Little Wonder (Phan)

Chapter Six.

// disclaimer, I started using first person POV from this chapter and on, sorry! //

"Hey sweetie." I had gone back home, and upon only just arriving, Winnie was the first to discover me. I'd been in my room for almost an hour before she'd wandered in, for what reason I had a feeling I'd never know, and just found me lounging on my bed, checking whatever I'd had up on my phone. Smiling down at her, I put her into my hair, holding her tightly. She was one of the major things I'd missed while I'd been gone. And even though I'd only been a week, it'd felt like forever to me. "Sorry I was gone so long, where's daddy?"

She shrugged, clinging to me like a koala cub to their mother, and I felt my heart swelling at the feeling of her warm little body pressed against mine. I'd been selfish to leave, and I knew that now, especially to leave her. I must've panicked her, she must've thought that papa was just gone, and I prayed she wouldn't have thought that she was the reason why.

I stroked her curls and kissed her forehead. "Daddy's been crying a lot." That struck me in the heart. A little girl should never have to see her daddy crying, we were supposed to be strong, tough, unable to be harmed. We were her protectors. "He's been out a lot as well, looking for you. I bet that's where he is right now." Her light brown eyes, the colour of cocoa before it got wet, were dark and sad. That was the last thing in the entire world I wanted.

"He'll be back before you know it, alright? How about I call him, hmm?" I held up my phone, it was only at 10%, but it'd be enough to call Phil quick and tell him to come home. I knew he'd probably yell at me. Phil rarely got angry, but I usually pushed his buttons just right at times. "Sit, sit." I sat her down on my lap and brought up his contact, pressing the call option before I chickened out and actually waited for him to come home.

It ran a few times before he finally picked up, he sounded out of breath, and panicked as he answered. Had he been running? He sounded so tired. So worn out. Had I really caused that much of a panic? "Hello." I finally greeted him as soon as he was done rambling, asking if I was okay, where I was, and if I needed help. "I'm at home with Winnie, come home when you are ready. I'll be waiting." He just gave a quick noise of agreement and then hung up.

"Daddy's coming home, little one." Stroking her hair again, I awaited my doom. Phil was going to be beyond pissed, I could already see it, which was pretty hard. In the 7 years I'd known him, he'd only gotten actually mad maybe. .. 3 times? And those were scary as hell. I wanted to avoid those as much as possible if I could. I heard the door open within 10 minutes, and took deep breathes to calm myself down. I didn't want to panic in front of Winnie.

He walked into my room without even pausing to look at me, he just kindly asked Winnie to go play with her toys, or watch TV, and then waited until she was gone to start talking. "What the hell were you thinking?" This was not going to end well. "Without even telling me where you were going, you vanish for a week, and leave me worried. I thought you were hurt! Lost! Kidnapped!" He was throwing his arms around, large gestures showing how upset he was. He wasn't one for large gestures. "Where were you? Did I upset you? Are you mad at me? Do you hate me?" And that's when he slumped down next to me, the saddest expression I'd ever seen on his face directed straight at me, and my heart hurt.

"I don't hate you, Phil. I could never hate you." I took his hand in mine, and was relieved when he didn't pull away. If he had, I don't know what I would've done. Or thought. "I love you with all my heart. I just. .. I was going through some things. And I understand you are my husband, and you want to help me get through them, but I just didn't think you could, please, Phil. I'm sorry I left. It was selfish and. .." I was gripping at my head and trying my very best not to cry, but it wasn't working, tears were falling, and I had no control over it.