Daddy Don't Let Go

02

December 19, 2003
Chad's POV

"Daddy can I have that?" Misty asks, pointing to a Nerf gun on the shelf. I smile and grab it, looking to see if there's a pink or purple one, but don't see it.

"Baby, there's no pink or purple." I say and she shrugs.

"I like orange." She says and I shrug, placing it in the cart.

It's been about a year since Bailey took Christy and left. Went back to California to live with her fucking brother.

As I'm looking for party thing, Misty picks up a blue button that says Birthday Boy on it. I smile and she looks at me.

"This too?" She asks and I smile as I bend down to her.

"Misty, baby, do you want to be a boy?" I ask her and she nods looking down at her pink sandals.

"Baby, that's okay! You know what, Daddy can fix that!" I say and she smiles widely as I hug her tight.

I go and put back the girl outfits I bought and help Misty pick out some boy outfits and shoes. She goes straight for the X-Men character socks and briefs and I shake my head as I grab them.

After checking out, I take her to the hair salon in the mall and get her haircut like a boys.

"Alright! How does that look buddy?" The lady asks and Misty smiles as she touches her head.

We head home and I stop at the courthouse and pick up name change papers for a minor under twelve.

I get to our new house and get Misty out of the car to go inside.

"Daddy can I play in the pool?" She asks and I sigh as I smile.

"In a few baby. I got to put this stuff away first." I say and she nods as she runs inside and to her room.

I put away the food and whatnot I bought and go to help Misty get dressed when I hear her cry out.

Rushing upstairs as quickly as I could, I get to Misty's room and see her int he floor turning blue.

"No, no, no! Baby look at me, look at Daddy baby." I say as I dial for emergency services.

They load her up into the ambulance and I follow with my car.

They get her back to the pediatric ER and on oxygen. The doctor comes in and looks at me.

"Mr. Kroeger, we are going to do an Echocardiogram on her heart. There may be something wrong with her aortic valve." The doctor tells me and I nod as I cradle my baby's head.

After the echocardiogram, they determine she has aortic tachycardia, a very rare and mostly fatal condition.

"Mr. Kroeger, we have to operate now, or she won't survive." He says and I nod as I let them take my four year old back for open heart surgery.