Page 29 of Daddy Dreadful (Forbidden Pleasures Island #5)
It’s been weeks since I heard my name from my Little girl’s mouth, and the shock of it stops me in my tracks. “What did you just say to me, little girl?”
Camilla’s eyes widen at the deadly calm in my tone, but she doesn’t back down. “You’re scaring her. Nobody wants to admit the truth when they’re sick and scared of their doctor.”
Without waiting for me to reply, Camilla turns back to Penny, dropping her voice to a gentle, soothing tone. “It’s all right, Penny. You can tell us the truth. Nobody will be mad.”
“He will,” Penny whispers, her voice thick with tears. “And he’s mean when he’s mad.”
Guilt slams into my chest. As much as I enjoy playing the sadistic doctor, I never want my patients to be so afraid of me that they don’t want to tell me the truth, especially when that truth could help them.
“I won’t be angry, Penny. But I do need to know if you were honest about your vaccination history. ”
When Penny doesn’t answer immediately, Camilla takes her hands in hers. “Do you trust me, Penny?”
“Of course I trust you , Millie.”
The emphasis there is clear. She trusts my nurse, but not me.
“Then I want you to trust me when I say that I wouldn’t want Doctor D to be my forever Daddy if I didn’t think he genuinely cared about his patients. I know he’s kind of mean and scary, but he really does just want you to get better.”
The very air in my lungs freezes at her words. Though I never had any intention of letting her go, hearing Camilla say that she wants me as her forever Daddy is… I don’t have words to describe the depth of love and pure joy that fills me.
But now isn’t the time. Later, after we’ve done the job we came to do, I will show her how happy she’s made me.
Tears shimmer in Penny’s eyes as she looks up at me. “I’m sorry, Doctor D. I know it was bad, but I didn’t want to risk them telling me I couldn’t come. I was desperate for a job and?—”
“It’s all right, Penny. I understand.”
“You do?”
“I do.” Though I’m speaking to Penny, my eyes lock on my Little girl, who is watching me with approval sparkling in her baby blues.
“Sometimes you’ll do whatever it takes to get what you want.
But I am going to need you to update your medical history, correctly this time.
For now, I’m going to order you an antiviral and I’m sure we have some calamine lotion on hand.
You’re going to have a very uncomfortable few days, but you should be okay.
I need to go speak with Bridgette, but Camilla will help you get comfortable. ”
Stripping off my gloves and mask, I toss both into the medical waste bin and head out to the hallway where Bridgette is pacing.
As soon as she spots me, our head rancher pounces. “Is she going to be okay? What’s wrong? Do we need to take her to the mainland?”
She sounds near tears, and I find myself wondering if there’s something between her and pretty little Penny. “She’s going to be just fine. Looks like your little cow has a case of the chicken pox.”
“Chicken pox?” Bridgette frowns. “But she’s vaccinated.”
“Apparently, she was… less than truthful when she filled out her questionnaire. I’ve already told her that I will need an accurate medical history.”
The frown on Bridgette’s face grows even more fierce and I feel a pang of sympathy for poor little Penny. “You’ll get one. How long will she be down for?”
“About a week. I’ll want you to keep an eye on her fever and let me know immediately if she’s having any trouble breathing or if she’s coughing a lot.
Pneumonia isn’t uncommon in adults with chicken pox, so we want to stay ahead of that.
Otherwise, just keep her comfortable with the calamine lotion and I’m having an antiviral shipped in for her that should help with the symptoms.”
“Thank you, Doctor D. May I go see her now?”
“Yes. And she can have visitors, as long as they’re immune.”
“Everyone should be, but rest assured I will be double-checking. And once Penelope is feeling better, she and I will be having a long discussion about the importance of honesty.”
“Then I’ll leave you to it.”
The door behind us opens and Camilla steps out, her “comforting nurse smile” on her face. “She’s resting and as comfortable as she can be for now. Please, call us if you need anything at all. I told Penny the same.”
“Thank you both. I appreciate you coming out here so early.”
We say our goodbyes and I take Camilla’s hand to lead her back out to the car. Stopping beside the vehicle, I turn her, backing her up against the door. Her eyes go wide, that delicious mix of fear and excitement I so love dancing in the blue.
“You called me Donovan.”
An adorable blush rises to her cheeks, but she doesn’t look away. “I did. I needed to get your attention and you weren’t listening.”
“Hmm. Still, that was a very naughty thing to do. What do you call me, Camilla Joy?”
Her breath hitches, and for a moment it feels like we’re right back at the beginning, with her fighting not just me but her own desires.
But then her bottom lip trembles, ever so slightly, and when she speaks her voice is barely a whisper. “Daddy. I call you Daddy.”
“That’s right, little one. And just so we are very, very clear, there are absolutely zero exceptions to that rule. Am I understood?”
“Yes, Daddy.”
“Good girl. Let’s go home.”