She listened.
Then whispered, "I'm scared."
He leaned forward.
"Me too, sweetheart."
Her eyes widened.
"You're scared?"
He nodded.
"Yes."
For a moment, she seemed surprised.
Her father was the man who repaired things.
The man who fixed broken doors, leaking pipes, and toys that other people threw away.
She sometimes believed there was nothing he couldn't solve.
But now he was admitting that he was frightened too.
She reached for his hand.
Then said something that made his eyes fill.
"Maybe we can be brave together."
He nodded.
"Yeah."
His voice broke.
"We can do that."
That night, he barely slept.
He sat in a chair beside the bed while machines monitored his daughter's condition.
Her grandmother urged him to rest.
He shook his head.
He couldn't.
Every time he closed his eyes, he imagined another doctor entering with bad news.
Shortly before dawn, he received a message from the resort manager.
You are expected for your scheduled Christmas Eve shift. Holiday staffing is mandatory.
The father stared at the screen.
He replied that his daughter was undergoing emergency medical care and that he would provide updates as soon as possible.
He explained that his supervisor had arranged coverage for the previous day.
The manager answered several minutes later.
You have already caused significant operational problems. Report for duty or face disciplinary action.
The father looked toward his sleeping daughter.
Then back at the phone.
His hands began shaking.
He couldn't believe the manager was discussing discipline while his child lay in a hospital bed.
But he knew the resort.
He knew the pressure.
And he knew the manager had been waiting for an opportunity to remove him since the safety report.
At seven-thirty, the medical team informed him that his daughter needed an urgent procedure.
The father signed the necessary paperwork.
Spoke with the doctors.
And stayed beside her until she was prepared for treatment.
She looked up at him.
"Will you be here when I wake up?"
He leaned closer.
"Yes."
She held up Captain Snow.
"Promise?"
He took her small hand.
"I promise."
The girl smiled weakly.
Then whispered, "Merry Christmas Eve, Daddy."
His eyes filled.
"Merry Christmas Eve, sweetheart."
When the staff took her for the procedure, the father stood in the hallway holding the old stuffed rabbit.
For several seconds, he couldn't move.
Then his phone rang.
The resort manager.
He answered.
"Hello?"
The manager didn't ask about the child.
Didn't ask whether she was safe.
He simply said, "You're not at work."
The father closed his eyes.
"My daughter has just been taken for surgery."
The manager sighed.
"That's unfortunate, but the resort has obligations."
The father stared toward the hospital doors.
"I arranged coverage."