"Just go to sleep, Derek"
George Venturi thought that something other then the storm outside had awoken him at two o'clock in the morning, but he was not positive of it. The storm was so loud he thought that maybe that all it was, but when he heard creaking coming from the hallway just outside of his bedroom door, he knew the one of the kids where awake. Thinking that it was just Derek getting up to use the bathroom he rolled over to go back to sleep. That is when he heard the small voice coming from the now open bedroom door.
"Daddy?"
"What's wrong?" George said, while sitting up to see his six year old son, Derek standing in the doorway.
"Can I come and sleep with you and mommy? I'm scared." Derek said, shifting the blanket that he had wrapped around him closer to himself, like it was going to protect him from the storm outside.
"You knew he was going to do this. Every time it storms." George heard his wife Abby whisper next to him in bed.
"I know. Come on Derek. This can't be happening every night. You are just going to have and start to stay in your room all night even when it storms." George told his son.
"I will, I promise." the six year old said, while running and leaping up on the bed, landing in the middle between his mom and dad.
"I've heard that one before." George said.
"Thanks Daddy. I love you." Derek said, while cuddling closer to his father.
"Just go to sleep, Derek." George said, while rolling over and falling back to sleep.
Casey was so glad when her mom and George finally had gotten everything moved and she could finally get to have her own room. Not that she hated sharing a room with her sister she just didn't have enough room in there. Her first night in her new room. Something that she had been looking forward to all week long. That was until she heard the board creak that was right in front of Derek's bedroom, signaling that someone was coming out of it. She just hoped that he wasn't trying to plan some sort of prank on her even though it was all most midnight. Casey turned a little in bed when she heard her bedroom door opening a little and saw Derek's head pop around it.
"Dad? Dad, are you awake?"
"Derek? What do you want?" Casey said, while sitting up and turning on the light next to the bed.
"Casey? Oh, I forgot that you and dad and Nora finally gotten everything switched around. I just go downstairs. Sorry for waking you." Derek said, and turned to walk out of her room.
"What's wrong Derek?" Casey asked while following him in the hallway.
"It's nothing just drop it." Derek said, while heading the stairs. All of a sudden there is a loud crack the comes from outside, a storm was heading in. Derek jumps, and Casey was sure that he was going to cry.
"Derek, are you afraid of storms."
"N-n-no." Derek stumbles over his words, but jumps again when he sees it lightning again. "Fine! Yeah I am afraid of the storm, I have been since I was young. Dad would all ways let me sleep on the floor when one comes in and I just forgot that you guys finally gotten everything moved. So if you excuse me. I probley won't hear about nothing for a while anyway." He says, and then turns and starts to head downstairs.
"You can sleep in there if you want to."
"What?" Derek said with shock on his face.
"You can come and sleep on the bedroom floor if you want to. I don't mind." Casey says, and turns and walks back in her bedroom.
A few seconds later Derek comes back in. "Why are you being so nice?"
"Everyone has there fears, Derek. It is nothing to be ashamed of." Casey said, and lays back down on her bed as Derek lays on the floor. Suddendly there is a pillow hitting him in the face, as Casey threw her extra pillow she had on the bed, to him.
"But if you tell anyone at school....."
"Just go to sleep, Derek." Casey says, finally going back to sleep.
"And the Noble Peace Price Award go to Casey............" Poke, Poke, Poke. Casey is about half awake tries to ignore it and get some more sleep. Poke, Poke, Poke. She is now getting tired of this rolls over to see her husband laying next to her wide awake.
"What do you want, Derek?" Casey asked him, know exactly what was wrong.
"There is a storm coming. See." He said pointing to the window, she turned it time just to see it lightning.
"When are you going to get over this fear. You are 26 years old. We have been married for 3 years. And you are going to be a father in about 8 weeks."
"Hey, it is getting a little better." All Casey does is roll her eyes as she pulled herself out of bed. She goes over to the window and shuts the blinds and the turns on the boom box that is sitting on a table. She found out about 5 years ago if Derek can't see or hear the storm he is a lot better. She did some research about it after that first night that he slept in her bedroom after she woke up in the morning to find him sleeping in bed with her. George had told her he would do that to him every time too. Not wanting it to happen again she found out about this and it did help. The just kept doing it after they gotten married.
Casey then climbs back in to bed a cuddles up against to Derek, ready to go back to sleep. "Do you want our son to be afraid?"
"No, but can children get there fears from there parents."
"Some have. My mom is highly afraid of needles and so am I and Lizzie is too."
"Thanks for the such good news first thing is the morning, Case."
"Just go to sleep, Derek."