Returned to Sender - Scarlett Johansson

Part 18

It was nearing the time to leave, so I gently spun Sawyer to face me. "Baby, I know you're not having a good day, but can you talk to the others quickly? We are leaving in a bit to go back to my home. We won't see everyone for a few days, so can you say bye to everyone?" I asked softly, stroking her hair, trying to get her to say goodbye to the others. "Bye," she mumbled, turning around and waving, not meeting anyone's eyes before cuddling back into me.

Days like today remind me of our first week together.

Carrying Sawyer, two suitcases, my bag, and her backpack was a real workout; it took three trips. Eventually, I placed them all in Robert's trunk and checked the trailer before returning to the car. Seeing Lizzie, I walked over, saying my farewells before encouraging Sawyer to do the same. She looked up and wiggled to be put down before grabbing my hand to ensure I didn't leave, something she often does before wrapping her other arm around Lizzie's waist, giving her a quick hug and mumbling a quiet "bye" before flinging herself at me, which was both adorable and heartbreaking all at once.

Luckily, the airport had no paparazzi outside, so I stuck my cap and sunglasses on before holding some out to Sawyer in the back, who was staring out of the window, looking at nothing. "Baby, I got your disguise. Look, we have matching hats today," I point out the little Iron Man on the black caps that Robert had bought us as a joke, trying to be as enthusiastic as possible to cheer her up.

She doesn't respond, making me sigh. "She had a horrible nightmare last night and hasn't spoken since apart from saying bye; it's going to be a long flight", I mumble to Robert, who's watching her closely. "I'll come in with you and help you with the bags before security, it looks fairly quiet, and you could use a hand," he offers, giving Sawyer a sad smile before getting out of the car and grabbing the suitcases from the trunk. I follow suit, holding my bag and Sawyer's backpack before helping Sawyer out, placing her hat on her head in the process before she buries her face into my neck.

We had just got to security, and I was saying goodbye to Robert when Sawyer perked up. Leaning out of my arms, she stretched over to Robert wrapping her arms around him in an awkward hug as she hung from me while hugging him. The action caught us both by surprise, but the smile on Robert's face while she hugged him was massive. "Bye, Robert, I'll miss you," I heard her whisper, making Robert's smile grow exponentially.

The whole thing just warmed my heart. She eventually let go, and I saw Robert wipe a tear away before smiling at us both. "Bye, birdbox, be good for your Mama, and I'll see you in a week for Easter, ok? Take care, Scar; if you need anything, I'm just a phone call away," he says, giving me a quick hug before leaving.

As we neared security, I realised I was going to have to let Sawyer go to get through security. This is not going to end well.

It was our turn, and I had managed to place everything on the conveyer belt and just had to get through the metal scanners. I tried to just walk through with Sawyer, but the guard stopped us, which is what I was expecting. "Ma'am, you're going to have to go through it separately," he said in a huff voice. I looked down at Sawyer and slowly sat her on her feet, although her grip on my T-shirt didn't ease up. "Sawyer, baby, I just need you to let go for two seconds while I walk through this machine, and then when I say, all you need to do is follow. As soon as you're through, we can cuddle, ok?" I say as I stroke her hair in an attempt to keep her calm.

She lets go begrudgingly, allowing me to walk through the detector before turning to Sawyer and telling her to follow when the guard nods. Just my luck, Sawyer walks through and attempts to throw herself back into my arms but gets stopped by the guard. Something in her boot must be metal as it set the detectors off.

Just as the guard went to touch her, I interrupted, knowing this would go sideways quickly. "Please don't touch her; it will trigger her. It's just the boot; she has a broken ankle," I explained, eyeing the guard pleadingly. We had to take our hats off when we went through security, and while I had already slipped mine back on, Sawyer didn't have hers on. I really didn't want anyone to recognise me and get a clear picture of her in the process.