Sweet

Chapter 2

Despite the fact that everyone looked fine, a hospital visit was necessary.

We caught the guy right when he jumped out the window. The dumb fuck thought he could run away with a broken leg. Turns out he was Lilly's boyfriend, now ex after the incident.

"How do you know the perpetraitor?" My partner, Officer Melina, asked Lilly.

"He is- was my boyfriend. I can't look at him the same." Lilly looks down.

"Why was he at the house?" I question, trying to be a professional as I could be.

"I," Lilly took a minute before looking up at me. "I invited him over. We haven't had much time together and I wanted to see him."

"You were supposed to be watching my daughter, not getting it on with some horny 18 year old!"

"I know Mr. Rivers, and I'm so, so, so, so, so sorry for thinking that that was ok. I promise next time-"

"Next time? Ha!" I laugh at her. " There will be no next time. How do I know that you haven't put my daughter's life in danger before? That man came into my house with a gun and threatened to shoot my daughter. He even threatened to kill you. How do you expect me to trust you after that?" Officer Melina put his hand on my shoulder and gave me look that said I was going a little too far.

Tears were coming down her face like a waterfall. I didn't want to hurt her feelings, but she put my daughter in danger. That's not ok. And part of babysitting 101 is to never invite a guest over without consent from the parent.

"Thank you for your statment, that will help a lot." Officer Melina looked at Lilly while she nodded her head.

I walk out of Lilly's hospital room and go to Abby's. Although she looked fine, she went to hide under her bed and broke her leg when she attempted to escape. I'm glad that she had some type of knowledge on what to do, but I need to sit down with her and talk. While I don't want this to ever happen again, I have to be realistic and realize that she's only 7 and has many years to live. The least I can do is make sure she knows what to do in case of an emergency.

"Hey Princess," I say softly as I enter.

"Hi Daddy!" Abby looks at me with a smile.

This little girl has been through so much and she is still smiling. I don't care what anyone thinks, she is my inspiration.

"We're gonna go home in a little bit, the doctor just wants to make sure you're ok." I kiss her forehead.

"Ok," Abby wraps her arms around my neck for a hug. "I love you Daddy."

"I love you too Abby."

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I watch Abby as she sleeps in my bed from my doorframe. I don't think she would be ready to sleep in her own room for a little while. Plus, I don't think I'm ready for her to sleep by herself for the time being.

I stay for a few minutes before I head downstairs. I pull out my phone and call my brother. I haven't told anyone about what happened with Abby yet. Everything had been pure chaos from that moment and this is the first minute I can catch my breath.

"Hello?" John answers.

"Hey man."

"Why the fuck are you calling me at 10 pm?"

"Ok Grandpa," I tease him. "I have something serious to talk to you about though."

"What's up?" I tell him everything that happened from the minute the dispatcher announced the incident to this very moment.

"I don't know what to do," I finally crack and a tear falls down my face. "She's my world and I don't knw how to fix this. I'm scared that she's traumatized from this and she's just not saying anything. I can't lose her," my voice cracks at the end.

"Listen Hunt, as terrible as that was, your girl is a total badass. As much as I hate to admit it, you've raised her right. Abby is strong, she'll get through this."

I take in a breath. "You're right. I just can't imagine my life without her."

"Everything will be alright. How about this: tomorrow you, Abby, and me go to this bakery and hang out for a bit. I know how much she loves desserts and that shit, so we can give her a treat."

"Yeah, that sounds good."

I hear a baby crying in the background. "Listen man, Gabriel woke up and it's my turn to calm him down. I'll talk to you later."

"Alright," I hang up.

I sit on the couch for a little while longer before I decide to head upstairs for bed. John is right. As much as I want to completely baby Abby, she's growing up and she can handle a lot more then I think she can. That doesn't mean what happened wasn't terrible, but I know she can get through this.

I get under my covers and place a kiss on Abby's forehead.

"I love you so much." I whisper.

Hey guys! I have so many grades due today, but I basically had this chapter done and I needed a quick break from school. This online school has me a lot more stressed than regular school!

Anyways, we're about to meet Charlie! I know it's a little slow, but I promise that it'll be worth the wait!

Also, how do we feel about John? I love him so much! I want to incorporate Hunter's family a little more because I kind of neglected them when I first wrote this book.

I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter, I'll see y'all soon hopefully!