Baby Love

Chapter 27

Word Count: 2476

Nobody's POV

Averie raced into her father's bathroom tears already streaking her face as she panted to try and catch her breath. "D-da-dadyy!"

"Averie, sweetheart, are you okay?" Joe asked, frantically kneeling beside her. He had just gotten out of the shower and was freshly dressed for work.

Averie whimpered, her eyes brimming with tears. "Daddy." The events of that traumatic day less than a year ago had left an indelible mark on both their lives. She didn't need to say much to get him to understand what it she was thinking about.

Joe hugged her close, his heart aching. He whispered soothing words, trying to chase the fear away. "It's okay, Averie. Daddy's here. You're safe."

The song's lyrics seemed to echo her fears, each word a haunting reminder of that traumatic day. The high-speed car chase, the accident caused by JJ, and the fear that sometimes still lingered with Averie even after those terrifying moments.

The panic attack intensified, and Averie buried her face in her father's chest, trying to drown out the memories. "T-ta-tay-tay," she managed to stutter out before breaking out into sobs.

-----

After hanging up on Taylor, Joe called his director to frantically explain and apologize for not coming to work. Luckily the director was local to the UK and remembered the headlines from last year. It was huge news in the UK, almost unheard of, so he was very generous in giving Joe the next two days off.

Averie's panic attack was so overwhelming that it caused her to have an accident. Joe wasn't sure what triggered her immense fear to spike while he was on the phone with Taylor. Regardless he quickly showered them both while trying to keep Averie as calm as possible. He dressed Averie in a pull-up and footie pajamas before pulling on some comfy sweats for himself.

Joe carefully gathered Averie's baby blanket and Piglet before sitting down on his bed to watch some of her favorite cartoons. Averie seemed calm on the outside, but her anxious nibbling on Piglet's ear told a different story. She was zoned out and paying no attention to the cartoons. When Joe finally caught on to her absent stare about two episodes in, he turned them off.

Joe carefully lifted Averie back into his arms carrying her to her room. Joe took a seat in the rocking chair by her window, Averie nuzzled against him as she tried to block out the world. They used to do this a lot back during her recovery. Averie couldn't do much but sit and she didn't like being out in the world often. So they'd people-watch from the rocking chair since her window had the most activity.

"Hey sweetheart, it's okay. Daddy's here," Joe murmured, stroking her hair as tears welled up in her innocent eyes. He gently pushed it out of her face as he kept his gaze between hers and the windows.

Averie clung to her father, her tiny hands gripping his shirt as if he were her lifeline. The haunting melody of the song played on, evoking vivid memories of that dark day in her life. Joe felt a pang of guilt for not knowing what was going on. He hadn't had the time to figure out what she was watching, just yet.

"I'm sorry, baby girl. Daddy doesn't like to see you so upset," he whispered, tears welling in his own eyes as he held Averie closer, his heart aching with the weight of his own guilt. He carefully pulled her blanket around her, mimicking the compression that he knew she liked.

"Daddy, scared," Averie murmured, her voice shaky filling the room for the first time in several hours.

"I know, sweetheart. It's okay to feel scared sometimes. But you're safe now, and I'm right here with you," Joe reassured her, planting a gentle kiss on her forehead. Averie's eyes sought solace in her father's comforting gaze, and she sniffled, wiping away her tears.