Scream and be Free (Zac Hanson)

Chapter Thirty Three

bit of a filler

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A peaceful silence filled the house, except for the low volume of the radio that Zac kept on next to his side of the bed. It had became a habit, years of living in a large family and on a bus made it almost impossible for him to sleep without some sort of noise. Out of the tiny habits he had that did annoy his wife, this one was something she didn't mind too badly, it came from all of Brielle's years of living in apartments.

Brielle had initially woke up when the other side of the bed had shifted, remaining in the space where she was half awake and half asleep, she didn't bother to question Zac when his footsteps softly guided him across their bedroom and in to the hall way. Down the hall, only a few feet away, Zac would probably be found leaning against the door frame of his little girl's bedroom. He had made it a habit of checking in on Junia since she had arrived home with her cast. He hadn't been fabricating a word when he told his wife that he hurt when his children did.

After much debate, Kate had given in and allowed Shepherd to spend the rest of his day with Brielle. When it came time for him to go home the next day, Zac had managed to talk his ex wife in to allowing their oldest son to stay another night; Shepherd had been at his father's for almost three days. Zac's three children were in their father's home for the first time in months; he didn't say but it was evident that Zac was happy. Before too long he'd be back on the road, only for a short while, leaving his children with their mother while he was gone. It worried Brielle, allowing them to go back to Kate, it scared her that Kate may not let them come back. Those fears she kept to herself, it was best not to let Zac worry over some irrational thought his wife had.

In the mean time they would enjoy their time together.

Lying in bed, facing away from the door, Brielle smiled when Zac came back in to their bedroom. He was quiet not to wake his wife. Carefully moving across the room and toward the bed, Zac stopped as his wife spoke.

"How is she?" Brielle asked glancing over her shoulder at her husband.

"She's asleep. I feel so bad for her." Zac replied crawling back in bed. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

"No, I was awake." Brielle answered quietly.

"I can't imagine how she is feeling." Zac continued. He had hardly slept since Junia had been injured. It was taking a toll on him.

Brielle frowned, her forehead creasing slightly. "Have you never broke your arm, Zac?"

Zac shook his head. "I sort of wasn't allowed. A broken arm meant no drums, no drums meant no touring." he shrugged. "I didn't exactly have a conventional childhood."

As much as Zac claimed he loved his childhood, as well as the life he continued to lead, Brielle always felt a little bit melancholy for her husband. Zac had no doubt had a tremendous childhood, but it lacked a few of the simple things that most children were able to enjoy. Brielle couldn't begin to imagine what her husband's life had been like. An eleven year old boy who had girls fainting just because he looked at them. It couldn't have been something that he'd enjoyed all the time, even if Zac was a classic class clown.

"Nobody really has a conventional childhood." Brielle offered with a sleepy grin. "What was normal for you, isn't always normal for me. What is normal for me, may not have been normal for someone like Kate for example."

"I know." Zac yawned, rubbing his eyes like a little boy. "I didn't hate my childhood, but because of it I've always wanted my own kids to be as normal as possible." he chuckled a little. "I guess breaking a bone is part of that."

"It is." Brielle offered a small smile and nodding. "You don't have to worry about your children though. You and Kate are doing a wonderful job."

It was Zac's turn to frown. Some times he wondered if Brielle even realized she too was a part of his childrens' lives? Being his wife gave her almost the same authority it gave him or Kate.