He Saved Me

Chp 53

Mia's POV
I woke up to Daddy shaking my arm gently. "Wake up mama, it's time to go," he whispered groggily. I groaned in my sleep, not wanting to wake up from this peaceful slumber. My bottom was aching, and I was way too cozy underneath all the blankets. "Mia, come on wake up," Daddy continued to nudge. I opened my eyes to the sky still dark. I glanced at the clock on the side table, to find out it's only 5am.
"Mmm too early," I mumbled. I could hear Daddy chuckle, before he pulled me up by my arms.
"I know sweetheart, but we have to head out. You can sleep on the plane," he insisted. He pushed me towards the bathroom to freshen up. As I brushed my teeth, I remembered all the events from the night before. I was still hurt and shocked by what Daddy did. I never thought he would actually go through with it. I love Daddy but I'm mad that he hurt me like that. That's literally what he did, he hurt me. But he seemed to be in a good mood, calling me all those mushy gushy names.
"Mia hurry please," Daddy said while popping his head in through the doorway. I gave him a cold look, with rising feelings of anger the more I woke up. I froze and continued to stare at him. "Mia, TODAY!" he called out. Not wanting a repeat of yesterday, I just did what I was told. But I'm not speaking to him for the rest of the day. I made up my mind and I'm sticking to it.

Michael's POV
     Getting the kids up early in the morning was a nightmare. They were all grumpy and agitated. On the other hand, I was ecstatic. I have been waiting for this moment for ages. I travelled all around the world numerous amount of times, but that was usually for work. Vacationing with my babies was such a rare occurrence. They would be cooped up in hotel rooms while I performed and worked. But this time was going to be different.
     We finally got on the plane. The kids went to the areas of the private plane they had always claimed as their spot. Mia got on and looked sort of lost. This was only her second time flying, other than when we flew to LA from NYC. "Baby come sit next to me," I called out. Mia pouted before she hesitantly walked over. She slouched down in the seat, without even looking at me. God, she really does hate me now.
     She's been acting very distant all morning. I know it had to do something with last night. I figured that if I acted loving as usual, she would also get comfortable again. But I guess I was wrong. "You okay baby?" I asked gently while caressing her cheek. No response. She continued to pout and played with her fingers. "Mia, I'm talking to you," I said in almost a whisper. Once again, zero response. I let out a sigh and decided it was best to just give her space.
     "Mr. Jackson, we're ready for take off. Please buckle up," called out the flight attendant. I smiled and nodded in her direction. All the kids buckled up, while Mia was having some trouble. I took the seatbelt buckle out of her hands and did it myself. She stared at me annoyed. I simply shrugged my shoulders and looked out the window. If she didn't want to talk to me, that's fine. But I'm still her Daddy.
     As we were taking off, I watched Mia try to put on a brave face. Last time she was on a plane, she was utterly terrified. She didn't want to let go of me. Today, her stubbornness was stopping her from even looking at me. Her lips trembled as a worried look appeared on her face. I wish she would talk to me. I want to be there for her. But she's completely shutting me out right now. I put my arms around and gave her a gentle squeeze. "I'm right here babygirl, just close your eyes," I whispered to her.
     I felt her little body calm down as her breathing got more stable. We were now up in the air, while she still sulked in her seat. Ugh, I know it's barely been a few hours but I missed my little girl. She's here but she's not herself. Normally, I can't get her to shut up or leave my side. She's always clinging to me every second she gets a chance. I couldn't bear her silence any longer, and decided to try again. "Mia, are you upset about last night?" I asked with my arms still around her. She continued to look down with a scowl. I lifted her chin to look at me. "Talk to me please," I pleaded.

Mia's POV
     Why wouldn't I be upset? Is that even a question? I glared at him in disbelief that he would even have to ask me what's wrong. I looked away from him, not wanting to entertain these questions. "Mia," he called out again. I continued to stare off into space. Why is Daddy acting dumb right now? Is there no common sense in that big head of his?
     "Ba-by?" he called out shakily. His voice cracked, which finally got my attention. I turned around and saw his eyes were now filled with pure sadness. Great. I made him upset again. I keep screwing everything up! "I'm sorry about last night mama. But I warned you many times. You don't listen to me. I've told you before, there are rules you must follow. And if you break those rules, there will be consequences," he explained.
     I can't believe he's actually sitting there, trying to justify why he hit me. This only made me more frustrated. Ugh! I'm just going to give him the silent treatment. There's no point in even saying anything to him if he's only going to lecture me in return. I turned around again, avoiding any eye contact I would be forced to make. "Mia. Please look at me when I'm speaking to you," he said growing impatient. I've had it!
     "What?!?! What do you want from me?" I yelled out in frustration. My yelling caused Blanket to wake up abruptly, and everyone's attention was now on me. Daddy stared at me with this mouth slightly opened. I guess he wasn't expecting me to go from 0 to 100 out of no where. After a few seconds of a stare down between us, he finally spoke up.
     "Excuse me? Watch that tone young lady," Daddy said sternly. "I'm sorry you're upset about last night, and I'm trying really hard to be nice to you right now. But it's behavior like this, that got you the belt to begin with!" he said raising his voice. "If you're upset that's fine, but you WILL show me respect little girl. When I'm talking to you, I expect your undivided attention. And next time, try without a tantrum."
     Every word that came out of Daddy's mouth felt like a knife jabbing at me. Why was he being so mean to me again? I just don't want to talk. Yes, I'm angry. Why was that so hard for him to understand? I can't monitor every single emotion or reaction I have. Overwhelmed by all these emotions, I broke down crying. Once again, I felt like a baby in front of my siblings. How much more pathetic can I get?
     "If you're ready to use your words kindly, we can talk right now. But you seem too cranky to have a conversation, that won't land your bottom over my knee again. You may go into the bedroom and go back to sleep. When you wake up, I expect you to be the angel I know you can be," he said gently. I wiped away my tears, and decided I wanted to be alone. As I got out of my seat, and walked towards the bedroom, I felt everyone's eyes on me. Prince was now the poor victim of my wrath, since he's the last person I walked by.
     "STOP LOOKING AT ME!" I cried loudly in his face. I could tell he was clearly caught off guard by his startled expression.
     "Mia. Bed... NOW!" Daddy yelled from behind me. I rushed off into the bedroom and jumped into bed. I just wanted to forget everything at this point.

Michael's POV
     This trip is already off to a rocky start. I know Mia's angry, but that doesn't give her the right to have an outburst. She needs to learn how to control that. Her little outburst at Prince would normally cost her a punishment, but she's already been in enough trouble these past few weeks. With all her punishments piling up, she won't be off for the rest of the year at this point. I decided to just let it go. She needs to sleep off all that crankiness before I have a talk with her.