Dizgaia ~ The Dreamfinder's Daughter

Chapter 21 ~ Breakfast at Tiana's

Mia awoke to warm, golden sunlight streaming in through her bedroom window as it alighted upon her face like a heavenly beam. Flynn was gone. In his place was her father, the Dreamfinder, asleep in the chair at her bedside. Mia sat up. With the ears of a fox, her father awoke to the rustling of the covers.

"Miandra! Oh, dearest! You've no idea how relieved I am to see you awake!"

"I might have an inkling," she said with a small smile, rubbing her head and discovering a small bandage over her temple.

"Oh, don't do that," said Blair, taking her hand in his and lowering it from her head. "You'll reopen your wound."

"Is it bad?" she asked.

"Well, it's not terrible, but I'd still prefer if you didn't mess with it, dear. Thankfully, it seems you've sustained no serious injuries. Just a mild concussion. But that doesn't mean we should take it lightly."

The bedroom door creaked open and a small, purple snout and a pair of big yellow eyes peeked inside.

"Is she awake, Dreamfinder?"

"She is, Figment. Come say good morning."

The door flew open and Figment fluttered in excitedly. "Oh boy, oh boy!" he said, hovering over to the bed and plopping himself onto Mia's lap. "Miandra, I was so worried!"

Mia took him into her arms and hugged him. "It's okay. I'm all right, I promise. What about you, though?" She held him at arms' length to inspect him. "Are you okay, Figgy?"

"Oh sure! I'm right as rain!"

"Yokai hit you pretty hard, though."

"It'll take a lot more than that to take me out of commission!" said Figment, puffing his chest proudly.

"Figment did come away with some bumps and bruises, but I took care of that," said Blair.

"With the healing power of imagination," said Mia, giving her father a knowing look.

Blair laughed. "Exactly, dear. Oh, it does my heart good to see you smiling," he said, taking her into his arms and holding her. "I may never let you go again!"

"Yeah, because that's something every 19-year-old girl wants to hear from her father," came her muffled but amused response.

"Yes, well, at the very least, I'll be keeping you under lock and key for the next couple of days."

"The next couple days?" said Mia, pulling away. "But I invited Flynn on a date! You know that! I did it in front of, like, everyone!"

"Well, I suppose the two of you will just have to take a rain check on that date. I'm sure Kevin will understand. But you need to take it easy and get plenty of bed rest. A concussion is nothing to sneeze at."

"But I feel fine!"

"And I'm very glad to hear that, dear. But we shouldn't take any chances. Just a couple days' rest is all I ask of you, all right?"

"All right," she sighed.

"And who knows? Perhaps Kevin can visit you here while you're taking it easy."

"Oh yeah, sure, that's an appealing idea," said Mia with a roll of her eyes. "Hey, Flynn. Let's have a date here at my house while I sit in bed in my jammies with my dad listening at the door."