Rapunzel <J. Valeska>

3.3

When Jim doesn't pick up, Lee only becomes that much more worried, pacing back and forth as her mind races with all the frightening possibilities.

The only positive is that her anxiety about Daisy's surgery is replaced with stress regarding what Jim is doing and whether or not he's okay. She's so lost in her own head that Dr. Emerson has to call her name three times before she registers that he's there.

"I'm sorry, doctor. I had other things on my mind. What is it? How is she?" Lee asks worriedly.

"Well I think the procedure went very well. As of yet there are no complications, and once Daisy wakes up from anesthesia and we give her a quick checkup, you'll be good to go," he grins widely. "Let me know if anything happens or if you have any questions. I know you already have my number, but if I'm not answering feel free to call the front desk and see if they can page me to get a quick response."

"Thank you so much, Sam. I really appreciate this," Lee smiles gratefully.

"It's no problem really. Best of luck in her recovery. I really hope this works out for the poor girl," Dr. Emerson replies.

As the man takes his leave, Lee enters the operating room, now clean and clear of tools. She sits in the plastic chair beside Daisy's bed and sighs deeply, trying to gather herself and calm down. At least Daisy is okay, and I'm sure that whatever is happening with Jim will work out too. Jim is smart and strong and so brave. He can get through anything.

Restored, the doctor tries not to think too deeply about the situation other than that, so far, Daisy's surgery has been a success. Now they can only hope that she'll heal quickly and actually be able to use her voice.

After a few more minutes of thoughtlessness, Lee's phone rings, and she quickly pulls it out of her pocket to answer.

"Lee, what's the matter, is everything okay?" Jim asks frantically through the phone.

"Jim," Leslie sighs in relief. "Thank God. I was so worried when you didn't pick up. Everything is fine over here now. I was calling because I was stressed about Daisy's surgery, but it's finished now and Dr. Emerson seems to think that it went well and she'll be okay. We just need to wait for her to heal and see if her voice will work. Why didn't you answer earlier?"

"Jerome. He and the Maniax took the oil truck and attempted to burn some cheerleaders on a school bus alive. It seems our guess about when Jerome tells Daisy he's working being the Maniax events lines up."

Lee gasps at this news. "Did you manage to arrest any of them?"

"One, briefly. A sniper on the roof took him out before we could question him or even get him in a squad car," Jim sighs.

"Wow, so this whole thing must be a really intense scheme. Well-funded, organized, and maybe not all of the Maniax are cooperating willingly," the woman hazards a guess.

"Could be. Some of them, like Jerome, seem more into it than others."

Daisy slowly blinks awake, hearing Lee engaging in half a conversation. Though the anesthesia is still muddling her senses, she manages to make out what is being said on her friend's end of the line.

"Do you think that Jerome's behind it all? That he's the mastermind?" Lee wonders.

Daisy freezes up at the mention of the man. She both wants to and desperately doesn't want to hear the response on the other end, Jim's most likely.

"No, not really. I think he's a willing participant, but this kind of scheme is above him. Besides, he left the man behind to get arrested and didn't seem to care either way. I don't know, I just don't think this level of intricacy is something he would do," Jim explains.

"Really? Jerome is pretty intelligent, not to mention charismatic and crafty. I think something like this is on his level, but I don't know. I haven't seen him since his arrest and I have no idea what he could be capable of," Lee protests. "But he's a known manipulator, Jim. Just be careful and think twice about everything you're told. Daisy should be waking up soon, so I better go. I love you."

"I love you too, and I will, Lee. I'll see you when you get back to the station."

With that, Lee ends the call and turns back to face Daisy on the bed. The girl appears to just be waking up, blinking slowly to adjust to the light.

Daisy hopes her act is convincing to Lee. She doesn't want her to know that she was eavesdropping, even if she didn't hear anything particularly important. It will just involve needless explaining that she doesn't want, especially because of the difficulty in communication.

"Hey there," Lee greets softly, smiling warmly at the girl. "Dr. Emerson says he thinks the surgery went well. They're going to give you a brief checkup and then we can head back to the station, although it is getting late. Does anything hurt?"

The blonde shakes her head no to the question. Either the painkiller is still numbing everything, which is likely, or there's no cause for pain.

"Okay good. Do you think you can sit up while I get one of the nurses to come look you over?" Lee asks.

Daisy nods, beginning to lift herself up, and Lee quickly scurries from the room, wanting to find a nurse so they can get out of here and return to the relative safety of Jim and the GCPD. Dr. Thompkins isn't gone for much longer than it takes for Daisy to sit herself up before she's back with a kindly looking redheaded nurse.

The red hair and smile remind her of Jerome, which sends a little shock through her system. Daisy struggles to remain calm and composed while the redhead approaches her. As soon as the woman begins her checkup and puts her hands on her back, the fear vanishes. The nurse acts nothing like Jerome, and her touch doesn't feel nearly the same or send the same strange feelings through her. She's not Daddy—not Jerome—and there's no reason to feel any way about her.

What's really fucked up is, after the fear of feeling like she's seen Jerome, she really wants the man there to comfort her.

Daisy knows that her daddy would hold her just right and say the right things to calm her down, but how can he help her when he's the one hurting her?

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A/N
We're still sick, but home for fall break with some time to write. Here you guys go, I hope you enjoyed and that you're still liking the story. How long before Jerome comes for Daisy? And do you think the surgery will work? Comment down below! I'll see you guys next time!
Gingy