“Madison, he’s crying again!” “I can see that, Ross. I’m the one holding him.” “Well, make him stop!” “I’m TRYING!” “Quit yelling! You’re making it worse!” “You started yelling first!” “ENOUGH!” You both snapped your heads over to the bedroom door. Stormie was standing just inside the threshold, arms crossed. “Guys it’s 2:00 in the morning.” She snapped. You felt tears of frustration well up in your eyes. “We can’t get Mason to go back to sleep.” You said quietly, gesturing to the tiny infant in your arms. The tears threatened to spill over. Her gaze softened. She stepped further into the room and extended her arms towards you. “Let me have him.” She said gently. You gratefully placed your screeching newborn into her arms. She began slowly rocking him back and forth. “It’s okay Mason. Nana’s got you.” She cooed, pacing the floor as she continued to rock him. After a few minutes, his squeals ceased. You breathed a sigh of relief and flopped down onto your bed. “See? You just have to stay calm. Babies can sense fear.” She joked. You smiled, relieved, and glanced up at Ross. He was still frowning. You could see the tension rippling throughout his muscled chest. He looked as though he hadn’t slept in weeks. You were sure you looked about the same. Neither of you had gotten much rest since Mason had been born two months ago. It had been an interesting year for the two of you. Around the end of February, you had found out that you were pregnant. It couldn’t have come at a worse time; “Loud” had just been released, and the band was about to embark on their same-titled tour. Not to mention that the two of you were only 17. Because of Ross’s contract with Disney, you had been asked to keep your pregnancy a secret for as long as possible. It certainly hadn’t been easy. You’d managed to keep it quiet until about mid-June; baggy sweatshirts and summertime heat didn’t exactly mix well. You had given up shortly after the thermometers started hitting the 90 degree marks. Needless to say, Ross’s pending fatherhood caused an outrage among some parents. Many called him a bad role model, an ‘advocate for teen parenthood’, and insisted that he be kicked off of the Disney channel immediately. However a surprising majority of parents praised Ross for standing next to your side through it all and accepting responsibility for his actions. Disney was ultimately able to work your pregnancy to their advantage; they had Ross appear in several PSAs on teen pregnancy and abstinence. You watched as Ross stared absentmindedly at the wall behind Stormie. The bags underneath his eyes were much darker than yours. The frown still etched across his face seemed to be a permanent fixture these past few weeks. You knew he was exhausted, probably more so than you. He had band rehearsals, concerts, and filming for Austin & Ally, all in addition to helping you take care of the baby. You tried to take the majority of the weight off of his shoulders most days, but it was impossible for you to care for Mason all by yourself. Stormie and the rest of the family pitched in often, but both you and Ross would never let them help out too much. Mason was your responsibility; not theirs. Ross extended his arms tiredly towards his mother. “We can take it from here mom, thanks.” He said gratefully. Stormie shook her head as she continued rocking her tiny grandson back and forth. “You two need some rest. Mason can sleep in our room tonight.” You immediately stood and took a step towards her. “We can’t let you do that; you and Mark need rest too.” You insisted. She shook her head again and began walking towards the door. “We’ll be fine. You and Ross need your sleep.” You opened your mouth to protest. Stormie quickly stepped out into the hallway. “Not another word. Now get some rest. Goodnight.” She flipped off the light and shut the door behind her. You sighed and turned back to Ross. You could see the grimace still imprinted on his face, thanks to the orangey glow from the streetlight coming in through the window. He tossed back the covers on the bed and climbed underneath. He rolled over and faced the wall, not even bothering to say goodnight. You stood for a few minutes and just watched him sleep. He looked so much more peaceful. Like every worry, every stressful memory from the days past was temporarily gone. You crawled into bed beside him and turned so your back was facing his. You buried your face in your pillow as you felt a few tears slip down your cheeks. You missed him. He hadn’t been the same since Mason was born. You couldn’t understand why. All throughout your pregnancy he had been there for you. He’d been supportive, loving…nothing about your relationship had been any different than it had been before you were pregnant. But after the baby actually came, something changed. He’d been…distant. It was like he was there in body, but not in spirit. He rarely kissed you anymore. You never got an actual ‘I love you’ out him. You couldn’t remember the last time he’d held you; just let you snuggle into his chest and drift off to sleep, the way you used to. You could feel the tears begin to puddle up and soak through the fabric of your pillow. You quickly slid out from under the comforter and slipped out of the room, trying to stay as silent as possible. You tiptoed down the hallway to Rydel’s bedroom, the place you’d spent many nights back before the baby. Back when your life was so much simpler. You knocked gently on the door; you could have sworn you heard her mention earlier that she had a few R5TVs to edit. Hopefully she was still awake. Sure enough, the door opened moments later. “Madi, what are you doing up this late?” she asked confusedly. Her face fell when she noticed your tear-stained cheeks. “Are you okay??” she asked quickly. You nodded. “I’m fine. Can I just…stay in here tonight?” you asked quietly. She nodded her head. “Yeah…of course you can.” She stepped to the side to allow you to enter. You immediately crossed the room and crawled underneath her thick comforter. You felt her slide in next to you a few seconds later. “Do you want to talk about it?” she asked quietly. You shook your head silently, feeling the tears begin to flow again. She reached over and began to gently brush the tangles out of your hair with her fingers. “Just go to sleep Madi. You’ll feel better in the morning.” She whispered. You drifted to sleep almost immediately, Ross still lingering in your thoughts.
