Daddy's Little Girl
The room was quiet as the door opened, squeaking slightly on its hinges. A tall man moved towards the white-sheeted bed. Richard summoned a chair, sitting at the head of the bed. He sat there, hands clasped before him as his dark gaze took in his slumbering daughter. She was resting comfortably. He opened his mouth to speak but no words came. Instead hot, stinging tears fell from his eyes, dripping softly onto Isabelle's hand.
"I'm so sorry, Isabelle," Richard murmured, choking on tears.
The young woman did not respond. He hadn't expected her to. He was unsure if she would ever speak to him again. His mind replayed the day's events in his mind's eye. He'd entered the classroom to find his only daughter choking an NTAC agent. Richard had tried to reason with her but he knew in his heart she would not listen. He'd seen the needle and just reacted. The look on her face as she'd begun to convulse in his arms was almost as painful as watching Lily die.
"Dad," Isabelle's voice pulled Richard back to the present.
"I-Isabelle," Richard spoke softly, tentatively placing his hand atop hers.
Isabelle stared at her father intently, as if she was trying hard to figure something out. She tried to sit up but found it hurt too much. Pain was not a sensation she was used to and her facial expression revealed that. She had never had to worry about pain or injury. Her abilities had protected her.
"I'm so sorry," Richard repeated, squeezing her hand.
"I can't sit up," she spoke, trying her best to hide her pain and vulnerability. Being vulnerable put her in a dangerous position; a position that she didn't want to be in.
"I know. You're going to get better. It's just going to take some time to heal," her father assured her, giving her a sympathetic look.
"What happened to me?"
"Richard took a deep breath before speaking. "I think…whatever was in that needle that Agent Baldwin had neutralized your abilities."
"You did this to me," she accused, tears springing to her eyes.
"I did what I had to do, Isabelle. We were in a war. I begged Agent Baldwin not to shoot. You were helpless. Watching you like that, it broke my heart," Richard countered.
"I was supposed to eliminate the 4400," she gasped. Her eyes suddenly lit up in realization.
"Shawn. What happened to Shawn?" she asked, managing to sit up slightly.
"Shawn…is in a coma. Whatever you did to him at NTAC really messed him up," Richard answered, looking worried for the young man who had almost become his son-in-law.
"Collier. Where is he? Is he going to come after me?" she cried, tears starting to slide down her cheeks.
"We don't know where Jordan is," her father admitted. Kevin and Tess hadn't told him.
"Daddy, I'm scared," the twenty-year-old sobbed.
Richard moved to sit on the edge of her bed, pulling his little girl close. He said nothing for a long time. He just held her and let her cry. It felt so difference. Ever since her birth, Richard had longed for a close, loving relationship with his baby.
"I know you're scared. But I won't let them hurt you anymore, alright," Richard finally whispered.
"I'm going to protect you, Isabelle. I'm your father…it's my job to keep you safe," he continued, stroking her soft curls.
"I know I haven't done a very good job up to this point, but I'm going to change that," he promised her.
"I'm sorry. I tried to kill you and Shawn," Isabelle wept.
"And I know it's my fault Mom died. It's all because of me," she blubbered. She seemed so young to Richard in that moment.
"That may be true, and I'm not saying there won't be consequences, but we will get through this," he promised.
"Together."
"I love you, Daddy," she managed to orate through her sobs.
Richard's heart stopped, the breath catching in his throat. That was the first and only time he had heard those words pass from his daughter's lips. He was in shock. The young woman he had longed to know was giving he the chance now to know her, the start of a new life as father and daughter.
"I love you too, Isabelle," he breathed.
In that moment, an understanding passed from father to daughter. There could be love and understanding between them. There could be trust and respect. It was an amazing feeling, lifting Richard's spirits considerably.
"I missed you growing up. But that is going to change. From now on you can come to me when you need to talk or anything at all," Richard told her.
"Thank you. I want to be the daughter you deserve," she answered, mustering a loving smile for her father, the only person in this world who cared about her since her mother had passed.
"Oh Isabelle. You've always been my little girl. And you always will be, he murmured, kissing the top of her head.