Family Doesn't End in Blood, But it Doesn't Start There Either

Sacrifices

Just as I suspected, about 3 am, Shep woke up and started to whimper. I picked him up and held him tightly. "Shep, does your head hurt again?" I whispered. He nodded. It hadn't quite been the 4 hours he had to wait. He had to wait another half hour to have another dose. "I'm sorry, buddy. You can't have more medicine for another half an hour." He cried harder. "Hey. Hey. Listen, did the ice help last night?" He nodded again. I opened the door to the mini fridge and pulled ice from the freezer section and put it in a bag. I held it on his head.

"That's better." He told me softly. I chuckled slightly. I waited around with him for half an hour before I pulled out the medicine. I poured the amount he needed and had him take it and made sure he didn't spill it everywhere. "That's gross." He told me.

"I know, bud. You're head is still going to hurt for a while but then it should feel better ok? If you wake up and it hurts, let me know." He nodded. He was still crying.

"I sleep with you?"

"I'm sleeping right here." I showed him, pointing at the chair. He didn't seem to be giving up on that idea so I nodded and let him lay on me in the chair. His head was on my shoulder and I held him close. We fell asleep and the next thing I knew, I was being woken up.

"What time is it?" I asked groggily, Shep still asleep on me.

"It's 6. Our flight leaves in a couple hours. We're headed to the airport." I nodded. "We already packed your stuff." I followed behind them and we all made it through security, Shep staying awake long enough to get through the line and asking to be picked up again.

"Is it ok that he's sleeping this long?"

"I think so. Kids Tylenol isn't addicting but it makes them tired sometimes like it does to us. If he's still feeling tired and bad, we'll take him to a doctor or hospital back home." I agreed and sat with Shep on my lap for most of the flight. Once we got back he was ready to play and felt fine so we figured he was just tired from the Tylenol. The swelling was down a bit so that was a good sign. The second we got home, I hit the couch and was out. I felt Jared put a blanket on me and kiss my forehead.

"Thanks for being a good big sister and a wonderful daughter. Sleep all you want." He whispered. I wanted to say thanks but fell asleep quickly. I slept for hours and was woken up by the sound of plates in the cabinet. I glanced at the clock and it was about 3:30 pm. We had been back since about noon. I sat up and rubbed my eyes.

"Hey. Your nap feel good?" Gen asked. I nodded groggily. "Want something to eat? Dinner will be in a few hours and we all ate lunch, but if you want something, I'll get you something." She offered.

"I'll find something." I dug around and settled on an orange and string cheese to tide me over until dinner. I sat back down on the couch and a splitting headache came over me. "Do we have any adult Tylenol around? I have quite the headache." She brought me some. I took it. "Thanks, mom."

"Of course."

"Where's dad?"

"Out playing with the boys so they wouldn't disturb you."

"He didn't have to do that."

"He wanted to be sure you got sleep. You were up with Shep a lot last night."

"It wasn't that bad. He woke up at 3 and I waited around with him until 3:30 so he could take more and then we got up at 6." I replied.

"Sarah, that was only like 5 hours of sleep. Even that plus these 3 or so hasn't given you much sleep since it wasn't constant." I nodded, unsure what to say.

"I'm gonna go talk to dad." I told her.

"Go ahead." I walked outside and I was greeted by two little hugs.

"Hey. You're up." Jared said.

"Yeah. I was tired."

"I bet. Why'd you want to stay up with him so bad?" He questioned.

"Well, because I see how much you guys sacrifice for them. See, to the fans, we see two adorable little boys who never do anything wrong and are just perfectly adorable angels. After living with you guys, I see the other side too. I see the late nights when they won't sleep, I see the early mornings when they decide to wake you up when you'd rather sleep, I see them be the picky eaters, I see them get hyper at conventions and you guys spending time trying to calm them, I see them add stress and things into your life. They aren't old enough to appreciate the sacrifices you two make, but I see it. I knew you were exhausted from the convention and mom looked exhausted from dealing with them all day and I figured it was about time you two get sleep without having to worry so much. If I could have kept him asleep and we didn't have to fly out, I would have. You deserve a break with mom." I told him. I think they deserved time to themselves.

"You never had to do that."

"I wanted to. You do so much for me and the boys. You deserved some sleep. By the way, when do you have to go back to film?"

"A few days. Why?"

"I was trying to figure out if I should go with you or stay here." I explained.

"Sarah, not that I wouldn't want you with me, but I think you should stay here. You'll have someone to be with and talk to all the time. Plus I'm sure the boys would love to have you around." He suggested.

"I'll think about it." I told him.

"Just let us know." I nodded.