Rosie burst in, her tiny face streaked with tears as her sobs echoed in the room. Mitchell hurried after her, breathless.
"What happened?!" Ryley gasped, panic cracking his voice as he and Clyde surged forward, arms instinctively reaching for the trembling child.
Mitchell bowed low, his face tense with regret. "She woke up screaming and crying uncontrollably, Sir," he explained, voice taut with worry.
Ryley pulled Rosie into his arms, voice shaking. "Darling, did you have a nightmare?"
Rosie's sobs tore at the room as she nodded, each word catching painfully in her throat. "I… I want Padre…" she whimpered, clutching Ryley's shirt with desperate little fingers.
Clyde's heart clenched as he dropped to his knees beside them, his brows furrowed, eyes searching hers helplessly.
Gently, he tucked damp strands of hair behind her ear, voice low but hoarse with fear. "Did you see Padre in your dream, sweetheart?"
