Touching the Heart of Ace

My eyes flew to the clock and noticed it was only 3.13 a.m.

"Who the fuck is that?" Janice's voice trembled before her fingernails cut my cheeks. "Who the fuck is that?"

She scrambled of my lap and furiously looked around.

"I don't know." My heart was beating out of my chest.

The doorbell went off again.

"It could be bloody Jason. Son of a bitch. I need my back up." Janice took her phone from the floor. "I can do this. I can do this... I will stab his eyes with my nail clipper. He will be alone. Fuck! Why did I switch off my phone? Do not panic. I have back up... I have..."

I had to do something.

It was not Jason. He had the keys because technically this beach house was his. It might be Philip.

I heard a voice from my side and I froze when I saw somebody standing there in the shadows.

I trained my eyes away from Lia. If it was the back up of Janice, I did not want them to see her hiding and take off running with my baby.

My eyes watered when the person took off the face shield and I recognized Taylor, the female body guard in Nick's team.

My eyes flickered to Lia and the woman nodded before making a hand movement. She was not alone.

Oh god. Please please please!

"Wait a minute. Coming..." Janice said sweetly before taking the nail clipper's mini-knife, with her. "One word and I will slaughter the Little Bitch like a pig. Hear me?"

DING DONG!!!

"Say that you are coming to them!" Janice pointed the tip of the knife to my eye.

"JUST A MINUTE. COMING!" I screamed.

Janice smoothed her gown after pulling up her panties from the floor. "Do I look pretty, Ace?"

"Yes. Open the door before they barge in. It might be Philip, not Jason. Jason has the key. He would have gotten in already." I answered truthfully, had to be in her good side. My family was still at this bitch's mercy.

Janice smiled relieved.

"I can take down that old fart."

I nodded. "Just don't hurt my kid."

Janice went to open the front door and I wept with joy when Taylor removed her face shield completely before crouching next to Lia in a smooth move.

At least Lia was safe.

"Robbie is dying." I mumbled out.

"No, he is not. We got you."

I heard a loud bang from the front door and a woman screaming.

"You hurt me!!! You!!! BLOOD!!! IS IT MY BLOOD? What the fuck are you doing? Let me go..."

Voices rang on my ears and my hands suddenly could move...

Stretcher?

Lia?

Guns?

Robbie?

"Are... he... hyper... fuck... move..."

Lights?

"Robb... Lia... my baby..."

I walked outside and saw a woman screaming on the ground, chained and wiggling.

Huh?

"ROBBIE!!!" I screamed but a hand hugged my waist and I fell down begging. They were taking him away from me...

No...

No...

No...

I was cold.

I only had a teddy bear in my hands.

It was an adorable teddy bear. It was mine.

Mine alone!

I squished it to my chest...

I would not give it to anyone.

It was mine.

I shivered in cold.

I was sitting inside a shack. Cold, lonely... It was so windy outside and it was irritating my ears.

Whatever.

"Hey." I looked to my side and saw a man leaning down to my face.

"Annoying." I mumbled.

"That is rude. It is good that you are cute."

My heart fluttered.

The man was handsome and he looked warm.

"May I sit next to you? Please, Pretty?" Warm air fell on my ears and I smiled. He cuddled closer to me and my left side was suddenly so warm. I leaned to him and he was staring at my face with a smile.

I blushed and looked down at my teddy.

It was so cute and cuddly and warm and...

"It is so windy..." He commented and I nodded.

"I am scared." I pouted.

"Don't be. I am here. You have everything you need with you right?"

I nodded before freezing. "My Baby!!!"

I looked around frantically when I noticed my child out of the shack in the wind. The trees were swinging left and right in the heavy wind and my heart was racing.

"Help!!! MY BABY!!!"

"Hey don't panic. It is just baby. You stay here and be warm..."

"No, my Baby!!!"

I gave the man my Teddy. "Keep it with you always. I will be back with my baby..."

"But we are warm..." He pouted and I quickly kissed him. My heart was suddenly warm but I pushed him away, begging him to stay inside and I went to the door and opened it.

"COME HERE, SWEETHEART!!!" The child was not looking at me and I was scared. The wind would blow her away.

"CHILD!!! COME HERE." My legs were not moving at all. They weighed like lead and I whimpered. "BABY!!!"

She looked at me before dropping to her knees and started to crawl towards me cackling.

My whole body ached for her.

I looked back at the man and noticed him staring at me with a frown.

I felt a huge catastrophe approaching. Had to get to my baby.

I walked with heavy legs, cold and scared but I dragged my feet against the blowing wind.

I hated when she stopped crawling to watch the storm. "COME HERE!!!"

I shouted and she cackled.

A huge tree uprooted and fell on my...

I snatched her just in time and she dangled on my hips cackling... "My baby..."

I kissed her fuzzy forehead and started to walk to the shack only to see the man trying to open the door in the back and get out.

"NOOOO!!!!"

He looked at me before frowning. "I will get you chocolates!"

I hated him. I hated him so much.

It was storming and he wanted to get me chocolates??!!!

For what the fucking fuck!

"STAY!!!" I shouted and he jumped back but did not stop trying to get out.

"I HATE YOU!!! STAY!!!" I screamed and the panic made me dizzy.

I walked, walked, walked.... and just as he opened the door, I reached him and closed it in a jiffy before slapping his cheek... hard.

"Whatever chocolate! Chocolate babies! Babies in chocolates will not stay long. NO CHOCOLATE!!!"

He nodded. "You are right."

The wind was blowing hard and we sat on the aeroplane again. "Chocolate melts." I mumbled and he put his head on my shoulder.

He was so warm.

I looked down and I noticed my baby was chewing on my teddy's ear. I frowned in annoyance.

"My Teddy!" I announced.

The baby looked up and giggled with her toothless gum and I smiled. She had the right to chew my teddy. I pecked her fuzzy head and my heart filled with so much love. "Your Teddy."

I cuddled up with my...

Beep!!!

Beep!!!

Beep!!!

"Lia!!!" I jumped up and nausea hit me so bad, I gagged to the side.

"With us!!! She is with us!!!" Breathe Dave... Please breath. Can you see me?"

"T... Tati?"

I could breath. "Where!!! Lia..."

"With Nick... getting a snack... I will..." The door opened and he was standing there with my kid and she jumped to my chest.

I freaking cried... kissing her all over... I dropped her to the bed before curling around and peppering her with kisses and tears.

I quickly pulled her to my chest and looked at the people around me. "Where is he? Please tell me... where is he..." "Safe. He is in the room next to you... He just left with the doctors to get some tests done... I will take you there..." I stood up too fast and the room spun fast.

"I got you Dave." I cried to Nick's chest and watched Tati putting my child on her lap before holding my hand.

My legs were shaking but I had to see him....

I had to...

"Daddy!!!!!" I screamed before falling to the floor and crawling but Nick picked me back up.

There was white bandage on my man's shoulder and he was attached to some machine with circular stickers.

Water fell on my face and I blinked open my eyes, meeting gorgeous steel eyes.

"You fainted, Angel."

I gagged to his shoulder and he rubbed my head. "Puke if you want."

I nodded but it was just gagging.

"Lia?" I cried and my emotions were all over the place and I was scared.

"Here." A sniffling Philip was holding my baby.

He handed her to me before leaving with a choked sob.

"I thought you were... you were..." I was calm now.

"I am here, Ace..."

I cried again.

"How did we?" I sniffled. I was calm.

I frowned when I saw Philip sitting next to us in a chair. I just saw him leaving through that door.

Whatever.

I yawned.

I was lying with Daddy on the hospital bed with sleeping Lia on my chest, while Tati was cutting up some fruits.

Philip started sniffling and tried to talk.

"She called me Dave... She called me... with her walkie-talkie. Did you know I ignored the first few beeps? I thought she rolled on over it in her sleep and accidently connected it to me..."

I cried, hugging my baby tighter.

"No... I heard it Dave. Oh my god. Oh my god." Tati dropped the fruit bowl to the floor.

"Hey, is this a family crying ceremony or what?" I heard a forced chuckle.

"Dr. Adam?" I croaked.

"We shifted all of you to my hospital last night. Do you not remember it Dave?"

"No." I shook my head and Dr. Adam gave me a tight smile.

"It does not matter. You all are doing remarkably well. I want your temperature, Dave. You can go home as soon as your fever is down."

"I... I have fever?"

He nodded before the nurses came in with a smile and started poking me.

I checked if Lia was on my chest and Daddy was looking at me.

I started crying again.

"What happened?" I asked Philip.

"Lia called me in her walkie-talkie. I immediately called Nick and he called down the cops, paramedic and of course your body guards. We took her down and here we are."

I cried again.

I forgot what happened after that...

Everything was fussy and I started crying all the time...

"Angel... Angel... can you hear me?"

I nodded before opening my eyes.

"Where are we? Hospital? Where is Lia?" I panicked not seeing her on my chest.

Robbie sighed before pecking my lips. "We are out of the hospital, Angel. We... are on our way back home from the therapist. Remember?"

"Oh?" I cried again but I nodded.

The incident was half a year before and I had been seeing this therapist. I yawned and then hiccupped.

"Here."

I drank the chilled juice Daddy had thrusted to my mouth. I pushed it away after a small swallow.

"No..."

"Please, Angel..."

"No..." I whined before crying again....

"Ah... Ah... it is okay... you don't have to drink if you don't want to... come on... it is okay... don't cry, baby... don't cry..." He rubbed my back.

"You would have died." Robbie froze. This was the first time I was opening up to him and I knew I had surprised him. "You would have died and I would have..." I cried again. "I don't want to cry anymore. I fucking hate this crying. Stop me from crying, Robbie... Please..."

"Shhh... shh... I am here. I am very much alive and..."

"I want her dead." I told him. "I want her dead. No... I don't want her to die. I want her to pray for death. Daddy... Please..." I wiped my nose on his chest, smearing snot and tears. He pulled out a kerchief from

his pant pocket and wiped my nose.

"I want her to suffer. I... You have her, don't you?"

Daddy froze.

"You got her the last month."

His surprised eyes met mine.

Somebody had bailed Janice out. But we put her back in jail after a week but the next week she escaped the prison with some inmate's help.

She was seen in Toronto as a prostitute by some people but she was not there when Nick went to search.

Tristian and Nick broke up for three months and Tristian was so broken but then suddenly one day, Nick was begging at his feet for his forgiveness.

I had figured it out then we were out of danger's way.

Of course we were. Jason had gone crazy with vengeance.

I remembered his face when he saw me in the hospital with fever and a swollen battered cheek. My feet were swollen where Janice had stomped on it multiple times but I had not noticed it all.

I had seen that look of void hate in my Robbie's eyes several times but never in my brother's eyes... ever.

He had kissed my forehead hard and I had broken down clutching on his shoulders.

I hated how empty my brother looked. He already had gone through a lot and now to see me really broken, had destroyed his heart... or so I felt.

Gabe assured me that he was doing better these days and I could do nothing but trust my brother's soulmate on that.

"I want her to suffer a lot Robbie." My voice was so small.

"I promise, Angel." His hand squeezed me tight to his chest. "I fucking promise."

I nodded. "I want to see my baby."

"Let us go home now."

My heart pained seeing Lia. She had not cried yet. Hadn't asked what had happened and hadn't fought with me yet...

Nobody got what I was saying. Everyone including Daddy and Dr. Adam was okay with Lia's responses and development.

I was not.

She was my baby.

My kid.

I fucking carried her in my arms and my heart, all day long, every day.

Nobody knew her like I did.

And I knew my kid was not okay.

Yes, she smiled.

Yes, she played.

Yes, she kissed both of us...

But... but... something was missing... really missing.

She was not fighting me.

She was not disobeying me.

She did not whine, at her not so favourite foods.

She did not beg me to let her go out to play.

Daddy and Philip chuckled when I told them that. They thought I was adorable the way I want Lia to fight with me.

'She is growing up, Angel. She knows that what you are telling is for her own good. That is why.'

No... it was not.

Uggh...

She pushed away from my demands always and only heeded when I glared or threatened to beat her with that plastic stick.

Otherwise...

Tati got what I was saying, she would sniffle along with me when we had tea in my gardens.

Both of us tried everything and we knew my Lia was not okay with what happened. She had not moved on.

I knew it.

That day I was working with Little Lia straddling my lap and sleeping on my chest. I typed away the codes with ease and I liked how that could always keep my pain and anxiousness in check.

First two months I had to take some calmative medicines but now the therapist had stopped it stating she had to know the real issues before giving me anymore medication.

I sighed.

Coding helped.

Cuddling with Robbie helped.

Kissing Lia and sleeping next to her helped.

Seeing Jason and Gabe smiling helped.

Seeing Liz, Ferrar and their Little Justin every weekend helped.

But none of it was helping my baby.

I refused to cry once again as I did my work.

I only stopped when the back of my eyes throbbed in pain and begged me to close my eyes for a few seconds.

Fine!

If I cry it was my eyes' problem.

Sigh!

I looked down smiling at the little monkey on my lap. I cupped her tiny chin before slowly lifting her head up expecting to see her eyes closed.

Bright, lovely steel eyes met mine and she gave me an adorable dimpled smile.

"Hey... Little Baby... Davey thought... Davey thought Baby Angel was sleeping."

She giggled with her scrunched up nose.

This was what I was talking about.

She would never sit still on my lap for over half an hour much less the two hours. I was working and she was colouring when she had decided to climb on my lap two hours ago.

I blinked back my tears.

"Wanna take a nap?"

She shook her head. I missed her adorable 'nuuu...'.

"What if I kiss my baby to sleep?" I bargained. My heart ached again when she nodded adorably up at me with her sweet smile.

"Come on my baby. Davey loves you so much Lia."

"Lub you Davey."

"Come on." I pecked her head and gave my cheek to her to kiss. She gave me one gladly.

This was not how it was supposed to be.

She had to kick out of my hold. She had to whine and fight me before agreeing to take a nap. She had to beg me for another hour to play.

Nothing...

Nothing at all...

She agreed to do whatever I had asked her to do.

I lied down next to her and pecked her forehead for god knows how long before my child, my heart, my fucking life fell asleep in my arms.

She only slept this calmly next to me and it pained me terribly.

That one time I stayed awake until Robbie was asleep to slip away from our warm bed.

I had to keep my home safe.

It did not matter if our residence was not known to the monster but...

I sat down yoga style with my spine straight on the cold floor, before summoning Bots I had been working on.

It was illegal to... oh well... I knew what I was doing and knew how to hide them.

Little red dots started shining in the dark before they switched to green and finally fire blue.

They were cute with almost transparent wings.

My fingers flew on the tabs as one by one they flew around my home and my rooms like blue fireflies.

No fireflies were too small. They were as big as grapes.

I heard a pitter-patter and my heart soared when I saw Little Lia peeking her head in by the door.

"Come here, Sweetheart." I beckoned and she came to me shyly with a sweet giggle.

"Daey, paying?"

She looped her tiny hands around my neck and stood leaning to my back.

I gently knocked our heads together. "Kind of, yes."

She watched as two of the beautiful balls flew around us and I was happy when she smiled happily at them.

I decided to keep those two around us until she fell asleep.

"Wanna sit on Davey's lap?" I asked and she nodded.

She climbed on my lap and sat down before looking up at me. I kissed her nose upside down making her giggle.

"Petty."

"Yes, Lia, they are pretty."

"Wha they?" She asked.

"They are robots, baby." I told her before checking our perimeter once more.

"Dada?"

"What?"

"Davey say Dada." Her confused eyes met mine and I frowned before chuckling.

"No, no... Not Robert, Lia. Robot. They are little toys."

"Oh."

I chuckled once more. Never did I thought Robert and robot kinda sounded similar.

At least to my child it was.

I shook my head chuckling again.

"Hapo!" Lia giggled and tried to catch the bot that zoomed away from her just in time before buzzing right on her face. She cackled before trying to catch it again. "Hapo Snee!!!"

She looked at me and I was lost.

"Hapo has Robit, Davey. Hapo fly behin Robit... Snee, Davey, Snee."

I was confused before I got what she was saying.

Lia was right. Harry Potter had Golden Snitch. My robots looked similar.

"That is... that is... you are really smart Lia. That was awesome."

I was not joking and I was not saying because she was my kid.

But for her to remember Harry Potter was flying behind Snitch was remarkable for her age.

Little Lia did not get what the big deal was but... Jesus!

That was some kind of remembering, analysing and identifying.

I let baby girl to poke on my screen though it would do nothing. She thought she was the one who was making it fly.

I smiled at all her giggles before sniffling when she fell asleep on my lap.

"Angel." Daddy called me softly and I turned around to see him looking at us with fondness and pain.

My lower lip wobbled and he picked my little girl from my lap before helping me stand up.

I could not sleep that night. I just held on to Lia and listen to my man's beating heart.

The monster had almost killed him.

Thankfully... for the Father who was watching over us from the heaven, the person who sold the drugs to Janice had lied to her that it was a poison to kill a man.

It was a tranquilizer of heavy dosage; enough to knock out a man and if left unattended for over a day could cause massive cardiac arrest.

But if she had injected it right to Robbie's medulla oblongata, he would have died or at least paralysed for the rest of his life.

Thank God, I called out just in time for him to turn around and...

I gulped down my panic.

It was an illegal drug because of its severe reaction to the heart, yet she had gotten hold of it.

She wanted to sell my Lia...

No, Lia is with me, Robbie is fine... everyone is fine...

Except my baby girl. She was not fine...

She even ate spaghetti for lunch, yesterday.

It was not okay. She did not throw a tantrum. She was supposed to...

I sighed and cleared our dining table.

Daddy had eaten so messily, just to bring some resemblance of normalcy, I could tell.

When would my life be back the same?

"Dave?"

"JESUS!" I jumped and rubbed my chest. "Hey, Tati... Lia is okay... I am watching her."

Tati nodded before falling into a deep thought.

I was thankful for them; Tati and Philip. They were like second parents to Lia.

"I am not her mother... or anyone to be honest... but I love her."

I chuckled. "Of course you love her."

My smile vanished at her serious face.

"Did Robbie say something?"

Highly unlikely but...

"No."

I waited.

"Lia... loves me so much and she trusts me..." Tati sniffled and I nodded. "You love me and trust me too, don't you?"

I frowned and kneeled in front of the crying woman. "Of course I do. More than that I am indebted to you, for our life... for my baby's life."

Tati shivered. "I heard it..."

I had no courage to tell her that she only heard the last few lines of the whole ordeal but had Philip not attend the call or...

"... and we did nothing... it was Lia. She saved us all..." Tati reminded me.

I agreed.

My baby girl was the reason why we got out of it without more damage to our psyche. The time she stood up, making my heart stop beating was to get the walkie-talkie she had dropped along with her Crocky.

What had given her the courage to do that?

Fear.

At the end of rope of fear... my daughter had also found courage.

"I had 'the talk' with her." Tati blurted out. "I am so sorry, Dave. The words just... poured out of me... I could not bear it..."

She started crying honestly, asking and begging for my forgiveness and I was dumbfounded.

"If you did, you might have had very strong reasons for that, Tati... But isn't she a bit too young?"

She shook her head and cried leaning to my shoulder. "Today morning, you left her at our care a bit early."

"Yes, I was having trouble... breathing." So Robbie had called Philip down to pick her up and take her to the day centre.

Dr. Adam and Philip were funding a day care centre just around the corner, only for Lia but no one needed to know that. All the kids her age were going and we were happy.

Yes, it took a village to grow a kid healthy.

So, this morning Lia was with Tati and Philip.

"Lia was staring at Philip and I

kissing. She did not talk for a few minutes, Dave... She did not... you

know how she climbs up my lanet

without à care in the world but now...

she waits and even when I put her

up to sit she would freeze for a few

minutes before relaxing.

"But she would climb up mine without a care..." I had woken up this morning with her literally sprawled on top of me with her bum on my chest and face on side of my hip.

"You are her father. It is different. With you, she has..."

I nodded.

"I told her that I loved her 'Flip'. Told

her that I would only kiss his lips. I talked Dave. had to... Had to tell her

that she will find one person in her

life that she would kiss on the lips other than her Dada and Davey, She would not know the difference between those two kisses yet but

we know and we will protect her. She can kiss our lips and we will show her the difference with our life.

That is all... that is all it is needed... right?"

I hugged her tight and cried again.

Tati bawled. "I believed you Dave when... when you told me Lia was not okay... I know her too... I am not her mother but whatever it takes... I will give her everything I am." I nodded to her neck.

"I know this is not what it looks like...

but let go of my wife, David. I am a very very jealous... What is wrong?

Why are you crying? What is wrong! Philip noticed our tears and ran to us panicking. "I was kidding. Hug if you want. You are gay, David,

you don't count... and I trust my..."

"Shut up, stupid!" Tati growled and wiped her eyes.

"Yes, Ma'am." Philip hovered worriedly over both of us.

"Take care of her, Philip... I wanna... I wanna... see my Robbie..."

I wanted him right now...

"Let me call him..." Philip reached for his phone but I stopped him.

"I want to get out of here. I will ask Tristian." I ran out of my home... my heart was all over the place and I... had no idea...

Tristian handed me my sunglasses and I popped them on my face before crying behind them.

I wiped my face with the tissues he handed me and put the sunglasses back on when the building came to view.

"I will be here." He said and I walked... jogged out of the car.

I was in my t-shirt and sweatpants; pale, tired and bony. My sunglasses made me look even more skinny and sickly.

I could not care less.

Yet, I stuck out like a sore thumb among these people and I was so lost.

I had no idea...

"Sir? Jesus... Let me help... Remember me? I am James... Thank you for the promotion by the way..."

"Robbie..."

"Ah, yes, Mr. Brantley is in the meeting, Sir. We are going to him." James forced a smile before covering me with his suit jacket and taking me to an elevator. "We would have prepared for your visit but you

always come in unexpected... to catch us in our act. Am I right?"

I was thankful for his talking. I had something to focus on and the man did not seem to mind my silence. I had a feeling he knew it too.

James was a nice man.

I sniffled when I noticed how James had me in the half circle of his arm without touching me.

A damn nice man.

"Thank you..." I mumbled.

"It is nothing. I am actually happy to see you here. Mr. Boss needs to calm down a bit."

James cursed when he noticed the door was blinking red.

"Oh well, I have enough savings if I am fired." He whispered and opened the door anyways. I would make sure that Robbie would not fire him.

"Sir, will you be okay for a few seconds. One second, quick. I will get your boyfriend and out. In and out. A sec. Will you be okay? Of course you will be... okay, right?"

I nodded.

"Words, sir. Please."

Damn nice man.

I sniffled. "Yes."

I was going to cry.

"Oh god! I can kiss my savings goodbye... he will kill me... but come on..." He guided me next to a door without touching me before popping his head in, with a wince. He was too scared of Robbie.

"Mr. Brantley, Boss. I hate to interrupt, but you have to come out right now. This is regarding your boyfriend. Please come out."

I heard a loud crash inside and James told me that Robbie stood up so fast that the chair hit the wall.

No biggie.

"Angel?"

I started crying and he picked me off the floor.

"I... uuh... This way Mr. Brantley..." Robbie took me to a nearby room James had led us. "I will uh... manage your meeting until you are back... umm... will he be okay?"

"Of course he will be." Robbie said adamantly.

"Good. He is nice. I will uh... go now..."

"Angel, what do you want? Anything at all... please tell me..."

"Hold me tight."

"Of course... of course..."

"Tighter, Robbie..."

I sighed in relief; my eyes slowly drooping.

"I uh... got some refreshments for you two... just in case... ummm and I adjourned the meeting for an hour. I have arranged for the refreshments for them too... is he?"

"Sleeping. Thank you, James."

I smiled at that.

Never in my life had I thought there would be a day when Robbie would thank anyone for being considerate towards me but then again I had not thought Janice would...

I sniffled and Daddy rocked me to sides, tightening his hug but still I cried.

"I... wanna stop crying..." I mumbled.

"Shhh... it is okay baby..."

"No... it is not..." I argued and the big meanie laughed.

"Are you here to pick a fight with me?" He playfully growled to my ears before giving me lots of kisses and I fell asleep.

I woke up to the insistent beeping of my watch and I jerked up.

"How long was I asleep?" I yawned.

"For little over an hour."

"Sorry... for your meeting..." I rubbed my face on his shoulder.

"It can wait. Nothing is important to me than you and Lia."

"I have to go. Little Baby will be home in an hour. I have to be there or she will cry."

"I will drop you off, Angel."

"Noo... Tristian is here. Just... just come home early, Big Baby..."

My child... she was not okay because of our mistakes; my mistakes.

I should have come clean to Robbie a lot earlier.

I should have told my mom about the pain I was through.

I should have asked him to get a divorce when things had started affecting my peace.

I should have listened to my brother and talked to my lover like adults did.

I shouldn't have dragged this off a day at a time.

I shouldn't have invested on my image than my happiness and my love's dilemmas.

Should have... shouldn't have... would have... wouldn't have...

My baby suffered all because I tried to manipulate my life instead of being truthful and forthcoming.

While in the car I cried again to Robbie's jacket he had covered me with.

Bring yourself up, Ace.

What happened had happened.

Shit had happened and I dragged my family through it. Now I had to accept my faults and help them to be whole again.

I went into my home like a zombie and started arranging cookies and cakes for my Little Princess who might be too hungry to think straight.

She was not as active as she used to be.

I hated when another wave of sadness hit my core. This was not how it was supposed to go.

"DAVEEYYYYYY!!!"

The tongs in my hand dropped from my hand and hit the floor along with my heart.

My mouth dropped open as I heard a baby's... my baby's giggles from far, as she ran towards me.

I hadn't heard that voice in... dear fucking god an eternity...

"DAVEEEYYYYYY!!!!"

God was I dreaming her happy giggles?

"DAVEEEYYYYYY!!!!"☐☐☐☐☐