Love Letter

Sorrow......

December 15th....

Darling Emmy,

Daddy is so very sorry. He really REALLY wants to be home for Christmas, but he can't.  Mummy will need you to be her best girl. Can you do that for Daddy?

Tell Mummy that my heart is breaking as I write this, I so wanted our first Christmas to be a family one. I even thought about chartering a whole jet just to get home, but everything - the whole production schedule - depends on this month's filming being wrapped by the end of December.

If Mummy would like, maybe we could have two Christmases? One all together over Daddy's Ipad and... well, maybe we could have a second one in January, when I'm all done?  There's a beautiful little chalet not far from where we're filming? I think you and Mummy would just love it? It reminds me of  gingerbread house.

Emmy sweetpea, will you pass me on to Mummy now? Big hugs and kisses, my darling, from your Daddy xxxxxx

...... Ali, my love. I know we fought last night, and you have every right to be furious with me. I have let you down so badly, my love. Our first Christmas as a family ruined. If there was ANY way round it, I PROMISE I would be doing that.

I meant what I said, though. Last night and even now, you and Emmy are my world. When this project is done, I swear I'll cleary diary for six months. Only phone or zoom, and only when WE, yes WE have nothing lined up. If you or Emmy need me? Even if it's booked? It gets cancelled. I PROMISE.

Now, I know we ended on garsh words, and I know neither of us probably got much sleep, so I just want to say I will call you every night at 5.30 pm. Without fail. Starting tonight - although you'll know that before this arrives!

I love you, Ali, with my heart, my soul, and every atom in me. You really are my north, south, east, and west.

Take care, my love, I can't - and won't - exist without you. Think Thomas and Edith?

See you as soon as possible, all my love T xxxxxx

He sighed and folded the note. He looked at the screensaver on his phone. Ali holding Emmy the morning they'd come home from their date night in the hotel.  If only work hadn't taken the rosy glow from their cheeks. Hadn't interfered in what was simply an idyllic few weeks.  Emmy had gone from strength to strength. Ali had recovered and re-found her joy of being a mother. Life had been great. Until the filming began.

Bad weather had delayed them and now? Now they had to make up time. It was, however, costing far more than money...

He got up and walked through the hotel to the front desk. "Has the helicopter gone yet?" He asked politely, looking at the wall clock for some reassurance he hadn't missed it.

"No, Herr Hiddleston, do you need to go into the valley?" The smartly dressed concierge smiled and picked up her phone.

"No, thankyou Fraulein Adler, I just wondered if the post had gone."  He handed her the envelope, and she smiled.

"No, not yet. I'll see this gets added to it right away." She  nodded and walked off.

"Dankeschoen Fraulein!" He called after her, and she held up a hand in acknowledgement.

"Nichts zu danken, tchuss!"

"Tchuss!" As he left the lobby, he heard  the helicopter engine start. He smiled. Hopefully, in a few weeks, it would not bring an answer, oh no. Hopefully, it would bring his family.

Ali paced the living room, Emmy, cuddled in her arms. She would NOT stop crying.  She'd been fed, changed, and storied to within an inch of her precious life, but she still cried.

"Oh Emmy , shhh little one, Mummys here. Shhhh bubbs, Mummy's got you. Are you sore? Does your tummy hurt?" She knew Emmy had NO clue what she was saying. She just needed to make the tone as soothing as possible.  She gently jiggled her in her arms, humming a soft tune to the now puce coloured child.

With a thud, Ali sat down on the sofa. "Oh Emila, please, PLEASE cut me some slack? I'm as new to this as you are, darling girl. Your Daddy... well, your Daddy isn't here. Not going to be for a while, it seems. I know, I know, Mummy is the B-team, and you signed up for the All-star cast. Sorry, love. Thems the breaks....  She sighed and sat back, Emmy no longer scteaming but still crying piteously.

She'd call Diana. She would know what to do.  Leaning over to pick up her phone, she caught sight of herself  reflected in a darkened window pane.  Did she REALLY look that rough? Wow, that was a shocker. When Tom got back.... she sighed again. When WOULD he get back? Who knew. If he couldn't even make it for Christmas....

As she descended into morose self-pity, the phone, now by her side, lit up, and she laughed.

"Hello love.... please, please hear me out. Please don't hang up." Tom's voice floated into her ear, making her almost do exactly that. She was still furious, it seemed.

"Hello Thomas." She was polite, but God, she could be cold as ice.

"I'm sorry, love. I really am. About last night. " his voice was warm and soft and uterly hypnotic. She felt her anger dissipate as she listened.

"It's ok, Tom, dont apologise. We're probably far more tired than either of us realise. Little things get blown out of proportion. " she smiled,"and now that a lifetime of Christmases and birthdays stretch ahead of me? Waiting a couple of weeks extra for this one? It's hardly the end of the world. Im sorry I shouted at you, love." 

She smiled softly into the phone, and he could hear the gentle joy of it. "I shouldn't be giving you reason to. Look, I have to go, we're doing a night shoot, but I promise to call you tomorrow at the same time?" He spoke softly into the phone now.

"Good night, Babygirl..."

She smiled and instinctively ran a hand down her thigh.

"Goodnight, Daddy...."