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Chapter Seventeen - March 14

Due to the pneumonia, it was almost two days before the psychologist was able to talk to Brooke. Brooke's strength was returning, albeit slowly. And she was quiet. So quiet. She had never been quiet a minute of her life.

Liv and I kept asking her what we could get her. She just reached out and locked her fingers around our wrists. She just wanted us to stay.

We weren't going anywhere.

Brooke eyed Alicia warily as she took a seat by Brooke's bedside. Liv was in a chair on Brooke's other side. I had stretched out along the bed. Brooke snuggled up to me. I ran a hand along her fine blonde hair. It had been freshly washed, but it was still so ragged. A glaring reminder...

"My name's Alicia. What's your name?"

Her voice was gentle but Brooke looked at me. It was as if she was screening her through me. I nodded encouragingly.

"Brooke," she whispered. Her cheek pressed into my chest.

"I wanted to talk to you this morning. I heard you've been a brave little girl."

Brooke shrugged. Her fingers played with a loose thread at the bottom of my t-shirt.

"Do you know what happened?"

Brooke tugged at the thread and it came loose. She slowly looked over at Alicia.

"That man hateded me and my daddy," she said simply.

I closed my eyes.

"Do you know why?"

There was a soft tug on my shirt. I opened my eyes. Brooke was looking at me again. I hated that I didn't have all the answers.

"Daddy who was that man?"

I licked my lips. This was more than she had talked in two whole days.

"That was my brother, sweetheart," I said.

"Why did he cut my piggytails?"

"Your daddy's brother was sick," Alicia interrupted. Brooke looked at her in confusion.

"I got sick," she said. As if by reflex, she ran a hand along her nose. Alicia smiled.

"There's different types of sick. He was sick up here."

Alicia pointed to the top of her head. Brooke glanced up at me. My arms tightened around her.

"He told me I had to be quiet," Brooke said. "Or he would kill my daddy."

Her bottom lip began to quiver. Liv was trying to hide the tears dripping from her eyes.

"How did that make you feel?"

Brooke sniffled. "Scared. I love my daddy."

"Oh Brooke," I whispered. I kissed the top of her head. "I love you too."

"Did the man do anything besides cut your hair?"

"He kick-ded me."

"Where?"

Brooke pointed to her side. The doctors had discovered the huge bruise along her ribs the day before. It still killed me to think about it.

"Did you cry?"

Brooke nodded. She seemed to have decided it was okay to talk to Alicia.

"I did but then my eyes stucked together," she explained. "And I threwed up."

Alicia hadn't made any notes. She was keeping this informal. She wasn't coming across as just another medical professional. She leaned forward.

"Honey, do you know what happened to that man?"

Brooke glanced back up at me.

"Papa shot him, didn't he daddy? He fell down and couldn't hurt me anymore."

Liv reached over and rubbed Brooke's back. I nodded and kissed her forehead. It was still warm.

"That's right. He can never hurt you again."

There was a pause as it all sunk in.

"Brooke, what do you want to be when you grow up?"

Brooke looked at her in surprise.

"When I'm big like mommy and daddy?"

Alicia nodded.

Brooke smiled. She actually smiled. It was like the gates of Heaven had shone down right onto those little innocent lips.

"I want to sing like my daddy."

"Why?"

Brooke sighed. It wasn't a sigh of distress. It was a contented sigh. It was the sigh she always had when I wrapped her up in a big fluffy towel after a bath and pretended to eat her up I loved her so.

"I want to make people happy like he does."

As hard as I tried, I couldn't hold back the tear that fell from my eye.

She had no idea the impact she had already made on the world.

There were so many people that loved her enough to die for her...and she was already thinking about giving back.

----------------------------

"Kev, I can't tell you how sorry I am."

Kevin was sitting up in his hospital bed, poking a spoon into what was supposed to be pudding.

"They say that if a man can live through that, he can live through anything. I should be good for the next million years."

He cracked a smile. I couldn't help but return it.

"How's Addy?"

"Well, she's still going on about getting revenge on the other guys. But on the other hand she keeps teasing me about a 'free vasectomy,' so I think she's going to get over it."

Kev ran a hand through his hair.

"Actually, we weren't planning on having any more kids anyhow. Nine months without being able to ride drove her nuts."

I bit the inside of my cheek. The old Nick would have jumped at the chance to make a joke about the whole 'nuts' thing, but I refrained.

It was the least I could do.

"When do you get out of here?"

"I leave tomorrow. I don't want to see Cozumel for as long as I live."

"You and me both."

Kev finally gave up on the pudding. It sploshed over the side.

"How's Brooke?"

"She talked to the psychologist today. It went better than I thought. But we have a long way to go."

Kevin studied me. It was the way he always looked at me when he was pulling the 'patriarchial' thing on me.

"Nick, you have become one of the best fathers I've ever seen."

I looked at him in surprise. "What?"

Kev laughed. "When I first met you, you were the most annoying, self-absorbed little punk that I had ever met in my whole life. If you would have told me twenty five years ago that you would have gone the lengths of the world to save someone besides yourself I wouldn't have believed it. Nick, Brooke is a lucky little girl."

It meant more than I could say. Especially coming from Kevin. He had always been so critical.

I held out my hand for a handshake. Kev shook his head and opened his arms.

"Naw, my arms aren't broken. Just my balls. Give me a hug."

I laughed and leaned over. I hugged him tightly.

"I love you, Kev."

"Well, now you're just getting mushy."

I pulled away. Kev smiled.

"Love you too, punk."

"I need to have a talk with you."

Kev and I both glanced over to the doorway. Addy was standing there with her hands on her hips. If she had a rope I had a feeling I would have been hogtied and pinned to the ground for a wicked wedgie.

I hopped off the bed and quickly ran around her.

"Sorry, Addy! No time to chat!"

"You can run, but you can't hide Nick!"

I took off down the hallway. When I reached the elevator I slowed to a walk.

I was surprised when Addy came up behind me.

"Don't hurt me," I whimpered. Her arms went around my waist.

She hugged me.

"Give Brooke my love," she said gently. I glanced down at her. She smiled and turned back towards Kev's room.

"You're all bark!" I called after her. She whirled around and pointed at me. I clamped my mouth shut.

It was better not to push it.