4
Ellie had rested even with the nurses waking her every hour. The events of the previous night were fuzzy. However, she had complete clarity of the man with intense amber eyes holding her in his strong arms.
Ellie sat up in bed, holding her aching head, and cried out, “Daddy.” The dam broke, tears falling freely.
Cari walked and found Ellie sobbing. “Sweetheart, do you need the doctor?”
“Oh, Mommy,” she wailed. “I saw Daddy last night, when I was locked in the closet. He talked to me but then he disappeared.”
Ellie sank into her mother’s arms and wept until she was spent. Her mom tucked a lock of blonde hair behind Ellie’s ear, cupped her chin, and looked into red-rimmed eyes. “Are you sure he left?”
Ellie sniffled and hiccuped. “One minute he was talking to me and then next he was
