"Daddy? What's wrong?" Treasure stood before me. I scooped her up into my arms and held her tight, "Daddy?"
"Nothing." I lied quickly and kissed her face, "I missed just missed you is all."
She cupped my cheeks and examined my face. "Why are you crying?" Those gold eyes saw right through me, how could I ever tell a lie?
"We'll talk about it later with dad, okay?" She nodded and I kissed her forehead and took her home.
Treasure had begun her homework at the kitchen table while Logan and Ariel were still gone and Zach had a remaining three hours of school left. I whisked Loran to our room, I had to tell him before either my head or my heart exploded.
"Shh," He echoed in my ear, placing kisses to my temple. Loran pulled me into his lap and hugged me tight. "Dalton, it'll be alright."
"Alright?" I screeched. "I'm so tired of being told things will be alright or are going to be okay! You keep saying things will be and everything is only getting worse! I hate this!" I pushed off of him and stood.
"Do you think I do?" He jumped to his feet, "I hate that my daughter's in pain and I can't help her. She's six-years-old and she acts like she has the pain of someone in their late nineties! I want to believe that she'll get better so that's what I'm going to tell you!"
I wiped furiously at my eyes. "I'm just frustrated! I don't want the I wish, I need the it will perspective."
He wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my hair. "I love you, Dalton. You don't need to beat yourself up. If it's something bad, then they caught it early enough, alright, love? Treasure is going to be perfectly fine, babe, you'll see."
I threw my arms around his neck and breathed in his scent. I was calm...for now.
"Better?"
I nodded, "I told her we'd talk about it later, Loran. I'm a shit-liar to her."
He chuckled and pulled back. "Just be honest with her, Dalton."
"I'm just afraid of losing her, Loran." I admitted. "I can't go on if something were to happen to her. I was made to be her dad."
Loran placed a peck to my lips and lightly squeezed my shoulders. "You were, and I believe she was made to teach you how to be strong. Now, c'mon, we should go talk to her while we still have the house to ourselves."
He held my hand and led me back down the stairs where our daughter was scribbling away on paper. Loran nudged forward and squeezed my hand. "Hi, daddies." She smiled up at us.
I felt my heart hitch in my throat as I took the seat next to her and Loran took the one across from her. "Baby girl, we need to talk to you."
"About what?" Those gold eyes.
"Remember when you had to take all those tests at the doctor's?" Loran asked; she nodded and pushed the hair out of her eyes. "Well, the results came back, T."
"And?" She looked between us repeatedly.
"You're sick right now, Treasure, and you're going to be for a while." I said. "You have more tests that you have to do, also."
"And, you have to stay at home from school for a while."
"How long?"
"Until Dr. Christine says you can go back." He explained, "It's gonna be like this for a while, T."
"Okay." She said, quietly, starting to color again.
I looked at Loran and he gave me a smile, so I gave him one back. Treasure was so smart for only six. She understood what we were telling her, and I think that's what hurt me the most.