Page 11 of Daddy's Little Survivor

It happened in slow motion. Michael watched as Monroe’s eyes went wide and she started to cough. Shit. He didn’t meant for her to choke on the water.

Michael waited a couple of seconds to see if she would catch her breath and stop coughing. He didn’t want to go over there and make everything worse.

It didn’t get better and he found himself quickly walking over to her and sitting down. His hands gently made contact with her back, patting her to help her stop coughing.

“Exhale slowly,” he whispered.

Monroe shook her head and tears sprang to her eyes as she coughed more violently. Her face turned red as she continued to cough, and worry filled Michael.

“Exhale for Daddy,” he found himself saying. “Do it for Daddy.”

Michael watched as she slowly started to exhale and come back to her senses. Tears still ran down her face and it took everything in him not to run his thumb across her cheek to get rid of them.

Every instinct in him was screaming at him to take care of her, to baby her and help her get better. But it wasn't his place to do that. Monroe didn't know him. And he was already pushing his boundaries.

In the heat of the moment, he called himself Daddy. Something he knew better than to do yet he still did it. Monroe had his Daddy instincts kicking in full force. He hadn’t felt like this in years and couldn’t stop himself.

He needed to remember patience and also the fact that he didn’t know if she was into the DDlg lifestyle.

He had seen the stuffie in the back of her car, but that didn’t mean anything. Yes, it made him feel it was more likely she was a Little, but it wasn't a certainty.

He would never forgive himself if he made her uncomfortable or pushed his lifestyle on her and she didn't want it. He wouldn't want to do that to anybody.

Monroe's head quickly moved in his direction and she started to tremble. That was his cue to get up and walk slowly away from her.

He knew there was a risk that if he got too close, she would panic even more, and he didn't want that to happen. He didn't know how much more her body could take. She had to be exhausted physically and mentally and panicking would only worsen both.

Michael wanted her in a relaxed state. He knew it would take a little bit of time getting there because she didn't know him, but he was willing to take all the time she needed. Though, if she wanted to go to the hospital, he would take her.

It wouldn't be his first choice and he couldn’t really see her doing that. Monroe was jumpy and scared around him, and he knew something terrible had happened before she drove down his street. Being in a hospital with hundreds of strangers would trigger her fear and probably do her no good at all.

He wanted to tell her that, and that he'd take good care of her, spoil her, and cherish her, but he didn’t want to overwhelm her.

She already looked overwhelmed - overwhelmed and scared. Michael didn't know how he was going to calm her down and get her to trust him. He didn’t want to push her too far and have her run away. He wanted to gently talk to her and gain her trust, make her feel comfortable around him. All he had to remember was one baby step at a time.

Monroe cowered away as he stood up to his full height. Shit. He needed to remember she was even more scared when he stood up. She wasn’t short at all, but he still towered over her.

“Sorry, Little Bunny. Didn’t mean to scare you,” he whispered.

Michael quickly sat back down on a chair and looked at her. It broke his heart that she was so scared of anything and everything. Who could do something like this?

He knew it was a person. The bruises that littered her body as he briefly glanced to see if there were any major cuts told him it was a person. Fists, handprints, boot prints, and more types of bruises showed up on her skin.

He didn’t know if he had any bruise cream, but if he didn’t, that would be at the top of his shopping list. Michael didn’t like seeing her in pain.

He felt this connection with her and would do anything to help her.

“You don’t have to be afraid of me. I’m not going to hurt you,” he softly said. “I want to help you heal and keep you safe from whoever you’re running from.”

Monroe’s eyes went wide as he said the last part. Having seen too many abuse victims and survivors come through the hospital and clinic, he immediately saw the signs and knew what to do and what not to do. But it had all gone out the window when she passed out and when she started to choke on the water.

He needed to get better at that. He didn’t need to be Daddying her right now, even if he really wanted to do that and thought it was best for her. Michael needed to respect her boundaries, even if he didn’t know what they were yet. He was going to find out, though.

“I-I’m not h-hiding from a-a-anyone!” she stuttered out.

Her voice was like music to his ears. Soft and smooth like honey. He could listen to her talk all day long. If she continued to talk like that, it could probably put him to sleep.

Michael’s face went hard after she finished speaking because he knew right then she was lying. He didn’t like it when people lied to him. He had been lied to too many times in his life.

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