Fan to Family.

The Pal Chase

~Chase~

By the time we get to my house, after stopping for food and a few other things, it's getting into the evening. Liz drops her bag off in my room, which she knows I allow, coming back out into the living room. She barely has enough energy to pull her legs up onto the couch after she sits. She knows I'm okay with it, and she puts her feet over my legs.

"You look tired. Long day?" I ask. She nods.

"I woke up super early this morning, and even though school was only a half day, it seemed to excruciatingly long. Then we had the whole Dylan thing, and then my brothers and I walked a lot. On top of all of that, Josh being sad took a lot out of me," she explains.

"Are you ready for bed?" I ask. She shrugs but nods. She gets up and I follow her, both headed toward my room. She digs around in her bag and then shuffles off to the bathroom near the kitchen. I go into the closer bathroom and change into my sweats and a different shirt. When I'm done, I find Liz standing beside my bed in her soccer shorts and tee.

She smiles a tired smile and yawns.

"You know you don't need to wait for my permission to lay down," I chuckle, watching her then crawl into my bed and towards the wall. She does the same thing she had done a few months ago when staying here, grabbing the same light yet fuzzy blanket and curling up the exact same way. I lay down beside her, letting her mumble herself to sleep. Once she's sound asleep, I quietly raise. I snag a different blanket from the end of the bed and quietly walk to the living room.

Around midnight, while sipping juice from my spot on the couch, I hear screams. I jump up, racing toward my room, literally sliding down the hall in my socks. I catch the doorframe to stop myself and walk into my room. I sit beside Liz on the bed, contemplating weather or not I should wake her. I can't remember weather or not it's safe to wake someone during a nightmare.

After another cry comes from her, I say screw it and wake her up. Her eyes open and she leans up on an elbow, tears already streaming down her cheeks.

I pull her into a hug, wiping her tears. "It was just a dream, it's okay. I've got you. It's okay," I tell her, trying to calm down my own heart. She curls closer to me, hiding her face in my shirt. "Do you want to tell me what your dream was about? Then I'll know and I can help you keep it away."

She shakes her head, "no!"

"Are you sure?"

"I said no!" She exclaims.

"Hey, hey. It's okay. Deep breaths," I remind her. She sighs, putting her head back down on my shoulder.

"You know I don't like it when you leave me," she mumbles. I brush hair from her extremely hot forehead, sweat coming off onto my hand.

"Yes, I know that. But, I also know that you needed sleep and I want going to risk distubing you. It's not the first time I've done it, it's just the first time you've noticed."

"What do you mean first time?"

"Almost every time you've slept here, the handful of times, I've gone into the living room and slept there most of the night or something of the sort. I come back in the morning. You just never noticed until now," I explain, rubbing her shoulder in a calming manner. I'm reminded of when Debby and I were younger and I'd calm her back to sleep after a bad dream.

"Why?" She asks. I can hear the sleep slowly tip toeing back into her voice.

"1.) I didn't want to disturb you. 2.) Do you know what your brother or Josh would've done to me if they found out we were sleeping together in my bed before they knew about Dylan? That doesn't sound very good, any way you put it. I couldn't risk it. I figured if I was there when you fell asleep and when you woke up, you wouldn't question the in between."

She nods, shifting to get comfortable. Before I know it, we've both nodded off to sleep.

I wonder what her dream was about.

~Liz~

I open my eyes in confusion, seeing grey fabric. I look up, seeing Chase's eyes watching me.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" He asks in his usually raspy morning voice. I shrug, my shoulder hitting his arm.

"Have you been like this all night?" I ask, sitting up and running my fingers through my hair. He straightens out, nodding.

"I haven't moved since we both fell asleep," he explains, setting his phone on the night stand.

"What time is it?" I ask.

"Like 6:30. I was prepared to watch a movie on Netflix or something for a few hours until you woke up."

We venture out to make breakfast, which doesn't take long. Chase tells me that he was texting Debby earlier, and that they've been up most of the night. Apparently things don't look well with Josh'a grandfather.

Chase's phone rings, he picks it up and answers. After a few moments he hands it off to me.

"Hello?" I ask.

"Hi munchkin," Josh greets through the phone. I can hear some strain in his voice.

"Josh, hi!"

I can hear the smile in his voice when he says, "I miss you already and it's barely been an evening."

"I miss you too."

"I have a question for you, munchkin," Josh says. I can hear his foot gently kicking at the floor in the background.

"Hit me with your best shot."

"How would you feel about coming and meeting all of my family? I think you should be here, get to know them."

I think for a moment, then ask, "How would I get there?"

"That is where our pal, Chase comes in. You two would fly up. Either he and Deb would fly back, or we'd all stay up here together. What do you say?"

"Don't you have to ask him first?"

I can see Josh shaking his head, "No munchkin, he already said yes."

"What about school?" I question.

"We can email them and ask for what you are missing, okay? It would mean a lot if you came up here," he says.

"I'll come up, I guess."