I rolled over in bed and found it empty except for a small body wedged beside me. I stroked Mia’s blonde hair as I picked the note up left on Austin’s pillow. In his child like scrawl was a short letter to me.

Taylor, don’t worry about me not being here. I’ll explain when I get home tonight. Sorry and all my heart, Austin.

I frowned at the note until Mia began to squirm awake. She blinked open her wide brown eyes so similar to her dad it made me sad to see he wasn’t here. He’d been home one day and then he’d disappeared again. I climbed out of bed as Mia sat up in our huge bed. When I say huge I mean huge.

Austin had had it custom made and had cost him so much I didn’t want to know. It was made of mahogany wood and had simple engravings and carvings along the headboard. It was almost the size of two king size beds put together. I wasn’t sure why he wanted one so big but I’d allowed him.

“Mummy?” Mia whispered as she knelt on the bed, her teddy clutched to her chest.

“Yeah, honey?”

“Where’s Daddy?”

“He’s gone out to get you a special birthday present.” I lied to her as she demanded to picked up. I carried her to her bedroom and set her down in front of her closet. Her little hand reached out and pointed to a pink frilly dress. I grabbed her underwear and took her from her Care Bear pyjamas and helped her into her day clothes.

“What do you want for breakfast?”

“Pancake.” Mia picked her teddy back up as we headed down the stairs. Me behind Mia who was going down on her bum. When I opened the kitchen door the first thing I smelt was roses and then I noticed the huge bunch sitting on the kitchen table with the word sorry stuck on the front of the vase.

“Flowers.” Mia pointed to the vase and I smiled her before moving them to the windowsill. I set about making Mia her pancakes as she sat colouring a picture at the table with her little pink tongue stuck out. I remembered the first day we bought her home, how protective Austin was of her.

“Austin she’s fine, just hungry.” I said as he rushed into the kitchen with Mia in his arms crying her little head off. I handed the bottle to him and he gently put it into her mouth and her crying instantly stopped. The look of worry slipped from his face and into a relieved smile.

“She’s so tiny.” Austin murmured to me as Mia’s tiny hands clutched at the bottle Austin was holding.

“She’s a baby, Austin. What do you expect?” I sat on the sofa in the living room and switched the TV on as Austin made faces at our baby girl. He started talking to her and I couldn’t help but ease into the conversation.

“You’re so beautiful, both you and your Mommy are so beautiful. I wonder sometimes what she sees in me but then I look at her and don’t have to worry. Do you know why that is? I’ll tell you. She had you and got a pretty ring on her finger making her mine. So you’ve got a perfect family. Although Daddy does get ill sometimes but you’re fine.”

Tears filled my eyes as he spoke to her. Austin was my everything, before him I was nothing and so close to not being her but then he helped me through and now I have the perfect life. I couldn’t stop the giggle that came out at his next words.

“If you bring a boyfriend or girlfriend, whatever your choice, back they’ll have to pass the Dad test and I’m promising you now, Mia. It won’t be easy.”

“You can be so protective of her, Austin. She’s only a baby.” Austin transferred her to my arms as she started crying again. She stopped a few moments later as I started bouncing her and in seconds she was fast asleep.

“She’s my baby girl and I’ll protect her with my life.”

“Juice! Mummy juice!” I looked over at Mia and she was shaking her empty bottle at me. I filled her bottle up with some juice Austin bought and she’d taken a liking to. She immediately put the bottle in her mouth when I handed it back to her. I handed her the plate of pancakes and she stabbed them with her Disney Princess cutlery set.

Austin and Mia’s obsession with Disney Princesses was really weird. Austin had bought a DVD box set which had every Disney Princess film in and he and Mia had sat and watched them all one day. I sat reading while Austin explained what was happening to Mia.

We managed to keep our day occupied by filling the pool up with cleaner water that was in the patio to the left of the garden. I slid Mia’s armbands on and she slowly walked into the pool as I sat on the edge watching her and making sure she doesn’t drown.

“Taylor, baby?”

“You better have a good fucking reason to leave me with no explanation.” I growled at him when he sat down next to me on the patio before putting his feet in the water.

“I went and saw Dr Bronwyn.” Was all he I said. I looked at him hoping he would continue. “He said it is perfectly normal that I have the pain but then he took a look at my heart. I need another operation, Taylor. If I don’t have it I’ll die.”

Notes

Title Cred: 30 Seconds to Mars

Ahh, I'm not sure where to go with this story. Help?