Catch your breath. The sequel to Fast and Furious. My version

Chapter 13

The above image is Lexi's Daughter. (Sofia Pestryakova)

"Mummy?" 

I couldn't stand it any longer. I turned around quickly letting go of Sam and was immediately overcome with happiness and sadness at the same time. In her purple 'Tangled' pajamas, with sleepy eyes and bed messed hair, stood my little girl.

"My baby." I said getting down onto the floor with my arms out wide as she ran into them, sitting in my lap.

"Mummy, I thought I heard your voice in a dream, I came down to tell Uncle Sammy about it, but then I saw you and thought that, I must still be dreaming. But you're really here!" She said stumbling over her words in excitement.

"Yes baby, I'm here." I said wiping her hair from her face, before stroking her head and pulling her to my chest again. Remembering a time when she was still a part of me.

"I have so much to tell you!" She said, with an excited tone but followed by a yawn.

"Of course you do my darling, but first you've got to go to bed because it is getting late and you don't want to miss out of your dreamtime do you?" I said caressing her little soft cheek.

"But Mummy, why do I need dreams when you're right here?" She said diving into my chest for another hug.

I was shocked to my core by her comment, she dreams of me when she sleeps. Not of unicorns, rainbows, magical creatures or talking animals, but me. Her Mother. Because I wasn't there when she woke up.

I cradled her in my arms and rocked her back and forth trying to bring myself to be present in the moment and not deep in the abyss of my spinning emotions.

"Mummy, did you save any lives today?" She mumbled into my chest.

Did I? That was my job wasn't it? To stop the bad guys?

What did I do that bettered the world? Did I save any lives today?

"Not today pumpkin, I spent all day driving to get to you. But I did put a very bad man away where he can't hurt the world anymore, yesterday." I replied as truthfully as I could to my six-year-old daughter, who looked at me and saw 'Wonder Woman'.

"That's good." She said sleepily with her eyes shut lying in my arms.

"Can I take you upstairs to your room now?" I asked, tightening my grip on her.

Tatia had already come down the stairs, but I hadn't noticed until I passed her on my way up to the bedroom.

I carried her up and tucked her into the bed, making sure she was all snuggled in. I then just sat there with my chin on the bed, caressing her hair as she fell back asleep.

"Promise you'll be here in the morning." She said taking hold of the hand not stroking her hair and holding it to her chest.

"I promise Pumpkin, I'll be here in the morning." I said kissing her forehead.

And with that, she was out like a light, but I was in no hurry to leave. I took a quick glance around the dimly lit room at her things. She didn't have many toys in her room. Tatia made her keep most of them out in the playhouse, so that she wouldn't have to spend her time picking up discarded toys off the floor. She also did it because she used to find her at night playing with her toys when she couldn't sleep.

Photo's on the walls, stuffed animals in the corner of the room, shelves out of children's reach of baby collectables that I had kept, like her first tooth, a lock of baby hair, baby records, and a wind-up carousel that had once been Tay's.