Magical Mystery Tour

Chapter Sixty: Midge's POV

Midge's POV-
It was my turn to watch Valerie. She was a little cutie, but all she did was sit there and play with her toys. I finally realized why Dhani always looked so bored when I was little. I at least asked him to do stuff. But Valerie was a baby. She couldn't talk. John, George, and Dhani all went out to get some groceries. Serena, Lilly, and Olivia went to get some clothes for us. We needed to look different. We'd be on the run, which meant we needed clothes, hair dye, and new identities. Stryker was locked up in a room with no windows or any other way to get out with a camera set up to keep an eye on him.
Valerie babbled in the floor and I watched her play with a toy bunny Dhani had given her. The boys had been gone for hours. They should be back any minute. I was seriously bored. I could almost slam my head into a wall and feel less bored, but I figured that'd be a bad idea.
I heard the door open and I wondered who it was. I stood up and gathered Valerie in my arms before I went to meet them. It was Lilly, Serena, and Olivia. They had bags from clothing stores in their arms and Lilly dropped hers when she saw Valerie. She took her from my arms and kissed her cheeks. Valerie laughed and pulled on the ends of her hair.
"What did you guys get?" I asked picking up Lilly's bags for her. We walked into the living room and Serena sat next to me on the couch. She started pulling clothes out of the bags. She mostly got t shirts and shorts, but she seemed really excited.
"Dhani said we should dye our hair." Lilly said, "I was thinking of red." I scrunched my nose and Serena laughed.
"I said the same thing!" She said giggling, "But I told her maybe she should go brunette instead."
"Yeah, I could see that." I said looking at Lilly. She looked back at me and shrugged.
"I think you should go strawberry blond." Lilly said to me, "It'd look good on you." I laughed and crossed my legs.
"That's good to know," I said. Suddenly the boys showed up and I made a face as they were talking rather loudly.
"Midge!" Dhani said loudly, "I got you a present!" I frowned and looked up at him as he stood over me.
"You didn't tell us it was your birthday yesterday!" George yelled now. I looked at him and Serena raised her eyebrows at him.
"Yeah! We could have had a party!" John said picking up Valerie and cuddling her.
"That makes you 25 years old!" Dhani said pulling me by the arm. "You're old!"
"If I'm old, what does that make you Harrison?" I asked following him. He knew I hated my birthday. Yet he did this every year anyways.
"Oh, you're very funny, Midge." Dhani said sarcastically, "Don't make me tell everyone your real name." I narrowed my eyes at him and he pulled me into the kitchen.
"What are you doing, Dhani?" I asked crossing my arms. George pulled a black scarf over my eyes and groaned. "Guys, what are you doing? This isn't cool! Being blind folded is terrifying! It's what people do before they kill someone!" Someone's arms wrapped around me from behind and I jumped.
"Relax, Gretchen." Dhani whispered in my ear. I shivered and swatted at where I assumed his face would be. He gently pushed me forward. He held onto me so I didn't fall, but I was seriously wondering where we were going until he ripped the blind fold off my face. The sudden light hurt my eyes and I couldn't help but think about my time at Bellamy's.  I grabbed Dhani's hand and I looked at him, slightly panicked. "Relax." He said again. I let go of him and looked around. We were on the back porch where streamers and table were set up. There was a cake on the table and a punch bowl full of red something. 
"Happy birthday!" Olivia said putting her arm around my shoulders. I sighed and tried to smile.
"Thank you," I said lightly, "but uh, don't we have better things to be doing than-"
"Nope!" Serena said as she walked up with George. "And tonight we are gonna paint our toenails and we are gonna dye our hair and all that fun girl stuff." She didn't seem all that excited about it, but she smiled anyways.
"And I got you a present!" Dhani said loudly as he handed be a box, "I, um, I got you a present." He was quiet now as I held it in my hands.
"You mentioned," I said awkwardly, "I'll open it later." I put it on the table and put my hands in my pockets. Lilly grabbed my hands and pulled me over to the cake.
"Look!" She said pointing, "I made you a cake! Dhani told me it was your favorite!"
"Uh, thanks Lilly." I said. I felt really awkward. Lilly walked off and I looked at the small present Dhani gave me. I really wanted to know what it was. No one seemed to be paying attention to me, so I picked it up and sat down on the steps. I pulled the wrapping away and opened the box. I felt like crying when I found what was inside.
When I was 14, my parents were killed on a mission. I was staying at Friar Park with Dhani and Olivia while they were gone. Dhani was going through his own father's death, and I hadn't understood what was so wrong with him. They knew he wasn't going to make it, so I couldn't see why Dhani was so torn up. I didn't understand until my parent's head supervisor showed up and told me they were killed. I knew they might not come home one day. But I was still devastated when that day they didn't come home came.
Their mission was dangerous, and their bodies were never found, and in this box was a part of them that I never thought I'd get back. I felt a few tears falling as I took out a silver chain. I dropped the box and held onto the set of wedding rings like they were what tied me to life. An arm slid around me and I wiped my face quickly and I looked at Dhani.
"I, um, I went to your old house." He said, clearing his throat. He knew my parents very well. My father helped train him. They'd been very close between George's death and his own death, though the time was short. "I just wanted to see it. Everything was like it was the day they died. The key was even in the potted plant where they kept it." I sniffled and laughed a little.
"Where'd you find these?" I asked wiping my face with the back of my hand.
"They were just," Dhani shook his head and looked at his hands, "there. Lying on their bed. Like they knew they wouldn't be coming home."
I took in a deep, shaky, breath, "Thank you." I buried myself in his shoulder and he held onto me for a time. Dhani and Olivia were the closest thing I had to a family for a long time. They took care of me when I didn't think I needed it. They were comfort to me when I had nothing.