#cruise!reader

"Dad," you weakly called out, your voice barely above a whisper. "I'll be okay. It's just a fever."

Tom rushed to your side, gently placing a hand on your forehead to check your temperature. "I know, sweetheart, but I can't help but worry. You mean the world to me, and seeing you like this breaks my heart."

His genuine concern touched your heart, even in your weakened state. You mustered a small smile, trying to reassure him, "I'll be fine, Dad. I promise."

But Tom couldn't shake off his worries. He decided that it was best to take you to the hospital to make sure everything was okay. 

As he carried you in his arms to the car, you couldn't help but feel grateful to have a father like him – someone who cared so deeply for you.

At the hospital, Tom stayed by your side throughout all the tests and examinations. He held your hand tightly, offering silent comfort as you endured various procedures. 

When the doctor finally came in with the results, Tom's heart pounded with fear, hoping for the best but fearing the worst.

"It's just a viral infection," the doctor explained, offering a reassuring smile. "With some rest and proper medication, she should be back on her feet in no time."

Tom let out a sigh of relief, and you could see the tension leaving his body. He thanked the doctor, grateful for the reassurance that you were going to be okay.

Back at home, Tom took extra care of you. He made your favorite soup and brought it to your bedside, ensuring you took your medication on time. He even stayed up late with you, telling you stories from his movie sets to keep your spirits up.

"Dad, you really don't have to stay up with me," you said, feeling touched by his constant presence.

Tom smiled warmly, brushing a strand of hair away from your forehead. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be, kiddo. You're my priority, and I won't leave your side until you're fully recovered."

His dedication and love made you feel safe and loved, and you knew deep down that you were lucky to have a father like him.

 Despite feeling unwell, you cherished these moments together, knowing that your dad was there to support you no matter what.

As the days passed, your health slowly improved. Tom was like a shadow, never leaving your side. He was there to celebrate the small victories of feeling a little better each day, and he was there to comfort you during moments of frustration when you weren't recovering as quickly as you hoped.

One evening, as you both sat on the couch, watching a movie together, Tom turned to you with a serious expression. 

"You know, I almost lost you back there, and it scared me to my core."

"Dad," you replied, reaching out to hold his hand. "I'm sorry for worrying you, but I'm getting better now."

He smiled softly, squeezing your hand. "I know, but it made me realize how much you mean to me. You're everything to me, and I don't ever want to lose you."

You felt tears welling up in your eyes, moved by his words. "I love you too, Dad. I'm so grateful for everything you do for me."

Tom pulled you into a tight embrace, holding you close as if he never wanted to let go. "And I love you more than anything in this world, princess. You're my joy, my light, and I'll always be here for you."

With each passing day, your strength returned, and you began to feel like your old self again. Tom's loving care had played a significant role in your recovery, and you were thankful for his unwavering support.

As you both walked through the park one sunny afternoon, you turned to your dad and smiled brightly. "I'm feeling much better now, Dad. Thank you for being there for me."

Tom grinned, ruffling your hair affectionately. "You're welcome, sweetheart. I'll always be here for you, no matter what. My love for you is unconditional."

As you continued to slowly but surely recover, you and your dad to spent more quality time together. In the end, this stressful experience brought you even closer to your father.

Feeling confused and nervous but also excited for whatever your dad had planned, you hurry up to your room to go start getting ready. 

You did some light and simple makeup that made you look even more beautiful (although Tom would argue you're pretty no matter what, you are his daughter after all). After finishing your lip gloss, you went to go pick out an outfit, which was the hardest part. 

It's moments like these where you swear there's absolutely nothing to wear, but Tom (and most people) would say otherwise due to your huge closet full of designer pieces since you are the daughter of Tom Cruise after all. 

It wasn't until after you had trashed your room and basically emptied out your whole closet that you were able to decide on a long-sleeved, dark blue sundress. 

Taking one last look in the mirror and spraying some perfume all over your body, you decided you looked good. Well, you had to be at least a little content at this point since it had been 20 minutes since the conversation with your dad and he had been honking at you from his car for the past 5 minutes. 

Running as fast as you can in heels (which was pretty fast considering how many fancy events you've been to with your dad), you grabbed your phone and purse before joining Tom in the car. 

As you opened the car door and (not so gracefully) stepped in, your dad gave you a big hug. 

“Wow, you're definitely my daughter with how pretty you look tonight” he teased, to which you just rolled your eyes and thanked him in response. 

The drive to wherever he was taking you was only about 20 minutes long, but those 20 minutes were full of jamming out to 80s ballads and singing your heart out until you finally arrived at an expensive 5-star restaurant. Once you finally realized that's where you were, you looked at your dad in shock. 

“Are you being serious right now, dad?” you asked him, voice filled with excitement. To which Tom just shook his head with the brightest smile on his face. 

Although you were parked decently far from the restaurant, Tom made it a fun little walk so you wouldn't focus on how bad your feet hurt in your heels. You got to the fancy doors before walking into the restaurant and then were quickly led to your seats on the balcony, thanks to your dad’s string-pulling skills. 

~~~

After eating some of the most delicious food you've ever had in your life, and having the best time laughing and chatting with your dad, things eventually had to come to an end. Tom linked arms with you and you guys walked towards the exit. 

Before you could leave through those boujee doors, your dad spotted some paparazzi, who were most likely waiting for you guys. He immediately got stressed out and warned you about them since he is well aware of your anxiety revolving around these types of things. 

You both took a deep breath before trying to quickly make your way through the crowds of people. Due to the constant distracting flashes of cameras, you accidentally let go of your dads hand to block your eyes from the brightness. At the loss of contact, both you and your father became incredibly stressed. 

You were able to make it out of the crowd pretty easily by just running to wherever you can quickly find peace. As you started to calm down from the experience, you realized you had absolutely no clue where you were or how you were supposed to get back to your dads car. 

Pulling out your phone and dialing your dads number, you were so relieved to hear him pick up his phone almost immediately. 

“Dad, I'm scared. I don't know where I am, help me please” your anxiety was starting to come back to you. 

“It's ok sweetheart I’ve got your location on my phone and I'm on my way towards you, ok?” He was trying to calm you down but he also seemed very stressed as well. 

“ok please hurry” Tom could hear you doing some breathing techniques you had learned in therapy, which made him very thankful for paying that therapy bill every session.

“You're gonna be okay, just stay on the phone with me please” he said in an attempt to comfort you.

After a few minutes that seemed like hours, he finally pulled up to where you were. Tom sprinted out of his car looking for you, and once he found where you were sitting he ran over and gave you a big hug, accidentally startling you while doing so. 

“It's me, it's me! Calm down, it's just me” he soothed after noticing you jump out of fear before melting into his fatherly embrace. 

“I was so scared Dad! I didn't know what to do so I just ran” you were still very shaken up from the experience but being in your dad’s presence was very helpful towards calming you down. 

“Hey, just look at me. Breathe, it's gonna be okay”

You eventually were able to calm down thanks to the help of your dad, so the two of you made your way back to the safety of his car. 

Although the experience was very scary for you, you couldn't have been more grateful for your dad than you were at this moment. He's truly the best parent you could ask for.