The orderlies came in and helped my father into a chair next to me. He sat comfortably and watched TV with me, telling me they should put better movies on. He then started listing them to me one by one. I rolled my eyes at him until he stopped and lowered his head a little. His face began to contort as he grunted and held tightly onto the chair.
“Daddy?” I inched closer. “Dad?” I panicked and pressed for the nurse. She came in and looked at my father.
He started to cry out in pain. My heart began to break as tears streamed down his face. The pain he must have felt had to be beyond anything he had experienced before. I was told to leave the room and I began to pace frantically outside. One of the student doctors who worked with Dr. Cohen came and checked on him. I began biting my nails as I kept hearing my dad shout out in pain.
“Addie.” I heard Daimon call out to me. “Is everything okay?” he asked as he reached out and took me by my arms to stop me from moving. He looked at me apprehensively, waiting for me to answer him. That’s when he heard my father yell. “What the fuck?” he roared. “What in the hell is going on here?” he shouted at a nurse who walked by.
“I don't know,” the nurse said.
“Well find the fuck out now,” he bit out. The student doctor came out of my father’s room soon after the nurse Daimon yelled at went inside.
“Ms. Sakis, your father has a severe bacterial infection. It happens sometimes after an operation. We’ll be giving him some antibiotics and monitoring him closely,” he smiled at me.
“Will my father-in-law be all right?” Daimon asked.
“Yes, unfortunately these things do happen, but we got it in time and with a round of antibiotics he should be fine. But please, next time do not yell at our nurses,” the young doctor said to Daimon. Daimon stepped closer and pushed me behind him.
“I pay enough money to have him here on this floor to get exceptional service. So I will do what I please when it comes to my family,” he said in a serious tone.
“Yes of course, sir,” the student doctor said nervously.
“Addie? Are you okay?” Daimon asked as looked me over. His usual icy blue eyes had a tenderness to them, easing my fearful heart. It was the warm, adoring look of his which opened the floodgates.
“Yeah, I just—I just—” I began to cry. “It’s hard hearing my father cry like that. He hasn’t done that since my mother passed.” I lowered my head into my hands. Daimon reached out and wrapped his arms around me, holding me tightly.
His strong arms.
His hard body.
His soft breathing.
His scent.
God, I could so easily lose myself.
“What are you doing?” I asked as I pushed him off me, regaining what little strength I had.
“Comforting you,” he said as he tried to reach out to me.
“Well don't do it,” I hissed, holding up my hand.
“Why?” he asked.
“Because I'm not used to the nice Daimon,” I said flatly. Because I don’t want to need you, because I can’t long for you, I thought to myself.
“You said you hated it when I showed others my good side and not you. Now you hate my good side and want my bad. Make up your mind, Addie,” Daimon said coldly.
“You listen here, what I said was I hate how you act differently with others, just act like the jerk I know you are and stop faking it with other people,” I fired back.
“Who says I'm faking it, Addie?” He stepped closer and towered over me, my eyes looked up to see him glaring at me. The warmth that had been there a moment ago was now replaced by solid ice.
“Addie?” My father called out to me. I ran into his room and away from Daimon’s loaded question.
I woke up early in the morning to ready myself for a jog. I needed to clear my mind and think about what exactly I was going to do with the diner. Daimon was asleep on the couch at the other end of the room. I slowly crept up and stared at him as he slept. His half-naked torso was wrapped around his sheet while his arm was behind his head, stretching out his body. He was sexy there was no way around it. It was too bad he couldn’t stay asleep all his life. Drako wagged his tail and waited at the door for me as I hurried downstairs.
I walked over to the Pier and stretched my legs, holding onto Drako’s leash. He was jumping around excitedly for what was about to happen. I don’t think Drako even knew what was going on, but he hopped around and happily waited until I finished my hamstring stretches. The sun had begun to rise and its rays started to spread out along the sky.
“Are you ready, Drako?” I asked him and he barked. I laughed and started a light jog; it had been months since I ran and I didn’t want to overdo it the first time out. My mind began to relax and the diner started to seep in. It was almost a week since it had last been open; there would be no way to save it now. Selling it wouldn’t be an option. The price we would get wouldn’t even pay the debt or the suppliers we owed money to. I could maybe sell off the equipment since they were paid off, but the money from that wouldn’t cover the back rent. The more I ran, the more I realized how screwed I was, but Daimon had bought me and my price included the diner. I was hoping he wasn’t about to change what he said. Even though I knew Daimon would never go back on his word, I was always apprehensive when it came to him. The more I thought the harder I ran. I didn’t realize how far I had gone until I reached the end of the boardwalk. I stopped, trying to catch my breath as Drako ran around me, almost tripping me with his leash. “I think it’s time to head back,” I said to him as he jumped and barked.