Page 40 of Daddy's Little Fighter
He looked at the door, worry filling him with each passing second.
“Can you let Daddy know if you are okay?” he asked. “Daddy is really worried about you.”
Did something else happen?
“Frankie, I need to hear your voice to know whether you are okay. Are you hurt?” he asked once again. “Are you physically hurt?”
“No,” she whispered.
Noah sucked in a breath and slowly let it out. She wasn’t physically harmed, which was great. He had no doubt she felt embarrassed for spilling the drink, but she didn’t have to worry about that. That was the last thing she should worry about when she was hanging out with the other Littles.
“Can you open the door for Daddy?” he gently asked. “I would love to see you and make sure you are okay. Do you want a hug?”
More silence filled the hallway they were in. Patient. That was what Noah needed to be right now.
“I can wrap my arms around you tightly and hold you close to me.” Noah kept talking, trying to coax her out of the bathroom.
This had worked once while they had been together, and he hoped it would work again.
“Little One?” he called out. “Daddy is getting awfully lonely out here. He would love for his Little to come out and give him a hug. Help ease his worries.”
The door unlocked, and he patiently waited for her to open it when she was ready.
“Can Daddy come in?” he suggested.
“It’s the girls’ bathroom,” he heard her say.
“Rainey won’t mind if I come in to help calm you down. I think she would want me to do that. All of them are worried about you,” he spoke.
The door cracked open, and he could see Frankie’s eyes.
“Really?” she whispered.
He nodded. “They really are. Rainey called me right away and told me to come.”
“Where were you? I ran to the car,” she mumbled.
His heart broke in two. He wasn’t there like he told her he would be.
“I’m sorry, Little One. I went to the store to buy something,” he told her. “I looked in and saw how happy you were with them. I thought I had time to go to the store. I’m sorry.”
“I went looking for you,” she whispered, tears pooling in her eyes.
“Come here.” He held his arms open.
Frankie opened the door wider and rushed into his arms, holding him tight. Noah wrapped his arms around her, making her feel secure.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. Next time, I won’t move from my spot until you are done hanging out with them,” Noah told her.
There was going to be a next time, he was sure of it.
“Now, why don’t we go out and let the other Littles know you are okay?” he suggested.
Frankie pulled away from him and shook her head. “Can we just go home? I just want to go home and crawl under the covers.”
Noah felt conflicted as he looked at her. He wanted to tell her they couldn’t, so she faced her fears and saw that it wasn’t as bad, but he didn’t want to push her too far. What if he made them stay, and she retreated to not going to the club?
“Frankie,” Rainey called out. “We were so worried about you!”
