Trace
By four o'clock, I was almost wishing for a seizure just to have an excuse to go home early. After a day from hell, I just wanted it to end.
The nightmare started with a burst pipe over aisle six.
It wasn’t just a little drip that we could have handled with a bucket and paper towels.
No, this was a full ceiling-panel collapse that dumped water over half the bread aisle and turned the cereal on the other side into a soggy cardboard graveyard.
Priya looked like she was about to cry, but after a few minutes to panic and feel sorry for ourselves, we had to deal with it. She sent me to get the wet vac while she got on the phone with the plumber…and then a contractor. Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, she had both on speed dial.
That brief moment of shock was the last time either of us stood still for the rest of the day.
After we were sure no other parts of the roof were compromised and the rain stopped, I had to take inventory of what was left and what had been damaged for the insurance adjuster, at the same time that said adjuster was taking pictures and moving around the packages I was trying to count.
My head was pounding by the time I finished that, and then I had to haul all the ruined stock outside to the dumpster.
It wouldn’t have been so bad if it was just a simple stress headache, but the cleaning crew was using chemicals that literally hurt my sinuses to breathe in.
Not that I was allowed to leave the area, scorched sinuses or not.
The day didn’t get better as pain settled in right behind my eyes. And when you add in every third customer complaining that they couldn't get to the bread, as if I'd personally turned the hose onto everything just to be mean, was enough to make me want to puke.
I felt the aura coming around two.
"I need to take a rest." I barely got the words out to Priya and made it to the break room couch before it hit. My eyes closed and my whole body went still as my brain did whatever it did during a seizure.
Priya knew the drill and stood guard at the door while I was out. She had one eye on me and one on the store until I came out of it a few minutes later.
"You good?" She handed me a juice box and waited for me to take the first drink.
"Yeah, I'm good. Just the stress."
“I’m so sorry, Trace.” She sighed, and I could see the guilt written all over her face. "Go home."
I sucked down the juice and shook off the zoned-out feeling. "I’ve only got a few more hours. I’ll be fine."
"The mess will still be here tomorrow. Trust me. Go home."
I stayed until the end of my shift anyway because I was stubborn and I hated leaving Priya to deal with it with just a few people on staff. By the time I clocked out, my head felt like a spike had been nailed through it and my whole body was heavy. I definitely needed to sleep.
I texted Everett just before I left. Heading home from the longest day ever. We had a flood and I had a small seizure and my head is killing me. Gonna take a nap. Come over whenever.
My phone rang immediately. "You had a seizure?"
I rolled my eyes and then winced because it hurt. "A small one. At work. They happen all the time. It was fine, I had my juice, and now I just need to sleep."
He sighed, and I could hear the pain in his voice even through the phone. "Why didn't you call me?"
"Because you were driving a bus full of people." I squinted against the bright sun and kept walking. "I promise I’m fine. Just sleepy."
The tone in his voice changed again. "Okay, sweet boy. But I'm coming over."
That got my attention. "You're still on your route."
"I'll drive the bus to your place."
A laugh burst out of me even through the headache. "Please do not bring the city bus to my apartment. Just come over after."
"I'll be there the second I drop it at the depot." Something rustled on his end, and when he spoke again, his voice was low enough that it went straight to my balls. "Go home. Drink something with sugar in it. And lie down. I'll be there soon, baby."
"Okay." Having someone give me instructions was a huge relief. That was basically what I planned to do anyway, but knowing someone else was gonna make sure I took care of myself was next level. Thank you.”
When I got up my stairs, I walked right into my bedroom and fell face first onto my bed. The door was unlocked so Everett could let himself in whenever.
I woke up to fingers combing through my hair.
Blunt nails dragged lightly against my scalp, and a solid presence was stretched out along my back. For a few seconds, I stayed completely still and just enjoyed it, worried that if I moved, he would stop.
"I know you're awake, baby." His voice was a low rumble against the back of my neck, making shivers race down my spine. "Your breathing changed."
"Sleep stalker." I gave up and rolled over to see my Daddy, still in his work shirt, propped on one elbow and looking at me with so much care and adoration.
The relief on his face when he got a good look at me was its own kind of gift. "Hi, baby."
"Hi, Daddy." I was getting more comfortable calling him that. Not because I was embarrassed but because I was just vulnerable. But the way his whole expression changed whenever I did was reason enough to be brave. “Thank you for coming.”
"How's your head?" He continued rubbing my hair and scalp as he watched me for signs of distress.
"Better.” The vice grip on my skull had loosened to a dull thud somewhere behind my eyes. “What time is it?"
"Almost seven thirty. You were out cold when I got here." His hand kept moving through my hair, but his voice shifted into something more serious. "Which brings me to a conversation we're going to have later."
I knew exactly what he was gonna say, but I played dumb. "It does? And we are?"
"Yes.” He inhaled through his nose and then blew it out to calm himself. “Your front door was unlocked when I got here, Trace."
"I know. I left it unlocked for you."
"You unlocked it for any random weirdo who wanted to rob you or hurt you or worse.
" His hand didn't stop its slow ministrations, but his eyes held mine like a laser.
"You were dead asleep and alone with your door open to the whole world.
That's not okay with me, sweet boy. We'll figure out a key situation, but until then, you always keep your door locked. Understood?"
Strangely, being scolded and petted at the same time made me willing to agree to just about anything. "Understood."
"Good boy." He kissed my forehead and the last of the day's weight slid off me. "Now. When did you eat last?"
I had to think about it, which was answer enough.
"That's what I figured." He kissed my nose and then pushed himself up off the bed. "Stay right here."
I stayed where I was, but I listened to Daddy moving around my kitchen to the tune of the little chores that came from taking care of things for me.
A little while later, he came back with a plate of dino nuggies and a cheese stick in a divided plate.
I picked up the sliced apple and looked at him. “Is this my dessert?”
Everett looked amused but tried to hide it by biting his cheek. “Yep." After a second, a crease formed between his brows. "If it’s too much for right now, I can put it on a regular plate."
"No." I was a bit too eager, making myself startle at the quick response. "It's perfect. Nobody's ever, um, used those plates for me before. I bought them for myself but only ever use them when Connor's over."
"Well." Everett settled on the edge of the bed and ate an apple slice off my plate. "That ends today. Eat up, sweet boy."
I ate every bite while Everett made a game of trying to steal my apple slices. When I was done, he took the plate away, and I heard water running.
But it wasn’t coming from the kitchen sink. It was coming from the bathroom.
Daddy came back and held out a hand. "Come on, sweet boy. Let’s get you into the bath."
"You don't have to—"
"I know I don't have to." He pulled me up off the bed and steered me down the hall with a hand between my shoulders. "I want to. There’s still a chemical smell in your hair, and your muscles have been in a knot all day. In you go."
The water was exactly right. Hot enough to sting for a second and then perfectly warm around my tired body.
He'd found the lavender bubbles under my sink and used most of it to make a mountain of foam for me.
I sank into it and leaned back with suds up to my chin while Daddy rolled up his sleeves and kneeled beside the tub.
“Close your eyes while I wet your hair.” I did as he said while he washed my hair with firm fingertips over my skull.
Nobody had washed my hair since I was five years old, and I had zero defense prepared for how good it would feel.
Daddy’s strong hands worked the shampoo into a lather and then tipped my head back so he could rinse it without any soap getting into my eyes.
“It feels so nice.” There was no way I was getting out this tub until the water was ice cold. It was the best bath I’d ever had.
As he held my head and rubbed circles over my temples with his thumbs, I went completely boneless. Somewhere between the shampoo and the washcloth sliding over my skin, my eyes watered with happy tears. "That's my boy. Just relax and enjoy your bath. Daddy's got you."
And I believed him. Maybe it was too soon for other people to feel so much for a new partner, but nothing felt rushed or wrong to me. Everything felt perfect, and as he said, he had me…in every sense of the word.
Daddy dried me off and then wrestled me into a onesie before he tucked me into bed and pulled the covers up to my chin. Then he undressed to his boxers and climbed in behind me, pulling me against his chest and draping his heavy arm over me.
The moment I’d been worrying about was now, and I wanted to embrace it. "Everett?"
"Hm?"
I laced my fingers through his where they rested over my heart.
It was way too soon, but I didn't care because it had never been more true.
"I love you." My confession came out a whisper, but it felt like I was shouting from the top of a mountain.
"You don't have to say it back, but I just couldn't hold it in anymore. "
His arm tightened around me, and his lips pressed against the back of my neck. When he spoke, his whisper was rougher than mine. "I love you too, sweet boy. Have since I found you in that park, I think. I was just waiting for you to get on the bus."