3. Pride aside
2146 Words
Babble coming from my left side wakes me up, and I rub my eyes with a loud yawn. At first, I can't figure out what's making that sound, then I remember yesterday and that my little daughter now lives with me because her grandparents can't ensure her safety.
"Good morning, sweetheart," I say, walking up to her bed.
She smiles big when she sees me, and I pick her up from the bed. A sniff of the smelly baby, and I realize I have to change her diaper. Thankfully, I've done it before with my little brothers; otherwise, I would have big problems now.
I'm lucky; there's poop in the diaper, but not much. It doesn't take long for me to change the used diaper to a new one, and Camilla is entirely calm in the meantime. In the end, I blow raspberries on her belly, and she laughs loudly. The sound sounds like angels look; magical.
"What do you say, little Queen?" I ask and lift her. "It's time for breakfast, isn't it?"
Somehow I manage to prepare a bottle of milk formula while balancing Camilla on my arm. She is a tiny food wreck; it's clear that she's my daughter. I can't stop smiling but look all the time like those who inject their faces full of botox and can't make grimaces beyond forced smiles.
She burps loudly, and I chuckle at the sound. Being such a small creature, she can clearly express herself in high ways. I decide to dress her before eating my own breakfast. I dress her in a bodysuit that has pink thorns and a tail, like a dragon.
"You're incredibly sweet now, queen," I whisper and kiss her cheek.
She giggles when my beard tickles her delicate skin, and I enjoy the sound more the more times I hear it. I wonder if this was how my parents felt when we were little, if all the sounds we made and all the smiles made them want to give us the whole world.
At some point in the future, I have to remember to ask them about it. Who knows, maybe I'm losing my mind or something. It does nothing in such cases; I feel ready to lose my mind if it means that I get to look at my little angel for all eternity.
❖❣❖❣❖
I put the sleeping Camilla in her bed. The day passed quickly, and it's now already time to go to bed again, at least for her part. Landon, my boss, and good friend are on his way here for a boy's night. As soon as I told him about mine and Melissa's secret child, he decided to come here.
It knocks on the door, and I take for granted that it's my friend, but I'm wrong. As soon as the door opens, I get a fist in my face that I'm not prepared for and fall on the floor. The person in question continues to give me punches and kicks until I literally cough up blood.
"We're here to get back what we lent to your w***e," a man growls and tears my hair. "Because that p***y was stupid enough to overdose, and her parents are gone, that debt now lies with you."
"f**k you!" I spit and get another hit to the face.
"Guard your tongue, boy!" the same man says in a harsh tone.
One eye swells shut, but I manage to discern five men standing in front of me. I succeed in sitting up even though my ribs yell at me to linger. You can call me a lot, but a coward isn't one of them. Not when it comes to situations like this.
"I don't owe you s**t!" I growl back. "If you're stupid enough to lend money to a junkie, then you have to blame yourself."
To my surprise, they don't hit me but instead start laughing, as if what I'm saying is a joke, and it obviously is to them. The man grabs me again and lifts me by the collar to be at eye level with each other. Disgusting prick...
"If I say you owe us money, then you are. Get it!?" the man roars, and I pray a silent prayer for Camilla not to wake up. "It's no small sum your w***e owes us; we wouldn't be here if it were s**t money."
"How much?" I ask in a whisper.
"Fifty grand," he replies, and I choke.
Fifty thousand dollars!? How the hell could Melissa throw away fifty grand on drugs? Is that even possible? Considering her sleazy junkie buddies, I know it's possible, but I wish it weren't. Does the amount include the interest rate as well, or is this without?
"She borrowed twenty thousand but then refused to pay, and the interest went up," explains the same man, now in a calmer tone, and I think this is starting to feel like a business deal, which in itself in a way is. "You have two weeks to get the money, and then we'll come back."
The man lets go of me, and I fall hard down the floor again. My head takes the most significant hit, and for a moment, I have a hard time focusing on what's going on. I make an effort to regain focus and succeed after a few seconds.
"And don't even think about trying to disappear," my blackmailer declares. "There's nowhere in this world or the next where you can hide, and I can't find you."
They slam the door behind them, and I remain on the floor without being able to get up. Camilla starts crying from the bedroom when the car or cars drive away at a breakneck speed, and knocking comes from the door. Landon walks in without waiting for answers and looks around before his gaze lands on me.
"s**t, man," he exclaims and hurries up to me. "What the hell happened?"
"Help me into the bedroom," I reply and only have one thought in my head; my daughter needs me.
Landon supports me into the room, and I'm quick to pick up Camilla even though my body is protesting the effort. She's crying hysterically, and I'm guessing the noise from the cars must have scared her. Otherwise, she would hardly behave like this.
"Shh, it's alright, baby," I say in a soft tone while rocking her back and forth in my arms. "The big bad guys are gone now. It's okay; daddy is here."
My fear that the men would hear her if she woke up while they were here wells over inside me, and a tear falls on my cheek. What would I do if they touched Camilla and hurt her? I keep whispering sweet nothings in her ear, and eventually, she falls asleep all over again.
Landon is waiting for an explanation, and I give it to him while he patches up my injuries while Camilla sleeps on the couch next to me. I leave out nothing but also tell the beginning of how I met Melissa and how come the four unknown men appeared in my apartment tonight.
"You have to take Camilla with you and go," Landon says immediately when I finish telling him. "Don't even pack, but take with you cash, phone, and other important trifles."
"I have room in my car to pack the stuff in; I'm fine -" I say, but my friend interrupts me.
"You don't know if they've put a GPS tracker in or on your car," he says, and I'm surprised how much longer than me he thinks. "You must take the train or bus to New York."
"It would take over ten hours to ride that distance by bus or train!" I exclaim.
"In that case, you have to fly there," he replies.
"Why New York?" I ask even though I know the answer, and so does Landon when he looks at me like I'm stupid.
"Because that's where your family lives, on the outskirts," he replies, and I gulp when I think about that I have to ask them for help the first thing I do after three years away. "Come on, man. It's long overdue anyway, they miss you, and you need them. If you don't want to do it for them or you, then think about your daughter who needs you."
I look down at Camilla's still body and realize he's right. My daughter's safety and well-being are and remain the most important thing for me. I nod slowly, and Landon immediately picks up his phone, probably to call the airport to book tickets for us.
Landon sits next to Camilla as I get up and walk into the bedroom to pack a diaper bag with formula, some clothes, a pacifier, some cuddly toys, and diapers. I wish I could pack everything, but I don't have much time now. In addition, I can buy everything missing at home.
Huh, it feels weird to call New York "home" again when I haven't lived there in three years. But one way or another, it'll always be my home, not for the city itself, but because that's where my family is. My heart always lies with my family members.
"Yes, exactly. An adult and a baby from Columbus, Ohio to New york. Tonight, yes. Thank you!"
Landon hangs up and nods at me. He lifts Camilla while I pick up my wallet, phone, and keys. We can't use my car, which is why Landon decides to drive us both to the airport. He gives me a quick hug when we arrive before telling me to hurry and not miss the flight.
❖❣❖❣❖
"Welcome home, princess," I say as I get off the train.
The rain starts dripping from the sky, and I put Camilla inside my jacket to protect her from the increasing cold. It's a small distance to walk until we get there, but I, on the other hand, don't feel there's any reason to hurry.
My daughter is warm under my jacket with the help of my body heat; she has just eaten and sleeps sweetly. It's a bit of a gamble to come back here because I honestly don't know if my parents still live in the same house anymore.
Since we had to take a connecting flight, it took a little over three hours to get here, and with the delay that I had to suffer from with a fussy baby, it has now taken me almost a day to get here. It was annoying, but maybe was for the best anyway since I got a lot of time to think while waiting.
It's Friday afternoon, and I know my family has dinner parties together every week at this time if that hasn't changed. The further I walk, the bigger the house that gives me the horror gets. I hear voices coming from inside and don't see any big differences from the exterior of the house.
I'm not afraid that they'll hurt me or dislike me; it's perfectly okay. What I'm fearful of is what I do if my family can't forgive me for the nonsense I've done. I come here not because of my own selfish urges but for theirs and Camilla's.
If there are any who can protect my little girl if I can't, then it's the Novak-Winston Family. If I still have any right to call her that, my mother would protect the little queen with her life. They might hate me, but they won't hate a small child they've yet to know about.
"Here we go, my little queen," I say with a sigh to my sleeping child, knocking on the door.
I hear laughter coming from the house and steps approaching the door. The door opens, and my beloved little sister Fiona stands in front of me. Her smile disappears when she looks at me, and I see when she realizes it's me, her big brother she hasn't seen in three years, standing in front of her.
"Hello, little sister," I say quietly, waiting for the slap that I earned years ago.
A/N:
Hello everyone!
So, Darby had to put his pride aside for Camilla's sake. If you're asking me, it was long overdue anyway. It's obvious that he needs his family just as much as they need him.
~ Will the family take him back with open arms?
~ Is there someone that might be pissed at Darby still after all these years?
~ How will they react to Camilla and the problems Darby is having?`
Please, I'm begging you to leave a comment about your thoughts. All the feedback I get helps me to develop as an author, and I believe that every little word makes me a better author than I was before.<3
- Writer
