Page 41 of Losing his Daddy

The officer hummed across the line. “You’ve checked everywhere, including closets and under beds? Can you check his room again to ensure this isn’t simply him leaving on his own?”

“Yes, I’m sure. Check his bedroom again? Oh! Yes, I guess I should check to see if he packed his stuff up and left.”

He didn’t sound too pleased to have to deal with me, yet he still managed to trigger my mind enough for me to realize he was right. I’d only opened each door to see if he was in the space. For all I knew, Gerald could have been tucked away somewhere in the house.

I hated to think of what that could mean. While we hadn’t discussed his addiction much further than that original conversation, I knew through my own research that desperation could lead to self-harm.

But what could have caused it? Things were fine. They had been, right? This wasn’t me not noticing the signs all along, was it?

“It looks like his stuff is still here so maybe — oh fuck!” I felt relief at spotting him. That feeling quickly morphed into fear when I realized what position he was in. “He’s here. I found him. He’s on the floor.”

I moved my hand to his back as I leaned down to look into his eyes. The cop was saying something in my ear, but I couldn’t focus on it. I needed to check on the man I’d been hunting.

“Gerald? Are you ok? What happened?”

Wide eyes met mine as he slowly shook his head. It was barely a shift, though I was watching closely enough to see the change.

“Ok… ok. We’ll figure it out. I’ll get you help. Is it… are you in pain?”

He gave another small signal, this time a nod. Panic welled within me. How badly was he hurting? And was it self-inflicted or due to some outside force?

“Where does it hurt? Should I call an ambulance?” I showed him my phone to let him know I could reach out. It would only take a few buttons for me to get the best care for him.

His soft-spoken ‘no’ did nothing to ease the stress this entire encounter was giving me.

“You have to give me something.” I ignored the urge to press myself against him. I wanted to fight whatever darkness had taken hold of him. I’d slay anything that wanted to take this amazing man from me.

I watched as his eyes closed, then he slowly but surely rolled onto his side. Reaching out, I helped him move into a sitting position. His body drooped to one side, as if it longed to hit the floor again. I hated the idea, so I reached out and tugged him to my chest.

The second he was pressed against me, it was like a fireworks show went off in my mind. The explosion of colors tore through my mind, then settled inside me, creating a warmth I’d never felt.

I could have held him in my arms forever. The connection was utter perfection. There wasn’t another instance in my life where I could remember feeling so utterly connected with a person with a single touch.

“I’ve never been quite as scared as I was when I got home, and they told me you hadn’t answered the door today. And I knew you’d missed my calls already and skipped lunch. I thought you were…” I forced myself to stop the thought. No need to manifest horrid things after I’d only just gotten proof he was ok.

Well, maybe not ok. Something was still very, very wrong.

I just had to find out what.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered against my shoulder. His head burrowed further into my suit jacket.

“Shhh. No need to apologize. I only want what’s best for you. Can you tell me what happened? Or should we move somewhere else so I can get you comfortable? I don’t want this to be any harder than it needs to be.”

Gerald tilted his head back. His watery eyes gazed at me like he couldn’t believe I was real.

I couldn’t believe it either. Danielle would have had a field day at this entire moment. She and I had never balanced out properly. It took her infidelity and ending the relationship for me to see it.

Because the truth was that I loved this exchange as much as I hated it. Maybe more so.

There was a submission in Gerald’s body that spoke to the Dominant in me. Danielle had never been one to let go enough for the type of dynamic I wanted. Or I guess, maybe it was a need.

Being dominant wasn’t something I could suppress. I’d done it for a long fucking time and look where that got me.

I wouldn’t force anything on the man in my arms, but I sure would work to figure out what this all meant. My instincts were rarely wrong. Not about this.

“Here,” he said carefully. “Legs are asleep. Can’t move.”

“I can carry you. It’s nothing for me to get you wherever you’d like.”

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