"It's bedtime, sugar!"
No response.
"Vanessa! Come on baby, you need to go to sleep!"
Still nothing.
Sighing heavily, Hilary walked up the stairs, knowing that her child had been playing up in her room. When she walked into Vanessa's light pink room, however, she found the little girl sitting in the middle of the room, bawling her eyes out.
"Lizzie!" Hilary gasped, jumping on the floor next to the child, "are you okay? Did you get hurt?"
"N…no…" Vanessa sniffed, letting a tiny hiccup escape.
"Then what's wrong? Why are you crying, sweetheart?"
"I…I can't find T…Teddy," Vanessa sobbed, "he…he's missing Mommy."
Oh no, Hilary thought fearfully. 'Teddy' was Vanessa's life and soul which she heartily treasured. Tyson had given her the stuffed toy on the day she was born, and it had been Vanessa's constant companion since. Without it, there was no way Vanessa would go to sleep. Or stop crying for that matter.
"Where was the last place you had Teddy?" Hilary inquired softly as she brushed back some of her daughter's hair, "Do you remember?"
"At lunch," Vanessa murmured.
"With Daddy?" Hilary's eyes widened, and Vanessa nodded in response. The family had all gone to a special lunch that day in Tyson's honor for retaining his world title. Vanessa had, in fact, brought Teddy with her, but Hilary could've sworn the little girl had left with the stuffed bear. "Did you leave him in the room, baby?"
"I fink so," Vanessa rubbed her eye.
Groaning, Hilary stood up and returned downstairs, walking swiftly into the kitchen. Tyson was sitting at the kitchen table, finishing up some paper work for the league.
"We have a problem," Hilary announced from behind Tyson. The blunette looked over his shoulder, giving his wife a curious look.
"What's up Hil?" He asked, "I've really gotta' get this work done."
"No, this is a big problem," Hilary shook her head rapidly. Tyson sighed and spun the chair around in order to face Hilary.
"What is it?"
"Vanessa doesn't have Teddy," Hilary continued, "she left him at the luncheon today."
"Please tell me you're kidding," Tyson grimaced after a moment of silence. In response, Hilary frowned and shook her head yet again. "What're we going to do?"
"We've gotta' get him back Tyson," Hilary folded her arms, "otherwise tonight is going to be a living hell."
"How are we supposed to get him? The banquet hall isn't open right now. It's eight at night."
"Tyson, you're the World Champion," Hilary tried, "you can pull a lot of strings. Can't you find a way for them to let you into the hall?"
"You seriously want me to abuse my power to retrieve a stuffed doll?" Tyson asked incredulously. "Unless you want to stay up all night with a hysterical three year old, then yes, I do."
"Fine," Tyson grumbled as he stood up, "I'll see what I can do."
XXX
Amazingly, Tyson had been able to convince the owner of the restaurant to let him in, although he'd refuse to tell the proprietor just why he needed to come back.
"Thank you very much," Tyson gave the man a tired smile as he entered the building.
"It's not a problem," he returned the grin; "you are the brand ambassador of here, after all!"
Yeah, and I also feel like a crazy person, Tyson thought miserably as he scanned the room.
"Are you looking for something?" The owner asked, slightly confused by Tyson's behavior.
"Hm?" Tyson looked back at the man for a quick second before continuing his search, "uh…I guess maybe you could say I am…"
I cannot tell him I'm looking for a freaking doll! Tyson snapped at himself inwardly.
"Perhaps I can help!" The owner offered, "What exactly are you looking for?"
Tyson began to ponder whether or not to respond, but when he locked eyes on a nearby chair, he felt relief wash over him. Now he wouldn't have to embarrass himself!
"Nah, I'm good," Tyson smiled as he ran towards the chair in order to grab the stuffed Teddy bear and hide it behind his back, "I found it!"
Looking at the chair that Tyson had hurried over to, the owner chuckled and commented, "Ah, so that doll was yours! We were trying to figure out who it belonged to!"
Tyson's face flashed a deep crimson. "Err…technically, it doesn't belong to me. It belongs to my daughter…and…yeah. Thank you though!" And with that he darted out of the restaurant, completely humiliated.
"Well, that was degrading," Tyson looked towards sky. But he couldn't help. Misplacing stuff was a trait Vanessa had got from Tyson.
It was all worth it, however, when Tyson returned home and found Vanessa waiting by the door, her eyes lighting up at the sight of her favorite toy.
"Teddi!" She squealed, jumping up and down. Tyson smiled and knelt down, handing the stuffed bear over to his little daughter.
"There ya go pumpkin," Tyson patted her head, "ready for bed now?" Vanessa nodded furiously as she wrapped her arms around Tyson, giving him as tight a hug as she could deliver.
"Thank you Daddy!" She stood up on her tippy toes to kiss his nose.
"No problem sweetie," Tyson kissed the top of her head, "let's go upstairs now." Vanessa nodded and let go of her father, running towards the stairs. Tyson chuckled and followed after the girl, giving Hilary a loving glance as he passed her.
"Hey Tyson?" Hilary called when he was halfway up the stairs. He looked back down at Hilary, who was now standing by the door with a smart look on her face. He, in turn, looked a little shocked. She was holding up nothing else but Teddy. "I think you're forgetting something."