Tough Love

Chapter One Hundred Ten

Maybe he is right; maybe I do need to talk to Dani about this. She'll probably be asleep when I go into the room, so it'll have to wait until a better time.

"Eli, you need to talk to her."

"I will, just not tonight. What shift are you on tomorrow?"

"Early. I start at 5."

"You need to get some sleep, pops."

"I'm going now. I was just waiting for you."

I smile sheepishly at him. "Sorry."

"Not a problem. I wanted to make sure I spoke to you before you went to bed. Night son."

"Thanks. Night pops."

He heads to bed and I grab some leftovers from the refrigerator. I just need a quick snack, so I don't wake up hungry in the night. There's a plate with saran wrap on it. My name is written on it in sharpie; it's Dani's writing. She must have set dinner aside for me, knowing I'd be hungry when I got back. She was thoughtful enough to do that for me and at that thought, I feel a slight pang in my chest. I honestly thought I was doing the best thing by not telling her about my visit to Rikers and the raid. If she hadn't figured it out, then I wouldn't be thinking anything different. Now that she knows? Perhaps my pops is right and I need to talk to her. I'll do it tomorrow. It's late now and I need to get to bed.

I finish my food quickly, clean up my mess and head to the bedroom. When I walk into the room, Dani isn't in bed. Maybe she went to use the bathroom. I listen carefully while I change my clothes. I don't want her to walk in while I'm half naked. While that wouldn't bother me in the slightest, it certainly would bother her. I don't want to make her uncomfortable unnecessarily. After I'm changed, I sit on the bed, waiting for Dani to appear so I can wash up and brush my teeth. I wait a few more minutes, but no Dani. I frown. Something doesn't feel right.

I put my ear to the door of the bathroom, so I can listen for any indicator of what's going on. I can hear the shower running, so she must have had a nightmare. I wasn't here for it and that makes me sad. I wait a while longer, but when Dani doesn't appear after another half hour, I start to worry.

On the off chance, I try the bathroom door and discover it isn't locked. I frown again. That's extremely unusual. Dani always locks the door. I scan the room and notice vomit on the floor by the toilet bowl. She obviously didn't make it in time.

I clear my throat and call out, "Dani? Baby? Are you ok?"

The shower is still running, but even over the sound of the water I can hear Dani's sobs. I look through the shower curtain and I can't see her standing, so she must be sitting in the tub.

"Dani?I'm worried, baby. I'm coming over. I need to check on you."

When I pull back the curtain slightly, the sight that meets me nearly breaks my heart. Dani is curled up in a ball, under the water, sobbing. She's shivering uncontrollably. I don't know how long she's been in here, but the water is now freezing.