Among the Stars ✔️ [Completed] [book three]

Chapter 4

Sitting back on the sofa, I watch Daniel close the sonograph picture of the twins... our twins... with a slight smile tugging on the corner of his lips.

"They're still there." I chuckle when he opens it again to sneak another look. I pat the empty void next to me, gesturing for him to sit down.

Daniel opens the draw and places the picture inside. He carefully lifts up some papers and then hides the picture at the bottom. "I have to keep checking." He turns to grin at me, fully exposing his dimples. Even though he looks exhausted and in agony, his eyes twinkle with something that goes beyond the physical pain he's in at the moment... his azure blues orbs show me just how happy he is. My heart feels like it'll melt through the floor at the sight of him.

He slowly sits down with a grimace. I hear his breath hitch in his throat with the pain.

"Oh shit, babe! How you feeling?" I ask before glancing at my watch. It's nearly time for his next lot of painkillers, so I know he must be feeling it now.

Daniel looks over at me with the biggest smile. "I'm on top of the world!"

"You're going to be the most amazing Daddy to our babies." The words spill out of my mouth without any filter because they come straight from my heart.

He softly laughs. "Babies..." he repeats before biting his bottom lip. "I promise you that I'll be the best dad I can possibly be. You... these babies... well... you are simply everything, my whole world! Once these stitches are out and I'm back on my feet, I'm going to prove to you that you come first."

I reach across to stroke his cheek. He leans into my touch willingly. "There is no need for you to prove anything! Daniel, I already know I'm your priority... Jesus, you saved my life... our lives." I correct myself to show that it wasn't just me he saved, it was all of us.

He lets out a frustrated groan into his hands which makes me jump. "I keep seeing her shoot you... every time I close my eyes... I don't get there in time!"

I pull his hands down from his face so he looks at me. "But you did get there in time, and you will always have the scar to prove it!" I see how tortured he is and know that he blames himself for everything. He could have PTSD. "I think you need to see a therapist."

Daniel's nostrils flair at my suggestion. "I'll be fine! I don't need to talk about it to a stranger!" He shakes his head violently.

I hold my hands up in defeat to show him I don't want to argue. "Daniel..." I speak softly. "Just think about it. Talking to Dr. Knowles really helped me process things after Georgia poisoned me. It also helped me deal with my past... especially Charlotte, in a way that I hadn't thought to approach it before. Daniel, we've had a hell of a year... crippling lows, but mostly soaring highs. It's a lot to process!"

I compose my thoughts to try and explain myself the best way I can. "After I was poisoned I heard you cry in the shower, I held you while you had nightmares and I watched you fall apart inside, but stay strong on the outside for me. You've never dealt with those emotions, or the guilt you carry like an albatross around your neck. I never mentioned it to you at the time because I knew you would just deflect and feel even more guilty that I was worrying about you! Since then you've come face to face with the woman whose had this unnatural hold over us, threw yourself in front of a bullet and nearly died!" Tears sting at the corners of my eyes. "But on top of all that you're now going to be a daddy... to twins." My voice cracks as I speak.

Daniel looks at me wide eyed, obviously shocked by outburst. He doesn't move or say a word, like he doesn't know how to respond.

"Your job isn't a normal career either. I can see how you're struggling with how you fit with the ugly side of being a successful actor. But I can't help you figure that out because I don't really understand it myself. So, I just think talking to someone in a professional capacity and someone who is independent and rational will.... erm... well, it might just help you work through some things."