It was around midnight when Peyton awoke from a terrible nightmare. She got out of bed clutching her teddy bear and soon found herself in her father's room. He looked to be sleeping peacefully and, as scared as she was, she couldn't bring herself to wake him up. She knew he wouldn't be angry with her for waking him when she needed him, even at this late hour, but she still couldn't bring herself to do it.
She started to leave the room only to hear him move and sit up in bed.
Tommy wasn't sure what precisely woke him up, but when he looked and saw Peyton standing in the doorway clutching her teddy bear he was sure why he needed to be awake. She needed him.
"Come here…" he said reaching out for her.
She hesitated for a second then went to him, nestling into his arms.
"What happened?" he asked.
"I had a bad dream." She replied meekly.
"What was in your dream?"
"I dreamed… I dreamed you went into battle and… and never came home." She sobbed.
"Peyton I promise that will never happen." He assured her gently "I have too much to live for."
"Can I stay here with you tonight?" she asked unsure what the answer would be.
Tommy didn't initially answer, just moved the blankets so she could climb in beside him.
"Yes, go ahead and lay down." He encouraged gently "go back to sleep."
She slipped into the blankets and cuddled into him as he joined her. Sleep came easily as she felt her father's embrace as a reminder that what she had seen was not real. He did come home from his last battle and would come back from the next one.
It took longer for Tommy to return to sleep. Why had she hesitated to wake him up? He was her father, she should never be afraid to come to him no matter the time of day or night. The last thought that filtered through his mind as he fell asleep was that he needed to work harder to make sure she understood that she could call him no matter what.
The End.