Her vitals are good, considering...

Good enough for Daddy.

Thank you so much, Hannah.

But Hannah's not quite finished.

She needs to go in for monitoring.

I won't be monitored, won't answer questions. I just want to be left alone.

Daddy's got that covered. I don't think that's necessary. And I know you know how important it is to keep this right here in this room.

If she doesn't know, she definitely understands Daddy's directive.

But she dares question him.

May I speak to you for a minute?

490.

They Move into the Hallway But I'm not really sure why.

I can hear every word, despite their lowered voices.

Hannah is worried about me.

A dozen painkillers, washed down with whiskey. That wasn't an accidental overdose, Ray. Your daughter needs help.

Duh. Serious help. But Daddy won't admit it.

I think we can handle this in-house.

I'll make some calls.

But Hannah isn't satisfied.

Look, I know this isn't something you want spread in the tabloids.

But I'm just not sure...

Daddy can be very persuasive.

I.

appreciate your concern.

You wouldn't be a good nurse otherwise. But leave this to me.

She has to give it one last shot.

Please think seriously about getting some help for her.

Your daughter is disturbed.

491.

Yep. Disturbed semiregularly, by her pervert father, a part of the story she'll never know.

And even if she should find out, **

Daddy apparently holds a trump card. I promise to think about it.

Oh, and your problem with your ex? Consider it solved.

I have no idea what the problem could be, but Daddy's reach is long. Almost as long as the silent pause right before **

Hannah acquiesces.

Okay, I'll back off. But please keep an eye on her. If she follows through, I'll never forgive myself.

492.

Following Through Isn't something I can think about right now. I'll put it on my back burner checklist of things to think about later.

My head hurts, far beyond the dizzy left inside it. It hurts, like my heart does. When I do let myself think about tonight, I'll remember a whiteout of emotions.

A rush of anger, at my mom, my dad, my screwed-up life.

A blush of love for Ian. Oh, how I wish that I could give him what Daddy takes so easily from me. But it would be a tainted gift.

Sadness now, and I wonder how it feels to live without a constant fog of sorrow, a breeze of loneliness.

Complacent, I wait for my daddy to come and punish me for trying to die.

493.

Raeanne I Can't Believe Kaeleigh had enough ambition to down those pills, take dead aim at whatever might come after.

If Daddy had found her much later he'd have discovered an empty shell. Seeing her slip down that long, dark tunnel toward permanent peace is something I'll remember the rest of my life. It didn't look so difficult. Still, I'm not quite ready to let her go. Needy, shaky, I lie in bed with her.

How long it's been since I've felt this close to her. Her breaths are shallow, raspy with exhaustion.

"Stupid shit," I whisper, and it feels like not enough. "If you're strong enough to look death in the eye, you're strong enough to fight him. Please. I don't want you to die."

494.

Don't Know If she heard any of that.

She's so weighted into oblivion, **

she looks as if she did die.

The weirdest thing is, **

Daddy has not come to check on her. You'd think **

he'd want to know if she is still breathing. I'm guessing **

he went straight for the Wild Turkey. Hopefully Kaeleigh **

left enough for him to drown his guilt. Does he feel guilt?

Does he feel **

anything **

at all?

495.

I Think Maybe that's what he's looking for.

A way to feel.

Something.

Anything.

Even if that something is pain.

Remorse.

Humiliation.

Self-loathing.

What has brought him to this place?

Loneliness?

Greed?

Genetics?

What redemption can there be for him?

Penance?

Prison?

Demise?

496.

It's Morning Before He Comes To check on her. Kaeleigh feigns sleep, but Daddy's determined.

He shakes her until she opens her eyes, stares silently past him.