Sam’s Little Girl by Pepper North
Chapter 12
Strong hands stripped her wet clothing off as Hope weakly battled their efforts. “Stop! Just let me go. You don’t want me anyhow!” she mumbled.
“You couldn’t be more wrong, candy girl. I want you with me forever,” Sam reassured her with a kiss on her forehead. “Let us take care of you. I promise when you are well, I’ll let you go, even if it breaks my heart. I love you, little girl.”
His words tumbled inside her feverish brain as she tried to understand what Sam was telling her. That kiss reassured her the most. Without the energy to keep fighting, Hope collapsed against his broad chest. Clinging to him, she whispered, “Please, Sam. Don’t have made this a prank.”
“I’m so sorry I’ve hurt you, Hope. It was never my intention. Let Doniphan check on you. I need to know you’re okay.”
When she mumbled his name, the two men quickly removed the last of her clothing. Wrapping a warm blanket around her, Sam carried her into the beautiful nursery. Hope looked around with glazed eyes as he laid her on the changing table.
“No!’ she fussed as Doniphan raised the blanket over her bottom and quickly pressed the thermometer Sam always left in the lubricant deep into her bottom.
“Shhh, little girl. It’s okay,” Sam comforted as he brushed the chaotic tangle of her bangs from her face.
“Hedgie?” she whispered.
“He’s here, candy girl. He’ll snuggle with you after I get you all cleaned up. You don’t want to get him muddy,” Sam distracted Hope.
“Oh, no! Hedgie likes to be clean,” Hope mumbled.
“Stay here with her, Sam. I’m going to run out to get my medical bag,” Doniphan warned.
Alone, Sam spoke quietly to Hope. “Little girl, I’ve screwed things up so badly. I was so excited to come home to you. I was going to insist you move in this weekend. But you beat me to it. I love your surprise.”
“Daddy… I wanted to be your little girl so badly.” Hope raised the cover to hide her face. She didn’t want him to see how much his joke had hurt her.
“I want that too, Hope. More than I’ve wanted anything in my life. I love you, candy girl,” he confessed.
“Don’t be mean, Daddy. Don’t trick me any further.”
“I’m not lying to you, Hope. I love you.”
She shook her head in disbelief. Hope was so tired. She didn’t have the energy to protect herself from him. Feeling empty inside, she closed her eyes.
“Sam, her temperature is one hundred and two. A degree more and I’d insist she go to the hospital. We need to get that down. I’m going to give Hope some medicine rectally and we’ll put her in a cool bath.”
Hope could hear Doniphan’s voice, but it didn’t make sense to her. She gave in to the exhaustion plaguing her and dozed. She tried to move away as Sam spread her bottom wide. The thick object they pressed into her bottom stretched her small opening uncomfortably before Doniphan slid it deep into her tight rectum.
“Go run cool water in the tub. She’s not going to like it, but we need to clean the mud from her skin so she can rest,” the medic directed.
She missed her daddy’s presence as he moved from her side. “Don’t leave me, Daddy, please,” she begged.
“Candy girl, you’re ripping my heart out. I’m not leaving. I’ll be right back. Count to ten and I’ll be here,” Sam promised.
Muffled under the covers, she began counting, childishly adding one thousands between each of the numbers to keep herself from rushing. “One, one thousand, two, one thousand, three, one thousand…” Hope had reached eight when Sam pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
“I’m back, candy girl. Let’s get you in the tub. I think you brought half of the forest home with you.” Sam picked her up and carried her to the bathroom.
“Brrr!” she protested as he stripped off the blanket and placed her in the cool water. Sam wouldn’t let her scramble out. He quickly washed her arms and legs free of the itchy mud. Scooping her from the dirty water, he wrapped a thick towel around her. Setting her on the vanity, Sam braced her against his chest as he brushed her hair free of tangles and bits of leaves and stems. Finally, he lowered her onto his bed and covered her up.
When he tucked Hedgie into her arms, she pulled the stuffie close and rubbed her face against his soft fur to comfort herself. Unable to stay awake any longer, Hope gave in to her exhaustion.
* * *
“Go shower before you get into bed. I’ll stay with her,” Doniphan directed, waving a hand at the dirt clinging to Sam’s clothes.
Pushing aside his first impulse to refuse, Sam nodded his thanks and turned toward the master bathroom. He stopped to get a pair of sleep pants on the way. “I wish I could strangle Hank,” he growled at his teammate.
“You’d have to choke me as well. I’m the one that started everything by calling an intruder alert,” Doniphan admitted as he sat next to his curled-up patient.
“Hank is an idiot.”
“Hank is a Daddy without a Little. He’s missed his Angie for years. Do you think he would cause Hope pain on purpose?”
Sam scrubbed a hand over his face before admitting, “Probably not. I don’t know if I’ll be able to work with him again. I can’t worry about that now. I need to focus on Hope.”
“Go shower. We all need some sleep. I’ll leave some medicine and write out the instructions while you clean up.”
Ten minutes later, Sam heard the click of the door as Doniphan let himself out. Wrapped around his little girl, Sam pushed everything out of his mind to focus on Hope. She was the only one that mattered.
When his Little shifted restlessly against him, Sam turned onto his back to give her a bit of space. His heart lurched inside when she followed him to settle resting on his chest.
Please, let me fix this!
