Sam’s Little Girl by Pepper North

Chapter 10

Yawn!Her jaw popped as it stretched widely. Blinking, Hope looked around the nursery as she tried to get her bearings. So much had happened so fast. Finally, with everything straight in her mind, Hope pushed herself up to sit in the crib. She shifted as the plug in her bottom made itself known to her as she moved.

Holding on to her blankie and Hedgie, she called softly, “Daddy?”

A rustling outside the closed door reassured her that Sam had heard her. In just a few seconds, it opened and her daddy walked in. Hope loved the big smile that spread his lips upon seeing her. She could tell he was totally into her.

“Hi, candy girl. You napped well. I bet you feel better.”

“Can you take it out?” she asked urgently.

“I think the plug has done its job for this afternoon. Your bottom will soon be used to being filled,” he assured her as he lowered the railing.

“I don’t need it. Really!” she said quickly when he just winked at her.

“Come here, little girl. I need to hold you.” Sam picked her up and paced slowly across the floor. His arms around her torso tightened. “Go potty.”

“No!” she pleaded as she struggled to prevent an accident. Unable to withstand the pressure, Hope peed into the thick padding. Hiding her face in the crook of his neck, she felt her face flame with embarrassment.

“Good girl. Let’s get you cleaned up.”

Within minutes, Hope stood on the floor next to the changing table. Freshly diapered and dressed, she clung to Sam’s hand. Hope felt good—better than she had for a long time. She looked around the room, ready to explore. Math problems dashed into her mind, interrupting her plans.

“I need to work for a while. I think I have an answer to something that has plagued me for a while. Do you mind?”

“I’ll get caught up on my bills and cleaning the house. If you’re still working later, I’ll run out to the grocery store. If not, you can come with me,” Sam suggested.

Hope looked at him in disbelief. “You don’t mind if I work for a while?”

“Candy girl, we both have obligations that will interfere with our time together. I won’t allow you to endanger your health, but you’ve taken a good nap and I bet your brain is raring to go.”

“I feel good,” she admitted.

“I’m going to try to make sure you always feel good,” he said, pulling her in for a tight hug before releasing her. “Want to sit at the kitchen table?”

“Yes, please.”

Within minutes, she was quickly recalculating a tricky proof. To her delight when she looked up an hour later, she’d figured it out. A half hour after that, she’d run through it again to check her results. Guiltily, she listened to determine where Sam was. The house was quiet. A memory of him dropping a kiss on her head before leaving flashed into her mind. She smiled as she realized he must have gone shopping.

Quickly, Hope contacted the study team with her results. From all corners of the world, the mathematicians downloaded her solution and went quiet. Thirty minutes later, her computer erupted with congratulations and excited chatter. She’d done it.

The rattle of the garage door sounded, and Hope said goodbye to her long-distance friends. They had been matched by a think-bank several months ago and had worked together very successfully. With one last wave, Hope closed down her computer and darted out the door into the garage to help Sam.

“Whoa, little girl!” Sam exclaimed as they almost crashed into each other in the doorway.

“I did it! I solved the problem!”

“That’s incredible, candy girl. I got lost in the first line of all those symbols and numbers. We need to celebrate,” he declared.

“I’d like that!”

“Let’s get all this food inside and we’ll decide what to do.” Sam handed Hope what she was sure was the lightest bag to carry inside.

Hope chattered excitedly, sharing the team’s reaction and how something incredibly simple had turned out to be the solution. “We were looking for a complex answer and it turned out to be simple division.”

“How did you figure it out?” Sam asked, steering her toward the nursery without interrupting her celebration.

“I woke up, and it just came to me.”

“Naps can make a big difference.”

Heat flashed over her face, and Hope knew she was blushing. “It was actually the plug.”

“Really?” Sam asked conversationally, as if there was nothing strange about this confession. He lifted her to lie on the padded mat.

“I needed to insert one bit of the puzzle as the divisor. It seemed so obvious when I woke up.” As Sam stripped off her leggings, Hope realized that her diaper was wet. She’d been so involved in mastering that problem that she’d automatically used it. “Oh!”

“Let me get you changed, candy girl, and we’ll decide how to celebrate.”

“I didn’t mean to use my diaper,” she rushed to tell him.

“Your brain knew you were wearing it when your body needed relief without interrupting your calculations. A win-win situation if I’ve ever seen one. The Little inside you is strong, Hope.”

“Is that a good thing?” she asked.

“It’s an amazing thing,” he reassured her before leaning over to blow air on her tummy to make a funny sound.

“That tickles!” she giggled. She grabbed his head when he lowered it again.

“Daddy!” she protested, wiggling on the table.

Sam lifted his head to look at her. His eyes shone with unshed tears. Her breath caught in her throat, and she held her arms out to this invincible warrior who obviously cared deeply about her. Without an explanation, he swept Hope up in his arms and hugged her tightly. For several seconds, he held her close before kissing Hope tenderly.

Allowing her body to slide against his, Sam set Hope on the soft carpet. Taking her hand, he said softly, “I’m so glad I found you, little girl.”

Hope nodded and squeezed his hand. “I’m glad you found me, too, Daddy.”

* * *

Laughing at the long piece of cheese that drooped over her daddy’s chin, Hope took another bite of the pizza with extra mozzarella cheese. Sam had allowed her to choose her favorite restaurant for her celebration. It had taken thirty minutes to create the thick masterpiece, but he had been happy to wait. She loved that Sam enjoyed being with her, regardless of minor annoyances.

“This is the best pizza, candy girl. I can see why you love it so,” he complimented her choice as he lifted the white string of deliciousness and popped it into his mouth.

“Sam! Who’s your friend?” a deep voice called from a few inches from the table.

“Doniphan! How come you never shared this pizza joint with the team? It’s amazing!” Sam dropped his pizza to hold out his hand in greeting.

Turning to Hope, he explained, “This is Doniphan. He’s our team medic. He keeps us all healthy. Doniphan, this special woman is Hope,” he said, completing the introductions.

“Hope, I’m glad to meet you.” Doniphan extended his hand to shake Hope’s.

She watched the two men exchange a meaningful look. Sam nodded subtly. Doniphan’s smile grew broader. The medic turned back to Hope.

“Sam and I have a lot in common. I’m glad you found each other. I hope someday, I’ll be that lucky.”

He couldn’t be talking about what she thought. Is Doniphan a Daddy, too? While questions whirled in her mind, the two men chatted easily.

“I’ll get out of here and let you eat. That pizza is best steaming hot. Hope, it has been a pleasure to meet you. Sam, carb up. Mark’s planned a long run for us tomorrow.” With that advice, Doniphan left them alone.

“He’s the medic?” Hope asked a simple question to give herself time to think.

“The absolute best. Doniphan has a degree as a nurse practitioner. That’s one step below a doctor. He’s overqualified to be out in the field, but that’s where he wants to be. Thanks to his skills, we’ve all returned from some dicey missions.”

“It scares me that your job is so dangerous,” she whispered.

“I’m sorry, candy girl. I don’t mean to frighten you. Our commander, Mark, keeps our training schedule rigorous, so we’re prepared for almost anything. Remember, now that I’ve found you, I’m going to fight like hell to make it back to you.”

Hope nodded, but the tendril of fear that curled in her tummy didn’t go away. She took another bite of pizza to cover her reaction, before asking, “Would you mind sitting for me? I’d love to draw you.”

“As long as we’re together, little girl, I’m happy to try anything.”