He Saved Me

Chp 14

Mia's POV
We finally made it to the plane. This was my first time flying actually, but nobody knew that. I didn't want to tell anyone because it's kind of embarrassing. My old family never vacationed anywhere. So there was never a need for us to travel on a plane. Now I was expecting us to get on a plane with other passengers. But it turns out that Daddy has his own private plane. What doesn't this man have?
Paris and I were becoming inseparable at this point. We talked about literally everything. I asked her the story behind each tattoo. And with each tattoo she presented to me, Daddy cringed without saying anything. Paris noticed too and shook her head. I was confused and Paris answered my question without me even having to ask.
"He doesn't like the fact that I have so many tattoos," she whispered.
"Why not?" I asked.
"Well, I started getting them when I was a lot younger, without his permission. So you can only imagine how angry he was. The first few I got were easy to hide. But then I got carried away.
"He still loves you though," I said.
"Well of course he loves me Mia," she laughed. "He loves me no matter what. Daddy's from a different generation, a different era. He won't agree with everything that I do, but he still loves me," she pointed out. "Plus, my tattoos are a way for me to express myself. Similar to how Daddy expresses himself through music and dance. So I guess we have a mutual understanding on an artistic level."
I listened to Paris's explanation as I admired the contrast of simple and detailed tattoos on her hands. I think I liked the simple ones more than the larger and intricate ones. I was absolutely fascinated. I couldn't contain my excitement. "I want tattoos like you too Paris!" I exclaimed.
Daddy's head shot in our direction and he glared at me and then at Paris. "Hold off on those tattoo ideas babygirl," he said calmly.
"But Daddddy, look how cooool they look," I said excitedly. Said, whined, same thing.
"Mia," he said while looking up from his book. I'm starting to realize that when Daddy says my name in that tone, it's him giving me a warning. Strike one. I quickly shut my mouth and turned towards Paris to continue our chat. Soon Prince joined our conversation too, while Blanket and Daddy enjoyed their books.
The pilot and two flight attendants came up to Daddy and informed him that we were ready for take off in about 5 mins. Daddy thanked them and put his book to the side. "Ok guys time to buckle up," he said. We were all spread around on the plane by this point to make ourselves comfortable. He walked around and checked up on everyone, and then came to me last. I was still fumbling with the seat belt. I was convinced that something was wrong with mine. Daddy noticed and crouched down.
"Let me help sweetheart," he said as he took the belt in his own hands. "See you have to push down on the buckle like this," he demonstrated. He was about to go back to his own seat and buckle up. But then fear took over my body. I quickly grabbed Daddy's hand and held tightly. Daddy looked down confused and asked, "Are you okay?"
     "Um y-yeah I'm fine," I stuttered as I let go of his hand. No one else seemed to be scared. I didn't wanna look weak. I decided to suck up my fears and make the best of what's about to happen. The plane started to move. This wasn't so bad. It was like being in a car. Except the car is about to go faster than usual. Daddy looked at me with a concerned expression. Could he tell how I scared I was?
     "Mia, what's wrong? You look like you saw a ghost," he chuckled. Little did he know what was happening inside me right now. My heart was beating so fast and loud, it felt like it was in my throat. All of a sudden, the plane tilted back and to the side, and swiftly went up in the sky. We experienced turbulence right away. Now I didn't know what turbulence was at the time. I thought the plane was losing balance and we were all gonna die. I panicked and tried to unbuckle myself, so I could go to Daddy.
     "Sweetheart, stop doing that," he said referring to me trying to unbuckle myself. "We have to keep those on for now." Now, I could've very easily told him what's wrong. But you need to remember that I'm not exactly the most expressive. Especially in times of panic, it's like I lose my voice. I kept looking at Daddy, hoping he could somehow know what was wrong telepathically.
     And somehow, he did just that. Once the light went off in his head, he quickly unbuckled himself and came over to me. He wrapped his big arms around me and cradled my head in his hand, his signature way of hugging us. I must admit, I did feel much better. However, I was upset that now I seemed like a weak little girl. That's the last thing I wanted.
"Mia is this your first time on a plane?" Daddy asked. Great. He could tell. Ugh I just wanna be like the rest of them. I feel like such a child compared to Prince, Paris, and Blanket, with no life experiences. It's embarrassing. I tried not to answer, hoping he would change the topic. "Mia?" he questioned again.
     "Uh y-y-eah," I stuttered.
"Wait really? You've never been on a plane before?" asked Prince. I nodded my head no.
"Why didn't you tell us sweetheart?" Daddy said while caressing my cheek with the back of his hand. I shrugged, not wanting to dwell on the fact that I was different from the rest of them. "Well, how do you like it?" Daddy asked curiously.
"It's not bad," I responded shyly. I felt like all their eyes were on me. I know it's silly to overreact over my first time on a plane, but I despise feeling like the odd one out. It's been like that my whole life. I truly thought I could change that in this new family, with a clean slate.

Michael's POV
Something seemed off about Mia. I couldn't exactly put my finger on it. She seemed to get along fine with the older 3. She was happy when we got on the plane. But something changed. Maybe it's because I turned down her tattoo idea? Maybe I should've been nicer about it? I should know by now that she's super sensitive, just like her Daddy 🙄🤦🏻‍♂️. But I mean, what was I supposed to do? Encourage my 10 year old to get tattoos?
As I was lost in my trance, I noticed Mia yawning and slumped over in my arms. It has been a very long day for her. I looked at my watch, it was almost 8:25 pm in New York. "Babygirl I think it's time for you to get to bed," I said. Poor thing was so tired, she couldn't even speak. I wish I could get to the bottom of what's wrong, but I guess that will have to wait till we get her settled into our home.
I looked down at her again and found her asleep in my arms. I unbuckled her and carried her into the master bedroom. My older 3 followed me in there too. Yes, the plane has a master bedroom as well. It's big enough for the 5 of us to share. I tucked Mia in and kissed her forehead. I did the same with my older babies, although, they thought my big bear kisses were no longer necessary. I looked around the small room and my heart melted. It's moments like this that really make my life feel fulfilled. More than any record or any award. This is what life was all about.