Tyson couldn't sleep.
He rolled to the left. He rolled to the right. He lay on his back. He laid on his front. He covered his head with his pillow. He counted sheep in his head.
Nothing worked.
Sighing, the man eventually gave up and slipped out of bed, leaving behind a tangled mess of crisp white sheets.
Tyson tilted his head back so he was staring at the ceiling. That was pure white as well. He let out a puff of air and folded his arms across his chest, putting his head back in the upright position as he began to pace the floor. His feet sunk into the plush crimson carpet, but not even that could help soothe him. He felt like his eyes were being held open by tape, with no hope of closing them.
"I hate hotel rooms," Tyson muttered under his breath.
More specifically, he hated feeling like he was living in one, especially when he was away from his family. Tyson missed his wife and children so badly, especially when he was on the road for this long. All of his travels from city to city, making appearances and battling in exhibition matches for throngs of fans, young trainers, BBA executives…
He was tired.
But he couldn't sleep.
Trudging over to the wooden desk that was tucked away neatly in the corner of the room, Tyson lifted the top of his black luggage and turned on the lamp so he could properly see the inside of the baggage. Beneath a pile of t-shirts, Tyson pulled out a CD, contained in a plastic green case. He eyed it carefully, still confused due to the lack of writing on either the case or actual disc. It was unmarked, and his wife hadn't told him what the CD contained. She had simply handed it off to him before he left.
"I know how hard it can be for you when you're away from home, and all of us," Hilary had told him.
"Especially now," Tyson muttered, placing a hand against the side of his wife's stomach. It was rounded, quite obvious, and he knew that inside, beneath his palm, his unborn baby daughter was fast asleep.
"I've already told you that you don't have to worry about me," Hilary soothed. "I'm very capable of taking care of myself. Gramps and Hiro live nearby, and so do my parents, so I have no reason to worry. Besides, Tyler and Christy make the best company!"
"Our best friends are a pair of five-year-olds," Tyson sighed, causing Hilary to giggle. "When they said having kids changes everything, they weren't kidding."
"Yeah, but you and I both know we wouldn't trade our babies for anything in the world," Hilary sighed. "They're too precious. And, even though they can drive us crazy most of the time, they also tend to keep us pretty sane."
"I couldn't agree with you more," Tyson groaned. "I don't know how I'm going to survive two weeks without them. Or you. Or our little baby. This isn't fair."
Hilary smirked at her husband. "It might not be fair, but it's your job."
"Still not fair," Tyson droned, pulling Hilary closer into him so her stomach was pushing against his own. "No way I can go two weeks without this. I can barely go two hours without touching you! I'm going to go to bed at night crying."
"Don't do that!" Hilary laughed sympathetically.
Tyson shook his head and gave his wife a sad smile. "I will. You can't stop me."
"Maybe I can't stop you," Hilary breathed, "but I can try."
"And just how do you think you can do that?" Tyson asked teasingly.
Hilary pulled away from Tyson, causing him to whimper playfully as she stepped backwards. She winked seductively at him before sidestepping over to the kitchen table and picking up a jewel toned green CD case.
"Hey, it's your favorite color!" Tyson chuckled. "Was that a coincidence?"
"Nah, it was on purpose," Hilary replied, holding it out towards Tyson. "Here. Take it. But don't listen to it until you're away from home and you can't sleep at night."
"Oh, it's like a music CD?" Tyson inquired, taking the case from his wife.
Hilary shrugged. "I guess you could say that. Just wait until you're in the hotel. It will help you, I'm willing to bet. I can't promise, but if I know my Tyson like I think I do, then this CD will make you feel just the tiniest bit better about being away from home."
Tyson gently toyed with the CD case for a few extra moments before opening it up and gently removing the delicate disc with his fingers. He slipped it into the stereo that sat on the nightstand next to the bed and hovered over the machine, waiting for the music to play. When nothing came out, however, Tyson stood up straight and raised a curious eyebrow.
"Did I break it?" Tyson muttered to himself.
Suddenly, a sound came out of the stereo. Then another one. And another. They started coming faster and faster, in a very rhythmic fashion. Tyson let out a short breath and closed his eyes, listening intently to the noise emerging from the speakers.
Thump thump thump thump thump…
"My baby," Tyson whispered, a smile growing on his face.
Feeling more content, Tyson climbed back into bed and pulled the covers back over his body. Tyson rested his head on the pillow and stared at the stereo, still grinning to himself as the sound reverberated from it.
It all made sense now. Tyson understood why Hilary had given him the CD, and why she thought it might help him be able to get through the night. He knew he couldn't be with Hilary or the siblings when he was away. He couldn't sleep next to his wife, or even sit next to her. He couldn't play with his children. He couldn't put his hands on Hilary's stomach and feel their baby move and kick.
But at least now he could go to sleep listening to her heartbeat.