biological 》ian gallagher

two

Ian's heart pounded against his rib cage. He could hear almost every beat as it pumped out blood, giving him an unsettling feeling. Placing the note on the counter slowly, his attention circled back to the little girl. Rosie, he remembered from the letter. It all came back to hit him at once, as he realized just how much she reminded him of himself.

Rosie's small hands played with the strap on her pink, tiny backpack. She felt afraid. She remembered her mother's voice speak softly to her: you're gonna go visit daddy for a while. Rosie had no recollection of Ian at all, only adding to the slight pressure she felt, sitting in a total stranger's home.

Ian hadn't heard from Rosie's mother - Hayden - in almost four years. It was when he was much younger; around thirteen years old. Yet, he couldn't see a single feature of hers on Rosie's innocent face.

As Ian approached Rosie, she looked up at him. Her stare almost made Ian stop in his tracks, like a deer in headlights. He felt vulnerable around her, even before he knew the truth. He continued, regardless, knowing that he had to speak to her.

Standing by the couch, almost in front of the girl, he made sure to not get too close so he wouldn't scare her.

"Hi, Rosie," He stated in the friendliest voice he could speak before pausing, once again, memorized by her face. She looked exactly like him, but in her own way. Ian thought of her as beautiful almost immediately. "I'm Ian." He said slowly, sitting down on the couch next her, making sure he wasn't moving too quickly. The last thing he wanted was for her to be startled.

"Hi." Her voice left him breathless, making him want to burst into tears. It was a small, high pitched, and innocent voice. She looked nervous, although Ian wasn't so sure about what she was thinking of. Her expression was still unreadable.

"Do you know who I am?" He asked, generally curious as to what she knew and what she didn't know. She shook her head, neither of them breaking the eye contact. Ian never wanted to look away. "I'm your dad." He almost fumbled on his words, but powered through them, not wanting to come off as weak, scared, or nervous. Still, she looked at him in the same way.

"When can I see mommy again?" She asked, sounding concerned for Hayden. Ian couldn't help but feel slightly defeated, knowing that he had failed at making his own daughter feel comfortable around him.

"Um, soon." He nodded slightly, not daring to tell her anymore. He noticed the defeated nod that he got in return. Without much thought of anything else, he spoke again. "You know something?" He asked, raising his eyebrows slightly at Rosie, capturing her attention again. "We have the same hair color. Except," a small smile crept up his face, "I think it suits you, better." Her cheeks pinned upwards as a smile overthrew the indecipherable expression she usually had.

"That's okay, daddy. You look better in that color." She smiled, as her fingers pinched at a small crease in Ian's long camouflage pants. Ian's smile grew wider, finding the perfect way to talk to Rosie even more.

"I was in the Army." He smiled at her, as his voice spoke proudly of it. "They make you wear this entire outfit, and run for hours in the middle of the day." A part of him hoped to impress her, somehow. He wanted Rosie to feel proud of him, even if she didn't understand much.

"Really?" She asked, curiosity filling the blanks on her expression. Ian nodded, rather dramatically.

"Oh, yeah." He scoffed a laugh, momentarily recalling his times in the Army and ROTC, before his thoughts went back to Rosie, seconds after. "Look at this." He stated, turning over to snatch the matching, camouflage, hat from the small table next to the couch. On the back of the hat, a patch with the name GALLAGHER was stitched. He handed it to her, already knowing that he would let her keep it. "Go 'head, try it on." He nodded his head at her happy face. She shyly placed the cap on top of her red locks, looking at Ian again for approval. He rose his eyebrows, making his jaw drop in happiness. "You look just like me now!" He exclaimed, in an enthusiastic voice to make her laugh slightly, keeping her smile afloat.