Page 63 of Daddy's Little Survivor

Jared had somehow found her and shattered her reality that she was safe.

“Wake up, Little Bunny,” he said as he continued to rub her stomach.

She jolted awake, her eyes opening wide as she stared at him and before he knew what was happening, her arms were wrapped around his neck and he was gently picking her up. Rocking side to side as he walked to the rocking chair, he tried to keep her calm.

“You're okay,” he whispered. “It's okay to cry. Just let it all out.”

One thing he knew was she needed to let her emotions out. He could bet that when she lived with Jared, she didn't let herself cry or feel many emotions.

Monroe placed her face in his neck once her crying had slowed down some. He loved being here for her and wanted her to know that at any point, he was here.

Michael continued to rock her in the chair and whisper soothing words to her. He didn't like that she was starting to have nightmares again, but was glad that this time, she let him help her through it.

In the beginning, when he would hear her cry out after she woke up from a nightmare, he had to hold himself back because she was scared of him. He ended up pacing in his room or office for hours afterwards, wondering if she was okay.

He had made the mistake of going into her room the second night she was here after a nightmare and she’d freaked out even more. He had apologized when he made her breakfast because he truly felt bad. Michael didn't mean to make her even more scared than she already was. All he wanted to do was bring her comfort and help her through the aftermath of the nightmare.

When Michael first became a doctor, he would have nightmares about being unable to save a patient, and he had no support. Every single time he woke up, he felt alone, but after a while, he just got used to it. He had no close friends or family and didn’t know if that would ever change.

“Feeling better?” he asked. “Do you want to talk about it?”

She shook her head and relaxed into his embrace. They sat in the rocking chair for a long time, but he didn't mind. He knew they both needed this.

“I'm sorry for getting your shirt all wet,” she whispered.

“Don't you worry, Little Bunny. I can wash my shirt,” he replied. “You can wet my shirt anytime you need a good cry. I'm here for that and I'm here for you.”

Her hand gripped onto his shirt and he loved the feeling.

“I've got a question and I want you to keep an open mind,” he said. “Can you do that? It's nothing bad.”

“Otay,” she whispered.

“Finn, one of the other owners of BTS, asked me if you would want to come over and have a playdate with Charlotte, his Little. Would you like that, or do you want to stay here?” he asked.

He waited for her response, not wanting to sway her one way or the other or push her to pick an answer. He had hoped she would say yes because he wanted her to have friends.

“I don't know,” she whispered. “I've never actually met another Little in real life. I'm nervous. What if I do something wrong?”

“It's okay. Charlotte is one of the sweetest girls I've met, and I do know she's excited to meet you,” he said. “You won't do anything wrong. She knows you're nervous and no doubt she is, too. She hasn’t played with very many Littles herself. You're going to be fine if you want to go.”

“Can I think about it? When is it?”

“Finn was asking about this afternoon, so anytime would be okay.”

He felt her hand grip his shirt even tighter and he was worried. Michael didn't want to bring her any stress.

“Okay,” she said. “I guess, I guess I can go.”

“Don't worry. I'll be with you as well.”

He felt her relax a little bit and loved that he could bring her a sense of calmness.

“All right, let's get you changed and we'll head over,” he said.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

MONROE

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