Angel on Earth

Chapter Twenty Eight: Is That Why She Screams?

Monroe's POV

"Is she going to be okay?" I asked Axel as he leaned against the kitchen counter, a cup of coffee in hand. I had woken up about an hour ago to the four kids surrounding me. The three boys were cuddled in front of me with Jay pressed against my back. Axel was lying behind her and his hand was on my hip.

Axel shrugged and ran his hand through his hair that was in need of a trim. "I don't think she'll ever be okay. The doctor says she most likely has PTSD, and that's most likely what's causing the night terrors. I set up an appointment to take her to a therapist later on in the week. The doctor said talking about it can help."

I nodded and gave him a much-needed hug. He placed his mug down before crushing me to his chest. I felt my heart break as I heard Axel sniffle before whispering, "I just don't know what else to do. I don't know how to help her."

I squeezed him a little harder before whispering, "Axel, you're doing all you can. I'm here to help you, okay? We're gonna take this one step at a time. Besides, Jay's tough. I know she'll get through this. It might take a while, and that's okay, but soon enough she'll be back to the trouble-making pint-sized powerhouse we know her to be."

I felt Axel nod against the top of my head and press a kiss there. I pulled away slowly and walked over to the fridge. I pulled out a carton of juice and set it on the counter. I pulled down four cups out of the cabinet and poured juice into each of the cups. I turned around to finish dividing the pancakes onto all the plates and heard a clonking noise getting louder and louder. I turned around to greet Raven and stopped.

Axel paused with the coffee mug halfway to his mouth before lowering it and asking, "Why are you walking around without your crutches?"

Raven, who was dressed in one of the new sets of pajamas he got for Christmas, shrugged and reached for a glass of juice to claim as his own. "No need. Cast off 16th."

I frowned and finished dividing the pancakes between the six plates. "That's still a week away."

"Exactly."

Axel sighed. "Raven, as long as your cast is on, you have to use your crutches."

Raven pressed his lips together and finished his juice. He wordlessly left the kitchen with a look of annoyance on his face, loud clonking of his cast against the floor following him. I chuckled and turned to Axel. "How long has he had that thing on? Four months?"

Axel chuckled. "Five. I don't blame him for wanting to not use his crutches. I would be sick of it, too."

I grabbed two plates and placed them on the table, Axel quickly following me. "Well, it's a good thing he won't have to for much longer." I turned towards the living room. "Guys! Come and get your breakfast!"

I turned around to go get my plate but smiled when I saw Axel placing it on the table next to his. I leaned up and gave him a quick kiss. "Thank you, baby."

I felt Axel smile against my lips and lean over to peck them once more. "Anything for you, darling."

I pecked his lips one last time and sat down as I heard footsteps running our way. Drake was the first to arrive and slid into the dining room. He came to a stop in front of his chair and sat down. He looked around the table that had almost all the seats filled before turning to me and Axel. "Where's Jay?"

"She's still sleeping. She hurt her shoulder," Axel said as he began to cut up Robin's pancakes since he was struggling to do it with one hand. Robin gets his cast off at the same time Raven does, and I know they're both excited for it.

Raven frowned. "How do?"

"She had a bad dream and hurt herself in the middle of it."

Raven's frown deepened as he looked down at his plate. Robin frowned as he asked, "Is that why she screams in the middle of the night?"

Axel looked down before nodding. He looked back up at each of his brothers and said, "Yeah. Guys, listen, Jay's not in the best state of mind right now, okay? She's probably not going to act like she normally does, but she will soon, I promise. Just be patient with her," Axel basically pleaded with his brothers. They each nodded and ate their pancakes.

I turned my head as the soft pattering of feet became louder. I smiled at Jay's attempt to get herself dressed with the sling on. I got up from my chair and adjusted Jay's twisted clothing. She smiled up at me and sleepily rubbed her eyes. "Hi, Monroe," she said quietly.

I gently smiled down at her. "Hi, Jay. Your breakfast is on the table; I'll go get your juice."

She nodded and sat down at the table between Drake and Robin. Drake smiled at her. "Hi, Jay! Are you okay?"

Jay nodded at him through a yawn. "Yeah, I'm just tired. My arm kinda hurts, but it's nothing I can't deal with," she finished with a smile in his direction.

Robin gestured at the sling with a tilt of his head. "When can you get the sling off?"

Jay shrugged at the same time Axel said, "Three or so days, but she still needs to take it easy."

I handed Jay her juice with a kiss on her head and sat down to eat my breakfast. As I ate, my eyes kept drifting over to Jay who was listening half-heartedly to her brothers' stories about what happened in the newest episode of the show they all watch together. Jay had slept in until the episode ended, so they decided it was their rightful duty to fill her in on what happened so she wouldn't be totally lost when they watched the new episode next week. I frowned when Jay excused herself to go to her room. 

She barely ate anything.

***

Hi guys! Safe to say I'm back on schedule! Yay!

Oh, this is the 2nd to last chapter by the way.

There's only next chapter and then the epilogue.

:D