His Girl #Wattys2016

16. Daddy's girl.

"Damn."

I sat up in my bed and looked around. The lights came on immediately and Emily rushed to my side, her expression that of worry.

"Hey, you okay?" She asked me, putting her arms around me.

I nodded. I kept reminding myself that it was only a dream and I had nothing to worry about. Emily's soothing voice helped, but I needed more than that. I needed to hear his voice. Nothing else would calm my nerves, that I was sure of. I picked up my phone and dialed his number, ignoring Emily's questioning look. I needed to know he was fine to be reassured before I could speak again.

"Hello?" He answered in a groggy voice.

I sighed out loud and looked up at the clock on the wall, it was a little past three a.m. He was fine. He was sleeping.

"Hello?" He repeated, irritated.

When I didn't respond, he must've checked the caller ID. "Sarah?"

Emotions swelled inside me and my throat felt dry. I inhaled sharply before replying. "Dad."

"Oh, my God. Are you alright, baby? What happened? Where are you?" His voice mirrored the anxiety he was feeling. "Answer me, Sarah. Please."

"Dad," I said, again. "I'm alright. I'm in my bed, at home."

Emily, who had been silent till then, shifted slightly. I looked up at her to see the hurt in her eyes. I knew she hated that I had chosen our father over her, but I couldn't help it.

"Are you alone, baby? Did something happen?" The tension in his voice hadn't subsided yet. "Where's your sister?"

"Emily's here, Dad. With me. I just-" I swallowed hard. The memory of the dream came fleeting before my eyes and tears trailed down my cheeks. "I had a bad dream. I wanted to know you were alright."

Emily pulled me closer against herself. No matter what happened between us, we all knew I would always be a daddy's girl.

"Oh, Sarah! Come home, darling. You've punished me enough."

I noticed how his tone had relaxed and I heard the voice of the man I had grown up admiring; of the calm and understanding father I loved so much. But it didn't soothe me this time, for I could almost sense a sly smile creep on to his face. He'd seen it as an opening to lure me back home and I hated the feeling. I wouldn't go back until he was ready to respect Emily's decisions. I had shown enough love to my father, it was time to show my love for my sister.

"I will, Dad. We both will. You know we want to." I looked up at Emily and smiled slightly, "you just have to accept-"

"No."

"Daddy, please. I want to come home. I want to see you and Mom, it's been months," I sniffed.

"Then come home right away. But alone."

The only thing similar about Emily and Dad was that both of them were equally stubborn. They had never seen things eye to eye and almost always had fought over it. I, on the other hand, had always been an easy child. I went with my parents' decisions without giving it as much as a second thought. Apparently, it was that easy going attitude of mine that had compelled Emily to take me along with her when she decided to move out of our parents' house two years ago.

"Go to bed, Sarah." My dad's voice was back, the dad he had become lately. "I'll talk to you some other time. Goodnight."

The line went dead and I put my phone back on the nightstand. Emily patted lightly on my cheek and stood up from my bed.

"I'll get you some warm milk, it'll help you sleep well."

"No amount of warm milk will help me sleep, Em." I looked away, not wanting her to see the doubt in my eyes.

"Sarah, you have already tried enough for me. It's time you go home." She pulled me to my feet and gestured towards the bathroom. "Wash your face, I'll get you some warm milk and cookies."

I nodded and turned the knob to my bathroom, she stood watching me as I closed the door behind me. She was gone by the time I returned, so I sat on my bed and tried to shove away the scary thoughts.

"Shaking your head won't help you clear your mind, dummy." She was standing outside my room, holding a plate and a glass. By the looks of it, I had only made my sister sadder than she already was.

"I'm so sorry, Em. I had to talk to him, I was so scared."

"I know, Sarah. I don't blame you. Dreams are scary." She spoke like she knew of it firsthand. "Only, I wish he'd let me call him, too."

I put my arms around her and kissed her on her cheek. As much as she tried to hide it, I knew that her decisions were killing her. She, like me, hated being away from our parents but unlike me, she wasn't ready to admit it.

"You always hated me for taking all the limelight, didn't you?" I asked, trying to lighten up our moods.

"Yes." She didn't even try to sugarcoat it.

I laughed lightly. "Why then did you bring me with you? Why did you even bother?"

"Sarah!" She hit me on my arm, playfully. "Of course I couldn't let you stay there and be the brat you were. I had to change you."

I raised my eyebrows at her, "and you think you succeeded in doing so?"

"Hmm." She pretended to think hard. "I'd like to think so. I went through a lot for your sake."

I threw my hands up and pouted. "Good night!"

She laughed, shaking her head at me. "Do you want to talk about the dream? It might help calm you down."

I shrugged. "He was in an accident or something. I was crying. He was gone. It was... scary." I shuddered.

"Now you know he's fine, right? So relax. Nothing will happen to him."

"Amen." I still felt shaken, but the feeling of dread was slowly fading.

"Go to bed now. I'll see you in the morning." She tucked me in and kissed me on the forehead. "And please don't scream like that. It scared the living hell out of me!"

I chuckled as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. She rose from my bed and walked out of the door.

"Good night, Aaron dreams," she winked.

"Go away!" I grinned, silently wishing for the same.