(Thanks to everyone who's left such nice comments and kudos on Datz A Family! This is now its own series, and it has a tumblr as well (still under construction because I'm an adult with a full time job...). You can find me over at datzafamily if you want to talk about the stories!

The title might change. I really struggled with it, and this is the only one that's felt right so far.

For reference - any (italicized text in parentheses) is Khurai'nese. I tried to look up the structure of the language and take a crack at writing it, but I just didn't feel comfortable enough for this one. Maybe next time.)

Armie flipped through the workbook of Khura'inese characters that Nahyuta had gifted her and a nervous flutter played about her stomach. She knew that she would eventually have to enter school, though she was happy to stay home with Datz most days. But he had just smiled, ruffled her hair, and told her that she was too bright to not do something with all of the smarts she had.

The next day, Nahyuta had arrived with the workbook and informed her that she would be quizzed nightly until she had a grasp of the language. "After all," the fair man told her, "many of us do speak English, but most things are written in Khura'inese. It would behoove you to learn, Armie."

She sighed and tried to write the character on the page before her. Its twists and curves were surprisingly complex, and she frowned.

Datz's voice at her ear made her jump. "Oh yeah, that's the character for mitamah," he said. "I always try to remember that one because it has the same shape as the mitamah does." He traced it with his finger to show her. "See?"

"Oh, I get it!" She nodded and moved his hand to trace the shape herself. She grinned and immediately grabbed her pencil, finding it far easier to write the character this time.

"Yeah, that's it," Datz praised. He set a plate down, away from her workbook. The last time he'd gotten so much as a drop of sauce on one of her papers, Yuty had practically attacked him with his rosary…not to mention the sermon he'd had to sit through afterwards…

Datz shivered, a cold sweat breaking out across his forehead. Suddenly he felt quite nauseous.

Armie was already eagerly attacking her food, but she paused when she saw Datz's expression. "Dad? Are you okay?"

He shook it off, chalking the chill up to the memory of having to hear the Khura'inese sermon and retaining about 30% of it at best. "Yeah, I'm fine, kiddo," he grinned, ruffling her hair. "Take a break – you've been at that all day!"

The girl's smile was a little hesitant. "Well, Private Sahdmadi seems to want me to start school as soon as possible," she reasoned. "I have to catch up on stuff that the people here have been learning since they were kids."

Datz frowned a little. She was really pushing herself to do this. Sure, he'd been the one to agree that Armie was too smart not to go to school, but she was going to run herself into the ground like this. Maybe he'd have to talk with Yuty in the morning.

He was startled to find a matching frown on Armie's face. "Hm? What's that look for?" he asked lightly. "So serious!"

"You're not eating?" she asked, tilting her head and looking down at the plate. It was beef stir-fry; usually she'd have to fight Datz for the last portion. In fact, he hadn't made it for months because he claimed that the landlord wasn't going to be happy about the bullet holes that Armie's drone had put into the wall during the culmination of their last spar. (She had ended up with the final plate, so there.)

Datz shook his head. "Nah, I'm not too hungry," he said. It wasn't a lie; the nausea and pain in his stomach made even the thought of eating unbearable. He shifted a little and grimaced as a sharp pain shot through his abdomen. What had he eaten that could make the pain this bad?

(Maybe sewer lizards weren't the best source of nourishment after all?)

Her gaze was fixed on him, frowning deeper as she noticed his discomfort. "Why don't you just go to the doctor?" Armie asked.

Datz dismissively waved a hand. "Naw, I'm fine. Never been a fan of any sawbones, anyway."

Armie smirked as she leaned a little closer. "Those are usually surgeons, Dad."

Now he chuckled, shifting to try and get at least a little more comfortable. "Tell you what. If it gets worse, I'll go tomorrow. Promise," he said, holding up his hands to stave off her coming argument. "Besides, the doctor's place is closed for the night. Nobody could see me right now anyways."

Her face pulled in a pout, but she knew that he was right. It was almost 8, and it seemed as if Datz was alright for the time being. She crossed her arms across her chest. "You'd better," she warned, narrowing her eyes and giving him a look. "Don't lie and say you're feeling better just to get out of it!"

Datz winced. "Come on, I'm not that bad," he argued weakly. But he knew deep down that she was right – he had a tendency to avoid doctors like the plague. Call it a side effect of never sitting still for any length of time, he figured. He sighed. If his daughter wanted him to go to the doctor, then he'd go for her sake. Anything to get that look of worry off of her face. "But I'm sure I'll feel fine in the morning, haha!"

He attempted to distract her by quizzing her while she finished eating. "Pop quiz," he grinned. "What's the character you just learned before dinner?"

She nibbled a scallion and thought. "That was…mitamah," she murmured.

Datz nodded. "Yup. And that is?" he prompted, wanting her to continue.

"Umm…" Armie paused. She was getting better at replicating the characters, but sometimes still struggled with what exactly they meant. "It's the spirit, right?"

He grinned and leaned over to ruffle her hair, hiding the wince of pain that the movement caused. "Atta girl," he praised. "You'll have this down in no time. Don't let Yuty get to you, alright?"

Her worry temporarily forgotten, Armie smiled, feeling a little proud of herself. "Yeah?" she asked. "Thanks, Dad." She was satisfied by the progress she'd been making, but sometimes felt as if she got a bit stuck. She always appreciated knowing when she was doing things well.

"One of these days, you're gonna be smarter than me, haha!" Datz teased, giving her a grin. He pushed himself up, pressing a hand against the sharp pain in his side, and his smile disappeared. "I think I'm going back to bed," he said slowly. "Promise me you won't stay up too late, kiddo."

Her eyes darkened again as she looked him over. "I won't," she said. "…are you sure you're gonna be okay?"

The concern in her voice made him force a grin. "Don't worry," he said. "I'll be up bright an' early in the morning and dragging you out of bed. "We've gotta go catch some sewer lizards, yeah?"

Armie winced. She thought she'd managed to break him of that disgusting consumption habit, mostly by forcibly throwing out all of the lizards shortly after moving in (seriously, who needed a week's worth of dried, fried lizards in one go?), but it appeared that old habits die hard. "No wonder you're sick," she said, her voice a little tart. "Those are so gross, Dad."

He threw his head back and laughed. "They're packed with protein!" he declared. "And if you season them right, they're really tasty!"

"Ugh. Dad." The disgusted face that she made was almost worth the churning in his stomach at the thought of eating anything. He gave her a cheeky grin and a wave before disappearing back into his room.

Armie shook her head in repulsion as she turned her attention back to the workbook. Now she was sure that he was fine.

…

Apollo blearily reached for the bedside table as his phone rang insistently. He glowered at the caller ID and cursed when he saw Datz's number. Didn't he realize what time it was? He picked up the call anyways, intending to remind him that not everyone could operate on no sleep like him.

"Don't you ever sleep?" he grumped, mostly to himself, as he flipped open the phone. "H'llo?"

A soft sniffle from the other line immediately sobered him and he sat up with a start. "Armie? What's wrong?" He felt dread settle in his stomach – where was Datz, and why was Armie calling so late?

"P-private Justice," she answered, and he heard her voice shake. "Please, you have to come over!"

Apollo was already up and pulling on pants. "I'm on my way. Armie, where's Datz?" He thought he heard a noise in the background, but he wasn't sure what it was.

She took a trembling breath, like she was trying to hold back tears. "I think Dad's dying!" she cried, and Apollo froze in the middle of pulling on his jacket.

"What do you mean? Where is he?" Now he was starting to panic. The poor girl was clearly shaken and could give him no real indication as to what was going on. He knew he had to get over there to figure out what was happening.

"H-he won't stop throwing up," Armie whimpered, and Apollo heard that noise again in the background. Though his hearing wasn't as refined as Athena's, he strained to listen and recognized the telltale sound of someone violently vomiting. He winced.

"I'll be there in five minutes," he said, locking his apartment behind him. "I'll call Nahyuta too and we'll both be there shortly."

…

Apollo opened the apartment door with his key, letting both himself and Nahyuta in. He was a little surprised that Armie wasn't waiting, and he wondered where the girl was. They followed the sounds of retching coming from the bathroom; the fairer haired man grimaced at the sounds.

"Is it not possible that he drank too much?" Nahyuta asked quietly. "Or perhaps he ate something putrid."

Apollo grunted in thought. The idea had occurred to him too, but… "Datz doesn't really drink, especially since he adopted Armie," he pointed out. "It might have been something he ate, though…" He couldn't help but be a little frustrated that he'd been dragged out of bed at 3 AM to take care of a grown man, but he softened when he remembered just how scared Armie had sounded. Maybe she really did believe that he was dying. He rapped lightly on the bathroom door. "Datz? It's us. We're coming in."

He carefully pushed open the door and saw the older man bent over the toilet, clutching the tank and the seat so hard that his knuckles were white. Armie knelt beside him, pressing a washcloth to his forehead. Datz looked deathly pale, and Armie looked like she was trying not to cry.

"How long have you been sick?" Apollo tried desperately not to breathe through his nose. He was a sympathy spewer, and god knew that was the last thing they needed right now. He tried to calm him stomach and stay strong for the girl's sake.

Datz gave a weak laugh, but seemed to think better of it as he tensed again in pain. "Dunno," he muttered. "A few days? It got really bad today…"

Apollo frowned down at him. "Datz, you can't just ignore when you're sick," he argued, though as a workaholic he knew he was the last person who could lecture on this. But something stuck out: if it had been a few days, then it likely wasn't something that Datz had eaten…was it the flu? But he remembered that Datz had been fine the last few days, joking with him as if everything was alright. He didn't seem like he was someone who was fighting off the flu…

Datz retched again, though nothing came up and he was left dry heaving. Armie bit her lip so hard that she could taste the copper tang of blood.

Apollo turned to his foster brother. "Can you take Armie to the living room?" he whispered. "I think we need to call an ambulance."

He nodded in return, deftly stepping up to lay a hand on her shoulder. "Come with me," he said gently.

Armie shook her head firmly. "No. I want to stay with him," she said.

Datz made a gargantuan effort to lift his head and give her a shaky smile. "Go on, kiddo," he managed. "I'm with AJ, so I'm fine."

Her lips twitched at the use of Private Justice's favorite phrase, and it was enough of a distraction for Nahyuta to guide her into a standing position and out of the cramped bathroom.

When the door shut behind them, Apollo turned his attention to Datz. "We're calling an ambulance," he said firmly, pulling out his phone. "If you've been sick for a few days, it's not something you ate. You need to get checked out."

Datz hesitated for a long moment, but he finally nodded. "Yeah," he agreed. "This ain't normal. S'not the flu; I've had that before." He groaned. "The flu doesn't hurt like this."

Nahuyta's phone vibrated and he checked it discreetly, turning the screen away from Armie.

Calling an ambulance. Try to keep Armie calm please.

His face was placid as he tucked his phone away, settled onto the couch, and patted the cushion next to him a bit stiffly. "You should sit," he offered. She did so hesitantly, and Nahyuta sighed as he knew that he had to tell her what was going on. "Apollo has called for an ambulance, Armie," he said as delicately as he could. "I do not think that Datz's life is in danger. It is just to make sure that everything is as it should be."

She clutched at her knees, holding the fabric like it was a lifeline. Ambulances always took people away to their deaths. The ambulances that came for Mama and Papa…they were too late. She bit her lip, trying to stop herself from crying.

The fair-haired man hesitated. His personage had always been a little aloof, but he knew that he needed to say something that would comfort her. "It could just be a flu. If all goes well, you will both be home in a matter of hours."

She slowly unclenched her hands. "…really?" she asked, blue eyes trailing up to Sahdmadi's.

He nodded, feeling a sense of responsibility to the child. In many ways, she reminded him of Rayfa, especially the way she looked at him now. Idly he wondered if the girls would get along. Perhaps this was something to consider in the future.

He looked around for something to engage with her about. His eyes fell on her workbook, still open from earlier, and he tilted his head with a smile. "I see you have been studying as I suggested," he said. "Have you been making progress?"

Armie seemed grateful to be thinking about anything other than her adoptive father being ill, but wasn't much for making conversation beyond a few noncommittal words. He did not give up; he patiently spoke and listened to whatever little she had to say.

She had just started to show him the character that she had learned for 'mitamah' when he heard knocking on the apartment door. He gave her a hesitant pat on the shoulder as he stood to answer it.

It seemed like forever to Armie before they were finally on their way to the hospital. She stayed by Datz's side the whole time, and listening to him breathe made her stomach unclench a little more. She tried to talk about anything she could, just like how Nahyuta had done for her while waiting for the ambulance. Datz's responses were shorter for the pain, but overall he seemed alright…maybe Private Sahdmadi was right, and they would be on their way home in no time.

She began to reconsider when Datz was finally being examined and the doctor's eyes darkened.

"You said you've been in pain for days? Why didn't you get it looked at sooner?" the doctor asked, staring down at him.

Datz attempted to give her a sheepish grin, but the pain offset some of the charm to it. "Come on, Sawbones," he argued. "You know me."

"Yeah, I do know you," she retorted. "I fixed you up enough times during your rebellion to know that you hate doctors. I'd take it personally if I didn't know better." Armie sensed that there was some history there, but this wasn't the right time to ask about it. "I think I know what's wrong, but I need to check. Pull up your shirt for me."

He obliged and lay back, but was caught off guard and yelped when she dropped cold gel on his stomach. "Gimme some warning, Sawbones!" he whined.

The red-haired doctor sucked her teeth and took her ultrasound wand in hand. "Pipe down," she mumbled as she began to rub the wand through the gel and over his abdomen. "You're distracting me."

Armie's lips puckered like she'd eaten a sour lemon. She wasn't sure that she cared for how this doctor talked to her dad, even if they did know apparently each other. "You shouldn't talk to him like that," she said, her voice firm even tinged with the sleepiness of the hour. "He's sick."

Datz's smile was soft despite the shiver that he felt at the cold. She really was a good kid, and as soon as he was able to think straight through the pain, he would tell her.

The doctor looked up at her, a little surprised but also looking chagrined. "Sorry, kid. Say…" Her eyes darted to the screen as she tried to focus on her task. "What's your name?"

Armie sat up a little straighter. "Armie Buff," she answered quietly.

Datz nodded. "Yup," he said, his voice prideful despite the growing pain. "She's my daughter."

The doctor nearly dropped the wand and looked at him. "Your daughter?" She glanced at Armie before looking back to Datz. "Wow, Datz," she said dryly. "It's been that long since I've seen you? I'm disappointed this is the first time I'm meeting her."

Datz had the decency to look embarrassed. "We'll catch up after this," he promised.

Her attention now turned fully to Armie. "Hi, Armie. I'm Erin McCormick, and I'm a doctor. I've patched your dad up before, and I'll take care of him again now." Her smile was warm and confident, and Armie wanted to trust her. The older woman took no more time for pleasantries and focused on the ultrasound's screen.

McCormick turned her gaze to Datz after a long moment. "Unfortunately, it's what I thought. Your appendix is a few hours away from bursting," she said. "I've gotta take you in for surgery, ASAP."

Datz cursed, closing his eyes and laying back on the table. "Dammit!" he clenched out through gritted teeth. There was a pause in which he registered that Armie was still in the room and he corrected himself. "…darn it."

"Surgery?!" Armie was on her feet, hands curled into tight fists as she stared up at McCormick. "He has to have surgery?"

The older woman nodded. "Afraid so. But the good news, darlin', is that I've done this kind of thing a lot. He came in just in time." She looked back and forth between them for a moment. "I've got to get everything prepped. You two can have a minute. I'll be back." She turned and dashed out of the room.

Datz blew out a slow breath. Well, shit. "I thought it was just something I ate," he chuckled weakly. "No more sewer lizards for me, huh? You made a good call getting rid of those, Sarge." When Armie didn't reply, he lifted his head and sought her out. His stomach dropped when he saw her sitting there, biting her lip so hard he feared she'd tear right through it and clutching her knees tightly. "Aww, kiddo…" Tears welled in her eyes and he lifted his arm up. "Hey, come here." He opened and closed his fingers in a vague semblance of trying to gesture her over and she obliged, but still stayed a distance away as if she were afraid to get near him. His expression turned serious. She really was scared. "Armie. You're not gonna hurt me. You can come here."

As soon as she stepped within arm's reach, he snaked an arm around her and pulled her in for a hug. She squeaked as she moved to hold herself up so she didn't fall and land on his injured side. "D-dad," she protested through the lump in her throat. "You have to be careful! Please!"

"I know." He looked up at her. "Hey, don't worry so much, alright? You're gonna get wrinkles." Datz smirked and went for a little self-depreciating humor – ever since she had become comfortable calling him old, it was the quickest guarantee to make her smile. "You don't want those, like your old man, do you?" He pointed to the various creases on his face, which he typically liked to think of as signs of a life well lived, but she would often call signs of being an old person.

The tiniest of smiles cracked her face. "Nooo…" she admitted quietly.

"That's right." He tapped her nose. "We've gotta have at least one beauty in the family, after all!" He chuckled and reached up to rustle her hair.

Now Armie let out a giggle. "Daaaaad…"

"There's that smile," he said with a soft grin of his own. "…listen, Armie. Don't worry, alright? I know Sawbones. She'll take care of me, and we'll be going home soon."

McCormick entered the room again. "Alright, Datz, let's get this started." She stepped closer, but paused and placed a hand on Armie's shoulder. "No worries, darlin'. He's in good hands with me." She smiled down at the girl. "Say, you mind running out and making sure that the pointy-haired kid is doing all that paperwork? It needs done, and I'm pretty sure your dad's gonna bolt before I can get him to do it all."

"Run while you still can," Datz warned her in a stage whisper. "The paperwork's how she snags you and keeps you here forever !"

Armie's expression was still clearly nervous, but she was at least willing to let go of Datz's hand. "O-okay…"

"Oh, you're not getting out of post-op checkups," McCormick grumbled. "That's the last time you're getting away from me, Datz Are'bal!" Despite her griping, there was a fond twist of her lips as she looked them both over.

Well, if the surgeon wasn't rushing out of the room, things were probably okay. Armie moved to the door and paused, turning back briefly. She gave Datz a tiny wave. "See you soon," she said, hoping that her tone didn't sound as questioning as it did to her. He chuckled and returned the wave.

"See you soon," he agreed.

…

Armie was thankful for Private Justice and how he stayed. She tried to tell him to leave, but he had just given her a look in return. "Sorry, Sarge," he said. "That's an order I can't follow. Besides, there's still so much paperwork to do…"

Apollo stifled a yawn. The sun was just starting to rise and he was really, really tired. The letters had all started to blur together about an hour ago, but attempting to decipher it gave him something else to focus on. He didn't want to admit it, especially not in front of Armie, but he was a little worried. Emergency surgery during the wee hours of the morning was always a concern, and Datz hadn't looked well…

He glanced down at the young girl, huffing out a smile as he saw her curled against his side. She'd finally fallen asleep, and Apollo was grateful. At least one of them would get some rest tonight. Nahyuta had offered to stay as well, but Apollo had sent him home. No need for all of them to be sleep deprived in the morning, he figured. Nahyuta's tasks at the palace made it more important for him to get rest, so Apollo was willing to take the fall.

The morning shift doctors were just starting to arrive when the doors leading to the OR swung open and McCormick walked out. Apollo sat up a little straighter and lightly shook Armie's shoulder. "Hey, Sarge," he whispered. "The doctor's back."

She started awake, sitting straight up and looking as if she hadn't ever managed to fall asleep. "Is he okay?" she practically shouted across the waiting area, not even able to be patient long enough for McCormick to approach.

The older woman chuckled as the girl's voice turned a few heads; it seemed as if she took after her old man in regards to that. She chose not to shout back and instead waited until she was a bit closer before speaking. "He's fine," she said warmly. "Little loopy from the morphine right now, but he's gonna be fine. He'll probably be out of here by the end of the week."

Armie's shoulders relaxed, and she no longer appeared to be carrying the weight of the world on her tiny frame. Her smile lit up her face as she spoke. "Thank you, doctor!"

McCormick gave her shoulder a little pat in return. "No problem. You want to go see him?"

The girl looked at her with wide eyes. "Is it really okay?"

"Yup, so long as you don't make too much noise this early in the morning. He's in room 215." She turned her attention to Apollo now. "I'm assuming you're the one who's gonna help him out afterwards?" When he nodded, she continued. "Just a few things I want to go over with you." Her green eyes lit up with amusement as she watched Armie practically vibrating in place. "Go on. I'll send Mr. Justice after you once I'm done with him."

Armie stood and quickly darted for the elevator, not even sparing a backwards glance to Apollo. He'd catch up. Probably. It seemed to take forever to get to the second floor, and she impatiently bounced in place.

Once the elevator placed her at the right floor, it only took her a few minutes to locate the room. But as soon as she reached the door, her speed suddenly slowed. She didn't know what to expect from him like this, and a flutter of nerves seized her.

But she drew herself up taller after a moment. Right now, her dad needed her, and so she'd be with him. She entered the room with a confident stride.

Datz was awake and seemed mostly coherent, as he perked up as soon as he saw her in the doorway. "Armie!" Well, he appeared happy enough, even if his words were a little slurred. She bit back a giggle. "Aww, I'm glad you're here." He grinned a little lopsidedly. "C'mere, kiddo, c'mere." He patted what he thought was the space next to him on the bed, but was actually the side of the hospital bed. He seemed to give up on locating the spot where he actually wanted her to sit and just settled for giving her the saddest puppy dog eyes she'd ever seen. "Or…well, somewhere near here…"

Now she couldn't contain her smile anymore. "Dad," she said, her voice gleeful. "Wow. The doctor said you were loopy, but this is great." Feeling a little less nervous now, she crossed the space and stood next to his bed.

Datz's focus moved to the ceiling tiles above him, and Armie briefly wondered if he had even heard her. His eyes narrowed and he frowned, and she gave him a questioning look. Finally, he spoke. "…those supposed to be moving?" he mumbled, pointing an unsteady hand up to the ceiling. "Don't think they're s'pposed t'do that…"

Armie pressed her hands to her mouth in an attempt to stifle her laughter. She'd heard that people get loopy after taking morphine, but she could never have imagined it would be this funny to watch. "Alright, Dad," she said, as if she were talking to a small child rather than to a man thirty years her senior, not to mention her father. "Why don't you just get some sleep."

His voice was practically a whine. "I just slept for hours," he complained.

Armie was about to retort when she heard Apollo's voice from the doorway. "Yeah, and the doctor said that's what you need now. So go to sleep already." His smile was tired, but he didn't let on just how exhausted he felt. "Armie can stay with me for a few days, alright? We'll come back later during actual visiting hours."

The grumpy, childish expression that crossed Datz's face made Armie laugh. "You'll be fine," she said. "I'll help Private Justice with his work, so don't worry!" She pointed at him with a serious expression. "You just focus on getting better, and that's an order!"

He smiled and made an attempt to salute her, though his hand ended up somewhere behind him on the pillow rather than against his forehead. "Yes, ma'am, Sarge," he replied, and it sounded mostly coherent. And though he tried to argue that he didn't really want to rest – anesthesia-induced stupor was still considered sleep, right? – he found that he was already on his way back to sleep.

When Armie gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before leaving with AJ, he found himself thinking. It's small, but my family is mine. And he wouldn't trade that for anything.

…

True to McCormick's word, Datz was at home within a week. "Take it easy the next few weeks," she cautioned. "Don't push yourself too hard."

He hated having to ask Armie and AJ to help with everything, but he was definitely still feeling the pain. They were happy to help, though – Armie was around more often than AJ, and Datz was pleased to see her studying in between (attempting) to cook meals and keep the apartment tidy.

And he really had little else to do with his time but quiz her.

"(What'cha making?)"His Khura'inese was far from standard study, but even the rougher dialect that had developed among the rebels was good enough for her to practice with. It would help her sound more natural whenever she was able to join her peers in school, he figured, even if Yuty would preach at him for hours over it. It might be worth it just to see the look on the fair-haired man's face when his unofficial student responded with informal vernacular.

"Umm…" Armie bit her lip as she flipped over the egg. Datz was grateful that she had at least learned to make different kinds other than scrambled. Her fried eggs were usually a little more on the sunny-side-up…well, side, but she was improving. "(F-fried…egg. On bread. With…cheese?)" She'd only caught about 60% of his sentence, but it was enough to know what he was asking. Her spoken Khura'inese was better than her written, but translating a sentence she heard and responding in real time was still difficult for her, especially since Datz's Khura'inese was a little more informal than that in the book that Sahdmadi had given her. Thankfully, Datz was patient and repeated himself as many times as she would need.

Datz grinned proudly. "(You're getting good at this. Smart kid.)" She had really begun to buckle down and practice, and it was showing.

Armie smiled as she brought the plate in for him. She'd dressed it up with a simple fried egg sandwich with some cheese (the random parsley leaf off to the side was an interesting choice), and he was impressed by how her culinary skills were growing as well.

Overall, she was really blossoming and it made him smile. He felt proud to watch her grow and be happy, developing into more of her own person every day.

A few days later, she shyly presented him with a handmade card with very simple Khura'inese written on it: (Get well soon, dad.)

"Private Sahdmadi helped me with some of the characters," she admitted. But he'd just grinned, drawn her into a hug, and quickly turned it into a noogie. It was worth it to hear her surprised squeal of "Pohlkunka!"

She was adjusting just fine, and he couldn't be prouder.