A SOKEEFE STORY

Chapter 77 (Slightly Mature)

3/4

Keefe's POV

The next time Keefe woke up, it was from unfamiliar voices flowing through his ears. He slowly opened his eyes, finding more sand in the corners of his eyes. His hands were asleep from being beneath Sophie's back.

"It's alright, Keefe, your father is here," Sophie told him. He blinked, the words taking a moment to register in his mind before he shot up, surveying the room to find Elwin sitting on one of the guest seats, Calla in his arms with a bottle in her mouth. His father stood at the end of the bed, arms crossed as he stared down at Keefe.

"Why are you here?" Keefe asked, glaring right back at his father. But, to his surprise, he found eyebags beneath his father's bloodshot blue eyes, his body looking desperate for any kind of rest.

"I am worried about you."

Keefe narrowed his eyes, swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

"Since when?"

"Since my dream last night."

That caught his attention.

"Your dream?" he asked.

"You should listen to this Keefe, he already told me and I was wondering if it corresponded with your nightmare," Sophie said from the bed. Keefe felt his cheeks flush in embarrassment at the memory of him waking up, most likely shaking and on the verge of tears.

"I had a dream that the Vacker boy stole the little one," Cassius said, gesturing over to Calla who was happily sucking on her bottle, reaching her hands out to grab at the container.

Keefe's eyes widened.

"He took her? Do you know where?" he asked. Cassius shook his head, looking down at the ground as if defeated. Keefe had never seen his father so disheveled, his usually slicked back hair standing in all sorts of different directions, his clothes not freshly ironed and his family pin practically upside down on his chest.

"I just saw him at our beach house, out by the water," he whispered. Keefe watched in utter confusion as his father ran a shaking hand through his hair, eyes shooting around on the ground.

"I-it was nice to see you again, Ms. Foster, please keep the little one safe," he said before making a quick departure out the door of the health care office.

"What was that about?" Keefe asked. Sophie shrugged.

"He cares about Calla a lot, strangely enough," she said. Elwin stood from the chair, bringing the small baby over to Sophie after she had emptied her bottle.

Keefe scoffed, crossing his arms.

"Why would he?"

Sophie took the baby into her arms.

"Maybe he wants a fresh start?" she asked. "You saw how anxious he was when he held her, he's nervous, I've never seen him so thrown off."

Keefe pressed his lips into a firm line.

"Did his dream match yours?" she asked. Keefe crawled over to her, setting his chin on her stomach again, running his hand down her uncovered thigh.

"No," he said. "I don't want to talk about my dream."

Sophie nodded, gently kissing the baby on the forehead.

"Do you want Daddy to hold you?" she asked the small child. To Keefe's surprise, the baby laughed, clapping her skinny hands together as she turned to her dad. He held his arms out to her, gently taking her from Sophie and holding her in his arms.