Maxon's Revenge -BK2 TPBS - Completed 1st draft

-37-

Not edited.

Six weeks went by so quickly that none of them realised just how fast it was. Red was permitted to stay at the hospital with Claire while Maxon stayed every other night and rented a small flat near the hospital for the rest of the time. They'd fallen into a comfortable routine of watching over Claire while he watched from a distance to make sure Red wasn't doing anything she shouldn't.

Claire was being all things a baby of her age should be and while they could see that she tired faster than other babies her age it would be impossible for a stranger to tell that she'd been through heart surgery unless they saw the scar down the middle of her tiny chest.

Members of the family had gone home because of other commitments while Sam, Daisy and Jack visited on the weekends when none of them were working. Maxon let them stay in the flat for the night while he stayed at the hospital. It irked him to know that Sam was anywhere near his girls but he had to admit that the man genuinely cared about what happened to Red and Claire. Maybe he cared too much but there was no way he was going to say anything because he didn't want to push Red any further way by going all he-man over her.

He pushed his possessiveness to the back of his mind as much as he could. At least he would until he and Red finally got the chance to sit and talk with no distractions.

It was killing him to know that he couldn't touch her or kiss her the way he wanted but that would have to wait. He'd screwed up everything before so now it was all up to Red.

He got a call and had to return home for two days to sort out some paperwork for the school he taught at. He hated the thought of leaving Red and Claire alone and reluctantly agreed to  go while Sam and the others were visiting. It was better than nothing. He would have loved to read Sam the riot act before he left but he had to believe that everything would be ok. Red just liked him as a friend... right?

That was how he came to be sitting here in his home office looking at that! The cabinet taunted him and if cold metal could laugh at you then he was sure that the grey monster in front of him was in hysterics right at that moment. He was in two minds as to what he should do. He already knew the answer to his question, his daughter proved that. But what if... just what if he'd known earlier?

He had to know.

Sliding out the drawer in question made his heart beat faster than he could ever of imagined that it would. Reaching in was paramount to the feeling of waiting for a venomous snake to strike. Each second that ticked by making the task at hand even harder than he'd previously imagined.

He flicked through files until he came to the one that called to his mind. Taking that file into his fingers felt like a burning flame had scorched them to the bone.

It had to be done.

Now as walked back to his desk he sat down with a heavy thud as he placed the file on the desk in front of him.

Griffin's Medical Instiute.

Even those words, that name, mocked him as he opened the file and looked to see the envelope that he'd taken as a formality.

A paper cut as he slid his finger under the flap didn't stop what he had to do. With shaky hands he carefully unfolded the letter he'd taken from inside the envelope. He read the words without really seeing the words in front of him and forced himself to read it all over again.

It was this time that words jumped out at him more than the first time he'd read it through.

Dear Mr Price

Unsuccessful

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The letter was scrunched into his hands while he lost his breath due to the massive lump that magically appeared in his throat.

Unsuccessful.

He cried out as his chest tightened and he stood up swiping everything off his desk. His chair was thrown across the room while everything else that dared to get in his way was pushed over, punched or tossed to the side.

He fucked up. He was a lowlife piece of scum for what he'd done to Red and in turn to his beautiful daughter Claire.

He knew what he had to do.

He'd fight for her. He'd plead for her to come home. He'd beg for her to forgive him.

He'd beg until he was dead if  that's what it took.