Stay the Night

Chapter 32

May 2nd, 2003

Mariah absently flipped through TV channels while Michael was downstairs making breakfast for the house. Being both on bed rest and six months pregnant,  she really couldn't move on her own accord anymore and was very much dependent on Michael for mostly anything--unless, of course, she wanted to roll off the bed, but she wasn't really going to risk it.

"Mommy!"

She turned her head in the direction of Carey's crib, smirking when she saw his head peeking over the bars.  He'd been getting a little more rambunctious lately so Michael pulled the rails up higher so he wouldn't accidentally fall out and hurt himself.

"What you want Care-bear?" She asked.

Carey grinned at her, his tiny teeth in full view. "Eat!"

"You gotta wait." Mariah explained, struggling to pull herself into a sitting position.

"Wait?" Carey parroted back, bouncing up on his tip toes.

She nodded. "Yes, wait."

"No wait." He shouted, slapping his hand against the bars. "Eat."

Mariah took a deep breath and pushed herself off the bed to lean against the headboard.  She stared at her little son, giggling at him as he kept stretching his neck to peek over at her.

"Mommy, eat." The toddler demanded.

She held up her hands in defeat. "I can't walk, baby. You gotta wait for Daddy to finish."

Carey folded his arms in defiance. "No!"

"Well, what you gonna do? You can't get out." Mariah taunted, folding her arms.

The boy flopped down in his bed and picked up his teddy bear, chewing on the ear. 

With her son seemingly occupied, Mariah turned her attention back to the TV to find something worth watching while she waited for her husband to come get her and Carey.

Frustrated, she settled on a re-run of Friends that was playing, but she wasn't really paying attention to it. 

Thud!

Mariah turned back to Carey and noticed he'd thrown his bear on the floor.

"Now why would you do that?" She chided. "You know I can't get it for you man."

Carey, for his part, didn't seem to be paying attention to her. Instead, the eighteen-month old started stacking his pillows up on the side of the crib.

What the hell is he doing?

In utter dismay, Mariah watched as her son stood on top of his little pillow stack and attempted the throw his leg over the bar  of his crib.

She shook her head. "Uh uh, stop that!" 

Carey paused and stared at her for a moment before continuing to make his grand escape. 

"Carey, no."

He ignored her, pulling himself  up and failing to get over the railing.  Though that didn't stop him from trying, and she was powerless to stop him. 

"You're going to hurt yourself. Stop." She pleaded, but to no avail.

You know what...

"Michael!" She shouted at the top of her lungs. "Michael!"

Sure enough, she could soon hear her husband's feet shuffling up the stairs. "What's wrong-"

Thump!