DADDY'S DAUGHTER (THREE)

The door to Harper's practice room suddenly knocked a stiff thrice. What time is it, Harper thought irritably. She thought her work hours were over thirty minutes ago. Now even she is trying to relax her stiff muscles by rereading her favorite novel which she has read more than ten times.

"Come in," shouted Harper lazily.

She reluctantly closed her book and prepared to meet someone knocking on the door of her room. Maybe it's the hospital staff, thought Harper trying to comfort herself who was already annoyed. The assistant could not possibly allow a patient to come into her office when her work hours had ended.

The wooden door slowly opened from the outside. As the gaps between the doors started to open wide, Harper frowned deeply. A wheelchair whose tip had been pushed into her room was seen sticking out with its small legs dangling over it. It was obvious that the wheelchair was not ridden by an adult because the legs Harper saw were so small, they resembled those of a child.

Impatiently and her forehead still furrowed, Harper then stood up from her seat and walked closer to the door to her room which had been perfectly opened. But then Harper felt like she wanted to go all the way from her room and not have to run into someone pushing a wheelchair filled with a strange-looking little girl. Jeez! Harper wasn't ready to meet that man.

"Hello Harper, long time no see."

The man didn't even bother to call her name more formally. The man immediately used her first name which used to sound so beautiful when the man called her. His voice was low and hoarse, still making Harper feel dizzy with excitement until this second. Shit!

"Hi."

That was all Harper could say in response to the casual greeting from the man in front of her. But this surprised her. She then glanced at the door, hoping to find her assistant there who was probably trembling nervously from getting a glare from her.

"There are no nurses in front of your room."

Shit! She forgot that Anette had asked permission to go home early because her son had a fever.

"Her son is sick, so she asked permission to go home earlier."

With nervousness on her face, Harper invited the man to sit down. But inwardly she kept cursing herself who now looked very stupid in front of Alex. Jeez! Alexander Enzo! The bastard yet lucky Alexander Enzo is so handsome and sexy. How could they be reunited again after all these years she had tried to stay away from him, stepping away from Alex's extraordinarily perfect life?

Her hands were now clenched nervously under the table. Cold sweat had been running all over the surface of her hands until now her hands felt very slippery and wet. She almost dropped her pen when she was about to write down her patient's data, whether it was Alex himself or his daughter who she thought was weird.

"Can I help you?"

There was tension radiating from Alexander's calm face when Harper began to mention the purpose of his arrival this evening. It seemed that the man could not possibly come without a clear reason. Could it be that the man came here because of his daughter's condition? Instantly Harper's heart felt a pinch. The little girl seemed to remind her of the unforgivable sin she had committed in the past.

"Heidi..."

The man stared straight at Harper and the tension that the man had previously displayed slowly dissipated, replaced by a wary attitude at Harper's brief words.

"Her name is Heidi, right?"

"You still remember it."

Harper only nodded slightly in response. How could she ever forget that name? Even after so many years had passed, she had never forgotten anything related to that man. Including the name of his daughter.

"Well, then I no longer need to introduce her to you."

"She's getting bigger, but..."

Harper deliberately hung up her sentence. Not knowing what to say to describe the figure of Heidi who was so different. The look in her eyes was dim, almost like she had no soul in them. The little girl just stared blankly ahead, but not at any object. Her weak hands limped on the right and left of her body. Heidi's skin is also pale and unlike the skin of children in general, who more often displays a brownish color from playing too often under the hot sun. Overall Heidi did not look all right. On the contrary, the little girl's condition was poor.

"My daughter is sick."

Yes, I know! Harper thought irritably. The man's words were full of pressure as if he wanted to corner Harper and make all her regret come back to the surface. In the past, all of that was her fault. She foolishly surrendered herself to Alexander Enzo who turned out to be a married man and also had a child.

“To be honest, my time was over almost an hour ago. But I still accept you and your daughter for consultation."

Alex only glanced at Harper without wanting to respond to Harper's words which sounded like sarcasm.

“I guess without needing to explain you know that Heidi has a mental illness. She's been subjected to physical as well as psychological abuse in the last few years. "

"How could it happen? As a father you should provide protection for your daughter, not torture her,” said Harper sharply.

Harper suddenly became skeptical of Alex, who had not shown a friendly face in front of her. Instead of showing a friendly face because he wanted to ask for her help, Alex showed a sickly haughty face. His face seemed to be making fun of her because she had been deceived by his deadly charm.

"I didn't do it," hissed Alex holding back his anger.

The tension between them grew even more intense. Both Alexander and Harper, they both had bitter memories of the past that made them put up such thick shields around them.

"Okay, I'm sorry."

Harper finally relented. There was no point in them continuing to show their own emotions and letting Heidi suffer even more because they were between two humans who had tensions from the past.

“Sexual harassment, beatings, neglect, and all irresponsible acts committed by Heidi’s mom. I found Heidi sadly curled up in a cupboard in a semi-conscious state. The doctor in charge said that Heidi had not eaten or drunk for two or three days. Other than that—"

Harper saw Alex's eyes gleam with anger and his hands were now clenched on her desk. Ready to hit anyone who dares to assault the people he loves.

"Doctors found bruises on Heidi's inner thigh."

"Oh, my God."

Harper closed her mouth in disbelief while looking concerned at Heidi who now looked like an undead. It was an extremely heinous crime for a six-year-old to accept.

"What about the mother?"

"Run away with her lover."

"Have you reported this to the police?"

"It’s useless," replied Alex gloomily.

The slow policeman couldn’t find his ex-wife or her lover who was allegedly responsible for his daughter's misfortune. But Alex firmly believes that what happened to his beloved daughter was Alma's fault. That cheap woman had betrayed his trust in taking care of Heidi and instead took away all the money he had given her to raise Heidi.

"How long has it been since Heidi was hospitalized?"

"Three days ago. Her condition is much better now. The first day I found her, she always screamed hysterically when she saw foreign men around her. I'm the only man who doesn't make her scream in fear. Besides that she also often has nightmares."

"I think Heidi recognizes you as her father."

“Until now, she still screams hysterically whenever she meets a foreign man. That's why I brought her here. The doctor who handled her said that Heidi needed psychological treatment to recover her shaken mental state."

Instantly Harper was stunned. That man... either remembered her as the psychology student he had once fooled or did he want to give her a chance to help his daughter?

"What about the medical treatment?"

“It's useless if her mental state isn't healed. Physically, she only had bruises on her thigh and bruised leg. But what prevented Heidi from walking was because of her mental illness. She's scared of something."

"There are lots of psychologists in Toronto you can go to."

"But I only know you."

Instantly her chest rumbled loudly. The words spoken in a low, hoarse tone shook Harper's heart, which had now turned soft as jelly. Then the memories she had tried to forget, one by one began to surface and made her immediately feel nauseous.

"Okay. Because you have entrusted Heidi to me. I— will do my best to heal her.”

Hesitantly Harper reached out to shake hands with Alex. Like what she had been doing to her patients. She will begin the therapy phase with an agreement that begins with a handshake. But somehow, Harper now regretted her decision to shake hands with Alex. Because of every touch and also the friction she felt from the rough surface of Alex's skin, it brought a strange tingling that was so annoying to her body. After this, the days will never be easy

-00-

Those dark eyes continued to watch intensely as he stuck both hands into the pockets of his work pants which looked crumpled. Even though the night was getting late, he still took the time to kiss his daughter goodnight. Can’t be denied, this is painful. Seeing his little girl who used to be so cheerful and always carried in his arm, but now looks helpless, made Alex's heart stabbed with a knife.

Alex lowered his head so low over the face of his sleeping daughter, her brow wrinkled. Nightmare. His daughter always had nightmares after all that damn thing happened. Alma must be responsible for all of this. But unfortunately, she just ran off with her boyfriend who is just as bitchy as that bitch. Because of Alma, Heidi had to endure this much suffering. Alex cannot imagine what the future will be for Heidi if all the trauma and wounds from the past she received from her mother cannot be healed. He didn't want to see his daughter living like a zombie all her life. He wanted Heidi's cheer to be returned. And he wanted to see Heidi smiling cheerfully like before.

Alex then kissed Heidi alternately on the cheek, right and left with the flat face that has always been his characteristic. He hopes that the therapy process that Heidi and Harper will undergo will be successful. Harper wasn't the only psychologist he knew. George has even provided a list of the best psychologists' practices in Toronto this afternoon. However, he immediately rejected all the lists of names and never wanted to give them the responsibility to heal Heidi. No! Harper had to do it.

After years of failing to get her back, now he has a new plan to bring Harper back into his life. Through Heidi, he will make Harper unable to get back away like before.

Again, this is Alma's fault. That bitch was the one who made his bond with her because of Heidi's presence. But he never regretted the birth of Heidi at all. Instead, he loved the child and wanted the best for Heidi's life. Heidi is a blessed daughter. The girl brings light to his dark life. And then Harper increasingly made his life, which was devoid of love, even more burning because it was filled with explosive passion.

But then the disaster came. Harper finds out the news of his marriage to Alma and also his status as a father to Heidi. After that, his passionate life with Harper was destroyed. The woman slowly moved away from him and then disappeared. There wasn't the slightest gap for him to approach Harper at that time. And he decided to respect Harper's decision. Although he could have forced Harper to stay with him. But he knew it was a very selfish request. Their love story would no longer be the same if he forced Harper to endure with him all the pain Harper had to endure because of his marital status with Alma.

The annoying creaking sound of the bed broke Alex's reverie of the past. He saw Heidi, who was now experiencing nightmares, and began to kick the empty air. These kinds of things were now his spectacle since three days ago. Heidi was crying, screaming, and rampaging in her sleep. If he could fit into Heidi's dream, he would like to know what happened to Heidi while living with Alma. What kind of violence did Heidi experience until the little girl turned into a horrible silent girl?

Finally, Alex couldn't see the horror any longer. He pulled back Heidi's hand which was stretched out into the air and hugged the tiny body that was still struggling tightly.

"Sshhh.... daddy is here with you," whispered Alex softly in Heidi's ear.

It took several whispers and strokes on the head to make Heidi finally calm down and go back to sleep. The little girl then limped back into Alex's arms with a steady breath that gently caressed Alex's chin.

"Daddy swore to make the people who hurt you pay for what they did."

And after that, Alex saw Heidi frowning again for a few moments, but then she calmed down and fell back to sleep without nightmares until morning.