Home > Miscellaneous > Blood Will Tell > Chapter 6
The glowing red numbers on his clock read "12:01" when he was awakened by the opening of the bedroom door and his daughter's voice whispering, "Daddy?"
He sat bolt upright. "Raeka? What... " He blinked sleepily, then remembered everything. "Raeka, wait outside! I'll be out in a moment."
"It's okay," she said, and in the dim light he could see her step into the room and close the door behind her.
"I'm okay. I've just been thinking about things. You. Me. The fact that I'm not related to you by blood."
"Honey... I told you, it doesn't matter. Not in the least. It's not something you should be upset about," he said. "We can talk about it in the morning if you want, but you should go on to bed. It's late."
"I'm not upset," she said, moving closer. "Actually, I think it might be a good thing after all— " She stopped, suddenly, as her mother made a muffled noise. "Mom? Is that you? I didn't mean to kick you, but... why are you on the floor?"
"Damn it!" he cursed, under his breath. "Raeka, you are invading my privacy. Kindly get the hell out of my bedroom, and I'll be out to talk to you in a minute."
"It's okay, Daddy. She deserves to sleep on the floor. Although I guess if she hadn't cheated on you I couldn't get the birthday present I really want," his daughter said. "Although it's more me giving you something rather than getting something."
He was silent for a little bit, as he ran her words through his brain a few times for testing, then... "What? Out! Out right now! Go to bed!"
"Has every female in this house lost her fucking mind? Do I need to pick up Prozac for the canary? Emily Raeka Cortez, I swear, I know that this was... a shock for you, but... I... go to bed!"
"No. Daddy, this isn't something new. It's something I've... thought about... for a while. And if we're not actually related, then it's not really incest," she said. "I want it. I want you. Please." Her voice wavered uncertainly. "I know I'm not... not all grown up, but I know guys like virgins, and... and please. And it's not like I don't have tits at all. Look."
She reached for her nightgown, pulling it up and over her head with one quick, smooth motion, and he snapped his eyes shut and turned his head away. "I will not look, are you crazy? It doesn't matter what you do or don't have!" His voice softened. "Honey, you're upset. And you're angry. And probably confused. Maybe you want to get back at your mother, but this isn't the way to do it. It isn't right."
"Get back at Mom?" she asked, and he could here the confusion in her voice. "No. Daddy, do I have to be blunt?" She paused. "Mom? Are you okay? Why are you moaning? Daddy, I think something's wrong with Mom!"
He rolled out of the bed and was beside her in two steps, grabbing her arm and firmly walking... or dragging might have been a better word... her toward the door. "That is very much none of your business. But if anything is bothering her most right now, it's no doubt her daughter going raving nuts, and her not being able to tell you so."
"Oh no you don't," he said. "You're not going to distract me that way." He yanked open the door and pulled her out, then froze for a moment when he realized, in the sudden dim light of the hall, that the gown had stayed back on the floor.
"Listen to me! Daddy, you've always listened to me before!" Her voice quivered, and he realized suddenly that she was on the verge of tears.
He sighed, then stepped into the hall with her and closed the door behind him. "Go get dressed, then come into the living room, and you can have your say."
She shook her head. "No. Here, or better yet— Daddy? Did you have Mom gagged? You can't leave someone alone if they're gagged!"
"Not here," he said, firmly. "Not anywhere near here. You go get dressed like I told you to. I'll take care of your mother. It's not any of your business."
"She's my mother. And I still love her, Daddy. It's okay if you... punished her. She deserves it. But she doesn't deserve to die." She hesitated. "And she should probably hear this too, Daddy."
"No. She has no right to hear anything about you, or to share in any decisions made about you." His voice was hard as steel. "She knows that, and agrees. Now go get dressed like I told you to." His tone gentled. "I'm not going to let her die. I'll take care of her and meet you when you're done."
Raeka shook her head. "I didn't agree to that. Especially not about this." She frowned. "You freaked out about me being in there... do you not want me to see her? Is that it?"
"You're the child. I'm the parent," he said flatly. "Your agreement is not required. And what I've done with her, with her consent, is none of your business, either, and it's not appropriate for you to witness. If you want to speak with her, I'll arrange it, perhaps, but not tonight. If you don't want to, then she's not allowed to see you until I give her permission."
"Then put a blanket over her. She at least deserves to hear it so that she knows I haven't lost my mind," Raeka said. "If there's a blanket over her, I can't see her."
"Damn it! That's not the point," he said. "The point is privacy. What's between us is a private thing, not something I ever intended for you to see, or even be near. It's entirely inappropriate, and unnecessarily humiliating for her." He ignored the little voice that insisted that, a few hours ago, he would have said that no humiliation would be too much for her.
"Then please... let her listen. You don't have to let her talk, you don't have to let her have any say in the decision, but let her hear. I'm mad at her right now, but she's still my mother, and I still love her," his daughter said.
But would she still love him, if she knew what he'd done to that woman she still loved? The guilt was a sick, sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He licked his lips. "Honey... why don't we talk about this tomorrow? I'll think about whether or not she can listen, and... how to manage that and still be consistent."
"Please... I want this. I don't want to wait." She looked up at him, still nude. "Give me a chance."
"Raeka... I can't think of anything you could say that would change my mind on this," he said. "I'll let you have your say, but don't think that means I'm going to agree with you. And even if I did, it would certainly not be something to rush into!"
"You're crazy, is what you are. The whole fucking household needs therapy or something," he grumbled. "But you're not rushing me into anything, is what I meant."
"Neither is what your mother was doing!" he snapped. "That doesn't mean a damned thing, except that maybe you've both been crazy for a long time!"
He groaned. "Shit. Honey, don't cry. I'm sorry I snapped at you. I'm... not really myself right now. That's part of why this is really bad timing."
"It doesn't matter," he said softly. "That's exactly why I'm mad. You're my daughter. I do not want it any other way. It hurts that you would think that I'd take advantage of the situation like that, that I'd exploit a technicality that could hurt you just for the sake of sex."
"Take...." Raeka rolled her eyes. "God, Daddy, we really need to talk, because you really don't have a clue."
He gritted his teeth. "I'm not talking to you while you're naked. It's totally improper. And I need to see to your mother. So go get some damned clothes on!"
She shook her head. "No clothes. If you're going to tell me no, I'm going to make damned sure you know what you're missing."
He narrowed his eyes. "No clothes, no talk," he said, leaning back against the wall and crossing his arms over his chest.
She narrowed her eyes in return. "Then I won't wear clothes around the house anymore. At all. And I know a couple of my friends who'd love to join me."
Raeka looked thoughtful. "Well, I kinda thought that was advanced sex, but I guess it could be kind of fun. In a kinky sort of way. I think Marie would be more into that than I am, though."
"No." She pursed her lips intransigently, then sighed. "You're going to be a pain about it, aren't you?"
Raeka let out a long-suffering sigh. "Fine. I'll put on some clothes." She turned on the ball of her foot, pointedly twitching. As she reached the end of the hallway, she turned and looked over her shoulder. "But you asked for it." Then she was gone.
He growled, then ducked back into the bedroom, carefully locking the door behind him, and flipped on the light, then hurried over to check on Alexia.
Looking at her in the light, he went pale. Her thighs most resembled raw meat. Her back looked like it'd been splashed with black and purple paint. There were trails of dried blood here and there. She was alive and seemed to be breathing, thankfully, but looked frantic. He knelt down beside her, touching her cheek. The gag had rubbed her skin raw, but she hadn't removed it. He started to, then hesitated. "Are you all right? Can you breathe okay, I mean?" he asked softly.
He shook his head slowly. "No, lo—" he began, then stopped himself. "No," he repeated, then reached for a piece of rope and her hands. "I'm sorry. I didn't intend to tie you again, tonight. But she's got this crazy idea in her head, and she won't drop it until I at least listen to her. And until you listen, too. So you can listen in, but the gag has to stay, so..." He tied the rope around one wrist, then pulled it behind her and grabbed the other. "I'm sorry about this. But better to avoid temptation. Don't worry, it's only until she's out of here, then I'll untie you, and if you promise to be a good girl and stay quiet, I'll take the gag out, too." He looked down at her bruised, bloodied back, feeling sick and horrified, and swallowed hard. "And... and maybe you can have a nice soak in the tub, too, with some mineral salts. Maybe that would... Ah, I mean you're pretty worthless if you're crippled, after all."
He smoothed a curl of blond hair back behind her ear and sighed. "She's decided that since I'm not her biological father then it's just fine and dandy for her to hop into bed with me. I have no idea where that came from, but don't worry. I'm sure as hell not going to take her up on it. But I can't deal with this and you at the same time. It's already too complicated. So you can listen quietly, but... talking is for later. I'm afraid if you tried to help talk her out of it, she'd just decide that was a good reason to pursue it harder. So... what do I do with you, hm? I never intended her to see you this way. I suppose I could make you a little nest of cushions and tuck a blanket around you. That works. Hold on." He stood up, heading for the tumbled pile of throw cushions.
He dumped them in a pile beside the bed, then tossed them onto the rug, arranging them into a soft lounge. "Yes, I know it's crazy. But I think she's just hurt and confused right now, and trying to find some way to ensure that I still love her. She just needs some reassurance, that's all. Don't worry, it'll be fine. Now, lay down here, and let's get you nestled in comfortably... it may be a long talk."
He held her shoulders, carefully guiding her down, handling her with unconscious gentleness. "There, how's that?"
"Good." He grabbed the soft coverlet off of the bed and spread it over her, carefully tucking it in around her sore back and chest. "I promise I'll untie you as soon as she's gone. Just stay still and covered."
He patted her cheek. "Good girl." Then he stood up and turned the light back out, and unlocked the door.