Another Daddy!Barney story because I just love them so much! It's really going to focus around him and his daughters relationship, but I haven't really figured everything out.
Based off reviews this story is going to be a focus on Barney and his daughter. No slash being found. Not this time at least.
I own nothing. Please review!
"I'm sorry, Barney," Jamie whispered shaking her head, "I just…I can't. Not today."
I watched as the younger woman curled into herself slightly on her bed. She was in so much pain today that she knew she wouldn't be able to move from her bed. Which meant that today's plan to go to the zoo was out of the question.
Zoë had been talking about it all day yesterday after I agreed that we'd go. Jamie had laughed and said that was her second favorite place to go behind the library. I couldn't say that I cared. Not with that smile directed at me.
This was the third day that I had been with Zoë and Jamie and I had to admit that it was nothing like I expected. My daughter was such an amazingly sweet person and I already loved her.
There were points when she was rather shy, which Jamie said wasn't like her at all, but she got over that rather quickly when she realized that we were actually similar in a lot of ways.
In the ways that we weren't similar Zoë was more than willing to learn how I did things and teach me how she did things. There was something amazing about learning something from my three year old.
And that's what she was to me now. She was my three year old. My daughter. All the doubts ran from my mind the moment she walked out of that hallway for the first time.
Now I knew that I couldn't walk away without feeling like my heart was breaking. And I didn't have to walk away. Because it wasn't going to be all that long before Jamie wasn't going to be here anymore.
She had looked sick since she came in my office, but for some reason my mind hadn't really connected that she was going to die soon. Now, seeing her like this, it was all I could think about.
Jamie was going to die. Zoë was going to lose her other and live with a Father that had no idea what he was doing. It was one thing to take care of someone with someone else.
This was something else. Zoë and Jamie had a routine. They knew what they liked and what they didn't like. They had a home and friends and so many more things that I had no idea about.
I wouldn't walk away though. Even if Jamie hadn't been sick. I loved Zoë with all of my heart and nothing was going to change that. She was my daughter and I wasn't leaving.
This was going to be a learning experience for not only me but Zoë as well. I didn't do the same thing as her Mother. I just hoped that I didn't mess up too badly with her.
Looking down at Jamie I placed a hand on hers and watched as she curled tighter. Under all the pain that she was feeling she looked so tired. She knew what was coming and she couldn't fight it anymore.
"Barney," Jamie whispered, "Please…Can you…I need…Please…Get me…Zoë?"
"I'll get her," I softly spoke back.
I pulled away from Jamie and made my way into Zoë's room. This wasn't the first time I had been in here, but it was the first time I had woken her up so I stopped for a second to simply look at her.
Her black hair had been pulled into a braid that Jamie had taught me how to do. Zoë had wanted her hair to have a wave to it and this was the easiest way for us to do that for her.
She was in a plain white sleeping dress. Zoë had explained that it was the only one that they had at the store that didn't have a face on it. She hated having things like that stare at her.
Her bedroom was rather simple. The walls a nice deep blue with silver clouds. The bedspread matched the walls in the blue color. Her carpet was black that matched her furniture.
I had thought it was a little weird for her to have such a dark colored room. Most kids liked bright colors, but, like everything else, she was more than happy to explain it to me.
She loved storms. Thunderstorms mostly, but all storms. The clouds, rain, lightning, thunder. She had said that she and Jamie had spent hours watching storms from her bedroom window because they could.
Smiling slightly at the story I kneeled next to the bed and brushed a piece of hair that had become loose from her face before leaning forward and placing a kiss to her forehead.
"Zoë," I spoke running a thumb over her cheek, "Wake up, Sweetheart."
It took a few moments for me to wake my daughter up, but soon I was greeted by a pair of sleepy blue eyes staring up at me. Smiling softly I kissed her forehead once more.
Zoë smiled back before moving forward and cuddling into my chest. Chuckling to myself I wrapped my arms around her and lifted her and her blanket into my arms so I could carry her.
It didn't take long for me to get to Jamie's room. When I got there the woman was sitting up and smiled at us, but she still looked like she was in just as much pain as she had before.
Placing Zoë down I helped get her situated on Jamie's bed before leaving the two to talk. Neither of them would want me in there for what was going to happen next. Though I really didn't want to leave Zoë.
Moving to the couch I sat down and let my mind wonder as I waited. In the past few days I knew that I was changing. Of course I still wanted to go out and find a girl, but at the same time I didn't want leave Zoë.
Zoë was the most important thing in my life now. Not random girls, Scotch, or my job. They all came in second place to my daughter. That was going to be something that I had to get used to.
Even with all that change it felt so easy until I started to think about it. Once that happened I realized that I was not ready for this. That I was going to mess it up and hurt Zoë.
Then that little girl smiled up at me. I loved her smile. So warm and open. She was the most beautiful person I had ever seen. It was hard to believe that I had helped make that little girl.
I felt a smile tug on my lips at that thought, but it quickly disappeared when I heard a door be thrown open and footsteps echoing in the hallway before a door being slammed shut.
My whole body cringed at the sound and before I could even really think about what I was doing I had stood up and went to Zoë's room. I raised my hand to knock on the door when I heard my name being called.
I stared at the door for a moment longer until a sigh fell from my lips and went into Jamie's bedroom. My body stopped at the doorway when I saw the silent tears running down her face.
"Barney," Jamie swallowed, "I'm…I can't…You need to…Tonight. You should take her today."
"Jamie," I shook my head.
"I can't take care of her anymore. I already called the hospital. They're sending someone to get me in a hour. I'm sorry I thought I had more time. I thought I'd be fine until the end of the week, but I just can't."
"Does she know?"
"Yes, she knows. Everything."
Looking at the ground I took her hand in mine. Like her I thought that I had more time. I had just started moving things around my apartment so Zoë would have a place to stay and wouldn't see some of the things I have.
I also hadn't even told my friends about Zoë yet. We were having dinner tomorrow night and I was going to explain everything. They just didn't know that we were having dinner.
Now they were going to learn I had a daughter by meeting her. I had no idea what they were going to think about this. If I didn't think I'd be a good parent how would they think.
Sighing once more I nodded my head to Jamie and agreed to take Zoë. She couldn't stay here and watch her Mother die. None of us wanted her to see something like that.
After a moment of standing there I turned around and started to make my way towards Zoë's room. Even through the closed door I could hear the heart wrenching sobs coming from her.
My heart tightened angrily in my chest as I knocked on the door. When I didn't get an answer I opened the door and walked in. It wasn't hard to find my daughter curled on her bed her whole body shaking.
Go to her bed I sat down and lifted her into my arms. A pair of small arms wrapped tightly around my neck while her face buried itself in my chest. I closed my eyes at the feeling trying to focus solely on her pain.
How was I supposed to help her now? She just learned that she had an hour left to spend with her Mother before she had to leave. One hour left with her Mother. It wasn't right for a three year old to deal with that.
Grabbing her sheet I wrapped it around her body while leaning backwards so I was lying on the bed. She curled up against me her body slowly stopping the shaking as her sobs calmed.
"Daddy?" Zoë asked through her tears lifting her head off my chest.