Jaime swallowed, tears still streaking as she listened to what Daisy had to say, hiccuping softly before saying.

"I...he's not a bad father...I just...I'm terrified of...of losing him...my father walked out on my mom and me before I could even get a memory of him...I don't wanna lose a daddy again!"

"Now I know ya don't sugar...and trust me...your daddy's lost plenty of people in his life.... he holds on as tight a he can t' the ones he loves...an he loves you more than anything..."

Jaime sighed softly, sniffing hard.

Daisy hugged her gently.

Jaime soon hugged into Daisy, shaking her head a little before she buried it into her shoulder. She hadn't meant to hurt Luke or make her doubt his abilities to raise her, she loved him with all her heart...like she had said....

"I don't know what to do..."

"I think you better talk to your daddy, for starters."

"But I don't know what to say to him...I just...we both take things the wrong way and...then this kinda thing happens! I just...its so hard to talk to him sometimes..."

Jaime said softly, her arms still wrapped around Jaime's waist.

Daisy nodded. "I know honey. But he's feelin mighty low...an' ain't somethin' me or Bo can fix."

Jaime nodded a little, swallowing softly as she sniffed and eventually pulled away from Daisy.

"You gonna be alright honey?" asked Daisy,

Jaime shrugged, looking away.

"I don't know.."

Daisy sighed. "Well you think bout what i said," she said softly before climbing down the ladder.

Jaime bit her lip, watching as Daisy disappeared before scrambling down the ladder, running past her out the barn and into the house. When she didn't see Luke in the lounge, she figured Daisy had sent him to bed to rest, so she went running into his room and jumped onto his bed, hugging him tight.

"I'm sorry Daddy!"

Luke was surprised to feel the jump on the bed as well as his daughter's arms encircling him. "Sok baby...s'ok," he said soothingly.

Jaime shivered softly as she hugged Luke close, careful of his foot, shaking her head.

"S'not alright Daddy, s'not.."

Luke gently pushed her hair back from her face and pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek.

Jaime pulled away and said softly.

"I got no right to tell you who to go out with an' when...I just...I never had a daddy in my life before you an'...I don't wanna lose this...fear got the better of me an'...i'm really really sorry..."

"If you ain't comfortable with it Jaime, I won't take it no further. Plain and simple," said Luke seriously.

Jaime sighed and shook her head

"I can't let you do that Daddy...I can't let my own personal and...i'll admit...selfish wants get in the way of your happiness. I just...when the idea that you could forget about me planted itself in my head...it kinda escalted and I couldn't make myself rationalize..."

"I could never forget you Princess....you're my life."

Jaime looked to him and nodded softly with a small smile.

"I know...and your mine...so...I want you to go out with who you want just...please don't cut me out..."

Luke hugged her close. "Trust me.... I wouldn't think of it." he promised.

Jaime hugged close into Luke once more and rested her head softly on his chest, listening to the sound of his comforting heartbeat. She had heard it many times before when she had first come to stay with Luke and his family...when she would wake up crying in the middle of the night because of the nightmares of being trapped back in the cupboard again. Luke's heartbeat was the only thing that could calm her down.

Luke held his little girl in his arms, as he would if she had been only 3 instead of midst her teens. Rocking her gently he rested his head against hers, not saying much except three words he said in a gentle tone that few but Bo ever heard from him. " I love you ."

Jaime nodded softly with a small contented sigh.

"I love you too Daddy..."

Bo meanwhile, was back at the hospital, sitting with a sleeping Troy awaiting the doctor's results for their tests. Something inside him really hoped that there was nothing seriously wrong with Troy because while his head told him that he was only there because a Duke never broke his promise..his heart told him that in fact he cared a little about what happened to the tiny person who had put so much trust in him...he'd never had someone do that to him before and it felt nice to be the one that was looked up to for a change and not in height either.