His Two Miracles | Thomas Barrow

Chapter 51

Thomas was still sitting in the rocking chair in the nursery room a short while later with Ellie, still sleeping soundly on his chest. As he gazed down at her, a sense of overwhelming love filled him. He gently stroked her hair and placed a kiss atop her head, his heart swelling with joy. But as he tucked a strand of hair behind her right ear, his breath caught in his throat.

There, on her cheek, was the scar that ran the length of her jaw. It was a constant reminder of the fire that had almost taken her life. He closed his eyes, his mind racing back to that terrible night. Miss O'Brien, in a moment of madness, had started the fire in the nursery room, hoping to cause chaos and destruction.

But Thomas had been there, and he had managed to save Ellie just in time. She had been only two weeks old at the time, and the memory of the flames engulfing the room still haunted him to this day.

Lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice Ellie waking up until she spoke.

"Daddy, why do you look so s - sad?"

Thomas blinks back tears and forces a smile, wanting to hide his emotions from his young daughter. "Oh, it's nothing, sweetheart. Daddy was just thinking about something."

Ellie sits up, her eyes searching his face. "What were you thinking a - about?"

Thomas hesitates for a moment, unsure if he should share his pain with his daughter. But then he remembers how resilient and strong Ellie is, despite everything she has been through, and he decides to be honest with her.

Thomas took a deep breath and looked into her eyes. "It's just that...I was looking at your scar," he said softly, touching the rough, pink tissue with his fingertip. "And it reminded me of how much you went through when you were just a tiny baby."

Ellie's eyes widened as she remembered the stories her father had told her about the fire just a few months ago when she caught sight of her scar for the first time in the mirror in his room and she asked him about it. "The fire t - that hurt me?" she asked, and Thomas nodded. "Yes, that's the one. And how brave you were, even then," he said, his voice thick with emotion.

Ellie threw her arms around her father's neck. "I love you, Daddy," she said, her voice muffled by his shoulder.

"I love you too, Ellie," Thomas said, holding her close. "More than anything in the world."

They sat there for a few moments, father and daughter wrapped in a warm embrace until Ellie pulled away and climbed off his lap. "Can we h - have dinner now?" she asked, her stomach growling loudly.

Thomas laughed and stood up, taking her hand. "Of course we can," he said. "Let's go see what Mrs. Patmore has done eh?"

~

He took her hand gently and helped her walk down the stairs to the servants' kitchen, where Mrs. Patmore and Daisy had prepared some chicken soup for dinner.

As they sat down to eat, Ellie's stomach rumbled with hunger. She was excited to dig into the warm soup and enjoy her dinner with her father. However, as she started to eat, Ellie began to struggle with the spoon and accidentally spilled some soup on herself.

"Uh-oh, Ellie, be careful," Thomas said as he noticed what had happened.

Ellie looked up at him with big, innocent eyes and a pouty lip. "I'm sorry, Daddy," she said softly.

Thomas gave her a reassuring smile and wiped the soup off her chin with a napkin. "It's okay, Ellie. Don't worry about it. Let me help you, okay?" he said as he took the spoon from her hand and fed her a few bites of soup himself.

Ellie happily accepted the spoonfuls from her father, feeling grateful for his help. However, as she continued to eat, and tried to feed herself again she noticed that her hand was shaking and she couldn't hold the spoon properly.

"Daddy, my hands a- are shaky," she said, her voice quivering.

Thomas looked at her hands and saw that they trembling slightly. He knew that it was a symptom of Ellie's, particularly when she starts to become tired, and that she would need some extra help to finish her dinner.

"It's okay, darling. Let me feed you for a little while longer," he said, taking the spoon from her hand again.

Ellie nodded, feeling a little frustrated that she couldn't feed herself properly. She knew that her condition made simple tasks like eating harder than they should be.

As Thomas continued to feed her, he thought about how much he loved his daughter and how much he wanted to make her life easier.

After a few more spoonfuls of soup, Ellie's appetite began to wane. She was full and tired, and her body was starting to ache from sitting for so long.

"I'm d - done, Daddy," she said, looking up at him with sleepy eyes.

Thomas smiled and wiped her mouth with a napkin. "Okay, darling. Let's get you cleaned up and ready for bed."

~

As they entered his room, he carefully took off her leg braces and shoes, while replacing her dress with a comfortable nightdress. He noticed that Ellie was looking up at him with a small pout on her face. "What's the matter love?" he asked softly.

"I don't want t - to sleep in my own bed tonight, Daddy," she replied, her voice small and hesitant.

Thomas smiled softly, knowing that Ellie always felt more secure and safe when she was close to him. "That's okay, darling. You can sleep with me tonight."

He laid Ellie down in the bed he lay down beside her as she snuggled into his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her, feeling her warm body against his. He picked up a book from the bedside table and opened it, "Shall we read the tale of Peter Rabbit again tonight?", he asked remembering how he started to read the story to her when she was just a tiny baby and over time it quickly became her favourite book.

Ellie nodded, her eyes shining with excitement. "Yes, p - please."

Thomas began to read, his voice soft and soothing. "Once upon a time, there were four little rabbits, their names were Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-tail, and Peter..."

As he read, he could feel Ellie's body relax against his, her breathing becoming slow and steady. He continued to read, feeling the words wash over him and transport him to a world far away from the struggles of everyday life.

Eventually, he felt Ellie's body become heavy with sleep, her breathing deep and even. He gently closed the book and placed it back on the bedside table and blew out the candle as he wrapped his arms a little more tightly around her. He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, feeling his heart swell with love for his daughter.

He knew that life with Ellie would not always be easy, but moments like this made it all worth it. He closed his eyes, listening to the sound of her breathing and feeling her warm body against his. He knew that every day would bring new challenges, but for now, he was content to hold his daughter and revel in the close bond that they shared.