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"He can be Patches' friend," I said, introducing the stuffed animals to each other with great ceremony. "His name is... Bear. Like you."
Daddy chuckled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "That's a good name."
The final box contained clothes—soft sweatpants, t-shirts with cartoon characters, fuzzy socks, and even underwear with superheroes on them. Everything looked comfortable and colorful, nothing like the plain, practical clothes I usually wore.
"These are all for me?" I asked in wonder, running my fingers over the soft fabrics.
"All for you, little one," Daddy confirmed, his voice gentle. "Do you like them?"
"I love them." I launched myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck in a fierce hug. "Thank you, Daddy. Thank you, thank you."
His strong arms encircled me, holding me securely against his broad chest. "You're welcome, baby boy."
For a moment, we just stayed like that, me clinging to him while he held me safe and warm. I felt tears prick my eyes, though I wasn't sure why. Nobody had given me presents in so long. Nobody had cared enough to notice what I might like.
"Can I wear the dinosaur pajamas?" I asked when I finally pulled back.
"It's not bedtime yet," Daddy pointed out. "But how about these?" He held up a pair of soft gray sweatpants and a t-shirt with a cartoon T-Rex.
I nodded eagerly and reached for them, but Daddy was already standing up.
"Let's get you changed," he said, leading me toward the bedroom.
I followed happily, clutching my new clothes. In the bedroom, Daddy helped me change, his movements efficient but gentle. The new clothes felt wonderful against my skin—soft and cozy, like being wrapped in a hug.
"There," Daddy said when I was dressed. "How does that feel?"
"Good," I replied, doing a little twirl. "Really good."
"I'm glad, little one." He ruffled my hair affectionately. "Now, how about we try out those art supplies? You can color while I make some calls."
I nodded eagerly and raced back to the living room, settling on the floor with my new coloring books and crayons. Daddy spread my dinosaur blanket out for me to sit on, and I arranged Patches and Bear as my audience.
"I'm going to make the best picture ever," I told them seriously. "For Daddy."
Daddy settled on the couch with his phone, keeping one eye on me as I flipped through the coloring books, finally selecting a page with a T-Rex that needed to be colored in. I chose the brightest green crayon for his body and a fierce red for his teeth.
As I colored, I hummed to myself, feeling peaceful and safe. The bad things that had happened yesterday seemed far away, like a scary movie I'd watched rather than something real. Here on my dinosaur blanket with my stuffies and my new clothes, nothing could hurt me. Daddy would protect me.
I was so absorbed in my coloring that I barely noticed Daddy's phone conversations, catching only snippets as he spoke in a low, serious voice.
"...secure the perimeter... double the patrols... need to know who..."
When I finished my T-Rex masterpiece, I held it up proudly. "Daddy, look."
Daddy immediately ended his call and gave me his full attention. "Wow, that's amazing, little one. Is that a T-Rex?"
I nodded enthusiastically. "He's the king of the dinosaurs. And he's super strong, just like you."
Something soft flickered across Daddy's face. "Is that so?"
"Uh-huh. And he protects all the little dinosaurs from the mean ones," I explained, crawling over to show him my picture up close. "Can we put it on the fridge?"
"Absolutely," Daddy agreed, taking the picture with careful hands. "This deserves a place of honor."
I beamed as he walked to the kitchen and secured my artwork to the refrigerator with magnets. Seeing my picture displayed made my chest feel warm and fluttery.
"What else would you like to do today?" Daddy asked, returning to the living room.