They come in dreams

Part 14

The next morning I wake up to an empty bed. A note is laying on the side table. It details how Tierna woke up and I was asleep and she didn't want to disturb me so she left me breakfast in the fridge and will back at 2. The trainer is coming by around 10. I glance at the clock and its 9:45. I roll out of bed feeling better than I had the other days. I eat the food Tierna left in the fridge and finish right as Ally enters again.

"Hey Dani how are you feeling today?"

"A lot better actually." We run the dame tests as the day before and she leaves me with only a butterfly bandaid holding the wound shut. She tells me I can shower and dry off completely before I cover it with a bandaid. My score has dropped today so I avoid having to go to the hospital.

Once Ally leaves I don't really have anything to do. I shower then I still don't feel well enough to watch anything and I'm not tired enough to sleep. I turn on some music and lay in bed tapping my fingers to the beat. The time passes slowly but finally Tierna opens the door and enters.

"T!!!" I jump up a mistake that sends me plummeting back onto the bed. I shake it off quickly. "I'm so bored thank god you're back." She looks amused as she puts her stuff down. "How was practice!?" Tell me everything that happened. She explains the practice to me in detail. After she finishes she hops in the shower.

"We have the rest of the day off. Some of the girls are going to a movie and the rest are going shopping. Dawn made it absolutely clear that you are doing neither. Morgan wanted to hang out with you but I claimed you until this evening."

"Oh you claimed me did you?" I ask her with a little smile.

"Yeah I mean you aren't a lot of fun right now but I was thinking I could make it work," she says with a smirk. I shove her in the side as we both laugh. "Actually though I was hoping you would let me take you on a date?" I am surprised by the question.

"Well of course but what are we supposed to do? I'm barely allowed to leave my bed."

"I had an idea about that but you have to bear with me."

"Ok I'm in." She makes me bundle up and then we are headed down the stairs, me on her back, to meet a car that she called for us.

"Ladies first," she says opening the door for me. I laugh getting in and the driver already seems to know where to go as we start driving down he road. After a short car ride we pull up into a parking lot along the beach. The sign reads Abalone cove shoreline park. She helps me out and grabs my hand leading me towards the beach carrying a large basket that was in the back of the car with her.

"Where did the basket come from?"

"I may have gotten a little help from the our little fan club from last night," she says with a shy grin.

"Oh god," I groan.

"Don't worry I made Ashlyn promise to make sure none of them followed us here or interrupted." We walk along the beach before she pulls a big blanket out of the basket. Laying it out she starts pulling food out of the basket. The basket seems to be filled with every snack item at trader joes.

"Trader joes picnic, I like it," I say grabbing some crackers she's just put out.

"All the delicacies," we eat for a while chatting about her life and her family.

"Dani I haven't really heard anything about your family. If you don't want to talk about it I understand but I want to know if you will tell me." She looks so Ernest and sweet. I don't want the burden of my past to weigh on our present but I also know that entrusting Tierna with the truth is important. I sigh and put down my food.

"Yeah its not a topic I love but I want to share with you." I position myself so I am sitting looking directly at her. "It's not a pretty story and I don't want to ruin our date are you sure?"

"We will have time for plenty more dates right now I want to learn about you." I take a deep breath and start my story. I fill in the details of my childhood its ups and its down. My lack of a mother figure and the care and love my dad devoted to me. When I am telling Tierna about my dad tears start to well up. I fight them down wiping at my eyes as I continue the story. Tierna looks at me intently while I talk. When I start to falter she grabs my hands giving them a reassuring squeeze.

"Like I told you my dad was a firefighter, his brother died in 9/11 and I guess he wanted to make sure he never lost someone like that again. In 2012 on 4th of July there were lots of calls because of fireworks. I was home alone because my Mom was out of town. I hid in my room all night worrying about my dad. The next morning he was still gone I assumed he was still at work. Halfway through eating my breakfast a knock came at the door. I knew not to open the door when I was home alone but I snuck a look out the window to see who it was. 3 firefighters stood on the door step." I take a shaky breath and T holds my hands tighter. Her eyes are starting to water but she doesn't interrupt. "I think I knew right away but I still went to the door. I still opened it and listened while they told me that my father was dead. The firefighters stayed with me while they attempted to call my mom who didn't answer. They then called Maias family who I guess was my emergency contact. They came and picked me up. I didn't leave Maias bed more than once a day for a week." I stop talking there's more to my story but I need to slow down my breathing which has increased with the story. This is my first time telling anybody who didn't already know what had happened. Tierna pulls me into a hug and I try to steady my breathing as I lean against her shoulder. When I finally pull away I take a deep breath and she reaches out wiping a tear from my cheek. "I finally started to play soccer again. I would play while Maia was at camps and stuff. When school started I joined a club team my middle school ran. I had always been the star player on my teams. I mean we all were that's why we are here."

"True," she says with a little laugh.

"Anyway I got a call up to the U-16 national camp. I was so excited I still hadn't even seen my mom since my dad died and I needed every distraction I could get. Then in a game days before I was supposed to leave for camp I broke my ankle. I was crushed I was 12 and I had just lost my dad and effectively my mom as well. Then the one thing keeping me somewhat together was taken from me too. It was a really dark time I wouldn't have survived without Maia." I'm fully crying at this point and Tierna pulls me into her. I cry against her chest as she holds me tight sniffling as well.

"I'm so sorry Dani. I have no idea how you survived all of that." Her voice breaks on the last words, she is crying too. "You we're so young, you are so young." She holds me tight and we cry together. After a while we have both stopped crying and we are sitting there on the beach, me in her arms watching the waves. After a while she stand up offering me her hand.

"We getting back to the date?"

"If you're ready?"

"Of course." She packs the bag up again and leads me towards the rocks. The tide pools are incredible. We spend the next 30 minutes point out little creatures to each other. Eventually I feel my headache becoming more than the dull ache it has settled in for most of the day.

"How are you feeling?" Tierna asks noticing that I've become quieter.

"My headaches getting worse."

"Lets head back to the hotel," she says.

"But the tide pools are so cool," I pout.

"We can cuddle back at the hotel though," she says pouting right back.

"Ooh good counter offer," I say jumping on her back. We walk back the the road and hop in a taxi back to the hotel. Back in the warmth of our hotel room Tierna and I snuggle into our bed.

"Thank you for sharing with me today."

"Thank you for taking me on a wonderful date," I respond. She leans down and kisses me. It's sweet and gentle. I don't have anything to compare it to but I can't imagine it being better.