2018 Revised – Daddy's Little Girl

Author's Note: March 2nd, 2018

Well, I don't know why I expected to be further ahead than what I currently am. Hubby had a 4 day weekend, his 1st vacation days used since starting new job. We did a lot of house stuff and since I was off on Monday, I had to catch up with work. Then, little niece was in the hospital, so here I am now – behind.

Anyhow, hope you enjoy revised Chapter Two. Happy Reading!

Chapter TWO

William Melrose had taken a seat on an uncomfortable bench, discreetly away from the place he wished the least to be. Sitting so far removed was also a desperate need of his own. Keeping his distance, lest his own emotions be revealed, was for the best.

In his hands, he still held the magazine he had been reading. It was still at the same page as when he had first picked it up. At best, a half-hearted attempt to put his mind elsewhere for a short time. He couldn't even tell you what type of magazine it was, only that it had been on top of the little pile of other reading materials beside a small lamp on the end table alongside the bench.

He simply couldn't afford to crack now, already knowing that in the coming days his strength would be needed. Be damned what the rulebook spouted! He, personally, thought it was mostly a load of gibberish.

His personal feelings needed to be buried underground right now, buried so deeply, so secure that not even the slightest crack in his armor would show. He needed to be the rock that he knew his family would require in the coming days.

Later, he thought.

Later.

How ironic that they always used that word and yet, in their business, there was never an absolute that later would ever arrive.

They should know better. They did know better and yet theirs was not a job for a pessimist.

The optimist within always continued towards later. Always believing that if today didn't give them the resolution that they wanted, tomorrow would.

Amongst them, they all knew. Silently they all admitted that they ran on borrowed time. Like the slow, inevitable tick-tock on a timer, the minutes and seconds steadily counted off until there simply were none left to tick. There would be no more minutes, no more reprieves and there would not be a later for every bit would have elapsed.

The hushed sounds of movement at the end of the hall caught his attention and he watched with deep sorrow as the young man guided the older woman out of a room and around the corner.

Billy knew that tonight, like every night for the past week and a half, they would make their way to the hospital cafeteria and attempt to eat before the dining hall closed its doors for the evening. Despite their grief and pain and feelings of helplessness, they would go through the motions of normalcy, of being human despite all the while knowing it wouldn't make any difference to the final outcome.

After they had been out of sight for a few moments, Melrose rose from the uncomfortable bench. He gently placed the unread magazine where he had found it, on top of the others beside the little light.

Then, he quietly made his way down the hall, to the room. In some strange way, he was grateful for the additional few minutes that he would, sadly, spend within.