Still The One

The doctor came in breaking my thoughts away from my daughter, "Alright let’s get this little one cleaned up." He said as he came in. He looked Bailey over before getting stuff that he needed and coming over to us to clean up Baileys cuts. Bailey squirmed and cried because it burned but I just kept telling her it was almost over then she could lie down and go to sleep.

Finally, after the doctor finished he gave her a lolli pop and told her she did a good job. I looked at him and asked "How is Danni Sanders?"

He sighed and said "Well, she's pretty beat up but she should be alright she’s in a deep sleep right now though, I don’t know when she will wake up."

I nodded and said "Alright thank you." I said.

He nodded and left the room. I turned to Bailey and said softly "Ok baby girl you can go to sleep now!"

She nodded and reached her arms up so I could pick her up and tuck her in to bed. As I sat her down, she hugged me tight and said "I love you daddy."

I got a little choked up but managed to get out "I love you to baby girl." Even though I didn't have proof that she was indeed my daughter I knew deep down in my heart that she was indeed my daughter and even though I hadn't known her for more then a few hours I truly did love her.

I tucked her in and started to softly sing her to sleep. Right as she fell into a deep sleep the door opened to reveal Matt, "Zack can I talk to you for a minute?"

I looked from Bailey to him and sighed. I got up from the chair I was sitting in and followed him out of the room. Matt turned to me and asked "Why dose my niece look just like you?"

I gulped, Matt didn't know about Danni and I, because we made sure to keep our relationship on the down low, hidden from the world, especially her older brother, and he didn't sound to happy about his niece looking like me. "Um..... because.....," I sighed and just forced it out "Because she's mine Matt."

He glared at me "How?" He asked through clenched teeth.

I backed up a little bit and said "Danni and I dated back before the band got big, we didn't want anyone to know. I didn't even know about Bailey until tonight when we found them."

“Then how are you so sure she’s yours?” Matt was seething and wasn’t thinking straight.

Once again, I backed up some more, “Because if I’m right about her age then I remember the night it happened.”

“You were fucking my sister, behind my back?” ok, now I was getting scared, Matt is one of my best friends and I know how angry he can get and right now he was more angry then I’ve ever seen.

“Matt, Danni and I loved each other, fuck I still love her why do you think I haven’t had a girlfriend in years. Danni left me all right, I don’t know where she went I just woke up one day and she was gone. She left me a note that ripped my heart to pieces. I know we shouldn’t have gone behind your back to be with each other but we knew you’d be like this, we just wanted to be together. I still have the note she wrote if you really want to know the truth.”

Matt was silent for a minute as he calmed down, “You really do love her don’t you?” I did the only thing I could do without breaking down, I nodded. “And Bailey?”

“Matt, she’s my daughter! You know I’ve always wanted a family of course I love her!”

Matt seemed to calm down some and nodded, “She really broke your heart huh?”

I let one lone tear roll down my cheek and nodded again “More then you know, I hope she’s alright I really need to talk to her.”

“You better take care of them Zack!” Matt growled.

I look him straight in the eye and said “You know I will Matt, I love them to much to ever hurt them, even if she ripped my fucking heart out and tore it a million god damn pieces I love her, and Bailey is my little girl, I’d never hurt her.”

Matt nodded finally calming down, I sighed “I’m gonna go sit with Bailey, you guys can go home if you want.”

He nodded again “Alright, I guess we’ll see you in the morning, call me if Danni wakes up!”

I smiled sadly “I will now go home to Val and get some rest.”

He gave me one of those manly hug/handshake types of things and left with the rest of the guys. I made my way into the room that Bailey was in and sat down in the chair next to her. I just sat there and watched her sleep for hours just thinking, why didn’t Danni tell me she was pregnant? Why did she run off and keep Bailey a secrete from me? What happened to them that landed them in the hospital? How dose Bailey know I’m her father?

A million questions that went unanswered as I watched my beautiful little girl sleep peacefully. I ended up falling asleep in the chair next to Bailey’s bed.

Sometime later I was woken up by a small hand shaking me, I opened my eyes and found Bailey standing in front of me, the room was dark. I wiped the sleep out of my eyes and asked “What is it baby girl?”

“Where’s mommy?” She asked.

I sighed and shook my head, “I don’t know sweetie but she’s here somewhere do you want to go find her?”

She nodded and crawled into my lap, “Daddy?

I wrapped my arms around her protectively “What princess?”

She rested her head on my shoulder and said “I don’t want to go back home, Jay Jay not nice to me an mommy.”

“Who’s Jay Jay baby girl?” I asked wondering who she was talking about.

She said “He said he my daddy but mommy told me you my real daddy, he mommy’s boyfriend, he hurts me an mommy. I no like him. Mommy and I’s left him home lass night cause he hurted us real bad. He do this!” she stated pointing to all of her cuts and bruises.

I grew very angry at the thought that some one hit my little girl and tried to feed her lies, and that some one even laid a hand on her and Danni it made my blood boil, but I kept my calm amazingly and said “You’re not gonna go back to him baby girl, not ever. I won’t let anyone ever hurt you or mommy again I promise, now lets go find mommy!” I stood up carrying her in my arms and walked to the front desk. “Excuse me, I’m looking for Daniela Sanders?”

The nurse nodded and typed in her name on the computer, “Alright sir, she’s in room #231 on the second floor.”

I smiled and said “Thank you!”

Then I carried Bailey to the elevator, when we reached the second floor I searched for Danni’s room and as soon as I found it I knocked, not know if she was still in a deep sleep or not. When I got no answer I walked in.

I said to Bailey “Alright baby girl, I don’t know when mommy will wake up the doctors said she’s in a deep sleep right now which means she could be sleeping for a couple of days but you can lay down with her just be careful.” Bailey nodded, I set her down gently on the bed, “I have to call uncle Matt, I’ll be right back sweetie,” I kissed her forehead as she laid down with her mom “I love you baby girl go back to sleep.”

I walked out of the room and called Matt. His phone rang four times before he picked up “Zack? What’s going on? Is everything alright?”

I growled and said “No Danni and Bailey are asleep right now but Bailey told me how they ended up in the middle of downtown beat to hell!”

I could hear him sitting up in bed “What? What happened?”

I sighed running my hand sown my face in a attempt to calm myself “Apparently Danni’s boyfriend, Jay abuses them, this isn’t the first time either but he beats the shit out of them and tries to tell Bailey that he’s her real dad and ugh….. I don’t know the whole story but as soon as Danni wakes up I sure as hell am gonna make her fucking tell me what that son of a bitch has done to her and my daughter.”

Matt growled on the other end “I’m gonna find out where this fucker lives and fucking kill him for laying a fucking had on my sister and my niece.”

I sighed and said “Matt calm down as much as I would love to do that to him as well we can’t, I do know however if we ever see the fucker someone is gonna have to stop us from beating him to death, especially if he comes here looking for them.”

Matt let out a frustrated sigh “You’re right, so Danni isn’t awake yet?”

“No, I’m hoping that she wakes up soon though. Bailey is in the room with her, sleeping.”

“Alright, Val and I will be there in the morning. I know you aren’t going to anyway but don’t leave them alone, if this dickhead Jay or what ever finds them there I don’t want them to be in there alone especially since Danni isn’t awake yet and Bailey is pretty much there by herself.”

“I won’t leave them and if that fucker dose come here I gonna make sure his ass gets arrested and put in jail. I’ll call you if anything happens, and say hi to Val for me.”

“Alright will do dude, take care of them and we’ll see you in the morning.”

I hung up with Matt and walked back into the room with Bailey and Danni. I pulled up the lazy-boy and reclined next to them unable to fall asleep with all of the thoughts running through my head. An hour later I heard Bailey crying in her sleep. I quickly stood up and walked over to her. I picked her up gently and started rocking her as she opened her eyes. “Daddy.” She cried as she wrapped her small arms around me neck still crying.

“Shush, it’s alright babygirl, daddy’s got you, no ones gonna hurt you, your safe now.” I whispered to her gently.

As she calmed down she looked over at Danni and asked “Daddy, why mommy not wake up?”

I sighed as sat down in the chair with her in my lap, “Mommy is hurt really bad sweetie and she has to sleep to help get better. She will wake up soon babygirl we just have to wait a little bit.”

She nodded and wiped her eyes “Daddy, what if Jay Jay find us, he hurt you too!?”

I chuckled and shook my head “No one is going to hurt me or you or mommy, I won’t let it happen, and if he finds us then your uncle Matt and I will take care of him alright. He’s not coming near you or mommy again.”

After reassuring her and comforting her for a while she fell asleep in my arms and I soon fell asleep as well. I was comforted by the fact that becoming a father was easy to me, and I was finding that being a father was coming naturally to me. Danni never told me about my baby girl but now that I knew about her, I'm making a promise to myself that I will always be there for her that I will be the best father I can be.