For Him, I Would

Chapter Thirty - Testing shark-filled waters.

"Oakley...Oakley..."

Oakley could hear Tate's voice, but she was still sleepy. She was warm and comfortable, and it was still pitch black outside from what she could tell.

"Oaks...Oakley..."

Opening one eye, Oakley saw Tate leaning his chin on the mattress next to her head. His eyes were bright as they lightened up once he saw she was awake.

"Are you awake?" Tate asked.

"Yeah buddy," Oakley moved her arm around to help push her head up some. "Question is, why are you?"

"I heard something outside," Tate blinked back.

Oakley immediately sat up.

"What?" She reached out and wrapped her arm around Tate, pulling him close to her.

"I heard something," Tate started to say again but Oakey didn't fully listen.

"Kayce," Oakley turned and shook Kayce's shoulder, his arm around her tightening at first before he opened his eyes. "Kayce, wake up...Tate said he heard something outside."

Kayce was up and out of bed in seconds, pulling his gun from the bedside table and taking the safety off. Oakley pulled Tate onto the bed with her as her eyes watched Kayce walk to the bedroom door. He looked back at them in the bed briefly.

"Stay here," Kayce said, looking at Oakley.

Oakley held Tate to her chest as she listened to Kayce's footsteps get closer to the front door. She then heard him open the door and she figured was walking outside. A few minutes went by and Oakey didn't hear anything. She felt Tate move in her arms though as he situated himself next to her. Kayce's footsteps were then heard again after he shut the door and locked it.

When he appeared in the bedroom door again his gun was pointed at the ground, his shoulders tight though. Oakley looked at him for information.

"Ain't nothing out there I can see," Kayce shrugged. He walked back over to his side of the bed and placed the gun on the table. He looked at Tate. "Are you sure you heard something?"

"I thought I did," Tate murmured.

"Thought isn't confirmed," Kayce stared at his son.

"Could have been the wind," Oakley said. "Or an animal?"

"Probably," Kayce picked up on her wanting to calm Tate's nerves down. "Think you can go back to sleep, buddy?"

"You can stay with us if you want?" Oakley asked, smoothing Tate's hair down.

"Okay," Tate nodded.

Kayce got back into his side of the bed while Oakley scooted to the middle, letting Tate slide in where she had once been laying. He pulled the sheets up to his chin and snuggled into Oakley's pillow. She smiled as she waited for him to get comfortable.

Kayce reached out and rubbed her side, letting Oakley slide down and share his pillow as he wrapped an arm around her from behind, His head gently resting on hers as they both watched Tate fall back asleep. Once she knew he was out, Oakley turned slowly to face Kayce who waited until she was done before pushing his hand under her shirt, rubbing her back.

"You think it was an animal?" Oakley whispered,

"Don't know," Kayce shrugged. "Go to sleep."

"I can't after that," Oakley rolled her eyes. "Did you look behind the shed?"

"I looked behind the shed," Kayce pulled Oakley closer to him. Her head fit under his chin as he shut his eyes.

"Might have been that old tree knocking against the window," Oakley muttered.