Finley

"Sometimes I think I'm going to wake up, and you'll be gone," I say, lying on my side as Daddy holds my hand. I sniffle, and he quickly hands me a tissue. "Like, what if all this is a dream, and I didn't find you? What if I'm still on the ranch?"

He caresses my cheek and squeezes my hand, shaking his head. "This is real, little one. I'm really here, and I'm never leaving you."

"What's home like?"

He smiles. "Well, it's an apartment here in the city. We have wall-to-ceiling windows for a great view and a balcony to sit outside on. Right now, your room is pretty bare bones, but I'm sure with your Aunt Alice's help, it'll be uniquely yours in no time."

My own room.

I've never had one before. The cabin we lived in was just one big room, so Mom and I slept together in a single bed. I miss sleeping with her, but Dad holds my hand all night, which helps.

"I—" A cough tears through me, stopping me from talking, and I struggle to sit up until Dad helps. I feel bad, to be honest. It's been three days, and these infections just seem to worsen. They put me on a different antibiotic today, so hopefully, those will help soon. "Sorry," I mumble, coughing the gunk into a tissue.

He shakes his head, continuing to rub my back. "There's no reason to apologize, Finn. You're sick—coughing happens. With the antibiotics, hopefully, we can knock out this bout of pneumonia without too many issues. Your O2 sats are a bit low, so it might help if we gave you some oxygen."

I nod. "Maybe."

He lets go of my hand, grabbing a bag off the table and ripping it open. He pulls out the tubing, connects it to something, then carefully wraps it under my nose and around my ears. Right away, I can feel a difference as I take a deep breath.

"That's better," I say, scooting back down on the bed and onto my right side, facing him. The lights are off, and it's quiet in this room because my heart monitor is just a box I hang around my neck, so I don't have to hear the sounds anymore. It was always quiet on the ranch, and the beeping made it harder to sleep.

Dad pulls my blankets up and retakes my hand. He smiles, but it's sad. "We'll do another chest x-ray tomorrow to see if there's any progress. Mind if I take a listen to your chest for a minute?"

I shake my head, and he grabs his stethoscope off the table, putting the pieces in his ears. He warms the end in his hand for a minute before pressing it to my back. I take a deep breath when he says to, and he's finished quickly, tossing the instrument back down on the table.

"You sound about the same, which is good; you're not getting worse. So, what colors will your room be?"

I shrug. "I like pink. It's my favorite color. Yours is blue, isn't it?"

He smiles, cocking his head. "How did you know?"

"Mom told me. She also told me you don't like tomatoes, which I don't either, and that you like 'old people' music."

He laughs. "Old people music? My tastes are exquisite, dear. You'll see. What else did she tell you about me?"

"You're in the Navy, and you were going to be a doctor who saves people. She said you two met as kids and have been together forever."

He nods. "We met in kindergarten, which is when you start school. We became best friends right away, and then, eventually, years later, we became a couple. We got married at eighteen, and everyone thought we were crazy for it. I left for boot camp the following week. I went to college while serving a tour. I started medical school about two months after she disappeared, but I never stopped looking.

"She wanted you to move on. She said . . . you have too much love to give to tuck it all away. But she always thought you were still looking for us. When I was little, we tried to escape, and she pinned your name to my pajamas. We didn't even get to try because the gates were heavily armed, but no matter what, she wanted me to find you. She didn't tell me I would be leaving her."

Tears form in my eyes as I think about our last night together. We cuddled close, and she kept telling me she loved me. She talked about a future for me.

"You're the best thing in my life," she'd said.

"You're the best, Momma," I'd said back.

She brushed my hair back, moving her lips closer to my ear. "You're going to do amazing things someday, baby. I know I've told you a lot about this world, but family is everything. When you're free, you're going to find your daddy, and he's going to love you so much. You have so many people who love you out there."

"I know, Momma. We'll get back to them."

I squeezed her hand, and she kissed my forehead. I drifted off, and then the next thing I knew, she had a backpack ready for me, and a strange man was in our cabin.

"Our goodbye was so quick," I say, looking at Dad as a tear falls down the side of my face. "Daddy, I have to remember where she is. I can remember so much useless stuff, but not that one crucial thing."

He brushes his thumb across my cheek. "You'll remember soon. The little things you tell us help. We're going to find her, sweet girl. I won't give up."

I believe him, but what can he do if I can't tell him where she is? I've described everything I can remember, but it's not enough. Based on my descriptions, they think she's somewhere in the Midwest, but that's a lot of area to search. I know the town and state, but I just keep drawing a blank.

"Look . . . this is probably a bad time to bring it up," he says. "But the FBI agent called me the other day and wants me to show you a picture of a man named Aro. You don't need to do it tonight, so—"

I shake my head. "Show it to me."

He pulls out his phone and turns it around, showing me the man I know well. I nod as tears fill my eyes. "That's him. So, they found him? Did they find Mom?"

He shakes his head. "No, baby girl. But now they can begin to investigate him and his brother. They still want to talk to you, but I know you're hesitant. The FBI agent I've been working with said she'll come alone, and I can be with you the whole time."

I know this person probably doesn't work for Aro, but it's still hard to agree to see her. What if it is someone I've recognized? "You mentioned a sign I could make, and you'd know it's someone I know, remember?"

He nods. "Yep. Just tug your ear like this." He tugs on his own, and I nod. "I'll get you out of here right away if that's the case, and we'll go to a hotel. It'll all be okay."

"'What's her name?"

I don't remember ever meeting a woman FBI agent before.

Aro would have this big party every year, and even I had to participate. I've met a congressman, a few mayors, three senators, and a bunch of other important people. That's where I met the FBI agents, who were eager to show me their badges. They scared me when they told me what they did for a living because they were supposed to be the good guys. Mom said the police were good and helped people—that Grandpa Charlie was a cop and he was good.

"Victoria Mitchell. She's nice," he says.

"I hope so." I sigh, squeezing his hand as another cough tears through me. He sits me up and pats my back, which helps. Helping me lay back down, he holds me for a moment, and I rest my head on his shoulder. "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you too, sweet girl." He kisses the side of my head and then helps me get situated back in bed.

My nighttime meds are starting to kick in, so I close my eyes and breath through the tubing, holding his hand in mine. I can't sleep without that touch. It makes me feel safe and secure—like I've never felt before.

"I'm right here if you need me, Finn. Just squeeze my hand."

I nod, knowing I probably will. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, little one."

. . . . .

I feel a little better over the next two days, and my lungs are clearing, according to my dad. I want another shower today because the last one felt so good on my aching body. I'm off the strong pain meds, but it still hurts. I don't tell Dad that, though. I tell him it's not bad because I don't want him to worry. Mom always worried about me too, but she didn't buy it when I was really hurting—and neither does Dad, apparently because he keeps asking if I'm okay.

I nod. "Can I shower again? It felt really good, and I feel grimy again."

"I don't know, Finn. I'm sure your aunt Alice is coming to meet you today with more clothes. We'll see how you feel after that visit because she can be a little . . . much. She might talk your ear off about your room."

I'm excited to meet her. She and Mom were friends in college, and she introduced her to Uncle Jasper. Mom said she was a ball of energy, which is what I think Dad means to say, but I'm ready for it.

"I'll be fine. So, that's a yes?"

He sighs with a smile. "If you're up to it."

Grandma comes in with breakfast and a basket full of things, grinning as she puts everything down. "We're doing a hospital spa day today, which means no boys allowed," she says, looking at Dad.

"I don't want to leave her yet," he says, shaking his head.

We've been here for nine days. He needs to get a real shower and actual clothes. "I'm okay, Daddy," I say. "I'll have Grandma and Aunt Alice, and you'll only be gone for like an hour."

I want him to go, but not for too much, which he seems to get.

"One hour." He nods. "But I'll only be a phone call away."

I'm surprised he agrees so easily, but Grandma is kind of glaring at him the whole time. He decides to leave now and hugs me tightly goodbye. He kisses my forehead and then pulls back, caressing my cheek.

"I can be back in five minutes."

I nod. "I'll be okay. I love you."

"I love you too, pretty girl."

He leaves just as Aunt Alice comes in. I've seen pictures of her, so I recognize the spiky black hair. She has a bag over her shoulder, which looks like it weighs a ton. She drops it on the end of my bed before putting her arms out for me.

"Hi, I'm Alice," she says, hugging me tightly. "God, it's so good to finally meet you, Finley. You do look just like your mom."

"Everyone says so."

"Now, spa day! I also brought some new clothes and accessories like socks and whatnot. According to your dad, I can't paint your left toenails, but we can still do our nails and your right foot."

"That sounds wonderful, but I really want a shower first."

Grandma smiles. "I planned for that. Let me get your nurse."

Thank God, I feel gross.

My nurse, Sarah, comes in with Grandma, and they use a wheelchair to get me into the bathroom. It's slightly degrading that I can't do this myself, but I want a shower so badly I can handle it. Thankfully it doesn't take long with the two of them helping. Grandma rinses my hair one last time, and then they help me dry off before giving me a gown to wear until I pick out my clothes.

Alice did go a bit overboard. She has tons of outfits waiting for me, all comfy looking. I settle on a pair of gray sweatpants because it's freezing in the hospital and then a black, ribbed long-sleeve shirt. I pull it on as Grandma holds my heart monitor. It's nice to finally be out of the gown and get to wear shirts again.

They start on my manicure next while I'm in the recliner, and Alice puts a face mask sheet on me, which feels incredibly weird. Grandma paints my nails a light pink, and they look so pretty. I've never painted my nails before. Alice wipes my face off and then puts lotion on it, which smells really good. All of this is so strange, yet I like it.

I feel so pretty by the time they're done.

"Would Edward kill me if I put a little bit of makeup on her?" Alice asks.

Grandma nods. "He absolutely will, dear. She looks perfect the way she is. Do you want me to braid your hair, sweetheart?"

"Please?" I ask. They help me back into my clean bed, and Grandma sits behind me. "Can it be two braids?"

"Of course, honey. You know, I used to braid your mom's hair. She'd come over after school, and I'd braid her hair, and then as she got older, she'd come over early for a date or dance with Edward, and I'd do it again. I always thought of her as my surrogate daughter."

"She told me you would. That's how she knew how to do mine."

She sniffles, and I look back, feeling bad I've made her cry. "I'm so glad she took what I taught her and did it for you. That makes me happy."

"But you're crying."

"Because I miss her. She's so special to all of us, and losing her was devastating. But you've brought us hope. Somehow, your dad is going to get her back."

"Not if I can't remember."

"It'll come back, sweetie," she says, finishing my hair. "Now, how does that feel? Not too tight?"

I shake my head, smiling as Dad comes in. "It's perfect."

"You took a shower." He smirks. "Did she have to convince either of you?"

Grandma shakes her head. "Already planned on helping her with one."

Dad sets his bag down, and I take in the jeans and hoodie. They make him look younger and more relaxed, and I like the look.

"How are you feeling, little one?" he asks, leaning down to kiss my forehead.

"Good. Look at my nails." I hold out my hands, and he smiles.

"They look pretty. So, I saw Dr. Adel in the hall, and we talked about your release. Usually, we'd keep you a little longer because of your pelvis fractures, but because I can take care of you just as well as the hospital, he's willing to discharge you tomorrow. How does that sound?"

I grin because I'm so tired of being in the hospital. "I get to go home?"

He nods, smiling. "Yep, you do. As long as you're up to it, that is."

"I'm up to it."

He chuckles. "All right then. Alice, any chance you would run to Target and get some bedding for her?"

Aunt Alice grins, nodding. "Let's check out the app, and I'll do same-day pick-up."

She shows me all kinds of things, and I pick out a comforter and sheets. It suddenly hits me that I'll have to sleep alone when we get home, and that worries me. It's not like Dad will be able to hold my hand all night.

He notices my fallen expression and asks what's wrong.

"It's just . . . I've only slept alone when Mom was with Aro. It's going to be strange."

He nods. "Well, I can always stay with you until you're asleep, and if it's too hard to sleep alone, I don't mind pulling a recliner into your room. We'll just see how it goes."

"Okay." I sigh, hoping I don't need him to do that. "I can't wait to go home."

"I can't wait to have you there, sweet girl. I love you."

I smile and lift my arms. He embraces me tightly. "I love you too, Daddy."

Don't own Twilight.

Don't own Twilight.

Thanks to May, Brier, and Mary for prereading. And thanks to Fran for beta'ing.