Daddy's Girl

Chapter Twenty Three

When Ace's screams subsided and her tears finally stopped flowing, she just leaned into her father's arms, eyes closing. J rubbed her back lightly, reveling in their closeness despite the awful circumstances. The feeling of holding his daughter to his chest again was so comforting for J. Unbeknownst to him, it was just as comforting for Ace, if not more so. The silence surrounding them was broken by a whimper from Ace. Fearing another meltdown, J pulled Ace tighter to his chest, but she pulled back and shook her head. J's face scrunched in confusion until Ace held out her now bruised and swollen hand. J nodded in understanding and pulled Ace up, leading her to his bedroom. She sat on the bed while he sprinted to the kitchen, returning quickly with a bag of ice and some painkillers. Ace took the painkillers gratefully and swallowed them quickly. Then she held the ice to her hand, hissing at the contact. "Shh, my love. It will make it better." Ace nodded and held the ice in place. J started to walk out of the room when he stopped in his tracks. "Wait," a small voice whispered. J shook his head, sure he had imagined it. Taking another step, he heard the voice again. "Please." He turned over his shoulder and realized that the small voice belonged to the broken girl with the broken hand, and he had never been happier.