Getting a chub while in the corridor outside his daughter’s room was not okay. But taking steadying breaths, thinking of gross things, hell, even digging my short nails into my palms weren’t helping.
“Daddy.”
But that voice right there worked wonders.
“Hey, Lottie girl.” I eased away from the doorframe and stepped properly into her room, making a beeline for the chair next to her bed. Groggy-eyed, she peered over at me, a frown dipping her brows before she yawned.
“Pearce, where’s my dad?”
I relaxed into the chair, placing my feet super carefully on the end of her bed. “I managed to kick him out so he could sleep and we could have us time. You know how rare it is to have you all to myself without the grown-up around.”
A drowsy giggle escaped her. “Does that mean you’ll let me have my phone to see what’s reporting on ESPN?”
This kid right here was incredible. Her dad had done the best job raising her. While he grumbled at times and begged her to focus on her friends and encouraged her to seek other interests too, it didn’t mean he didn’t support her dream. Considering she was ten years old, Lottie was more clued in than some adults I knew.
“Even better, we can get ESPN on this fancy TV you’ve got here.” I tugged the TV hanging from the ceiling closer so we could both see it, then swiped the remote and found the station.
“Sweet,” she said, following up with another huge yawn. Reflexively, she stretched, which was quickly stopped with a yelp.
“You hurting, Lottie?” I was on my feet immediately, hovering over the poor kid, wishing once again I could magic away her pain.
She bobbed her head. “Yeah. It’s really sore.” Her hands stopped short of touching her stomach where I knew her wound was.
“Let’s see if the nurse says you can have any different painkillers for that, okay?” I pressed the buzzer and sat back down, refocusing on the TV and adjusting the volume. “So, the first game’s at the end of the week,” I said, trying to distract her while waiting for the nurse to arrive. “What are you thinking?”
“Roosters are up against the Cardinals. The Cardinals have it in the bag.” She glanced over at me, and I nodded in complete agreement. The Cardinals got to the finals last year, and they’d kicked ass most of the season too.
“What about the Wolves versus the Mavericks?”
She scrunched her face together as if hard in thought, covered her mouth with her hand, and tapped her index finger above her lip. My heart warmed at the sight. It was something her dad did whenever he was figuring something out.
“It’ll be close. Wolves may just tip it though and take the win.”
“Huh, you don’t think—”
“How are we doing in here?” A nurse I’d not seen before entered the room, gaze flicking briefly to me before settling on Lottie. “Charlotte, my name’s Jamaal. I’m one of your nurses this afternoon. You doing okay?” He kept his attention on her as he paused by her bed.
“My tummy’s hurting.” She glanced over at me, looking decidedly sorry for herself.
“Is she able to have more painkillers yet?”
Jamaal picked up her chart and nodded, offering me a smile before turning back to Lottie. “I think we can absolutely get you some more painkillers. Can you take a look at this chart for me and tell me which face you’re on right now?” He held out the pain scale chart and waited patiently for Lottie. She examined the diagram carefully and pointed at the amber unhappy face. Jamaal offered a sympathetic smile and jotted down a note. “Okay, let me go and get a doctor to sign off on those, and I’ll get them right on over. While you’re waiting, how about ordering yourself a snack?” He turned to me. “If she could eat something, it’ll help with the next lot of painkillers.”
“Absolutely.”
His attention then flicked to the screen, and I followed his gaze, heat hitting my cheeks when I realized footage of my last game was playing.
“Right, well, I’ll be back as quickly as possible,” he said, once again talking to Lottie.
Once he’d left the room, Lottie said, “Let’s get this snack ordered and get to work.”
I chuckled, loving that she was focusing on anything rather than her discomfort. “Deal, as long as I get something too. Have you seen how awesome this menu is?” I flicked through the TV until I got to the food ordering service. “I vote chocolate cake, Jell-O, and ice cream. What do you reckon, kiddo?”
“For me sure, but you can have a protein shake. Don’t think you can use me as an excuse for slacking off.”
Lightness flooded me, my smile extra wide. “You know, it’s a shame I’m going to retire before you can be my manager. Truly,” I deadpanned.
She narrowed her eyes at me. “Well, that’s definitely going to happen if you keep trying to eat chocolate cake. Your plan should be to be the oldest player in the League.” She sighed, all dramatic like. “I totally blame Mom and Dad for not having me five years earlier. It’s all their fault I’m not old enough to be almost finished with school.”
