Tough Love

Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Eight

Him and Dani shoot a goodnight to each other and he's gone. Dani helps me to finish cleaning up, but she's quieter than before. Once the tidying up is done, I grab her attention and then hold her close.

"Hey, are you ok?"

She nods and then whispers, "Can I be honest with you, Eli?"

"Always. I'd like that very much. You can tell me anything, sweetheart."

"I don't want you to go out tonight. I don't think you should be on this transfer. You're not back to full duty yet and I'm worried you're going to get hurt."

I feel a tightness around my heart. Knowing she's worried reminds me that she cares. I don't want her to be worried, but I can't explain how important this is to me without revealing what I'm doing. I don'twant her to be even more worried by telling her who we are transferring.

"I appreciate your concern. I've got a good team with me and I'll have Ash right next to me. I'll be back before you know it. I promise I will be extra careful and I'll make sure I check everything three times. There's nothing to suggest things will go sideways, but we always prepare for it. We'll do everything in our power to make sure everything runs smoothly."

I pause and think for a few seconds before questioning, "Are you sure this is just about me? If you're worried about staying here on your own, my parents will be more than happy to have you stay with them..."

She counters my question with one of her own, "Should I be worried? I'm not saying I'm not worried, but I feel like I should be even more concerned now."

"No ma'am. I just want you to know you can still go to my parents if you want to. I don't want you to be scared or uncomfortable on your own when you can have some company. You've got Scar too. He will take care of you, but I don't think you should be worried about anything."

I hate lying to Dani so much, but it's for her own good. If I tell her the truth tonight, she'll be a mess and terrified. I don't want to do that to her, so this is the only alternative.

I can see the wheels turning in her head, but instead of voicing her thoughts, she simply nods and escapes from my embrace. I loosen my hold immediately, not wanting her to panic if she feels restrained. I try to ease her fears by saying, "I'll call as soon as the transfer is complete and let you know everything is fine. Would that make you feel better?"

"Yes, it would."

"Ok, I'll do that. It's going to be fine, baby. It's just a routine transfer. I've done these a thousand times. Prison transfers in Iraq were way more scary."

I see her eyes widen and then I realize maybe that wasn't the smartest thing to say.

"Don't tell me. I don't want to know how much danger you were in..."

"Sorry, I was just trying to show by comparison this isn't so bad."

"I understand. I don't like thinking about you being in danger, that's all."

"I get that. I'll be back before you know it. Ok?"

"Ok."

The doorbell rings, causing Scar to bark. We're getting used to that now, so it doesn't startle us so much. I give Dani a quick kiss and say, "I'll see you in a little while, Dani. I love you."

It takes her a few seconds to process and then manage a response.

"I love you too. Be careful, Eli."

"Always, sweetheart. Always."

I bend down to Scar's eye level and whisper, "Take care of her, little guy. She's very precious to me and I need you to guard her. Ok?"