1Title: Bedtime
Author: Valerie
Email: Stanley and Bonnie
Rating: Teen
Summary: The second story of Stanley caring for Bonnie after their parents were killed.
Disclaimer: I wish I did but I don't own them.
"Bonnie, it's 9:00 o'clock. You're going to bed," Stanley signed as he stood before his little sister who was sitting on the floor in the family living room, watching The Little Mermaid for the umpteen million time.
It had been almost a month since his parents were killed and slowly but surely he was adapting well enough as far as tending to the farm and the house but getting Bonnie to mind him at bedtime was a different story.
Things had started out alright between them but as the realization that their parents really weren't coming back started to sink in she had become more defiant. Bedtime was becoming a virtual war between them.
"NO!" she signed belligerently.
"That's it," he signed as he turned around and turned the TV off. Reaching down he grabbed her hand and went to pull her up only to have he dig her heels in. Stanley's eyes opened in shock at the determination she had to defy him.
She shook her head as she folded her arm, glaring at him.
He stood looking at the child before him. How could she be so sweet tempered all day but the minute he told her it was time for bed she became a terror. Taking a deep breath he hunkered down so that they were eye level and signed, "it is past your bedtime and you are going to bed!"
With that he reached out and slipped his hands around her waist and lifted her up. He winced as she began to kick him in an attempt to get out of his hands but four years of varsity football had toughen him enough to take a few hits.
He climbed the stairs and stormed down the hallway towards her bedroom. He opened the door and crossed over to the bed. Shifting her onto his hip to free up one hand he reached down and yanked the Hello Kitty comforter down enough before dropping his charge onto the bed and forcing her to lay down as he pulled the material back up to tuck her in.
"Good night," he signed before leaning down to kiss Bonnie on the forehead only to have her turned and bury her face in her pillow. He patted her head gently before he got up to retreat from the room.
He closed the door halfway but made sure the light from the hall illuminated her room enough so that Bonnie would be able to see if she got up. Sighing he headed towards the bathroom to clean up the towels and toys left in the tub after giving Bonnie her bath. Grabbing the towels and clothes in the hamper he threw them in the laundry basket before heading downstairs to put the wash on.
After Stanley got the laundry on he went back into the kitchen to finished the dinner dishes before tackling the array of toys laying around on the living room floor. Sixty minutes later he sat on the couch folding the laundry and watching Logan and Brisco catching the bad guys on Law and Order.
Stanley clicked off the television as the credits began to roll, picking up the laundry basket he climbed the stairs. Stopping at the hall closet he put the towels away before creeping into Bonnie's room to put away her clothes. He stopped short, his heart dropping to the pit of his stomach as realized that his sister wasn't in her bed.
Tossing the laundry aside he rushed over, dropping down to his knees to see if she was hiding underneath the bed before getting up and checking the closet to see if she was in there. Pushing the panic feelings aside that threatened to overwhelm him he raced out of her room and began checking all the rooms on the second floor.
His mind reeled as he imagined that somebody had come into the house while he was down in the basement doing the laundry. He stumbled down the stairs as he went to call the sheriff's office. Grabbing the phone he began to punch in 911 when he noticed that the door to their parent's room was open slightly.
Swallowing the lump in his throat he walked over and pushed the door open the rest of the way. He sighed in relief when he saw Bonnie wrapped in one of their mother's shawls asleep in the middle of their parent's bed.
He slowly walked towards the bed, his heart broke as he saw the tear tracks on his baby sister's cheeks. He climbed onto the bed next to her, pushing her hair aside as he watched her sleep. They couldn't continue like this any longer, he was turning his parent's room into a shrine and it wasn't healthy for Bonnie or him.
Leaning down he kissed the top of Bonnie's head before standing up and walking over to the rocking chair in the corner of the room. Picking it up he carried it into the living room. He brought his mother's vanity set up to Bonnie's room as well as his mother's antique mirror, comb and brush set. The afghan his mother knitted found it's way to the back of the couch and his father's replica of the windmill was placed in the kitchen as well as his models of antique cars were now on the fireplace mantel in the family room.
Slowly he began incorporated as much from his parents bedroom into the rest of the house while Bonnie slept. Finally after two hours his body refused to cooperate and he laid down beside his sister, covering them both with the quilt at the bottom of the bed.
As much as his body needed to rest his mind was going a mile a minute. He knew he was going to have to sit Bonnie down tomorrow and talk to her about what happened tonight. How could he have been so foolish not to realize that Bonnie needed to feel their folks were still in their life somehow instead of him just trying to avoid anything that reminded them of their parents.
Turning his head he looked at his sister and vowed that he would stop doing this. He understood now that Bonnie needed him for more than to take care of her physical needs but that she needed him to help her emotionally. Which meant he had to help her keep their parent's memory alive. That she would always know how much their parents loved them and what amazing people they were.
The End