Go On
Out with Daddy
Disclaimer: I own no one!
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Rhiannon was miserable. She hated Missouri. She missed Canada. She missed her best friend. It didn't help that she was facing the very real possibility of losing 'Daddy'.
"Rhiannon, do you want to go out?" John asked, entering her hotel room. They had checked into the penthouse suite of a plush hotel. She had her own room. The room was where she spent most of her time.
"Sure, Daddy," she said, slipping into her black combat boots. John bit his lower lip. She had gone right back to wearing all black. She barely spoke. The custody battle was affecting her.
John hated seeing her like this. He wanted her to go back to the way she used to be. A happy ten-year-old, sure of where she belonged. Smiling, laughing.
"Just us?" she asked, zipping up her black sweatjacket. John nodded. "Great," She grabbed his hand. Glancing down, he noticed her fingernails were painted black.
"Of course! What would you like to do?" he asked. She squeezed his hand. "Anything you want in reason," Rhiannon sighed.
"Can we go for ice cream and visit Papa?" she asked. John nodded. That was doable. She smiled quickly. John sighed. Every now and then, she would do something and give him a glimpse of how she used to be.
When Randy had died, Rhiannon had stopped being a kid. She would stress about losing John, which had been foreseeable. She would comfort John as he cried. She had lost interest in her favorite toys. Lance had noticed this, and had started trying to give her her childhood back. John had also snapped out of his grief. Rhiannon was so much like Randy that it helped him cope. With ice cream and playgrounds, she had loosened up and had started being a kid again.
"How's your arm?" he asked, glancing down at her purple cast. She shrugged.
"It's sore. Daddy, are they really going to make me live with that man?" she asked, nibbling on a mint ice cream cone. John turned his head, to hide his tears. How was he going to answer her question? Should he lie? Should he tell her the truth and break her heart?
"Possibly. We don't know. I'll never stop fighting for you, if it comes down to it," he said. She gazed into his eyes. He blinked, stunned. Looking into her eyes was like looking into Randy's eyes. She reached out and touched his hand.
"You're my Daddy. Why can't people just leave us alone? We've finally healed from losing Papa. I wanted to spend my tenth birthday with my family at home. I'm glad I have my family with me though," she said. John sighed. She knew what her priorities were.
They got into a taxi. Rhiannon remained quiet. She kept her grip on John's hand. At the cemetery, John paid the driver. Rhiannon ran ahead. He kept a close eye on her.
Some people would have been overprotective, never letting their child out of their sight. John knew Rhiannon could never live like that. She had Randy's love of life. She was never afraid to be herself.
"Daddy, look!" Rhiannon called, pointing to Randy's grave. "Look!" John glanced to the grave. Were they hallucinating? What was going on? Was somebody playing a cruel joke?
"Rhiannon, am I seeing things?" he asked. She shook her head.
"Not unless I am! What do you think?" she asked, staring at the grave in disbelief. "I thought once you were dead, you couldn't come back or talk to living people!" She began to shake. John held her. Neither were able to believe what they were seeing.
"Sweetie, I think it's a sign," he said. She glanced up at him. What did he mean?
"What do you mean?" she asked. John gulped. He knew just how to explain it.
"Sweetie, the spirits are trying to tell us everything's going to be alright," he said. Suddenly, it didn't make sense. Just seconds before, it had made a lot of sense. Now, he was back to stunned disbelief.
John wasn't sure what was going on, but he took it as a sign that everything would work out.
For laying on the top of Randy's gravestone was a leave and a rose together.
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I don't often put two chapters up in one day, but this is just screaming to be put up. Hope you enjoyed it.
JenLea
Read, Review but most of all...ENJOY!