Just Fly Away

Ben woke up and rolled over to hug his wife. Feeling nothing but pillows, he groaned. He was off for a few days and had big plans to hang out with his family. He quickly checked his phone. There was no text message from Miranda, but there was a note on the nightstand. She'd written: "Ben, didn't want to wake you, but I had to go in. Kids may or may not be asleep. Breakfast is in the kitchen. Love you. –Miranda" Getting up, he stretched for a few minutes before checking on the kids. Sixteen-year-old Tuck was still asleep and his youngest, six-year-old Danielle, was up watching TV. "Good morning, baby," he said sitting on her bed.

"Good morning, daddy," Dani responded crawling into his arms. Ben felt his chest explode. This little girl had his entire heart. Helping Miranda raise Tuck prepared him for fatherhood, but nothing prepared him for having a daughter that adored him. "What do you think about going to the park today?"

"To ride my bike?"

"If you want."

She nodded, her braids swaying. He chuckled and kissed her head. "Okay. Go wake up your brother up and then we'll eat and get dressed and head out. Sound good?"

"Yes!" She said scurrying out of the door. Downstairs in the kitchen, he warmed up the lukewarm breakfast sandwiches Miranda had gotten for them. He also put the cup of cold coffee she'd left for him into the microwave.

"Food, yes!" Tuck said coming into the kitchen, bypassing Ben and heading right for the fridge.

"Wow. How about, 'Hey, dad, how the hell are you this morning?'" Ben said. "And then I can say 'I'm good, son, how are you?'"

The boy laughed. "Hey, dad, how the hell ae you this morning?"

"Ooo!" Dani said cupping her mouth.

"Watch your mouth," Ben told him, popping him on the back of the head. "You only get one of those."

"Sorry," Tuck smirked. "Morning, dad."

"That's better." Ben put sandwiches in front of them. They said a quick grace and ate. "Can you get your sister some juice?"

"Dani said we're going to the park," Tuck said pulling out some orange juice.

"If you want to roll with the cool kids."

"I'm down," Tuck said. Ben nodded. "Can I tell Kelly we're coming?"

Dani smiled. "Your girlfriend!"

"She's not my girlfriend, nosy. We're just friends," The teen insisted.

"Nuh-uh," Dani told him.

"Yes, huh," Tuck responded. Ben chuckled and bit into his sandwich, quiet. They were ten years apart, but in any given conversation they were either both sixteen or both six.

After eating, Ben attached the bikes to the back of his truck. They all got washed and dressed and headed for the door. "Can I drive?" Tuck asked, his eyes wide like his mother's. "Please, dad." She'd warned him once not to look into them when he asked for something. He forgot the advice and before he knew it, he was handing over the keys. He made sure Dani was strapped in before Tuck pulled out.

"Relax your hands, son," he said to the teen. Tuck loosened his grip on the wheel. "Good. Doesn't that feel better?" Tuck nodded. At the park, his son ran to the court. He ran behind a girl sitting on a bench and hugged from behind. The girl jumped up and Ben could see that it was Kelly. She squealed and kissed him on the lips quickly. "My God." He knew Tuck was getting older and more mature, but not 'I have a serious girlfriend' mature. It still shocked him. "Well, I guess it's just you and me, little girl," he told Dani as she climbed onto her pink and purple bike. He got onto his navy-blue bike and the two of them circled on the park, stopping occasionally so that she could pick flowers and look at birds. If someone had told him twenty years ago that the highlight of his day would include plucking up dandelions and looking at pigeons, he would have called them foolish and cut off all contact with them. Tired of riding, Ben sat on a bench, his eyes darting between Tuck on the basketball court and Dani on the jungle gym.

Dani ran over to him. "Look, daddy!" She said pointing to two girls riding without training wheels.

"What are we looking at, baby?"

"I wanna do that!"

"Ride your bike? You can do that at home."

"No, no. Ride without the wheels. I want to do that."

Ben took a deep breath. "I don't know. You think you're ready?"

She nodded, her eyes, excited and eager. "Please, daddy."

"Your mom's not going to like it."

"But I want to do it," Dani pouted.

Still not learning a lesson, he looked into her brown eyes, the same ones he had and said: "Okay." His daughter clapped for joy and kissed his cheek. Now, all he had to do was talk to his wife about it.

"No, no, absolutely not," Miranda, said walking from the bathroom to her side of the bed. "She's too young."

"She's not," he said holding in a sigh.

"She is."

They'd been going back and forth since after dinner. He opened the closet and pulled out a t-shirt, clearing his throat. "Danielle will be fine."

"I'm not saying she won't be fine, Benjamin." He tossed his hands into the air, relinquishing his position in the conversation. The two of them climbed into bed. She snuggled up to him. "And don't try softening me with hugs and kisses and… love."

He ignored her and kissed the back of her head. His hand lingered at the band of her pajama pants. "She wants to learn, Miranda," he said in her ear.

"What if she gets hurt?" Miranda grabbed his hand and placed it on her chest. "She's only six."

"You didn't put up this much of a fight with Tuck," he countered. She sucked her teeth. "Don't tell me that you, a feminist, is denying your daughter of doing an activity you let your son do." Hearing a slight sigh, he smiled. He had her.

Miranda turned to face him. "She's a year younger than he was before he started riding without training wheels. It's not the same."

He laughed and kissed her lips quickly. "It is."

"It's not."

"It is, babe."

"Don't 'babe' me," she said.

"Sorry, baby." He gave her a smile that he knew put butterflies into her stomach. She'd told him so and when he wanted to get his way, he gave her that smile. The one that was only for her.

She flared her nostrils. "Ugh, fine."

"Mmmhmm… turn over." She did as she was told and he held her tightly from behind. "Trust me, hon. She'll be fine. Helmets and knee pads and elbow pads, the whole nine yards."

"Mouthguard."

"She's six!" He laughed, touching her waist. "The ones she has are on loan. She's good." He closed his eyes.

"You promise?"

"Yes. I promise."

The next morning, he was making breakfast when Dani walked into the kitchen. "Hi, mommy. Hi, daddy." The girl hugged her mother first and then him.

"Good morning, Danielle," Miranda said. "I heard you and daddy had a good time at the park yesterday."

Dani nodded. "We made flower bracelets."

"What else?"

"I played and looked at birds!" The girl exclaimed.

Ben smiled. "And you wanted to learn how to ride without training wheels, right?"

"Right!" Dani said. "Can I, mommy?" Dani turned to face Miranda.

Miranda took a deep breath. She began grinning, "Of course you can! You're going to be an excellent rider."

"Daddy's going to teach me."

"And breakfast is finished," Ben said kissing the tops of their heads. "Tuck!"

"He's gone, babe. Tucker took him to the barbershop."

His face fell a little. "Oh."

"He'll be back, daddy," Dani said touching his hand.

Ben smiled. "Thank you, baby." The three of them ate. And when they were finished, Ben moved the cars so that Dani could practice in the driveway. He unscrewed her training wheels as she got dressed. Miranda opened a camping chair at the edge of the lawn. Dani climbed onto the bike, her braided pigtails matching the strings on her handlebars. "Okay, Danielle. It's going to feel weird at first. The bike doesn't stand up unless you put your feet down." The girl nodded slowly. "And you know how to use your brakes, right?"

"Yes, daddy. I'm ready! I'm ready!" Her face was nothing but a big smile.

"That's my big girl!" Miranda said from the side. He smiled at her over his shoulder. "And my husband!"

"One more thing."

"Okay."

"Are you listening?"

"Yes."

He looked at. Her eyes were so shiny and bright and hex was about to crush her. "You might fall."

"Huh?" She said, her eyes widening.

"You might fall," he repeated. "And… it will probably hurt." Dani shook her head and started to get off of the bike. "Whoa! Slow down. Slow down." He chuckled at her haste. "Mommy and I are right here."

"Don't let me go, okay?" Dani said adjusting herself.

Ben winked at her. "Not until you tell me to," he promised.

Miranda walked up behind him and slipped a hand around his waist. "Good luck!" She leaned in to kiss the girl on the head.

"Thank you, mommy!" Dani said smiling once again.

His wife kissed his cheek. "Don't you let my baby get hurt," she threatened.

"She won't." Ben held onto Dani's bike as she pedaled up and down the long driveway. She sped up and he jogged beside her, cheering her on. On their fifteenth trip, he stopped. Miranda had gone inside to get drinks. "You know, baby girl, at some point, you have to tell me to let go." She shook her head, putting her feet on the pavement. "Just try."

"I don't want to fall."

He sighed. He didn't want her to fall either, but if this was something she wanted to do, he wanted to help her. "What did I say before we started?"

"That I might fall."

"Exactly. Don't be afraid of it. Just pedal and use your brakes. Trust me, Danielle." The girl took a deep breath and gripped her handles. "Relax your hands."

"Okay, daddy." Ben smiled. Anytime she called him "daddy," he felt a surge of elation. "I'm ready for real this time."

"Alright. Just tell me when to let go." She nodded and began pedaling. "Good. Good."

"Okay, let go, daddy!" Ben lifted his hands from the bike and continued to run behind her. She shook and the bike hit the ground, but she stood tall. "I did it!"

"Not bad!" He said hugging her. "How was it?"

"Fun! Again! Again!"

She got back on and pedaled up the driveway. "Let go!" Dani called out. Ben did as he was told and she rode off, two seconds later, she was side swiping the garage and falling on top of her bike, her head tapping the smooth pavement. "AHHHH!" His heart dropped into his stomach. She sat on the ground, moments from crying. Rushing over, he saw that her thigh and knee were scraped and she was starting to bleed. He reached for Dani and she crawled into his arms, resting her head against his shoulder. "Daddy!"

Stroking her head, he took a deep breath, glad that she was okay. "Shhh… shh… You're okay," he whispered walking into the house. "You're okay, baby."

Miranda came out of the kitchen quickly. "What happened?! Why is she crying?"

Ben held up a hand. "She fell, but she's okay. She just has a scrape on her thigh. And on her knee." She shook her head and took Dani, walking with her to the sofa and pulling off her helmet. "I guess I'll get the first aid kit." In the kitchen, he grabbed the kit and a cup of water.

Danielle's faint crying got louder and she moaned lowly. Returning to the living room, he heard his wife and daughter talking. "Oh, baby, tell mommy what happened." The girl began talking indecipherably. "You have to stop crying, okay? I can't hear you. Take a deep breath." The six-year-old did so. "Feel better?"

"Yes," she whimpered.

"Alright, baby. I'm listening."

"I was on the bike and I was riding and daddy let me go and I got scared and fell."

Ben handed Dani the water before opening the kit. He put it in front of Miranda. "Thank you." Her face was full of concern. He was concerned, too. But Dani didn't need two parents on high alert. It would scare her and she wouldn't want to ride again. Miranda applied the bandage as if she were performing surgery and he tried to hide a grin. "There you go, baby."

"Stop laughing! It's not funny," Dani said looking at him.

"Yeah, hon," Miranda echoed turning to face him. She winked at him. "It's not funny."

"Sorry, ladies. But you're okay, right, Dani?" He asked.

Danielle moved into Miranda's lap. "No."

Ben smiled. "We talked about this, remember? Falling. You're going to try again, right?"

"No. I got hurt." Miranda stroked her daughter's head.

"I'll make lunch." He stood up. Over Danielle's head, he raised an eyebrow at Miranda. She shook her head. "Talk to her," he mouthed.

Warming up some leftovers from dinner, she stood in the doorway and listened to the conversation that Miranda was having with Dani. "…then I fell and now I don't want to do it anymore."

He watched his wife kiss the top of their daughter's head. "You can't give up after falling one time."

"It really hurts, mommy."

"Yes, I know. But you are my daughter. You are a strong, young girl. And two little scrapes should not stop you from doing something you really want to accomplish." Ben looked at his girls and could not stop the butterflies in his stomach. Their little family meant everything to him. "Babe! Hey, babe!"

"Yeah, babe?" Ben shouted as if he was still in the kitchen. Walking into the room and holding a spatula, he leaned over the armchair.

"Danielle?" Miranda said looking down at the girl.

"I want to try again, daddy." Ben beamed. "Can we go back outside?"

"Of course, baby! Let me turn off the stove," he told them.

"And I'm staying there until you get it," Miranda remarked. "To make sure daddy doesn't drop my baby again."

Ben laughed loudly. "Woman, I did not drop her."

"You did! You let me go!" Danielle said pointing at her father. Ben moved to her and tickled her with his free hand. "Okay, okay, you didn't!" Ben kissed her forehead and headed to the kitchen. "Psych! You did!"

As the three of them headed back outside, Tucker pulled up and Tuck jumped out. "Hey, y'all!" He said after waving to his father. "What are we doing?"

"I'm riding my bike. Without training wheels," Dani replied.

"Alright, Dani!" Tuck high-fived his sister. "I want to help."

"Good. My back will thank you."

"My nerves are a mess," Miranda admitted as they watched their kids.

"Relax, baby," he said kissing the side of her head. "It's only bike-riding."

"Yes, but with my little girl. And anything can happen. Her precious brain could be smattered on the concrete, her limbs broken into pieces."

He turned to her. "God, Miranda! Why would you say that?"

"Wh—is it not a possibility? Have we both not seen our share of traumas?"

"You know what? You're being morbid. And I don't want to play this game. Not with my little girl." Miranda stifled a laugh.

"Okay, Dani, are you ready for the real thing?" Miranda asked when Tuck and Dani stopped in front of them. The youngest of the bunch nodded. "You're going to be okay."

"You promise?"

Miranda exhaled deeply. "Yes. I promise."

Danielle pushed her feet against the pedals, her eyes moving from her mother to her father. Ben could see apprehension and fear in her eyes. "Be brave, baby," he said touching her cheek.

"Okay, daddy."

"Aight, let's go." He held the back of her bike. She shook her head, refusing to pick her foot up.

"It's okay, Dani," Tuck said taking over again. "I got it, dad." They rolled away.

"I thought she would have gotten it by now," Ben huffed, sliding his arm across Miranda's waist.

"Hmm. She'll get it. In her own time, she's being a bit stubborn, nervous about her earlier fall." Miranda turned and glared at him. "I can't believe you didn't tell me that she hit her head earlier."

"Barely, Miranda. And she was wearing a helmet."

"But you didn't tell me, Benjamin Warren."

She was understandably frustrated. "Because I didn't want you to blow up like you're doing now. She's perfectly fine."

Miranda moved away from him. He walked up behind her. "I'm sorry for not telling you that she bumped her head."

"Let go a little!" They heard Danielle say. Tuck released her and she rode for a couple of feet before falling off.

Miranda, Tuck and Ben ran over to her with a barrage of questions. "Are you okay, baby?" Miranda asked. Dani blinked a few times and nodded. "Good."

"You look great riding young bike, little lady," Ben said, plastering a smile on his face. It started mostly to reassure his daughter, but it turned genuine as he looked into her eyes.

"I'm ready to stop now," she said. "I hurt."

Miranda opened his mouth to combat what she'd said, but Ben stopped her. "Well, okay. If you're sure. Let's go inside," he said taking Danielle by the hand.

The four of them went into the house and Ben finished with the food, fixing plates for everyone. Dani turned on the TV and Tuck asked to go to the park. As Ben washed the dishes, Miranda crept up behind him. "Why'd you let her stop?" She questioned, her voice vibrating his skin.

"Reverse psychology," he said with a smile. It was always so funny to him when they flip-flopped about certain things. Miranda hadn't even wanted her to ride without training wheels and now she was pressuring him to pressure Dani. He chuckled.

"We should haven't let her—"

"Trust me." Ben turned around kissed her easily.

"I do trust you."

"Good."

Miranda went to take a shower as Ben joined Dani in the living room. A commercial came on with kids riding bikes and he saw her furrow her brow. He knew that look—very well. Miranda made that same look when she got determined. The six-year-old turned to him. "I want to try again," she demanded.

"'Please'."

Dani smiled sweetly. "Please."

"Let's rock and roll."

She got her bike and rolled it toward him. With a quickness, the girl grabbed her helmet. Ben held it steady as she climbed on the bike. "What if I fall?"

Ben sighed and looked down at the girl, the perfect mixture of both of her parents. "Then… you'll fall. You've fallen before, right?" Danielle nodded, her barrettes knocking together. "Well, there you go. You just have to keep trying until you get it right."

"Don't let me go until I say, okay?"

"Okay."

Miranda came out of the house, chuckling. "What's going on?"

"I'm trying again, mommy."

"That's my girl! You're so brave."

Miranda held one side of bike and Ben held the other. "Just say when, okay?" Miranda told her.

"Don't let me go," the girl commanded. "Not yet."

"Okay," Ben said. They walk-jogged alongside Danielle and waited for her direction.

"Let go!" Danielle shouted. Miranda and Ben looked at each other before taking their hands off of the bike. The girl pedaled a few feet before falling on the ground. She popped right back up. They repeated the process. "Let me go!" Four hands released the bike and Dani kept going up the driveway. She turned onto the lawn and kept going. Ben jogged to keep up with her but was out-pedaled. Trying to make another turn, Dani wobbled and fell into the grass. Ben held his breath and Miranda walked over to him. "I did it!" She yelled

Ben exhaled and closed his eyes for a long second. "You did!" He shouted. "Good job, baby girl!"

Miranda clapped her hands and ran to hug their child. "Oh! We are so proud of you!"

"Did you see me?" She said standing the bike up, breathing heavily.

Ben laughed, "We did. And you looked good doing it, too." He hugged his daughter and spun her around.

"I'm dizzy!" She said laughing. Miranda joined in and the combination was intoxicating. The three of them stayed outside. They watched Dani fly up and down the driveway, learning how to turn and how to brake. When Tuck returned, he rode his bike next to Dani. Miranda and Ben watched from the sideline providing humorous commentary and snacks. Ben was so content and his heart was so full. This was his happy place.

In bed that night, Ben set his alarm before rolling over and holding his wife's waist. "It was a success, wouldn't you agree?" He asked kissing her neck.

"Yes, I knew it would be," Miranda said.

"You know lying doesn't look good on you."

"That's why I don't do it." She turned around, surprising him. His hand found her cheek. "I knew Dani could handle it." Ben made a face and rolled his eyes upward. "You can make all the faces you want, Benjamin Warren."

"Miranda Bailey, you had no faith in us and you know it."

"I'll never admit it." She turned around and he mushed his face into her hair as a knock landed on their bedroom door.

"Come in," he said. Dani walked into the room carrying a stuffed animal. She jumped into the bed between them. "Hey, baby. You're okay?"

She nodded. "My leg hurts."

"Aww, you want daddy to kiss it?" Miranda asked. Dani nodded, her eyes sparkling. Ben picked up her leg and kissed her knee.

"That's better," Dani yawned.

Ben yawned, too. "Today was a good day," he said into the darkness.