A Friend in Need
Chapter Two
By Daisymay390
Disclaimer: Still not mine.
Thanks for all the great reviews! Here's the next chapter, I hope you like it.
Joe was startled awake sometime in the middle of the night. At first he didn't know why he had woken up until he realized the bed was shaking and his bed companion was talking in her sleep.
Mel was thrashing in her sleep and shouting, "No, no, no!"
"Mel," Joe whispered as he rolled over and started to shake Mel, "Mel, wake up. It's just a dream, you're safe. I'm here."
After a few more moments of Joe talking to Mel, she came out of her nightmare and blinked a few times to clear her head. "Joe?" Mel questioned.
"I'm here, Mel," Joe soothed, taking Mel into his arms.
"It was just a dream?" Mel confirmed.
"Yeah, it was just a dream. You're okay," Joe whispered as he rubbed her back.
"Thanks for being here, Joe," Mel muttered as she started to drift off to sleep. Joe continued to rub her back until he was sure she was asleep. He thought about rolling her over to her side of the bed and gently removing his arms but thought better of it and didn't want to risk waking her up so he stayed where he was and gently drifted off to sleep again.
Mel slept soundly throughout the rest of the night and didn't even wake up when Lennox and Ryder came home. Not finding Joe or their Aunt Mel downstairs like usual with breakfast going, the two kids wandered upstairs to find out where their guardians were. They went to Joe's room first since he was more likely to be awake but found the room empty. Next, they went to the next obvious choice only expecting to find their Aunt Mel asleep.
When they walked into Aunt Mel's room and found Joe and Mel asleep in each other's arms, Lennox had to act quickly and put her hand over Ryder's mouth to prevent the loud squeak that was about to come out of his mouth.
"Outside, now!" Lennox ordered quietly, pushing her brother out of the room before he could wake the occupants.
"Did you see that, Lennox?" Ryder questioned in a panic when they were outside in the hallway.
"Yes, I have eyes, you know," Lennox said rolling her eyes.
"What does this mean though?" Ryder persisted.
"I don't know Ryder, why don't you go in there and ask them?" Lennox said sarcastically, "I'm sure they'd appreciate you waking them up and knowing that we saw them together before they were ready to tell us." Without waiting for a response, Lennox dragged Ryder downstairs before he could make a mistake.
Meanwhile, Joe woke up shortly after the kids arrived home. Upon noticing that Mel was still asleep, he gently got out of bed while making sure not to wake her up.
He quickly ran to his room and got dressed before going downstairs to the kitchen. When he saw Lennox and Ryder practically bouncing with joy the moment they saw him, he almost turned around.
"Oh my gosh, Joe!" Lennox exclaimed, "You and Aunt Mel finally admitted your feelings for each other!"
"What? No, nothing happened, Lennox," Joe denied.
"Joe, we saw you sleeping in Aunt Mel's bed," Ryder admitted. "That sure didn't look like 'nothing.'"
"Well, it wasn't anything. I was just being a good friend. Now, your aunt is still sleeping so try not to be too loud and wake her up, okay?" Joe asked.
"Joe, is Aunt Mel okay?" Lennox asked, now worried by Joe's tone. "She got hurt last night didn't she?"
"Yeah, she'll be okay," Joe answered avoiding the question, "Just let her tell you what happened yesterday on her own time, okay?"
"Alright," Lennox conceded. "Now what's for breakfast?" She asked, changing the subject.
"How about pancakes?" Joe suggested while he started getting the ingredients needed to make them.
"I love pancakes," Ryder joined in.
"Great, I'll get them started," Joe replied.
Two hours later, breakfast had been eaten and Lennox and Ryder were in the living room watching television while Joe was in the kitchen cleaning. Joe was just about to go check on Mel when he heard her come down the back stairs.
"Hey, Mel," Joe said quietly, "How are you feeling?"
"Sore," Mel answered, "Where are the kids?"
"In the living room, watching TV. Do you want me to get you something to eat?" Joe offered.
"I'm not hungry," Mel said as she sat down gingerly at the counter.
"You have to eat something, Mel, especially if you want to take a pain pill. It looks like you're in a little bit of pain," Joe prodded as he set a cup of coffee down in front of her, made just the way she liked it. "How about just a cup of yogurt or some toast?"
"I guess I'll try to eat some toast," Mel conceded.
"I'll make you some," Joe offered her cheerfully as he walked to the pantry and pulled out the bread and put two pieces into the toaster. Once it was done, he buttered each piece and put them on a plate, then handed it to Mel.
"Thanks, Joe," Mel said as she picked a piece and nibbled on it. After only a few bites, she pushed the plate away and declared, "I'm full."
"Just eat a few more bites and finish your coffee so you can take a pain pill," Joe bargained, hating to see her in pain. He watched as she did just that and then got a pain pill out of the prescription bottle he had picked up from the pharmacy that morning and put it in front of her.
"Thanks," Mel said as she took the offered pill and swallowed it with the water that Joe had also set in front of her.
"The kids have been pretty anxious to talk to you. Do you want to let them in on what happened and maybe watch a movie with them?" Joe suggested, changing the subject.
"Did you tell them what happened?" Mel worried.
"No, but they knew something happened. Well, Lennox did and she explained it to Ryder," Joe admitted. "They saw us in the bed together. Do you remember you had a nightmare last night and when I woke you up you asked me to hold you? When you finally fell back asleep, I didn't want to disturb you and I ended up falling asleep. That's how the kids found us when they came into your room to wake you up."
"Oh, geez! It would have been so much better if they caught us naked in bed together. I'd rather try to explain that than the truth," Mel exclaimed with her head in her hands.
"Mel, trust me. They won't look at you any differently; in fact I think they'll be proud of you. You're strong and brave and a perfect role model to look up to. I'll be right there with you, too," Joe promised as he put Mel's dishes in the sink and then walked around the island to help Mel up. "Let's go."
Joe gently guided Mel through the swinging door and into the living room with a hand on the small of her back. Lennox was sitting on the couch typing on her computer and Ryder was sitting next her staring at the television. They both looked up when Mel and Joe walked through the door.
"Aunt Mel!" Lennox exclaimed, "Are you okay? Joe said you were hurt but he wouldn't say what happened and I was so worried. What happened? Were you in a car wreck or did you get mugged?" Lennox rambled on while Ryder sat there silently waiting for his aunt to tell her story.
Mel waited until she was seated in the armchair with Joe standing behind her before she spoke, "Don't worry, guys. I'm okay. I'll tell you what happened but please let me get through it all before you say anything, okay? I need you to promise me that."
"Sure, Aunt Mel," Ryder agreed for the both of them.
"Last night, after my date we went back to his place for a nightcap. After having a drink, he wanted more and when I refused he tried to force himself on me. I was able to fight him off but before that he gave me a black eye and bruised my ribs. The neighbors heard the commotion and called the police. I got taken to the hospital and they called Joe to come pick me up. When we got home, I didn't want to be alone so I asked Joe to sleep with me. That's it, that's what happened." Mel explained practically in one breath.
"Aunt Mel! That's horrible, how could anyone do that to a woman!" Lennox exclaimed getting up and walking over to hug her aunt. "I'm so proud that you had the strength to make him stop."
"What happened to the guy, Aunt Mel? He's not going to get away with it, is he? Joe, you won't let him get away with hurting Aunt Mel, will you?" Ryder demanded with almost as much as anger as Joe still felt for the creep.
"Don't worry, Ryder, I made sure of that," Joe assured and then after a beat he added, "He's been arrested, I didn't actually do anything to him. That doesn't mean I didn't want to break several bones in his body."
"Well, I'm glad that he's the one in jail and not you, Joe," Lennox replied. "We need you here, you know good and well how long we would survive without you, Joe," she continued.
"Yeah, we'd all starve to death within a week," Ryder muttered.
"Well, that's not going to happen anytime soon," Joe promised. Then changing the subject, he said, "Your aunt is going to need some time to heal so she'll be taking some time off and resting. We're all going to need to pitch in and help her out, okay?"
"Sure, Joe," Lennox and Ryder promised at once.
"Okay," Joe declared, deciding to brighten the mood in the room, "How about we watch a movie and relax. I'll go make some popcorn and get drinks while you guys pick out something to watch and help your aunt get settled on the couch."
"Okay," Lennox agreed as she got up to help Mel. "Ryder, you pick the movie. I'm sure you'll pick one that Aunt Mel will like."
Within minutes they were all settled with popcorn and drinks watching a dumb comedy that Ryder had picked out. Mel was on the couch with Joe next to her and Ryder and Lennox were sitting in the armchairs. Halfway through the movie, Mel fell asleep on Joe's arm and Joe was reluctant to disturb her so he let his arm fall asleep while the credits rolled.
