Three weeks later, Seth and Dean went to the eye doctor. While their parents were pretty sure Dean's vision was okay, they were concerned that Seth put his nose practically on his coloring book to see what he was doing.
"Hi, guys! I'm Dr. Heath." The red-haired man happily greeted as he met them in the waiting room. He saw Bayley and Roman, and hesitated. "Oh. Adults." He cleared his throat and stuck out his right hand. "I'm Dr. Heath Slater. How nice to see you today." He winked at the boys. "I have to talk to adults this way," he mock-whispered.
Seth and Dean laughed.
"I hear you need eye exams for pre-school," Heath grinned. "I loved pre-school."
"You went to pre-school?" Dean asked.
"Sure did," Heath nodded. "One of the best years in school. Had great snacks."
Both boys giggled.
"Okay, who wants to go first?"
Seth looked at his brother with wide eyes.
Dean sighed. "I will."
"Who's coming with you? Mom or Dad?"
"Me," Roman spoke up. "We'll be back soon, Seth, so stay with Mommy."
Seth scrambled up onto a chair next to where his Mommy was sitting. He absently chewed on his thumb and stared at the hallway his brother and father had walked down.
Bayley gently pulled her son's thumb from his mouth. "Don't chew on your finger, sweetheart."
Seth sighed.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Okay, Dean, my man. Hop up into the saddle."
Dean's eyes widened. 'A horse?' Sitting in the room was a black horse with white markings posed in mid-gallop. Just like the one in the mall where his Mommy put money into to let him and Seth ride.
"Need some help?" Roman gently asked, his grey eyes twinkling.
Dean silently nodded then grinned as his Daddy put him astride the horse.
"Does he run?" Roman asked.
Heath shrugged. "He sleeps a lot."
Dean looked at his Daddy and whispered, "Not a real horse, Daddy."
"Wow…you know he's not real?" Heath whistled. "You're smart. A lot of kids don't realize that."
Dean grinned. He closely watched as Heath turned on a projector and colored shapes appeared on the wall. Then the lights went out.
"Like a movie!" Dean exclaimed.
"Are you sure you're just starting pre-school?" Heath teased. "You must be getting ready for college!"
Dean laughed and kicked his heels.
"Okay, cowboy, let's see how good your eyes are."
Roman was surprised at Dean's patience through the eye exam. He credited a lot to Heath's ability to keep Dean interested and involved in the exam itself. The horse certainly helped as well.
When Heath finished the exam and turned on the lights, he grinned at Dean. "Well, there's nothing wrong with your eyes. You're cleared for pre-school."
"Yeay!" Dean clapped.
Heath winked at Roman. "That means you get a ride."
Dean bounced in the saddle and grabbed the reins.
Heath walked to his desk and casually stepped on a button next to the base of the horse's stand. Slowly the horse began to rock back and forth, moving quicker and quicker into what to Dean seemed to be a fast gallop.
Roman grinned as Dean rode the horse. Heath completed his paperwork as the horse began to slow down until it finally stopped.
"Okay, ride's over," Roman chuckled as he lifted Dean down from the horse's back.
Heath handed the paperwork to Roman and walked to opened the door. "Thanks for coming, Dean."
"Thank you!" Dean ran out of the office and down the hallway. "Seth! You gotta go! There's a horse!"
Seth stared at his excited brother. "A horse?"
"Yeah! Like at the mall!"
Bayley stood and reached for Seth's hand. "C'mon, Seth. Let's go see."
Reluctantly, Seth took his Mommy's hand and walked away.
"You're gonna love it, Seth!"
"Hello, Seth! C'mon in!" Heath invited.
Seth's dark eyes widened. "It IS a horse! Like at the mall!"
"Well, I don't know about it being like at the mall, but yeah, it's a horse," Heath grinned. "Think your Mom can help you get on him?"
Seth eagerly nodded as Bayley lifted him on to the back of the mechanical horse.
"Let's check out your eyes, and then you can go for a ride. How's that?" Heath asked.
"Okay."
"So, your Mom says you put your eyes real close to your books," Heath began. "Do the words look fuzzy or blurred if you don't?"
Seth shrugged.
"Let me show you something," he finally said. He turned on the projector and dimmed the lights. A few seconds later, a sentence appeared on the screen. "Seth, can you see all the words and letters or are they sorta smudged?"
The adults watched as Seth blinked a few times then squinted.
Carefully, Heath placed a blinder over Seth's left eye. "Is that better?"
"No," Seth softly answered.
Heath then put the blinder on Seth's right eye. "What about now?"
"The dog sat down! I can see it!" Seth excitedly exclaimed. He bounced on the horse, and Bayley caught him as he started to slide off.
"Sit still, honey," she urged. She glanced at Heath in confusion.
"Very good reading!" Heath praised. "Okay, Seth, let's go into the hallway for a moment." He waited as Bayley lifted Seth down then led them to a long back hallway. "See that poster on the door back there?"
Seth squinted but nodded.
Heath put the blinder on Seth's right eye. "Can you tell me what's on the poster?"
"Can't…all runs together," Seth quietly answered.
"Okay, what about now?" Heath put the blinder on Seth's left eye.
"Do not o..o…I not know that word," Seth frowned.
"Can you tell me the letters?" Heath asked.
"O-P-E-N."
"That spells 'open'. So what does it say on the poster?"
"Do not o-pen," Seth grinned.
"Perfect!" Heath chuckled. "Okay, back to the horse."
When Seth was again settled onto the horse, Heath crossed his arms over his chest and smiled. "Seth, do you know what the word 'unique' means?"
Seth shook his head.
"It means one-of-a-kind…special…rare…and you, Seth Reigns, are unique!"
Seth looked from Heath to his Mommy. "Me?" He put both hands on his little chest.
Heath nodded. "You know some people wear glasses, right?"
Seth nodded. "Aunt Sasha has them when she reads."
Heath explained. "Some people need glasses in order to see things that are close…like a book but not things that are far away. Some people need glasses in order see things that are far away. Like the poster in the hallway but no problem seeing things that are close. Like a coloring book," Heath explained. "You, Seth, are unique in that you're both. You're nearsighted in one eye and farsighted in the other."
"Wow," Seth whispered.
"So he needs glasses?" Bayley guessed.
Heath nodded. "I'll do a few more tests to determine the prescription he needs." He patted Seth on the shoulder. "Ready for a few more tests?"
Seth eagerly nodded. He was thrilled when Heath put a large metal device in front of him and carefully fit it to Seth's face. He sat quietly as Heath ran his tests, Seth answering one or two depending on which word on the card could be seen the best. When the tests were done and the device removed, Heath brought the lights back up to full brightness.
"Ready for that ride?"
"Yeah!" Seth bounced.
Heath pressed the button on the floor and the mechanical horse began to move. He sat down and wrote out the prescription for the eyeglasses as Seth giggled and encouraged the horse to go faster.
When the ride was over, Bayley lifted her son down and accepted the prescription from Heath. "Thank you so much."
Heath grinned and opened the door. "My pleasure. Good luck in preschool, Seth." He sighed. "Definitely the best school year of my life."
Seth giggled and ran down the hall towards his brother and Daddy.
"Did you ride it!" Dean excitedly asked.
Seth nodded. "It was fun!"
The two boys jumped up and down.
"Settle down," Roman smirked. He saw the paper in Bayley's hands and sighed. "Glasses?"
Bayley nodded and took Seth's hand. "Come on, Seth. Let's see if we can find you some glasses."
Dean and Roman followed them, the boy curiously staring at the frames. "Daddy, they don't have anything in them."
"Those are just the frames," Roman explained. "The actual lens has to be made and fitted to the frames."
"Ooohhhh." Dean nodded. His eyes widened. "Seth! Get the purple one!"
Seth looked to where his brother was pointing.
"Uh, no," Roman quickly said. "Those are..um…adult frames. Seth needs a child's frame."
"Ooohhhh." Dean nodded. He looked around some more. "Seth! Get the green one!"
Roman saw the vivid lime green frames and sighed. "There's a yogurt shop next door. How about you and I get some yogurt cones? Mommy and Seth can join us later." He picked Dean up and settled him against his shoulder.
"Mommy? That one?" Seth pointed to a pair of unadorned black frames.
Bayley put them on Seth then stood him in front of the mirror.
"Daddy, he looks like an owl," Dean whispered.
Roman sighed again then spoke up. "Bayley, we're going to the yogurt shop next door. You guys join us when you're ready."
"Okay," Bayley absently answered, her attention on Seth's reflection in the mirror.
Once Roman and Dean had settled into a booth with their yogurt cones, Roman got his son's attention. "If Seth chooses those black frames, please don't tell him he looks like an owl."
"But…"
"There are going to be some people who are going to tease him about wearing glasses," Roman continued. "No matter what color or style of the frames. It's going to make Seth feel bad."
Dean's blue eyes narrowed and he glowered. "Nobody better do that," he growled.
"If they do, just take Seth's hand and walk away," Roman firmly told him. "But you telling Seth that he looks like an owl could hurt his feelings."
Dean sighed. "Even if he does?"
"Even if he does."
"But I'm not supposed to lie," Dean mumbled in protest.
"Doesn't mean you have to say something that hurts your brother's feelings," Roman pointed out. "If Seth, or anybody else, asks what you think about Seth's glasses, you can say that Seth chose them."
Dean slurped the yogurt from his cone. "Okay." He peeked up at his Daddy. "But he'll still look like an owl if he gets the black ones."
"Let it drop, Dean." Roman firmly ordered.
Ten minutes later, Bayley and Seth slid into their booth, each with their own cone of yogurt.
"Seth should have his glasses in three to five days," Bayley announced.
"Which ones did you get?" Dean asked, holding his breath.
"The black ones," Seth answered, licking the side of his cone.
Dean's blue eyes flickered towards his Daddy then he turned to look out the window. Daddy had that look on his face.
"What did Dr. Slater say? He's nearsighted?" Roman asked, trying not to grin at Dean's expression that he could see reflected in the window.
"I'm you…you…" Seth looked up at his Mommy who leaned down and whispered in his ear. "You..neek!"
"Well, I already know that," Roman nodded. "Both you and Dean are unique."
Seth frowned. "But Dean doesn't need glasses."
"You can be unique in different ways, Seth," Bayley chuckled.
"Oh."
"Seth is nearsighted in one eye and farsighted in the other," Bayley explained.
Roman raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"
Bayley nodded.
"That is unique," Roman solemnly admitted.
"So am I," Dean said, somewhat jealously. "I'm gonna go to Mars!"
Roman was the only one to hear Bayley whimper.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Bayley was going to cry. She just knew it. This was her boys' first day at school. Okay, it was pre-school, but it was still school. She wasn't going to have them with her every day any longer. They would only be gone for the mornings but still…
She glanced over her shoulder where the boys were chattering, excited about their first day of school. Despite herself, she sighed when she turned her head to look forward.
Roman reached over and squeezed her hand. He'd taken the day off from work, knowing Bayley wasn't going to handle this well. Unfortunately, Sasha had a work commitment and couldn't be there to support her best friend. Then again, he mused, this would give him the morning alone with Bayley. Perhaps a nice walk along the beach…
Gulfside Academy was listed as a private experimental school. While providing the basic standard of education required by the state, the school provided several electives and education paths designed for each individual student. Both Bayley and Roman were sold when they learned each student progressed at his or her own speed in each subject rather than be grouped by age. A child might be sitting in the third grade but be working on fifth grade math. Classes were available from pre-K through grade 12, and no class had more than 15 students.
Seth began bouncing in his car seat. "We're here! We're here!"
"Calm down, Seth," Roman said as he followed the line of cars to the parking lot for the pre-K and elementary school.
Bayley bit her lower lip as she helped Dean with his backpack. Her babies were so small…so young...
"Hurry, Mommy! We'll be late!" Dean urged as he squirmed.
Bayley kissed the top of his head. "No. We won't be late." She took his hand and saw Seth swinging his hand with Roman. 'First to pre-school and then to Mars!' She seriously wanted to cry.
They passed through security and were given a packet of information then directed down the hall to an auditorium. A casually dressed young man with twinkling blue eyes sat on the stage with his dangling legs crossed at the ankles. He had a neatly trimmed beard and brown hair combed back that ended just below his shirt collar. Standing on the auditorium floor was a man and two women.
Both Dean and Seth curiously looked around as they sat on their seats. The row in front of them and the rows behind them began to fill up with children and adults.
"Hi. My name is Enzo Amore."
Dean and Seth both looked forward to see a small blonde-haired boy staring at them. The boy's hair was stiffly sticking up, and he wore a bright print shirt in blues and greens. He also wore tinted glasses which immediately caught Seth's attention.
"I'm Dean. He's my brother Seth."
The adult next to Enzo sighed. "Enzo, sit down, please."
"I'm just talkin', Uncle Cass. They're my new friends."
"Yes, but you need to sit down and pay attention. You can talk to them later."
Enzo squirmed around and sat in his seat, grumbling under his breath.
"Good morning, everyone. My name is Daniel Bryan, and I'm the principal for Gulfside Academy's pre-K, kindergarten, and elementary school." The young man sitting on the stage smiled as everyone became quiet. "I'm happy to see all of you and welcome you to Day One of this exciting journey called education." He indicated the man standing next to him. "This is Joey Mercury, our assistant principal. You'll be seeing a lot of him since the minute the bell rings, he's out in the hallways." Daniel shook his head in mock sorrow. "He hates sitting at a desk for a long period of time. But he does it, so I'm sure each and every one of you can do that as well."
Joey smiled and waved.
Daniel pointed to a tall blonde-haired woman. "This is Ms. Flair. I get to call her Charlotte because I'm special."
Charlotte laughed and shook her head.
"OK, I get to call her Charlotte because I'm her boss," Daniel admitted. "Those of you who will be in Ms. Flair's class will be…"
"Dolphins!" Charlotte called out, grinning when some of the children cheered.
"Dolphin…I wanna be a dolphin!" Enzo hissed to his uncle.
Cass patted his nephew's shoulder.
"And this young lady is Ms. James." Daniel pointed to the brunette woman who stood next to him. "I get to call her Mickie because…" He glanced at his audience.
"You're the boss!" Most of the children called out.
Daniel grinned at them. "Those of you who will be in Ms. James' class will be…"
"Flamingoes!" Mickie called out. She clapped when the children cheered.
"Flamingo…I wanna be a flamingo!"
"Shhh." Cass patted Enzo's shoulder again.
"Learning should be fun," Daniel spoke. "And we are going to try and make it fun. But we do have rules, and we expect you to listen to us, be respectful, and obey." He reached behind him and opened a green file folder. "Now, we're going to see who is a dolphin and who is a flamingo. I'm going to name the flamingoes first. After every flamingo has been called, please walk to join Ms. James, and she'll lead you to your classroom. Please be quiet in the hallways as other kids are in their classes. I'll be at the front door to speak to any parents about any concerns when the classroom orientation is completed."
"Flamingo…flamingo…" Enzo muttered as he bounced in his seat.
Dean and Seth chuckled, and Enzo grinned at them over his shoulder.
"…Enzo Amore…"
"Yes!" Enzo loudly exclaimed as he pumped his fist in the air.
Daniel led the room in laughter while Cass closed his eyes. Shaking his head, he hugged Enzo.
When the final name was read, Bayley relaxed. She glanced over at Roman and saw him smiling in relief. They been afraid Dean and Seth would be separated. Since the boys had never been apart, they didn't want them to start out their school experience with any additional trauma.
Once the flamingoes were gone, Daniel started reading the names of the dolphins. Seth giggled when he heard his name, and Dean widely grinned.
Daniel glanced at his audience. "Was anyone's name not called?" When no one spoke, he smiled. "Dolphins, please follow Ms. Flair, and I'll see the parents at the front door."
Charlotte led them down the hallway to a spacious room with a poster of a dolphin on the door. Smiling, she turned to her students. "There's a name on each desk. Can you find yours?"
The children scattered around the room, exclaiming when they each found their desk. Dean hesitated when he realized Seth would be sitting on the other side of the room, and glanced at his brother. Seth shrugged and started wiggling out of his backpack. Dean sighed and did the same.
"Backpacks next to your seat, please," Charlotte requested. She spent a few moments going over the daily schedule and passing out a list of school supply items they would be needing.
Bayley glanced at the list and recognized it was the same as they'd received a few weeks earlier in their orientation packet. The boys had everything in their backpack that was on the list.
"Okay, moms and dads," Charlotte smiled. "The Dolphins need to start learning. Dolphins, you'll see them later today. OK?"
Bayley walked over and hugged Dean. "I'm so proud of you," she murmured. "You do what Ms. Flair tells you, okay?"
"I will," Dean nodded with a smile. "Do you think she knows about Mars?"
Bayley groaned and hugged him again. Then she went to hug Seth.
Dean scratched his nose as his Daddy gave him a kiss on the top of his head. "I think Mommy may be sick. She groaned."
"Oh?" Roman glanced at his wife.
"Yeah, I asked her if Ms. Flair knows about Mars and she groaned."
Roman chuckled. "I'll keep an eye on her."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
True to his word, Daniel was waiting by the front door to speak with any of the parents. Joey stood with him available to talk as well so they didn't delay the parents leaving the school.
Cass stood in line in front of them. He held out his hand to Roman. "William Cassady, but I go by Cass," he introduced himself. "I'm Enzo's uncle."
"Roman and Bayley Reigns." Roman shook Cass' hand. "We're Seth and Dean's parents."
Feeling the line moving, Cass stepped up to Daniel and introduced himself.
"Did our most enthusiastic flamingo get settled in okay?" Daniel grinned.
Cass smirked. "As well as possible. Ms. James will have her hands full with him. Please let me know if he acts up. Enzo's a good kid, but…very active and tends to act out a little at times. His parents had an opportunity to work in Europe and felt it would be better for Enzo to stay here."
Daniel heard a tone of disapproval in his voice and calmly nodded. "I'm sure Enzo will fit right in." He glanced at his notes. "I have you down as his guardian and primary contact?"
Cass nodded. "His parents are difficult to reach."
Joey smiled at him. "I think Enzo will fit right in."
Cass nodded then smiled at Bayley and Roman before walking away.
Roman introduced themselves as Dean and Seth's parents. "Thanks for putting them in the same room. They've never actually been separated before." He paused. "Well except for Dean's appendectomy early this summer."
"Ouch." Daniel winced.
"That's unusual," Joey commented. "He's okay now?"
"Back to his active self," Bayley chuckled. "We met my brother and his family in Hawaii last month for a joint vacation and he didn't have a single problem." She hesitated. "Can we confirm that, besides us, the only person to have information about the boys or pick them up is their aunt? Sasha Banks."
Daniel checked his paperwork and nodded. "Yeah, it's right here. She came in and we have her picture and ID on file. But I'll confirm it with Charlotte."
"Thank you," Bayley smiled. "The boys are so excited."
Daniel widely smiled. "That's great! Our goal is keep them excited about learning."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Mr. McMahon. Thank you for coming. Please, sit down." William Regal indicated the chair across the table from him. The VIP Dining Room at the Pensacola Country Club was nearly empty and would provide privacy for their conversation.
"Good afternoon, gentlemen." The waiter appeared as Vince McMahon sat down. "Our special today is prime rib with assorted vegetables, Cobb salad, and cherry cheesecake for dessert."
"Just the salad for me," Vince ordered. "Caesar dressing. And coffee."
"Salad for myself with Russian dressing. And tea," William ordered.
"My investigation into the background of Dean's parents produced some interesting facts," William began in a low voice. "His mother, Catherine Ambrose, is currently completing drug rehabilitation and is living in a half-way house. His father, Jerry Ambrose, is serving a long-term prison sentence for drug dealing and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon."
"Would Bayley have known this when she adopted that boy?" Vince demanded.
"Oh, certainly," William nodded. "This information would definitely have been given to the prospective parents."
Vince glared at William. "That has to be Roman's influence! I can't believe Bayley would willingly…"
"Your salads, gentlemen." The waiter interrupted, setting plates and dishes in front of them. He also set a carafe of coffee and a carafe of tea along with milk and sugar on the table. "Will there be anything else?"
William glanced at Vince then shook his head. "That will be all. Thank you." When the waiter walked away, William continued, "Mr. Ambrose's parental rights were stripped away from him after his sentencing, and Ms. Drew voluntarily signed away her parental rights. However…" William sipped his tea.
"However…what?"
"It could be argued that Ms. Drew was not in a rational frame of mind in order to properly and completely understand what she was doing when she signed away her parental rights," William speculated. "While she would not be given custody of Dean, she could obtain visitation rights."
"It wouldn't be good for Seth to be around a former drug addict," Vince winced. "And Dean would most certainly be picking up bad habits and behaviors from his mother."
William nodded. "Unfortunately, quite possible."
"How does this get us custody of Seth?" Vince demanded.
William hesitated. "I must be honest. With Mrs. McMahon's refusal to cast Bayley in the role of an unfit mother..."
"Mine as well," Vince firmly interrupted.
"Indeed," William nodded. "And with nothing in her husband's background to label him as unfit, that leaves us with no real options to have Seth removed from his family. However…" He paused to gather his thoughts. "If Dean's mother were to successfully complete her rehabilitation program in the next two months, she would need gainful employment and be able to prove she could provide a suitable home for Dean. If that were successful, her petition would be viewed more positively by Family Court. And while I honestly doubt Dean would be immediately removed from Bayley, visitation privileges could be instituted which could, in the fullness of time, result in a successful appeal by Dean's mother to the adoption."
Vince ate quietly for a few moments. "I've heard that many families break up after the loss of a child. Parents get divorced due to the resulting stress."
"Unfortunately, yes," William agreed, a hint of regret in his voice. "I've always felt it was a blessing in those cases when one or both of the parents had a loving supportive family to fall back on." He sipped his tea and patiently waited.
"I'm assuming there are suitable programs to help recovering addicts after their…rehabilitation," Vince finally spoke.
"Indeed there are. I'm certain Ms. Drew would easily qualify for that assistance."
"It's too bad that recovering addicts often fall back into old habits," Vince mused.
"Destructive habits are the hardest to break," William agreed.
The two men's eyes met for a few seconds, then Vince continued eating. "The salad is excellent today."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
A few weeks later and both boys were still enthusiastic about school. It may have been only pre-K, but it had lived up to Principal Bryan's statement that they wanted to make learning fun. Seth had started reading before pre-K while Dean was learning his letters. Dean had now started to read and Bayley would forever be grateful to Charlotte for making reading an adventure for him.
Both boys were proud Dolphins but had made friends with some of the Flamingoes. Little Enzo was their constant playmate on the playground along with a little blonde-haired girl named Alexa and a little girl from Japan named Asuka.
Roman was amused that the boys were picking up some Japanese words from their playmate. He just hoped they were appropriate ones…and that Seth wasn't teaching his new friends words he shouldn't be using.
What the Reigns household didn't know what that Gulfside Academy Elementary school had two new students this year by the names of Randy and Kevin Helmsley, sons of Hunter Helmsley & Stephanie McMahon.
On this particular day, the elementary school children were at the end of their recess period. As the bell rang for them to return to their class, there was a scream and then both kids and the teachers assigned to playground duty were running towards the swings.
Kevin looked at his brother who shrugged.
"Probably somebody fell or got pushed." Randy's blue eyes narrowed as he looked past the small fence that separated the pre-K and kindergarten play area from the elementary school playground. "The babies are out," he grimaced, hearing their excited squeals.
"Including our little cousins." Kevin pointed at two particular boys. "Remember? Granddad said he found out they were here in pre-K."
"Yeah, I see them." Randy looked back at the group of kids still surrounding the swings. "We should go see how they're making out."
Kevin grinned in agreement. They weren't supposed to step over the small fence that was little more than a decorative barrier. But how could they get in trouble for just wanting to see how their little cousins were doing?
Dean, Seth, Alexa, Enzo, and Asuka were kicking a soccer ball between them. Asuka accidentally kicked it hard, and the ball bounced between Alexa and Enzo.
"Asuka!" Alexa whined.
"I'm sorry," the little Japanese girl apologized with a half-smile.
"I'll get it!" Enzo eagerly ran after the ball.
Dean and Alexa began laughing as Enzo accidentally kicked the ball when he tried to pick it up.
Seth's attention was drawn to a rock display close to the small fence that separated the play areas. While wanting for Enzo to retrieve their ball, he walked over and knelt down next to it.
"Rocks. He's staring at rocks."
Startled, Seth stared upwards. His dark eyes widened at the sight of his older cousins standing in front of him.
Kevin burst into laughter. "The baby's got glasses! He looks like an owl!"
Randy smirked, he hands on his hips. "Probably blind without 'em."
Seth slowly stood, nervously running his hands against each other. "What…Why you here?"
Randy shook his head. "Baby can't even talk right. Isn't about time for your bottle and nap?"
Seth took a step backwards. "Leave me alone!" he raised his voice.
Back on the field, Dean turned his head at the sound of Seth's raised voice.
"I got it!" Enzo ran up proudly holding the ball. He stopped and frowned at the growls coming from Dean. "What…" He stopped when Dean began running towards Seth and two older boys.
"He looked mad," Alexa excitedly pointed out.
"Who are they?" Asuka asked.
"I dunno," Enzo shook his head.
Kevin grunted and shoved Seth in the chest. "Remember, you don't tell me what to do!"
"Stop it!" Seth yelled.
"What are you gonna do about it?" Randy curiously asked.
"He's not gonna do anything," Kevin snorted. He shoved Seth harder, causing the smaller boy to stumble backwards and fall, landing on his elbow.
Seth cried out and reached for his left arm.
"Is he crying?" Kevin joked to his brother.
The last time the cousins had been together, Seth had come to his brother's defense. This time, Dean came to Seth's rescue, tackling Kevin to the ground. A small fist punched Kevin in the eye, causing the older boy to howl.
"Fight! Fight!" Enzo excitedly yelled. He dropped the ball and began to jump up and down, waving his hands in the air. "Ms. James! Ms. Flair! Fight! Fight!"
Both women turned as one and saw where Enzo was pointing. Both started running towards the fight.
Dean got to his feet as Randy grabbed his arm. Snarling, Dean grabbed Randy's arm and sank his teeth into his cousin's flesh.
Randy screamed in pain, trying to shake Dean off. He finally punched Dean in the shoulder which caused the smaller boy to release Randy's arm.
Falling to the ground, Dean shook his head then saw Kevin getting to his feet. Gritting his teeth, he lowered his head and dove at his older cousin.
"Dean! No!" Seth yelled.
Both boys landed on the ground as the two teachers ran up to them.
"That's enough!" Charlotte firmly shouted. "Turn loose of each other and move away!"
Startled, Dean froze.
Kevin hesitated then shoved Dean away from him.
Dean rolled then sat up.
Seth slowly got to his feet. Still holding his left arm, he ran to his brother and sat next to him.
"He bit me!" Randy howled.
Mickie looked at Kevin and Randy. "Who are your teachers?"
"Mr. Rhodes," Kevin mumbled.
"Mr. Sandow," Randy answered.
Charlotte spoke in to her walkie-talkie. "Joey, this is Charlotte. We have a situation in the play area. We need assistance."
"On my way."
"I'll get these four to the nurse," Mickie told her colleague. She held up her hand when Randy started to complain. "You can tell your story later. Right now, let's see how badly everyone's hurt."
Charlotte was surprised to see Joey trotting across the elementary school playground towards them. He easily hopped over the fence and joined her as Mickie disappeared into the school with the four boys.
"I don't know how or why, but two of the elementary students came over the fence and a fight started between them and two of my kids." Charlotte brushed her blonde hair back from her face. "Mickie's taken all four of them to the nurse's office so I need help getting the Flamingoes back to her class. Can you stay with them until she gets back and then stay with my class while I go see about my two?"
"Sure," Joey nodded.
"Why weren't the elementary school kids back in their class?" Charlotte complained. "That's why we have staggered play times."
"One of Natalya's students jumped from a swing," Joey explained. "She fell and knocked out a tooth. She panicked at the blood that gushed out and wound up needing her inhaler."
"She okay?" Charlotte asked.
Joey nodded. "Things are under control over there." He chuckled. "The kid was going to be pulled out in about an hour by her mother to go to the dentist about a loose tooth that was giving her problems." He shook his head. "I hope it was the tooth that got knocked out."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Roman was on the phone with Bayley, talking about his recent meeting with Antonio. "It's not a long trip. Three days in New Orleans. I was thinking you and the boys might join me."
Bayley sighed as she pitched a ball into the yard for Yorkie to catch. "I don't know if we should pull the boys out of school."
"It's pre-K," Roman patiently pointed out. "Not high school."
"Still, I don't think we should begin a precedent," Bayley sighed.
"Bayley, what's wrong?"
"I'm just getting used to not having them with me all the time," Bayley explained. "If we start pulling them out for this reason or that reason, I'm afraid I'll start doing that all the time." She sighed again, patting Yorkie on the head when he dropped the ball at her feet. "I know it's silly."
"No, it's not. And I understand." Roman dramatically sighed. "I guess I'll have to just go to New Orleans on my own."
"Poor baby," Bayley snickered. She heard a beep and quickly added, "Hang on. Somebody's beeping in."
Roman stuffed the remains of his early lunch into the plastic bag and dumped it in his trash can. Bayley was right but he wished she and the boys could have joined him in New Orleans. He knew how hard it had been on his wife without the boys around.
"Roman! The school just called. They need us there. They said the boys were okay but there's been an incident." Bayley rushed the words out in one gasp of air.
"What incident?" Roman demanded.
"I don't know!" Bayley tensely answered.
"Drive carefully. I'm on my way." Roman hung up then dialed Antonio's extension. "I need to leave. The school called about the boys."
"Are they hurt?" Antonio asked with concern.
"Said they were okay but there had been an incident…whatever that means." Roman finished shutting down his computer.
"Go. Let me know if you need anything."
"Thanks." Once again, Roman was thankful to have an understanding boss.
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Roman saw Bayley's car in the visitor's parking lot and idly wondered if she'd broken as many speed limits as he had in order to get to the school as quickly as possible. At the principal's office, he was directed to an office down an administrative office hallway. Stepping inside, he saw Bayley sitting between Dean and Seth on one side of the room and to his surprise, Stephanie and Hunter sat with their two boys on the other side. The assistant principal, Joey Mercury sat at a desk at the far end of the office, an open laptop sitting on the desk in front of him.
Roman nodded to Joey who silently returned the nod. Then he knelt in front of his sons. "Are you two okay?" When both boys silently nodded, he indicated the bandage on Seth's elbow.
"Scraped," Bayley quietly spoke. Then she lowered her voice even more. "I had no idea Kevin and Randy were here."
The door opened and Daniel and a dark-haired woman walked in. Roman quickly sat next to Dean.
"Thanks for everyone coming so quickly," Daniel began as they walked towards the desk.
"I want to know what you're going to do about this!" Stephanie demanded. "He bit our son!" She dramatically pointed at Dean who narrowed his eyes before looking down.
"This matter will be settled before we leave," Daniel promised. "First of all, however, I'd like to go over the nurse's report. This is Nicole Bella, RN. Nikki, go ahead."
Nikki nodded with a brief smile. "There are no serious injuries. Randy has a bite mark on his arm. The skin wasn't broken and there was no bleeding."
"That doesn't make this any less serious!" Stephanie snapped.
"Steph."
Stephanie looked at her husband.
"Let them finish," Hunter calmly requested.
"Thank you," Nikki smiled. "Kevin has a swollen left eye that will probably bruise and some other bruising on his arms. Seth has a badly scraped left elbow which was cleaned and disinfected. He doesn't have any restriction on arm movement or apparent damage to his shoulder. Dean was hit in the left shoulder; but there's no bruising, and he's demonstrated full range of movement." She ignored Stephanie's grunt. "I'll have my report available later today and will email it to all of you in case you want to seek further treatment for your children."
"Thank you, Nikki." Daniel nodded in dismissal. He waited until she left and the door closed behind her. "The elementary school recess time ends as kindergarten and pre-K's begin. Unfortunately, there was an accident with one of the elementary school students. She jumped from the swing and lost her balance when landing. She fell forward and knocked out a tooth. She began bleeding profusely and panicked. She's asthmatic and developed problems breathing. In her panic, she dropped her inhaler. The teachers in the play area were concentrating on her and didn't get their kids back into the classroom on schedule."
"How is she?" Bayley softly asked.
"She's doing fine now," Daniel nodded. "Her inhaler helped but she was taken to the hospital as a precaution." He took a deep breath. "After the boys received their medical treatment, they were brought here by Mr. Mercury. No one has questioned them. We felt it was appropriate for all questioning to be done with their parents present and only put the boys through this one time." He turned to Kevin and Randy. "Would you like to explain what happened?"
The older boys looked at each other,then Randy took a deep breath. "We saw the pre-K kids coming out on their playground," he began. "And we saw our little cousins."
Daniel glanced at both sets of parents. "They're cousins?"
Joey looked surprised. The two sets of parents hadn't spoken to each other at all.
"Bayley and I are sisters," Stephanie briefly explained.
Daniel nodded. "Okay, go on, Randy."
"We hadn't seen them for a while, and we wanted to see how they were." Randy glanced down at the floor. "We shouldn't have crossed the fence, but we didn't think it would matter."
Hunter folded his hands and rested them against his stomach.
"When we climbed the fence, we saw Seth looking at some rocks or something." Randy looked back up at Daniel. "We talked to him, and he stood up." He glanced at Seth. "We didn't know he'd gotten glasses. He didn't have 'em earlier this summer. Maybe he's not used to them 'cause he fell down. Maybe tripped over a rock or something." He sighed. "Next thing I know, Dean's knocked Kevin down. I tried to pull him off my brother, and he bit me."
Kevin silently nodded in agreement.
'Smooth', Hunter thought. If nothing else, he'd found out his first-born was a good liar.
"Okay." Daniel turned to the younger boys. "Would you like to explain what happened? Seth, you first."
"Me and Dean and Enzo and Asuka and Alexa were kickin' the soc'er ball," he quietly spoke. "Asuka kicked it too hard, and Enzo ran after it. Dean and Alexa were laughing 'cause Enzo kicked it again and I saw these rocks and went to look at 'um." His hiccupped once and blinked several times. "Then Kevin and Randy were there and they laughed at my glasses and called me an owl and Kevin pushed me down."
"I saw them," Dean spoke in a low voice. "They always pick on Seth so I started running to them. Kevin did knock him down and made Seth cry. So I knocked Kevin down and hit him in his face." His blue eyes narrowed. "Randy grabbed me so I bit him…hard. He hit me and knocked me loose so I hit Kevin some more." He took a deep breath. "Then Ms. Flair yelled to stop." He paused. "We did."
'Great,' Roman inwardly sighed. 'Their word against ours.'
"Okay." Daniel glanced at Joey. They'd spoken with the three other students that Seth had mentioned. All three had seen the incident, Enzo going into great detail and even acting part of it out. But there was no need to bring them into this meeting.
"Obviously, someone's lying." Stephanie glared across the room. "What happens now?"
"Now we look at the security footage," Daniel calmly replied. "There are security cameras around the entire building, play area and parking lots." He looked at Joey. "If you could bring up the footage?"
Joey nodded and tapped on the laptop keys while Daniel dimmed the lights.
Hunter saw his sons nervously glance at each other then calmly turned his head towards the screen in the back of the room.
They all watched in silence as Seth approached the rock formation and knelt down. They saw Kevin and Randy easily climb the fence separating the two play areas and approach Seth. They saw the younger boy look up while the two older boys laughed. They saw Seth stand then back away and say something to the older boys. They saw Kevin push Seth twice, the second time sending him falling to the ground and Seth grab his left arm. They saw Dean suddenly appearing, knocking Kevin to the ground and begin hitting him. They saw Randy pull Dean away from Kevin and get bit by Dean. They saw Randy hit Dean who then started hitting Kevin again. They saw Charlotte and Mickie run into the picture and the fight stop.
Joey stopped the footage, and Daniel brought the lights back up. He then looked at Kevin and Randy. "Is there anything you'd like to change about your story?" he quietly asked.
'Enough is enough.' Hunter leaned forward to look at his sons. "That's not necessary, Mr. Bryan. They've been caught in their lies."
Stephanie glanced at him from the corner of her eye but remained quiet.
"The only thing I want to hear from them right now is an apology," Hunter calmly continued. He managed not to smile when both boys looked at him in surprise. They glanced at their mother then Kevin mumbled, "Sorry." Randy quietly echoed his brother.
Hunter leaned back in his chair. "I can sit here all day and wait for a genuine apology which you will give to your cousins, aunt, uncle, Mr. Bryan and Mr. Mercury. But that will just give me more time to consider a suitable punishment for the both of you when we get home."
Randy stared at his father then took a deep breath. "I'm really sorry, Aunt Bayley…Uncle Roman. And sorry Dean and Seth." He glanced at the school administrators. "We were wrong, Mr. Bryan…Mr. Mercury."
"Yeah, we were wrong," Kevin mumbled.
"Kevin!" Hunter snapped.
"I'm sorry!" Kevin nervously blurted out.
"Our rules are very clear," Daniel quietly spoke. "Kevin, for pushing Seth and bullying him, you get a five-day suspension. Randy, you get a two-day suspension for deliberately going where you knew you weren't supposed to go. Although you hit Dean which would earn you a five-day suspension, he was biting you at the time. I'll excuse you this one time. Dean, for fighting Kevin and biting Randy, you get a five-day suspension. Seth gets no suspension because he did nothing wrong."
Hunter nodded just as Stephanie started to speak. "That's fair." He glanced at his sons. "And don't think you'll use those suspension days to play video games and watch television. You'll keep up with your homework, and there will be work for you to do around the house."
Kevin started to complain but Randy kicked him.
"Yes, sir," Randy quietly replied.
"I'll have their teachers email you any of their homework," Daniel explained. "Their backpacks are in the front office behind the receptionists' desk."
Hunter stood, forcing Stephanie and the boys to also stand. "Thank you for handling this so well, gentlemen. My wife and I also apologize for our sons' behavior." He glared at his sons. "They will also apologize to their teachers and to whoever was on the playground today when they each return to class." He turned to the others. "Bayley, Roman, I apologize for their actions. Dean, I'm sorry you got suspended. You were protecting your brother. Seth, I'm sorry you got hurt." He half-smiled. "Cool looking glasses, kid."
Seth just stared at him and blinked.
Roman and Bayley exchanged a long look as Hunter led his family out of the room. Joey quietly followed them out.
"Ms. Flair will email whatever assignments Dean has," Daniel softly spoke. "And I'm truly sorry this happened."
"It's not your fault," Bayley sadly smiled. "Dean was right. They've bullied Seth before." She wrapped an arm around her younger son and hugged him.
"We had no idea Kevin and Randy were enrolled here," Roman added, tugging a stiff Dean closer to him.
"I'm going out on a limb here and figuring there's some sort of family conflict." Daniel sighed. "Randy's teacher is Mr. Sandow, and Kevin's is Mr. Rhodes. I'll inform them of the situation as well as making sure all the instructors keep an eye on them during the few times all the students are brought together."
"Thank you," Bayley smiled.
Daniel walked to where Dean sat. He knelt in front of the boy and softly spoke, "Dean, can you look at me, please?"
Slowly Dean raised his head and stared at the principal.
"You know, I wish I'd had a brother like you when I was growing up," Daniel half-smiled. "I got…teased a lot for being small for my age…among other things. It would've been nice to have had a brother sticking up for me."
Dean blinked and shrugged.
Daniel sighed. "I really really hope there isn't a next time. But if there is, you need to tell one of the teachers and let them handle it. Like Ms. Flair and Ms. James did today. I don't want you fighting and getting into trouble again."
"He hit Seth and made him cry," Dean mumbled.
Daniel nodded. "I understand that's hard to hear, and you want to protect your brother. But the rules are clear about fighting. I really wish I didn't have to give you that suspension, so next time, let the teachers or Mr. Mercury or myself handle it." He held out his right hand. "Do we have a deal?"
Dean rubbed a hand across his eyes. "Not crying," he muttered.
Daniel patiently waited.
Dean glanced up at his Daddy who smiled and gently nudged him.
"It's a good deal," Roman quietly spoke. "I'd take it."
Dean looked back at Daniel, then put his right hand out. "Deal," he promised.
Daniel gently shook the boy's hand. "Deal." He turned to Seth who was now sitting on his Mommy's lap. "Seth, you didn't get a suspension but you did get hurt. There's only one more day of school this week, so you can stay home tomorrow if you want; and we'll call it a medical absence. It won't be counted against you."
Seth looked up at his Mommy who smiled and nodded.
Daniel stood. "I'll have their teachers email any assignments they have," he promised. He suddenly smiled. "Okay, Dolphins! Let's swim out of here!"
Seth giggled. He jumped off his mother's lap and stood behind Daniel.
Dean slowly joined his brother, and Seth grabbed him by the wrist.
"Here we go," Daniel warned.
"Side by side. Two by two. Dolphins stay together. Me and you."
Seth's voice was cheerful while Dean mumbled as though embarrassed. He glanced at his Daddy as if begging for help in getting him out of his embarrassment.
Roman stifled a laugh and took Bayley's wrist. "When in Rome," he shrugged.
Dean sighed. His Mommy's voice sounded a lot like Seth's.
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"Dad, we…"
"Save it, Randy," Hunter ordered as he started his BMW.
"But…"
"Randall!"
Randy slumped back into the seat, his face set in a scowl. Next to him Kevin pouted, nibbling on his thumbnail.
"Kevin, get your thumb out of your mouth!" Hunter snapped.
Stephanie started to say something, but instead turned to look out the passenger window as her husband expertly navigated the afternoon traffic towards their home. Once there, Hunter led them into his office and closed the door.
He rubbed the back of his neck then slowly spoke. "I can't begin to tell the two of you just how disappointed and angry I am with you." He glared at both boys.
Randy flushed but kept his eyes focused on the floor. Kevin bit his lower lip and shuffled his feet.
"Stupid! What the two of you did was nothing more than utter stupidity!" Hunter shouted. "What were you thinking?" He paused, waiting for an answer. "Well?"
"We…" Kevin hesitated and glanced at Randy. "It was all his fault!"
"What?" Randy glared at his brother. "I didn't tell you to shove Seth!"
"Enough!" Hunter demanded. He took a deep breath. "Do you know what I saw when I looked across the room at Dean and Seth?"
His sons silently shook his head.
Stephanie crossed her arms and waited to see where Hunter was going with his harangue.
"I saw two brothers who supported and defended each other," Hunter explained. "They didn't point their fingers and put all the blame on each other!" He shook his head and began pacing. "But the two of you? I ask you one question, and you start throwing each other under the bus!"
Stephanie frowned but remained silent.
"I detest stupidity," Hunter growled. "Especially when I see it in my own sons." He glared at Randy. "This is your third school. Today you got a two-day suspension. The next infraction will be an automatic five-day suspension. Then you get expelled. If you get expelled from this school…your third one!...I'm shipping you off to a military boarding school. We'll see if that doesn't straighten you out! Is that understood?"
"Yes, sir," Randy quickly nodded.
He turned to Kevin. "You were requested not to return to Broadridge after your disaster in kindergarten last year. You got a five-day suspension today. Next is expulsion. And if you think I won't ship you off to a different military boarding school than your brother, you're even more stupid than you acted today! Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir," Kevin squeaked.
"Hunter…"
"Not this time, Stephanie," Hunter interrupted. "There was absolutely no reason to confront Seth today except to bully him. And they were stupid enough to get caught not only bullying him but lying about it as well."
Stephanie hesitated then nodded in agreement.
Hunter crossed the room and opened the door. "Kane!"
Kane, the large man in charge of the domestic household, appeared in a few moments. "Yes, sir?"
"My sons on are restriction," Hunter replied. "They'll be occupying guest rooms for the foreseeable future. Remove anything in those guest rooms that could be used for their amusement. Make sure they have their clothing and toiletry articles. Let me know when that's been done."
"Yes, sir." Kane stared at the two boys, nodded and walked away.
"In the meantime, go to the kitchen and get a snack. You'll stay there until someone gets you," Hunter ordered. "Now go."
Stephanie waited until the boys were gone then closed the office door. "That was a little harsh."
"Was it?" Hunter rolled his shoulders to ease the tension in them. "You think your father's going to leave his company to people who act like that?"
"They're boys," Stephanie pointed out.
"And unless that behavior is corrected, that's who they'll be as men." Hunter stared out the window. "If I didn't know the backstory, I would've believed Randy that they were only checking up on their 'little cousins'." He glanced at Stephanie. "He's already a very good liar."
Stephanie sighed. "I know. And you're right. They have to learn."
"Yeah," Hunter nodded. "They do. And they will." He watched as Stephanie opened the door and walked out of the room. And he couldn't help but remember the video footage of a small boy running to his brother's defense.
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'Fuck Randy and Kevin! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!' Seth's thoughts were so angry that his entire body shook. If he dared to say the words out loud, he would be screaming them. He didn't know what the word 'fuck' meant but Mommy and Daddy said it was a bad word. And it was the baddest word he knew so it was definitely meant for Randy and Kevin.
Dean had been quiet from the moment they'd left the school, barely speaking to anyone. Mommy and Daddy had been gentle with both of them, supplying plenty of hugs and kisses. But Dean had crawled into his bed at bedtime with hardly a word of protest and wrapped himself in his sheet. It wasn't long until Seth crawled into Dean's bed but his brother had completely ignored him. Even Yorkie jumping on to Dean's bed hadn't gotten a response.
"Dean?" Seth hissed.
No answer.
"You 'wake?" Seth hissed.
No answer.
Seth pouted. He hated it when Dean ignored him. Irritably he snuggled down on the mattress and closed his eyes. He'd make Dean talk to him tomorrow.
Slowly Dean opened one eye and stared at his brother. It looked like Seth was finally sleeping but he quickly closed his eye. His brother could be sneaky sometimes. Dean pulled the sheet tighter around him and tried not to shiver.
He'd been bad today. Even if Mommy and Daddy hadn't said that, he knew he'd been bad. And that meant being punished.
Seth needed to go back to his bed. So he wouldn't get punished by mistake. But Seth was asleep…wasn't he?
Dean warily opened one eye again. Seth sure looked like he was asleep.
Dean closed his eye again and waited. He'd just have to stay awake so Seth didn't get punished by mistake. He could do that. Just stay awake…just stay awake…just stay…
Her sons weren't babies, but Bayley still kept a baby monitor in their bedroom and one in their bedroom just in case. They had set unused for so long that it had become a part of the furniture in the master bedroom. Just one more item on their night stands. Sometimes she told herself she had to make sure the batteries in the monitors hadn't died.
They hadn't. They were perfect working order.
The shrill shrieks woke Bayley instantly. She sat up in the bed, wide-eyed, then was moving even as she identified the shrieks as coming from her older son. She was aware of Roman right behind her even as they heard Seth cry out followed by a 'thump' and a wail from their younger son. Yorkie's barking added to the confusion.
Bayley threw open the boys' bedroom door and found Seth on the floor between the beds, crying and holding his left arm. She threw herself next to him and gathered him up into her arms.
Roman saw heard Dean screaming and saw him thrashing on his bed, his sheet twisted around his small body. He quickly put Yorkie onto Seth's bed and knelt close to Dean.
"Dean kicked me outta bed!" Seth sobbed.
Bayley sat on Seth's bed and pulled him into her arms. She rocked him, gently murmuring "Dean's having a nightmare, baby. He doesn't know what he's doing." She turned on the lamp on the night stand between the beds and set it on the lowest setting.
"Dean…Dean…c'mon buddy…it's Daddy." Roman's voice was low and soothing. He gently began untwisting the sheet from Dean.
"NOOOO!" Dean screamed, trying to hold onto the sheet. He began kicking Roman's thighs and squirming away.
"Dean!" Roman's voice was sharper. "It's Daddy! Come to Daddy!"
"Dean, go to Daddy," Bayley added, trying to keep her voice calm.
Seth began hiccupping and clutched her nightshirt with both hands. "Dean!" he sobbed.
"Not Seth!" Dean shrieked. "I'm the bad one!"
"Seth's fine, buddy. Mommy's got him." Slowly Roman got closer to Dean. "Seth is safe."
Dean sobbed but stopped kicking.
"Seth's okay. C'mon, Dean, open your eyes." Roman gently lay on the bed next to his son. He kissed the tip of Dean's nose. "Please look at me."
Slowly Dean's eyes opened, and tears ran down his face. "Daddy?" he whispered. "They were here. The monsters."
"No more monsters," Roman promised, gently pulling him into a hug. "Yorkie's barking scared them off."
Bayley wasn't sure, but the puppy looked as confused as she felt.
Dean stared into his Daddy's eyes for several seconds, then silently began to cry.
"Aw, Dean, it's okay." Roman wrapped his arms around the boy and gently rocked him. "Shhh…nothing's gonna hurt you." He glanced at Bayley who nodded.
She stood with Seth in her arms and walked out of the room.
Yorkie watched them leave then settled down on Seth's bed, head resting on his front paws.
"Mommy?" Seth sobbed.
"It's okay. It's all over, Seth." Bayley took him into the master bedroom and sat down on their bed with him. "Let me see your arm, okay?"
Seth held out his left arm and hiccupped.
"Shhh…calm down. It's okay." Bayley gently kissed the bandage on his arm and hugged him. "Dean kicked you outta bed, huh?"
Seth nodded, wiping tears from his face. "He was screaming…scared me."
"You know Dean didn't mean to hurt you. Or scare you," Bayley comforted him. "He was having a nightmare."
"Like when Aunt Sasha stayed over?" Seth asked. "And in Seattle?"
"Yeah, like that." Bayley kissed the top of his head. "We're gonna see a doctor about helping with that, okay?"
Seth hiccupped and cuddled closer to his Mommy.
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Roman knew that Dean shed tears upon occasion although he always denied it. But he wondered if his son had ever actually cried because it seemed his tears were inexhaustible. Finally, Dean began to relax and curled against Roman's chest.
Roman hugged him closer as the boy shivered. "No monsters," he firmly said.
"They were here," Dean whispered. "'Cause I'm bad."
"Dean, you're not bad." Roman kissed Dean's forehead. "You're a good boy."
"But…" Dean sniffled. "Fighting's bad, and I was fighting today."
"And the monsters punish you for that?" Roman gently asked.
Dean sniffled again. "When I'm bad," he whispered. "I didn't want them…" He took a deep breath. "…punishing Seth by mistake. I tried to stay awake, Daddy! I tried!" He began shaking again.
"OK, listen to me." Roman tilted Dean's head until he was looking into the boy's eyes. "Dean Ambrose Reigns is not a bad boy. He's a good boy. Yes, you were fighting today but that was to keep Kevin and Randy from hurting your brother even more." He hugged Dean tightly. "And the monsters won't come back again."
"They do," Dean muttered.
"No, we're going to see someone…a doctor. And he or she will make sure the monsters don't come back," Roman promised. "Believe that."