To Keep Her Safe is All I Know

Chapter 24

Chris wakes up in the blanket fort at six in the morning with Melanie and Sadie both in his arms. It was too early and he was too tired to think anything of it, so he drifted back off. About three hours later, Chris woke up again with just Melanie in his arms. Chris was a bit scared at first, but then he heard SpongeBob on the TV in the living room, so that must have been where Sadie was.     

As for the fact that he was holding Melanie...all of the other times that Chris had held Melanie like this, it was because of something bad happening to her and him trying to comfort her. That wasn't the case now. Now, she just happened to be asleep in his arms. Chris recalled wondering what it would be like to hold Melanie in a good or casual manner; in a way that wasn't in panic or sadness...it was nice.     

They'd always done this during breakups, in times of sadness or in times of fear. Chris held Melanie when Tori died. He held her after the funeral. He held her when she was hurt. He held her when she got divorced. He held her when she miscarried. She held him when he lost family and friends. She held him when he was stressed about tour. She held him when he was at his most afraid for his career or his relationships or any other aspect in his life. It had always been in fear and in sadness when they came together with some kind of physical intimacy to lay together and listen to each other's heartbeats. So now, now that it was for no reason other than the fact that they'd fallen asleep and awoken in each other's arms...it was different, but it felt like they belonged together.

Chris brings Melanie closer to him. She stirs a bit, but then just nuzzles herself into his chest and wraps her arms around his torso. God, this felt amazing. Chris hated that it felt so amazing. Why was Melanie all of the sudden so perfect? Or had she always been perfect and Chris just never saw it?     

Melanie stirs a bit more, then opens her eyes and blinks a couple of times before realizing her face is in Chris' chest.

"Well, hey there." She says.

"Hey."

There's a long and awkward pause before they finally release their grip on each other. This is when Melanie notices that Sadie and Fred are absent from the fort. She and Chris both peek their heads out from under the blankets to find Sadie laying on the couch, under a blanket with Fred laying with her.

"Hey, baby." Melanie says.

Sadie looks over at them, "Hey."

"You feeling okay?" Chris asks.

"Not really..."

Chris and Melanie crawl out of the blanket fort and join Sadie on the couch.

"Have you eaten anything?" Melanie asks.

"No. I've been here for a while. I got kinda bored just laying in the blanket fort while you guys were sleeping and didn't feel like reading or coloring so I came out here. I don't feel much better..."

"Well, I'm gonna call the school and tell them you're not coming and I'm gonna call off work too, and Chris and I will be here all day to take care of you, okay?" Melanie asks before looking to Chris, "I mean, if you can - "

"Of course I can. I'll stay here and help." Chris says.

After Melanie made the phone calls she needed to make, Chris ran home to shower and get into a change of clothes. He also ran a couple other errands, then came back to the house.    
When he returned, Chris walked into the house without knocking. Sadie was in the same place on the couch, not looking good.

"Hey, kiddo. Where's your mom?"

"Kitchen."

Chris nods, "Well, I went to the store and got you some medicine that'll help you feel better and that should taste a little better. And I got you this." He says, pulling out a Skelanimals unicorn plushie.