Growing up McGarrett

The Morning After

I'm running as fast as I can, breathing heavily, my lungs bursting. I can feel the heat behind me. How do you outrun a dragon? It opens its mouth and breathes in my direction, like it's playing with me before it kills me. I feel the fire on my ass. I'm terrified. Is this it? Is this how I'm going to die? I scream for help but no one is around. Then suddenly from no where a guy appears and with one strike kills the dragon. I turn to look at my knight and to my surprise I recognise his build, his demeanour and his eyes. The dark eyes looking at me with love. "DAD" I scream reaching for him but I trip and I'm falling away from him. "Samantha" he shouts after me but his voice gets further away. Then suddenly it's near again "Samantha! I will not tell you again to get up!" I open my eyes to see him standing in my doorway, arms crossed looking a bit pissed off. "This is not a day off", he bellows, "get out of bed now and downstairs for breakfast". "Yes sir" I mumble realising that it had been a bad dream and the heat in my backside was caused by my 'knight', not a dragon! Need to stop watching those fantasy movies, Sam. I swing out of bed so he knows I'm doing what he told me to. This is his cue to leave me to wash and dress in private. I sigh as I get in the shower, this is going to be a long day. In a lot of ways I wish I was back being chased by that dragon!
I throw on a short floral skirt and a t-shirt. I'll probably be spending the day at the office so I might as well wear something that doesn't hurt my raw backside. Taking a deep breath and telling myself to stay cool I go downstairs to the kitchen. Dad is there cooking us breakfast. I realise as my stomach rumbles that I missed dinner last night. I'm surprised he didn't wake me, very unlike him to allow me to miss a meal. Still my skirt was a bit tight this morning so I don't really want a cooked breakfast. I pick up a peach from the bowl and bite into it. "No cooked breakfast for me", I say, "I'm good with fruit". He whirls around pointing the fish slice at me "You didn't eat anything last night so you are most definitely having more than fruit" as he says this I see him taking in my outfit. "What are you wearing?!" Guess he doesn't like it. "Clothes!" I say sassily, yep here I go again, mouth before brain! He narrows his eyes and crosses his arms. "Really smartass" he replies in a steeled voice, "that skirt is far too short, there is no way you are going out in it, get upstairs and change and watch that attitude!". His tone broaches no response, an order not a request. Well I'm not one of his subordinates so why the hell should I take orders? I'm fed up with him ordering me around. "No" I respond, "this skirt is fine and you are being an old fuddy duddy"! Obviously I have forgotten about the ass whopping I received the night before and am determined to poke the bear. I told you I'm not the smartest cookie. He turns back to the cooker and takes the pan off the heat. Putting the fish slice down he turns back towards me with a deathly calm to his demeanour. I'm standing nonchalantly eating my peach but inside my brain is saying RUN! "Excuse me?!" he growls. "I'm not changing my clothes" I state. Battle lines drawn he takes a step towards me and that is my cue to run. I leg it out of the kitchen and up the stairs but of course he is effortlessly faster and catches up to me before I reach the sanctuary of my room. He catches me by the arm and swings me round to face him. "What has gotten into you?" he yells. "You" I shout back, "you're what's gotten into me, why can't you just lay off for once?" I'm in full flow now, yelling at him, damn the consequences he's going to know my feelings. "All you do all the time is order me around and then punish me when I get it wrong". "You don't even talk to me anymore, I just have to be a good little soldier, put up and shut up". He opens his mouth to say something but I don't give him the chance. "You're not interested in my side of things, that bitch in school has been picking on me for months and all you care about is how I've been disrespectful to her". He tensed at me using the word bitch but I didn't care, if he was going to spank me again I might as well deserve it. "You've been in a permanent bad mood since Catherine left and I can never seem to do anything right". "It's not my fault she left and I miss her too you know". At that point the tears are flowing down my face and I've run out of steam. He just stands there and I'm not sure if he's shocked or angry or both. Then he does the total opposite to what I expect, he reaches out and pulls me into a giant bear hug. At first I try to push him away but he doesn't let me. Then I give in, melting into his chest and sobbing my heart out. I want to love him, not hate him. I want him to love me. I feel safe in this place, held in his arms, like nothing or no one can touch me here. He is my knight and I want him to slay the dragon. He's holding me tight to him, his head is bent towards me and he softly says "I'm sorry". I look up at him in shock to see his eyes are wet. My dad never cries. He's a Navy Seal, he's seen more awful stuff than most do in a lifetime. I wrap my tiny arms around his waist, they don't even meet across his muscles, but I want to hold him back. Just him and me against the world.
It feels like we stand there for hours. We had both stopped crying, well I'd stopped sobbing and the wetness from his eyes had evaporated! He releases his bear hug and takes my hand, leading me back downstairs he says "I think we should talk, calmly, over breakfast". I don't argue this time. I set the table while he finishes cooking and then we sit facing each other over full plates. I look at mine dismayed that I would have to eat that much. "I'm really not that hungry" I say and right on cue my treacherous stomach lets out a huge growl. He starts laughing and it is so infectious that I do too. "I think your stomach has other ideas" he laughs. It's lovely to hear him laughing again. He's usually a total goofball. Yes he is strict and can be a hardass but he likes to have fun too. I give in to him and my stomach and start to eat. Then he says "OK, talk to me" and my stomach squeezes into a ball. All appetite gone I place my fork back on the plate and sit back. Where do I start?