Even Though I'm Leaving

16

"I don't know. We could order a pizza and have a movie night?"

"When we're in Daytona?"

"I mean yeah, or putt-putt. There's gotta be a pier somewhere," Maddy chuckled, looking it up on her phone.

"Well, what if I told you that I had a surprise for you?" Hailey smiled, checking her phone to make sure it had arrived.

"What kind of surprise?"

"Go knock on the door across the hall," She nodded, following Maddy as she opened the door to their hotel room and knocked on door number 786.

"Hi Maddy," Kim answered, looking back to make sure the 7-year-old wasn't hurting herself as she jumped on the bed.

"Kim?! Wait, what are you guys doing here?"

"We are finishing out your spring break with you if that's okay," Adam said as he came through the hallway with the rest of their luggage.

"Yeah totally," She smiled, "Is it just you guys?"

"Kev is here too," Kim chuckled, nodding in the hallway where Kevin was passing through with his bags.

"Hey kid," He chuckled, going to the room beside hers and Hailey's.

"Did y'all plan this?" Maddy asked, turning around to look at her mother.

"It wasn't the original plan but I texted them and asked if they could get the time off and they did, so they came here. Figured we could have a family vacation," Hailey explained, as Kim nodded in agreement.

"I love it. This is gonna be so much fun!" She smiled, heading back to the hotel room to hug Hailey tightly.

"I'm glad baby, I know it was supposed to be just us, but I thought this could be fun too," she chuckled, hugging Maddy tightly.

"They're my family too. Like you said, family vacation. Sucks that dad can't be here but I'll take this,"

"I know," she nodded, "Dad actually helped them get here. We were talking the night before we left, I don't know how you didn't hear us,"

"When we were at home?" She asked, looking at her mother for the answer.

"Yeah, you were knocked out," she chuckled.

"Didn't realize I slept so soundly," she chuckled.

"You were out," she chuckled as well.

"Thanks, mom," she smiled, hugging Hailey again.

"Now let's have a beach day?"

"Yeah let's go," she nodded.

Hailey texted the team and let them know the plan so everyone could get ready and head to the beautiful beach.

They set up their chairs and everything, along with the umbrellas and blankets. Makayla, Adam, and Kevin quickly went down to the water to start a sand castle, while Hailey, Kim, and Maddy stayed under the umbrellas.

"How's school Maddy?" Kim asked, looking over at the youngest of the three.

"Pretty good. Hoping I'll be healthy enough for soccer season. I missed the rest of volleyball, but hoping soccer goes better. If I can play,"

"She has a stress test when we get home and that will all determine if she can," Hailey chimed in, looking over at both of them.

"Have you been able to walk or anything Mad?"

"Yeah, I try and go for a walk every day at least and I started light jogging a few weeks ago during my PE period," Maddy explained, Hailey nodding in agreement. "And my doctor said everything was looking good,"

"That's good! We'll have to come to see a game," she smiled, all 3 of them laying back as the sun's rays shined on them.

Makayla, Adam, and Kevin made a huge sandcastle before playing in the water with her uncle and father. Eventually, Kim, Hailey, and Maddy joined them, all 6 of them playing in the water.

They all went to the hotel after hours on the beach exhausted. Maddy went and took a shower before Hailey did and when Hailey came back out, Maddy was sound asleep in the bed. She chuckled and grabbed one of the blankets they had brought, and threw it over her.

Hailey relaxed for an hour or 2 while Maddy slept, making plans with the rest of the team for dinner. They decided to go somewhere fancier where they could all sit down and have a meal together as a family so Hailey had to wake up her daughter to get ready.

Maddy woke up with a groan, picking out a cute outfit and doing her makeup while she and Hailey jammed out to some of Maddy's favorite music.

"You ready for the appointment Monday?" Hailey asked, looking at Maddy in the mirror as she curled her hair.

"I'm nervous," she nodded, "but I'm hoping he gives me the go ahead,"

"I think you will honey, but if you don't. I don't want you to get discouraged,"

"I just want to go back to normal life. I want to go back to sports, and everything like that," she sighed, pulling her hair back into a tight but neat ponytail.

"You'll get there Maddy. And you know we'll be at every game we can be at,"

"I know mom," she smiled, both of them picking out shoes and meeting the team in the lobby.

That evening, they went to a fancy restaurant along the ocean. They were all together and laughing as Adam told some story about his first few days in intelligence.

Maddy was loving the time with her family and the people that loved her the most.