Fic: Sing, Daddy
Title: Sing, Daddy
Author: Mary (stillxmyxheart)
Beta: Lindsay (rowofstars)
Rating: G
Genre: Fluff, Angst
Word Count: 3,450
Characters/Pairings: David, Hannah, Karen (David/Karen)
A/N: The beginning of the backstory! Enjoy, bbs XD
"Hannah, what're you doing up?"
David's eyes fluttered open at the sharp sound of his wife's voice, and he frowned slightly, groaning softly.
"I'm scared," said a tiny voice, and he woke up a little more, recognizing the voice of his daughter. There was a bright flash of lightning, followed by a resounding crack of thunder.
"Hannah -" Karen sighed.
"Can I sleep with you and Daddy?"
David could hear the quiver in her voice, and he started to sit up, prepared to make a space for her in the bed, but Karen beat him to the punch.
"Hannah, go back to bed," she said, her voice firm. "You're a big girl now; act like it. Go on."
David bit his tongue, knowing Karen hated it when he countermanded her in front of Hannah, and heard a quiet sniffle and a soft shuffle of feet. The bedroom door opened slightly, and then closed again.
David sat up finally, staring incredulously down at his wife until she turned to look at him.
"What?"
"Why did you do that?"
She frowned. "Do what? She doesn't need to sleep with us."
"She's scared of the god damn thunderstorm."
Karen sighed, running a hand through her hair. "It's just a thunderstorm, David -"
"She's three years old."
"She's almost four."
"And what, four is the cut off age for being scared of thunderstorms? For Christ's sake, Karen." David threw the covers aside, ignoring Karen's huffy sigh as she flopped back against her pillows.
He slipped from the bedroom and padded across the hall, carefully pushing open the door to his daughter's room.
Hannah was curled on her side in bed, hugging her favorite stuffed kitty to her chest. She looked up at David when he entered, her eyes shining for a moment in a flash of lightning.
"Hey, sweetheart," David said softly, smiling slightly.
"Is Mommy mad at me?" Hannah asked in a small voice.
David bit back his irritation and shook his head. "No, baby, she's just - she's just tired."
Hannah didn't say anything, just stared solemnly up at him, and he lowered himself onto the floor beside her bed.
"Scared of the storm?" he asked, resting his arm on the bed as he looked at her.
She nodded, and he stretched his fingers forward to touch her hand.
"I know it's scary, but it can't hurt you, I promise," he said, smiling encouragingly at her. He reached up and brushed her hair back, his fingers lingering on the soft strands. "Do you want me to stay until you go back to sleep?"
She nodded, and he smiled again, his hand moving from her hair to gently rub her back.
"Go on and close your eyes," he murmured. "I'll be right here until you fall asleep."
"Sing, Daddy," Hannah said quietly.
David smiled, tilting his head as he looked at her. "What do you want me to sing?" He paused, his smile widening as he moved a little closer. "Should I do Hannah's Lullaby?"
She nodded, a faint smile curving her lips, and David grinned, adjusting his position in an effort to get a little more comfortable.
"Close your eyes," he said again, resuming his gentle rubbing of her back.
She obeyed, and he cleared his throat before he began to softly sing the song they'd christened as Hannah's Lullaby, a song he'd been singing to her since, quite literally, the day she was born.
There were a few sharp cracks of thunder that made her jump, and each time he'd stop singing long enough to whisper soothingly to her, reminding her that the thunder couldn't hurt her, before resuming the song.
Eventually her breathing slowed, her small body rising and falling in a steady rhythm under his hand.
He continued to sing a moment longer before trailing off, the movement of his hand slowing as he looked at her.
He raised his hand to her hair again, stroking it gently and staring at her shadowed features. He was always amazed when he looked at her, sometimes floored by the sheer fact of her existence, unable to believe how he was part of something so perfect.
There was another loud rumble of thunder, and he froze, waiting to see if it would wake her up again. She continued to sleep, and after a moment he rose to his knees, leaning down to press a kiss to her temple before tugging her blanket over her.
He pushed carefully to his feet, biting back a groan as his back protested from so long sitting on the floor, and walked quietly to the door, stepping from the room and closing the door with a gentle click.
He slipped back into bed, moving close to Karen and laying a hand on her arm, ready to apologize for being short with her, but she made an annoyed sound and moved away from him, pulling the covers up higher.
David looked at her for a moment before lying back against his pillows and raising a hand to his forehead as he stared up at the ceiling.
The rain seemed louder now that he was awake, and he watched the shadows of the trees whip around overhead.
He found himself wondering more and more what had happened to his life. He had a job that worked him too hard, and a wife who grew more distant with each passing day; his only joy most days was the time he got to spend with Hannah, and sometimes he didn't even have that.
He wondered what had happened to the woman he loved, the woman he had married and promised to spend the rest of his life with. He thought he knew, but even just the barest acknowledgment of it made his heart ache.
It was the little girl asleep in the bedroom across the hall, the little girl he would lay down and die for without hesitation, and the little girl his wife had never wanted.
It had been something they'd talked about right off, the idea of having children. He'd wanted them and she hadn't, but he loved her and thought maybe she'd change her mind as she got older.
Two years after they got married, and two weeks after the broken condom on the night of their anniversary, the test came back positive. He had been elated, though he tried to keep his excitement to himself because Karen had been less than thrilled.
He'd secretly hoped a baby would mellow her out, would make her softer and a little less wrapped up in herself, but it seemed to only frustrate her.
He remembered her trying to hold Hannah that first day in the hospital. Hannah had been fussy, and no matter what she did, Karen seemed unable to soothe her, and continued to grow increasingly discouraged. David had taken Hannah from her, cradling her in his arms and softly singing the first song that came to mind, and she'd calmed almost instantly.
He'd seen the disheartened look on Karen's face, and assured her that it would get easier, but it never seemed to. She'd try, but would give up so quickly, and then turned around and took her irritation and frustration out on him.
Nearly four years later, and nothing had really changed. It wasn't as though Karen ignored Hannah completely; she got her up and got her dressed, fed her and bathed her, played with her sometimes, but only when David wasn't around to do it himself. She still tried to relate to her, but Hannah would get cranky when Karen tried to do things differently from the way David did them, and it only served to annoy Karen more.
She couldn't seem to get the hang of compromising with Hannah, sometimes telling her no without offering any other alternative to placate her, and more than once Karen had called David at work, nearly in tears from frustration as Hannah carried on in the background.
He knew Hannah preferred him to her mother, and he thought that was maybe part of Karen's frustration, but there were times when Hannah wanted to be with her. She'd recently taken an interest in makeup and playing dress up, and a couple of times he'd walked into their bedroom or bathroom to see Karen putting lipstick on Hannah, or draping one of her scarves around her neck, the two of them laughing and smiling. Seeing them like that made him happy, but those moments were exceedingly rare, exceptions rather than the norm.
Things seemed to be getting worse as Hannah grew older, and it broke his heart and made him angry, because he knew Hannah could sense her mother's increasing distance, and was confused and hurt by it.
He didn't know how much longer they could keep this up, how much longer he'd be able to stand Karen's negativity and selfishness, and how much longer he could bear to watch her ignore her daughter.
He took a breath, glancing over at his wife before pushing his thoughts from his mind and closing his eyes to go back to sleep.
A loud crash of thunder startled David awake and he stared blankly at the ceiling for a moment before frowning and groaning as he ran his hands down his face.
He glanced over at the clock on his bedside table, only to see the display was dark; the power had gone out. He fumbled for his watch and squinted at the face; a flash of lightning illuminated the hands, and he sighed as he tossed it back onto the table. Only four more hours until he had to get up.
He yanked open the drawer of the table and pulled out a small battery-operated alarm clock, squinting again to check it was set properly before setting it next to his watch.
He sighed again, and had just closed in his eyes to go back to sleep when he heard the dull creak of his bedroom door.
He sat up and watched his daughter step hesitantly into the room, long blonde hair spilling over the shoulders of her pink nightgown, stuffed kitty tucked under her arm.
"What's wrong, baby?" he asked. "Did the storm wake you up?"
She nodded. "And Pooh Bear went out."
David considered her for a moment, and then smiled.
"Come here, sweetheart," he said softly. "You can sleep with me tonight."
Hannah grinned and hurried over to the bed, crawling across the empty side that until a few months ago had been occupied by her mother.
She burrowed under the covers and nestled against David's side, and he smiled as he put his arm around her, lightly rubbing her back.
"Sing, Daddy," she murmured, and his smile widened as he obeyed.
It wasn't long until she was asleep again, and he placed a kiss to the top of her head, his hand still sweeping lazily over her back.
The day Karen left had been a day like any other. He came home late, as had become the usual, and had a quick dinner, sitting with Karen and Hannah in the living room as the three of them watched TV.
Karen had seemed more affectionate with Hannah than usual, sitting close to her on the couch, fingers playing idly in her hair, and though it was how David had always wished their relationship could be, it had made him a little suspicious.
He'd given Hannah her bath and tucked her into bed, and then gone into his own room to change out of his work clothes. That was when he saw the suitcases, lined up against the wall.
He stared at them a moment, unable to quite comprehend their meaning, and then turned when he sensed a presence behind him.
Karen stood in the doorway, arms folded over her chest, and said just three words: "I'm leaving, David."
The first words out of his mouth were not, "Please don't go", or "Let's work this out"; they were, "Please don't take Hannah," because deep down he'd known this was coming and surprisingly felt little sadness now that it was actually happening. His one and only concern was that she'd want to take Hannah with her, take her away just to punish him, but she shook her head.
"I think we both know Hannah's better off here, with you." Her arms tightened over chest, and her gaze flicked away from him. "I have a new job, and - and it's in New York, and that's really no place for - for -"
She stopped, still avoiding his gaze as she stared around the bedroom, and then lowered her eyes to the floor.
Ten minutes later, she was gone.
The divorce papers arrived soon after, and Karen gave over full custody of Hannah to David; she didn't even want visitation. In the interest of fairness, David told her she could change her mind at any time, but he knew she never would.
Hannah had taken it better than he thought she would. She'd been upset, of course, but not nearly as much as he'd expected, and seemed to be adjusting rather well. She'd asked once, not long after Karen left, why Mommy had gone away, and David told her that sometimes mommies and daddies just stopped loving each other, and it was best to not be together anymore. He gave no inclination to the idea that she had left because of Hannah; that was an aspect of the divorce he would take with him to his grave. Hannah had accepted his evasive answer, and her sadness lessened as the months wore on.
Things had changed, of course. David transferred to the training division so he could be at home more. He'd enrolled Hannah in daycare, now that nobody was around to stay at home with her during the day, and had to make sure he got out of work as on time as he could so he could pick her up. She would be starting kindergarten in the fall, her fifth birthday having just passed, and he knew it would be a whole new set of adjustments to make, but he was looking forward to it.
Hannah sighed softly, shifting a little, and David looked down at her, smiling as he watched her sleep. Her hand rested on his stomach, her small fingers holding lightly to his shirt, and he pressed another kiss to her hair before closing his eyes.
Hannah climbed the stairs to her bedroom, wondering how she never before noticed how dark and shadowy the upstairs hallway was.
A sharp clap of thunder made her jump and she gripped the banister, and then sighed.
You're almost sixteen, she thought, giving herself a mental shake. Get a grip.
She wasn't normally like this, but she'd gotten pulled into a scary movie, and was now deeply regretting it.
She reached the top of the stairs and started for her bedroom, the hallway suddenly seeming a lot longer than it normally was.
If her dad were home it'd be a different story. He'd obviously gone out of town before, though it was only recently that he started letting her stay home by herself. When she was younger, he'd left her with a babysitter; when she'd been able to, it had been Juliet, and those times were the most fun Hannah had without her dad. So far she'd been fine by herself, but the movie combined with the storm outside was enough to make her anxious and jumpy.
She remembered all the times when she was little and would get scared of the really bad thunderstorms. Her dad would let her into bed with him, and she'd curl up against his side, and she would know instantly that nothing could hurt her. If he were home now she wouldn't get into bed with him, she was too old for that, but just knowing he was in the house, downstairs in his office or asleep in his bedroom across the hall from hers, would make her feel a lot better.
She paused outside her door and turned to stare contemplatively at the door to her father's bedroom. Another rumble of thunder made her jump, and she stepped decisively across the hall, pushing into the other room.
She turned on the light, grateful the power was still on, and started for his dresser when she noticed the t-shirt on the foot of the bed, lying in a wrinkled heap atop a pair of pajama pants. She must've somehow missed them when she did laundry the day before, and a small smile curved her lips as she started towards the bed.
She felt a little foolish as she picked up the shirt, wondering if she was being weird, but that scared, nervous part of her mind didn't think so. It was the closest thing she had to her father right now, and she took the shirt in her hands and slipped from the room.
She dressed for bed, tugging on her shorts and pulling her dad's t-shirt over her head instead of the one she normally wore, feeling a little calmer as the scent of him pervaded her nose.
She turned off the light and climbed into bed, curling on her side and inhaling the smells of soap and aftershave, smells that reminded her so much of her father that she smiled.
The storm continued to rage outside as she lay still, trying to sleep, but the wind whipping the trees against her windows along with the almost constant flashes of lightning and rumbles of thunder kept her from relaxing.
After an hour she sighed and flipped on her lamp, staring at her bedside table a moment before reaching for her phone.
She knew her dad would still be awake and though she felt silly calling him, it was about the only thing she could think of that might calm her down so she could sleep.
He answered after just a couple of rings, and she smiled at the concern in his voice.
"Han? Why are you calling so late, is everything all right?"
"Everything's fine," she assured him, "I just - I just felt like talking." She hesitated a moment, running her fingers along the edge of her comforter. "What're you doing?"
"Working," he sighed. "As always."
She smiled because she could just see him in her mind, sitting in his hotel room, files spread over whatever surface he could put them on, desk, table, or bed. He would still be dressed in his work clothes, but with his shirt untucked and his sleeves pushed to his elbows, tie tugged loose around his neck or off completely.
She opened her mouth to reply but there was a loud boom of thunder and she jumped, gasping softly.
"Oh," David murmured knowingly, and she could hear the smile in his voice. "I know why you called."
Hannah laughed softly. "Shut up, Dad."
"You scared of the thunderstorm, sweetheart?"
"Shut up," Hannah said again, shaking her head as she heard her dad chuckle on the other end of the line. "I know it's stupid but I was watching this scary movie earlier and then I tried to go to bed, and just couldn't sleep."
"It's not stupid," David said softly. "You're never too old to be afraid."
They were silent a moment, and then David laughed quietly.
"Remember when you were a little girl and when you were scared, you'd get into bed with me?"
Hannah smiled. "Yeah. And you'd sing to me."
"Hmm," David hummed, "that's right. God, I haven't sung that for you in years."
"I know," Hannah murmured.
They lapsed into silence again, and then Hannah heard her dad shift his position.
"Close your eyes," he said softly, and Hannah smiled, a short laugh escaping her lips.
"Go on," he said, his smile evident in his voice.
Hannah obeyed, and a heartbeat later David spoke again.
"Are they closed?"
"Yeah."
David began to sing, his voice soft and low, and Hannah reached forward to snap her lamp off, burrowing under her covers with her phone pressed to her ear.
She was very close to falling asleep when David stopped singing, and she sighed.
"Feel better?"
"Yeah," she murmured. "Thank you."
"Of course, baby."
She smiled sleepily. "I love you, Daddy."
"I love you too, Hannah Banana."
She giggled softly, and David laughed quietly.
"Night, sweetheart."
"Night," Hannah mumbled, removing the phone from her ear and fumbling for the off button before placing it blindly on her bedside table.
She nestled under her covers more, and fell asleep with her nose buried in her father's t-shirt and his voice echoing in her ears, just like when she was five years old.
Author: Mary (stillxmyxheart)
Beta: Lindsay (rowofstars)
Rating: G
Genre: Fluff, Angst
Word Count: 3,450
Characters/Pairings: David, Hannah, Karen (David/Karen)
A/N: The beginning of the backstory! Enjoy, bbs XD
"Hannah, what're you doing up?"
David's eyes fluttered open at the sharp sound of his wife's voice, and he frowned slightly, groaning softly.
"I'm scared," said a tiny voice, and he woke up a little more, recognizing the voice of his daughter. There was a bright flash of lightning, followed by a resounding crack of thunder.
"Hannah -" Karen sighed.
"Can I sleep with you and Daddy?"
David could hear the quiver in her voice, and he started to sit up, prepared to make a space for her in the bed, but Karen beat him to the punch.
"Hannah, go back to bed," she said, her voice firm. "You're a big girl now; act like it. Go on."
David bit his tongue, knowing Karen hated it when he countermanded her in front of Hannah, and heard a quiet sniffle and a soft shuffle of feet. The bedroom door opened slightly, and then closed again.
David sat up finally, staring incredulously down at his wife until she turned to look at him.
"What?"
"Why did you do that?"
She frowned. "Do what? She doesn't need to sleep with us."
"She's scared of the god damn thunderstorm."
Karen sighed, running a hand through her hair. "It's just a thunderstorm, David -"
"She's three years old."
"She's almost four."
"And what, four is the cut off age for being scared of thunderstorms? For Christ's sake, Karen." David threw the covers aside, ignoring Karen's huffy sigh as she flopped back against her pillows.
He slipped from the bedroom and padded across the hall, carefully pushing open the door to his daughter's room.
Hannah was curled on her side in bed, hugging her favorite stuffed kitty to her chest. She looked up at David when he entered, her eyes shining for a moment in a flash of lightning.
"Hey, sweetheart," David said softly, smiling slightly.
"Is Mommy mad at me?" Hannah asked in a small voice.
David bit back his irritation and shook his head. "No, baby, she's just - she's just tired."
Hannah didn't say anything, just stared solemnly up at him, and he lowered himself onto the floor beside her bed.
"Scared of the storm?" he asked, resting his arm on the bed as he looked at her.
She nodded, and he stretched his fingers forward to touch her hand.
"I know it's scary, but it can't hurt you, I promise," he said, smiling encouragingly at her. He reached up and brushed her hair back, his fingers lingering on the soft strands. "Do you want me to stay until you go back to sleep?"
She nodded, and he smiled again, his hand moving from her hair to gently rub her back.
"Go on and close your eyes," he murmured. "I'll be right here until you fall asleep."
"Sing, Daddy," Hannah said quietly.
David smiled, tilting his head as he looked at her. "What do you want me to sing?" He paused, his smile widening as he moved a little closer. "Should I do Hannah's Lullaby?"
She nodded, a faint smile curving her lips, and David grinned, adjusting his position in an effort to get a little more comfortable.
"Close your eyes," he said again, resuming his gentle rubbing of her back.
She obeyed, and he cleared his throat before he began to softly sing the song they'd christened as Hannah's Lullaby, a song he'd been singing to her since, quite literally, the day she was born.
There were a few sharp cracks of thunder that made her jump, and each time he'd stop singing long enough to whisper soothingly to her, reminding her that the thunder couldn't hurt her, before resuming the song.
Eventually her breathing slowed, her small body rising and falling in a steady rhythm under his hand.
He continued to sing a moment longer before trailing off, the movement of his hand slowing as he looked at her.
He raised his hand to her hair again, stroking it gently and staring at her shadowed features. He was always amazed when he looked at her, sometimes floored by the sheer fact of her existence, unable to believe how he was part of something so perfect.
There was another loud rumble of thunder, and he froze, waiting to see if it would wake her up again. She continued to sleep, and after a moment he rose to his knees, leaning down to press a kiss to her temple before tugging her blanket over her.
He pushed carefully to his feet, biting back a groan as his back protested from so long sitting on the floor, and walked quietly to the door, stepping from the room and closing the door with a gentle click.
He slipped back into bed, moving close to Karen and laying a hand on her arm, ready to apologize for being short with her, but she made an annoyed sound and moved away from him, pulling the covers up higher.
David looked at her for a moment before lying back against his pillows and raising a hand to his forehead as he stared up at the ceiling.
The rain seemed louder now that he was awake, and he watched the shadows of the trees whip around overhead.
He found himself wondering more and more what had happened to his life. He had a job that worked him too hard, and a wife who grew more distant with each passing day; his only joy most days was the time he got to spend with Hannah, and sometimes he didn't even have that.
He wondered what had happened to the woman he loved, the woman he had married and promised to spend the rest of his life with. He thought he knew, but even just the barest acknowledgment of it made his heart ache.
It was the little girl asleep in the bedroom across the hall, the little girl he would lay down and die for without hesitation, and the little girl his wife had never wanted.
It had been something they'd talked about right off, the idea of having children. He'd wanted them and she hadn't, but he loved her and thought maybe she'd change her mind as she got older.
Two years after they got married, and two weeks after the broken condom on the night of their anniversary, the test came back positive. He had been elated, though he tried to keep his excitement to himself because Karen had been less than thrilled.
He'd secretly hoped a baby would mellow her out, would make her softer and a little less wrapped up in herself, but it seemed to only frustrate her.
He remembered her trying to hold Hannah that first day in the hospital. Hannah had been fussy, and no matter what she did, Karen seemed unable to soothe her, and continued to grow increasingly discouraged. David had taken Hannah from her, cradling her in his arms and softly singing the first song that came to mind, and she'd calmed almost instantly.
He'd seen the disheartened look on Karen's face, and assured her that it would get easier, but it never seemed to. She'd try, but would give up so quickly, and then turned around and took her irritation and frustration out on him.
Nearly four years later, and nothing had really changed. It wasn't as though Karen ignored Hannah completely; she got her up and got her dressed, fed her and bathed her, played with her sometimes, but only when David wasn't around to do it himself. She still tried to relate to her, but Hannah would get cranky when Karen tried to do things differently from the way David did them, and it only served to annoy Karen more.
She couldn't seem to get the hang of compromising with Hannah, sometimes telling her no without offering any other alternative to placate her, and more than once Karen had called David at work, nearly in tears from frustration as Hannah carried on in the background.
He knew Hannah preferred him to her mother, and he thought that was maybe part of Karen's frustration, but there were times when Hannah wanted to be with her. She'd recently taken an interest in makeup and playing dress up, and a couple of times he'd walked into their bedroom or bathroom to see Karen putting lipstick on Hannah, or draping one of her scarves around her neck, the two of them laughing and smiling. Seeing them like that made him happy, but those moments were exceedingly rare, exceptions rather than the norm.
Things seemed to be getting worse as Hannah grew older, and it broke his heart and made him angry, because he knew Hannah could sense her mother's increasing distance, and was confused and hurt by it.
He didn't know how much longer they could keep this up, how much longer he'd be able to stand Karen's negativity and selfishness, and how much longer he could bear to watch her ignore her daughter.
He took a breath, glancing over at his wife before pushing his thoughts from his mind and closing his eyes to go back to sleep.
A loud crash of thunder startled David awake and he stared blankly at the ceiling for a moment before frowning and groaning as he ran his hands down his face.
He glanced over at the clock on his bedside table, only to see the display was dark; the power had gone out. He fumbled for his watch and squinted at the face; a flash of lightning illuminated the hands, and he sighed as he tossed it back onto the table. Only four more hours until he had to get up.
He yanked open the drawer of the table and pulled out a small battery-operated alarm clock, squinting again to check it was set properly before setting it next to his watch.
He sighed again, and had just closed in his eyes to go back to sleep when he heard the dull creak of his bedroom door.
He sat up and watched his daughter step hesitantly into the room, long blonde hair spilling over the shoulders of her pink nightgown, stuffed kitty tucked under her arm.
"What's wrong, baby?" he asked. "Did the storm wake you up?"
She nodded. "And Pooh Bear went out."
David considered her for a moment, and then smiled.
"Come here, sweetheart," he said softly. "You can sleep with me tonight."
Hannah grinned and hurried over to the bed, crawling across the empty side that until a few months ago had been occupied by her mother.
She burrowed under the covers and nestled against David's side, and he smiled as he put his arm around her, lightly rubbing her back.
"Sing, Daddy," she murmured, and his smile widened as he obeyed.
It wasn't long until she was asleep again, and he placed a kiss to the top of her head, his hand still sweeping lazily over her back.
The day Karen left had been a day like any other. He came home late, as had become the usual, and had a quick dinner, sitting with Karen and Hannah in the living room as the three of them watched TV.
Karen had seemed more affectionate with Hannah than usual, sitting close to her on the couch, fingers playing idly in her hair, and though it was how David had always wished their relationship could be, it had made him a little suspicious.
He'd given Hannah her bath and tucked her into bed, and then gone into his own room to change out of his work clothes. That was when he saw the suitcases, lined up against the wall.
He stared at them a moment, unable to quite comprehend their meaning, and then turned when he sensed a presence behind him.
Karen stood in the doorway, arms folded over her chest, and said just three words: "I'm leaving, David."
The first words out of his mouth were not, "Please don't go", or "Let's work this out"; they were, "Please don't take Hannah," because deep down he'd known this was coming and surprisingly felt little sadness now that it was actually happening. His one and only concern was that she'd want to take Hannah with her, take her away just to punish him, but she shook her head.
"I think we both know Hannah's better off here, with you." Her arms tightened over chest, and her gaze flicked away from him. "I have a new job, and - and it's in New York, and that's really no place for - for -"
She stopped, still avoiding his gaze as she stared around the bedroom, and then lowered her eyes to the floor.
Ten minutes later, she was gone.
The divorce papers arrived soon after, and Karen gave over full custody of Hannah to David; she didn't even want visitation. In the interest of fairness, David told her she could change her mind at any time, but he knew she never would.
Hannah had taken it better than he thought she would. She'd been upset, of course, but not nearly as much as he'd expected, and seemed to be adjusting rather well. She'd asked once, not long after Karen left, why Mommy had gone away, and David told her that sometimes mommies and daddies just stopped loving each other, and it was best to not be together anymore. He gave no inclination to the idea that she had left because of Hannah; that was an aspect of the divorce he would take with him to his grave. Hannah had accepted his evasive answer, and her sadness lessened as the months wore on.
Things had changed, of course. David transferred to the training division so he could be at home more. He'd enrolled Hannah in daycare, now that nobody was around to stay at home with her during the day, and had to make sure he got out of work as on time as he could so he could pick her up. She would be starting kindergarten in the fall, her fifth birthday having just passed, and he knew it would be a whole new set of adjustments to make, but he was looking forward to it.
Hannah sighed softly, shifting a little, and David looked down at her, smiling as he watched her sleep. Her hand rested on his stomach, her small fingers holding lightly to his shirt, and he pressed another kiss to her hair before closing his eyes.
Hannah climbed the stairs to her bedroom, wondering how she never before noticed how dark and shadowy the upstairs hallway was.
A sharp clap of thunder made her jump and she gripped the banister, and then sighed.
You're almost sixteen, she thought, giving herself a mental shake. Get a grip.
She wasn't normally like this, but she'd gotten pulled into a scary movie, and was now deeply regretting it.
She reached the top of the stairs and started for her bedroom, the hallway suddenly seeming a lot longer than it normally was.
If her dad were home it'd be a different story. He'd obviously gone out of town before, though it was only recently that he started letting her stay home by herself. When she was younger, he'd left her with a babysitter; when she'd been able to, it had been Juliet, and those times were the most fun Hannah had without her dad. So far she'd been fine by herself, but the movie combined with the storm outside was enough to make her anxious and jumpy.
She remembered all the times when she was little and would get scared of the really bad thunderstorms. Her dad would let her into bed with him, and she'd curl up against his side, and she would know instantly that nothing could hurt her. If he were home now she wouldn't get into bed with him, she was too old for that, but just knowing he was in the house, downstairs in his office or asleep in his bedroom across the hall from hers, would make her feel a lot better.
She paused outside her door and turned to stare contemplatively at the door to her father's bedroom. Another rumble of thunder made her jump, and she stepped decisively across the hall, pushing into the other room.
She turned on the light, grateful the power was still on, and started for his dresser when she noticed the t-shirt on the foot of the bed, lying in a wrinkled heap atop a pair of pajama pants. She must've somehow missed them when she did laundry the day before, and a small smile curved her lips as she started towards the bed.
She felt a little foolish as she picked up the shirt, wondering if she was being weird, but that scared, nervous part of her mind didn't think so. It was the closest thing she had to her father right now, and she took the shirt in her hands and slipped from the room.
She dressed for bed, tugging on her shorts and pulling her dad's t-shirt over her head instead of the one she normally wore, feeling a little calmer as the scent of him pervaded her nose.
She turned off the light and climbed into bed, curling on her side and inhaling the smells of soap and aftershave, smells that reminded her so much of her father that she smiled.
The storm continued to rage outside as she lay still, trying to sleep, but the wind whipping the trees against her windows along with the almost constant flashes of lightning and rumbles of thunder kept her from relaxing.
After an hour she sighed and flipped on her lamp, staring at her bedside table a moment before reaching for her phone.
She knew her dad would still be awake and though she felt silly calling him, it was about the only thing she could think of that might calm her down so she could sleep.
He answered after just a couple of rings, and she smiled at the concern in his voice.
"Han? Why are you calling so late, is everything all right?"
"Everything's fine," she assured him, "I just - I just felt like talking." She hesitated a moment, running her fingers along the edge of her comforter. "What're you doing?"
"Working," he sighed. "As always."
She smiled because she could just see him in her mind, sitting in his hotel room, files spread over whatever surface he could put them on, desk, table, or bed. He would still be dressed in his work clothes, but with his shirt untucked and his sleeves pushed to his elbows, tie tugged loose around his neck or off completely.
She opened her mouth to reply but there was a loud boom of thunder and she jumped, gasping softly.
"Oh," David murmured knowingly, and she could hear the smile in his voice. "I know why you called."
Hannah laughed softly. "Shut up, Dad."
"You scared of the thunderstorm, sweetheart?"
"Shut up," Hannah said again, shaking her head as she heard her dad chuckle on the other end of the line. "I know it's stupid but I was watching this scary movie earlier and then I tried to go to bed, and just couldn't sleep."
"It's not stupid," David said softly. "You're never too old to be afraid."
They were silent a moment, and then David laughed quietly.
"Remember when you were a little girl and when you were scared, you'd get into bed with me?"
Hannah smiled. "Yeah. And you'd sing to me."
"Hmm," David hummed, "that's right. God, I haven't sung that for you in years."
"I know," Hannah murmured.
They lapsed into silence again, and then Hannah heard her dad shift his position.
"Close your eyes," he said softly, and Hannah smiled, a short laugh escaping her lips.
"Go on," he said, his smile evident in his voice.
Hannah obeyed, and a heartbeat later David spoke again.
"Are they closed?"
"Yeah."
David began to sing, his voice soft and low, and Hannah reached forward to snap her lamp off, burrowing under her covers with her phone pressed to her ear.
She was very close to falling asleep when David stopped singing, and she sighed.
"Feel better?"
"Yeah," she murmured. "Thank you."
"Of course, baby."
She smiled sleepily. "I love you, Daddy."
"I love you too, Hannah Banana."
She giggled softly, and David laughed quietly.
"Night, sweetheart."
"Night," Hannah mumbled, removing the phone from her ear and fumbling for the off button before placing it blindly on her bedside table.
She nestled under her covers more, and fell asleep with her nose buried in her father's t-shirt and his voice echoing in her ears, just like when she was five years old.