Desire

(12) Trauma

It was late at night, everyone was tired and ready to go home from work, especially Dale who hated leaving his daughter alone. Luckily they were almost finished and there were only a few more days left until their schedules would go back to normal.

Caiden couldn't help but keep glancing at Dale who didn't even lift his eyes for a moment. Dale knew the boy kept looking, but he wasn't responding. He didn't want to address why he was so rude the other day.

They had already eaten and were finishing up a final few things. George Cross went around gathering the papers and putting them back in their designated spots on the shelves in the office. "I think there's three more days left then we shall be done." Robert spoke as he stood from his seat and straightening his suit jacket.

Dale nodded. He'd be glad to get it over with, he felt awful leaving Kimberly alone.

"I will see you all tomorrow." Robert's face didn't hold a smile as he spoke, whereas his son on the other hand was smiling widely as he waved everyone goodbye.

Dale was just about to leave the room when he heard his name being called. "Am I able to speak with you for a moment, please?" Caiden's face looked serious.

"Yes, sir?" Dale stepped back into the room, only Caiden and his father were left in the room, everyone else already on their way home.

"Take a seat." The younger man gestured.

The two were sitting at opposite sides of the table. Though Robert was still in the room he had no part in the conversation, he had his back to the two as he pretended not to listen to the conversation.

Caiden sighed. "I just wanted to ask if I had done anything wrong? I've noticed you've been a little off with me lately, and practically dragged Kimberly out of the café when I went to say hello."

Dale matched his sigh. "I am sorry, and it is awfully rude of me. Kimberly is everything to me, she's all I have left. I worry a lot about her. She hasn't ever had friends, only when she was a baby and I think she's beginning to see you as a friend and I'm just not sure how to explain to her that she won't be seeing you anymore after we've finished with this paper work. She gets attached to people quickly. I think it's better if she's distanced from you."

"I do enjoy spending time with your daughter, Dale. It's not an obligation to me. But if you feel that's just you have to do for the wellness of your daughter then I understand. You of course want the best for her." Caiden flashed a sad smile.

Robert rolled his eyes. Give up too easy. Fight, boy.

Dale smiled in relief. He's glad Caiden understood. "Thank you."

Robert turned around and took a seat at the head of the table. His usual seat. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but may I ask why it is that you are so protective over your daughter? Don't misinterpret what I'm saying as criticism, simply confusion. I of course have been protective over my son as he grew up," It was Caiden's turn to roll his eyes. Protective my ass. "But you seem to shelter her a lot. Is there a reason for it or just your parenting style?"

Dale looked between the two men. Could he trust them to know the story? Neither have brought him or his daughter harm, if anything they given him more opportunities. Maybe if they knew the story they'd under and more and Caiden wouldn't take it so personal when he'd denied right to see Kim. "It's a long story really." He began. "As you know by now Kim's mum is deceased, but it wasn't a natural death."

"What do you mean?" Caiden furrowed his brows.

"Lucy, she was going out for a few minutes to the local store. I didn't go with her so I could cook us dinner. It was a night where Kimberly was at her grandmother's. After an hour and she still wasn't back I called her, no answer, I called her a few more times but still no answer. I then walked to the store myself, I just thought she had ended up getting caught up gossiping to one of her friends which I knew worked at the store. But when I got to the alleyway by the store I had a bad feeling, something was telling me to go down there. I did and that's when I found my love laying dead on the ground."

Caiden lifted his hand to cover his mouth, shock scribbled all over his face. "I am so sorry, Dale." He shook his head. Robert sat looking at Dale, stone cold face as always. But even he felt shocked at the story.

"It was awful. And to top it all off, Lucy's family thought it was me who did it."

"Why would they think it was you?" Robert squinted his eyes. They just have had a reason to accuse him of such things.

"I had known Lucy since we were only fourteen and I used to have quite an anger problem. I got angry at a lot of things, that was until Kimberly was born and then I became peaceful, only breaking into a rage when someone hurt or upset her. They thought that Lucy did something which accidentally hurt Kim and I lost it. To worsen that, I had no alibi because no one except Lucy could vouch that I was in the house the whole time. I'm just lucky police didn't see it that way." It hurt Dale to explain. "I tried to push passed it with them, but they started to take Kimberly from me a lot, and kept saying horrible things about me to my own child, and that mixed with her uncles treating her like a rag-doll, I gave up and had us move cities. Where no one could hurt her."

The men definitely began to understand Dale's protectiveness. He continued. "So I don't like he being alone, because of Lucy wasn't alone I could have stopped it."

"Or you'd have ended up dead too, Dale. You'd have left Kimberly alone with her horrid family. Don't blame yourself." Caiden shook his head.

"You shouldn't blame yourself for something you can't change. There are some dreadful people out there and they are to blame. Not you." Robert spoke up. He felt sorry for the man. No one should go through that much trauma.

"Thank you. Luckily Kimberly doesn't remember it, I told her Lucy died naturally in her sleep. She doesn't really remember much of her mother, or her old family. And she had barley even started school by the time I took her out so she's guarded off from the world. I just don't want her knowing how hideous the world can be. She's such a happy girl, I can't watch her break. I know it'll backfire when she's older and sees how I've sheltered her, she's a teenager that doesn't even have her own phone for goodness sakes, but I just hope she'd understand why I did it."

Robert felt invested in Dales words, like he was clinging to each one. He pitied the man. "I'd hope she would too."

Caiden let out a long breath. He struggled to take it all in. "You have to let people help you, Dale. I know you're skeptical, and you have all rights to say no, but I'd like to think we've built quite the relationship since you've been working with the higher their of workers here." Kt was true, in their breaks Dale and Caiden did laugh a lot together, but he also hadn't had friends for the longest of time, too scared they wounds hurt his precious baby. "I am here to help, anything you need I want you to give me a call, whether that's for you or Kimberly." He meant his ever word, and that wasn't because he was infatuated with the man's daughter, Caiden was simply a good man and he wanted to help out a man with a hard life. "I can't speak for my father but I am."

Robert rolled his eyes at the cheap shot. "Of course I am too. Anything you need. Anything whether that's as small as a day off, or as big as a place to stay for the night. My doors are open to you." And like that, a competition was born. Who could impress Dale the most.