Daddy Bee.”
“Okay, honey. You stay with me.” He hoisted her up, thinking that he wasn’t going to need to go to the gym this week, that was for sure.
Looking down at the street from the big hall window, he saw the ambulance pull up. Mark, the huge, beefy, bald nurse from the agency, stepped forward to get the elevator.
“Won’t be long now, honey.” He smiled at her, surprised by his own surge of excitement.
Josie wriggled down out of his arms and ran to the big plate glass windows, pressing her hands and face against them as she tried to look down. “Daddy!”
“Can you seem him? Does he look like an ant from up here?”
“Daddy! Daddy! I’m here!”
He looked down, smiling as he saw the EMTs were already gone, heading up to them.
“Come to the elevator, honey.” He picked her back up and brought her over. The nanny had put her hair up in pigtails, tied with little purple ribbons.
“Push the button?” Three days, and Miss Josie was becoming a master at pushing the buttons.
“Yeah, sure.” He moved forward and leaned a little so she could reach the elevator call button.
It was the longest minute in history until the door opened, Eric in a gurney, pale and thin but awake.
“Daddy!” Josie’s squeal echoed.
“Jo.” Eric sounded like he might cry.
Brock tried to hold her back, but she launched herself at Eric and the best he could do was make sure she landed on the gurney and not Eric’s stomach.
“Daddy. Daddy. Daddy.” Josie clambered over, clinging and crying and laughing, talking gibberish to Eric, who just held on.
The nanny stepped forward and went to grab Josie. “You can’t—”
“No.” Brock grabbed her arm and pulled her back. “That’s his daughter. She stays where she is.”
Eric smiled at him, whispered, “My hero.”
“It’s getting to be a habit.” He winked and smiled back at Eric. “You look like shit. Let’s get you in and transferred to your bed.” There was a hospital bed in his living room now, among all the toys that seemed to migrate all over the house, no matter how many times the nanny picked them up and put them away.
“Daddy Bee made a bed for you.”
“Did he? He’s too good to us.”
“I am
.” He nodded toward the door and the EMTs pushed the gurney into the apartment. “You’ll help us transfer him to the bed?”
The guys nodded, and Mark helped, and then Eric and Josie were settled, Eric going paler.
“Christ. Is he okay?” Maybe this had been a bad idea; maybe Eric should still be in the hospital.
“He’s fine, man.” Mark smiled at Eric. “Traveling’s a bitch, eh?”
Eric nodded. “Vaguely.”
“We need you to sign.” One of the EMTs shoved a clipboard into his hands. Brock scanned it briefly and then signed at the bottom. He saw the EMTs and their gurney out. He nodded at Jeff, the daytime security guard who Gordon had sent over, and then closed and locked the door.
“Daddy! Daddy! Bee got me a room! Come see!” She was tugging and talking, pointing everything out.
“He needs to stay in bed, honey. He’s still really tired. We talked about this, remember?” Brock picked her up. “Why don’t you show him the cards you made?”
“Daddy! I drawed!”
The cards were oohed and aahed over, and then, thankfully, Lacy offered to take Josie for her daily walk down to the park.
“Take Jeff with you.” There was no way he was letting Josie out with only Lacy. Not with that last kid still out there.
“Yes, sir. Come on, Josie. Let’s go to the swings!”
Josie waved to them, skipping out the door.
Mark came over to Eric. “Let’s check your incisions, hmm? Make sure you’re good. Do you need to go to the bathroom?”
“I don’t know. I…. This is all…. I’m a little dizzy.”
Brock frowned, moving close. “Are you sure he’s okay?”
Mark nodded. “He’s only been off the IV for a few hours. His body’s recovering. I’ll get him some juice.”
“’Kay, thanks.” Brock pulled up a chair next to Eric’s bed and took his hand. “No getting worse, baby. That little girl needs you.”
“I’m so sorry about all of this, Brock. I didn’t… they were trying to get out of a paper.”
“Yeah. Christ.”
“Yeah. Yeah, I….” Eric closed his eyes. “I’m seriously out of my league, when students shoot at people and die because they don’t want to write a five-paragraph essay.”
“Yeah, it’s a little overwhelming, huh? Like suddenly having a three-year old calling you Daddy Bee, finding out your ex isn’t speaking to his mother anymore, and that you’re named guardian in the will.” He’d discovered some interesting shit in the past few days.