A Mother's Bond

Epilogue

Sarayah bolted forward in her seat, her eyelids snapping open. Sweat finely coated her skin, the only evidence of the terror she had just experienced. Sarayah blinked a few times in confusion before her eyes finally focused on the small screen in front of her. She absently watched the tussling tiger cubs, trying to remember where she was. A moment later, she felt the reassuring weight of a hand on her back.

Reality came flooding back in. She was on a private jet, making her way back home. A surreptitious glance around the luxurious cabin confirmed that this was indeed true. It had only been a nightmare. Another nightmare. Nothing to worry about. Well for her, maybe. But for her girlfriend?

Sarayah carefully schooled her features into a relaxed expression before sitting back in her seat. As expected, her girlfriend's eyes were already trained on her face, studying every curve and line as if decoding a perplexing combination.

Sarayah offered her an easy smile. "And you thought I was creepy for watching you when you slept. How the tables have turned."

Nevaeh readily ignored her. Nearly five years into their relationship, she was more than used to her girlfriend's talent for deflecting.

"That was your fourth nightmare in the past three days, Ray."

Sarayah squirmed uncomfortably in her seat. In truth, it was something like her seventeenth nightmare. But she couldn't be sure. She was having a hard time keeping track with the small amount of uninterrupted sleep she had been getting.

"It's not that serious," Sarayah mumbled, immediately brushing it off. "How long until we land?" She peeked out the window and felt cheered when she was able to make out the outline of buildings. They would be landing soon.

"You know we don't have to go, right?" Nevaeh prodded, never taking her eyes off Sarayah's face.

"I think it's a little late for that," Sarayah joked, purposely misinterpreting the question.

Nevaeh rolled her eyes, unamused. "That's not what I meant."

Sarayah observed her for a second before sighing. "I know you're worried, but this is something I can't avoid anymore. Can you understand that?"

"Of course I can. I just don't want you to push yourself."

Sarayah nodded, looking forward. "Most of my recovery has been me pushing myself. This is no different. So please, don't fight me on this."

Nevaeh watched her stubborn girlfriend. She hated her insistence of doing things alone even if she understood why she did it. Sarayah clearly thought she was protecting her. But still. Nevaeh hated it. She considered arguing more but knew it wouldn't make a difference at this point. Sarayah would just shut down. So instead, Nevaeh chose to drop the topic and simply grasped her girlfriend's hand as the jet made its smooth descent.

A few miles away, Beyoncé was at home, preparing for the arrival of the two young women. She clapped her hands in excitement at the banner she had just finished hanging in the front door. Unfortunately, her good mood was almost immediately soured by a foul smell. She scrunched up her nose in disgust.

"Mommy! The twins are pooing behind the curtains again!" Blue shouted from the living room, not bothering to look up from her iPad.

Beyoncé resisted the urge to slap it out of her hands and walked over to her twin children, easily scooping them up in her arms.

"How is it that your daddy is never around when you guys are pooping, huh?" She asked the two toddlers who only whined in protest of the inevitable diaper change.

"I'm on a conference call right now, Bey," Jay explained, opening the door to his office. "I'm just finishing up. I'll get them after."

Beyoncé groaned. "They smell, Jay. I can't just let them stay like this for however long. I'll change them this time but come get them after. I still have more decorations to put up."