To Everything, There Is A Season

Chapter 21

Henry woke up in the middle of the night ready to play. He thought his bedroom was too quiet. As he got out of bed he started to go towards his parents' room, but then remembered Suzie was spending the night in their apartment, and he thought that surely she would want to play. Suzie always wanted to play with him. He ran, excitedly, to the room where she knew she was sleeping. "Soo! Soo pway!" Henry gleed as he ran into the guest bedroom, only to discover that the bed and the room were empty. Henry looked around as he shrugged his shoulders. "Soo? Gwon?"

***

It didn't take Don, Meryl, and Suzie long to fall asleep once they were all tucked into Don and Meryl's bed. Suzie was sleeping in between her godparents, who had their arms around her. Don thought he heard something and lifted his head to see his son running through the door. "Mommy! Daddy!"

"Hen, come here." Don whispered as he sat up in bed and lifted Henry onto his lap. "Buddy, what's wrong? Mommy and Suzie are sleeping."

Meryl immediately woke up when she heard her husband and son's voices. "Don Man? Gippy?"

"No Soo!" Henry said worriedly. "Not woom."

Don laughed at Henry as he looked beside him and saw that Suzie was thankfully still fast asleep, and Don held his finger up to his lips. "Shhh...Suzie is sleeping in bed with me and Mommy."

"No me?" Henry gave his father a sad puppy dog face and then turned to his mother. "I weep wif Mommy an Daddy an Soo."

Meryl couldn't help but laugh at their son as she looked at Don through the dark. "I can never resist him when he looks at me like that; when you look at me like that. You two have me wrapped around your little fingers."

"Just as you two have me." Don winked as Meryl moved Suzie closer to her and Don helped Henry lay down. "Okay buddy, you can sleep in here; but you have to SLEEP. No waking up Suzie and no playing."

Henry nodded with a smile. "Tay, Daddy."

"Gippy, why did you wake up?" Meryl asked as she leaned over Suzie to kiss the top of Henry's head. "Were you scared?"

Don had the same fear Meryl did as he made sure Henry had Colt who he carried into his parents' bedroom with him. "Did you have a bad dream?"

"Me pway." Henry told his parents matter of factly. "Me an Soo pway."

Meryl couldn't help but laugh as she got comfortable in bed again. "That's why. He wanted to play."

"Hen, the sun isn't out yet." Don pointed over to the windows. "So no playing yet; sleepy time."

Meryl reached over to run her fingers through Don's hair. "Aren't you glad we got this big bed?"

"Since I like to sleep practically on top of you, I thought a bed this size was a waste of money." Don pointed out making Meryl laugh. "Now, I'm glad we have a big bed tonight."

Meryl watched as Henry was already starting to fall asleep. "I look forward to you practically sleeping on top of me when we're alone."

"That can be arranged, baby." Don teased as he leaned over Henry and Suzie to tenderly kiss Meryl's lips. "You can count on it."

***

Meryl woke up smiling the next morning when she realized that she was waking up in her husband's arms, something she missed doing the morning before. She quickly remembered she didn't go to sleep in them because Henry and Suzie were sleeping in between them; she began to worry about where the youngest members of the Brown and Gummer family were. "Don! Don! They're gone!"

"Huh?" Don asked trying to wake up. "Who's gone?"

Meryl sat up as she ran her fingers through her hair. "Hen and Suze; they were in-between. They're not anymore."