His Woman, her Toms - TommyinnitxOc

2

I was pulled from my trance when the bed dipped and Ava jumped onto my stomach.

"Oof." I breathed out in pain and pulled her into a hug, her giggles filling my ear. I grinned as she squirmed in my arms.

"Can you make me a snack?" She asked, pouting a bit as she realized she couldn't get out of my grip. I laughed and got up, pulling her up and onto my back.

"Of course A bear," I replied, my voice soft.

"Yay!" She yelled excitedly as I made my way down to the kitchen. I placed her down on the counter and walked over to the fridge. I was very happy about my decision of unpacking it yesterday and mum did the groceries after work last night.

I opened the fridge and looked at what we had. I spotted a yogurt in drinkable form and placed it next to Ava. She grinned before uncapping it and downing it quickly. I watched as after twenty seconds she pulled away from the bottle and choked a bit, taking deep breaths.

"Thank you, Bee." She said breathlessly.

"No problem A bear," I replied before grabbing an apple and taking a bite from it. I leaned against the counter next to her as we ate our snacks. Once we both finish our food I help her off of the counter but she clings to my leg. I sigh and smile at her small figure.

"Want to watch a movie?" I ask her. She immediately perks up and lets go of my leg.

"STITCH." She exclaims before running into the living room. I walk behind her with a huge grin apon seeing her reaction.

"Can you grab the remote for me A Bear?" I ask, entering the living room. She quickly runs over to the coffee table and grabs it before climbing onto the couch. She is out of breath by the time she leans against the cushions. I sit down next to her and she puts the remote on my lap.

"Thanks," I say before turning the Tv on. I search through Disney+ until I fall on Lilo and Stitch. Ava has been obsessed with the movie and this must be the millionth time I've watched it with her. I turn to on and Ava snuggles closer to me. She is very clingy for a four-year-old but I don't mind much, mum hadn't been herself for all that Ava could remember and I was practically a second mother to her.

I knew the move would be good though. Hopefully, mum got better and stopped having bad days. Sometimes she would seem to be getting better, even have days where she was normal again, but just as soon as I got my hopes up a bad day would come along. Bad days were when she wouldn't get out of bed. She wouldn't be able to move and would stay in the same position all day. Some people can move on after death has hit someone close to them, but not mum. It was harder for her since she saw it happen. She watched as he died of a Heart attack.

We were all happy when she didn't resort to alcohol or other dark paths. I was relieved that she was still enough of the same person for Ava to still think of her as her mother.

I turned back to the movie, watching it and sometimes reenacting some big scenes with Ava. During the big fight near the end, I tackle her on the couch but let her get the upper hand on me and tickling me with her small fingers.

We were interrupted from the last scene when the door creaked and opened to reveal mum. She was wearing a Navy blue Polka dot dress and her blond hair was tied back in a bun. She had clear blue eyes that I wished I had gotten the genes for. She seemed tired and her shoulders slumped, her poster horrible. I got up from the couch and gave her a small smile before taking her purse and helping her to the couch.

"Mama!" Ava yelled before sitting on her lap and curling up into her arms. Mum looked down at her for a second, stunned before hugging her back and a warm smile on her face.

"Would you like some tea?" I asked. She nodded softly and I walked back to the kitchen. I heated up some water and put a teabag into her favourite mug. When the tea was done I returned to find that Ava was telling mum about talking with Toby.

"-lked about the Stitch that Bee bought me for my birthday last week. He also said that my dress was pretty." She explained. Mum looked to be trying to pay attention and I let out a bit of relief. I was glad she was having a good day. I placed the tea on a coaster and turned to Ava.

"Why don't you go and play with your toys while I talk with mum," I told Ava. She nodded and scrambled towards the stairs. I waited until I couldn't hear her steps to speak up. Mum had taken her tea and was drinking it slowly.

"So. I start school tomorrow, which means Ava has daycare." I told her, pausing to let her take it in. "I'm not sure if I want to go," I admitted. Her eyes soften and she put down her tea to take my hands between hers.

"I know it's hard." She started. "You need it though."

Mum didn't talk a lot and her gestures were her way of communicating with us. Even with the few words, I knew everything she meant by them. I nodded in understanding but sighed. I knew if I continued with this subject I might have a panic attack just thinking about it. We stayed silent for a bit before I spoke up.

"What would you like for supper?" I asked. She thought about it for a second.

"A casserole would be nice." She said slowly.

"Okay. You can go with Ava while I prepare it." I told her before getting up and heading towards the kitchen.