Everything's gonna be all right
Rock-a-bye, rock-a-bye
Everything's gonna be all right
Rock-a-bye, rock-a-bye
Rock-a-bye
--from Lullaby by Sean Mullins
Jeremiah leaned forward, elbows on his knees.
"I've been waiting for you to get out of the hospital," he said mildly, "because every other word out of Gabe's mouth was 'Micah' for about two weeks straight."
"Glad to see she was thinking of me," Micah murmured, trying to keep his voice cool despite his clenched hands. "And did you just call me 'the Legless Wonder'?" Jeremiah ignored the question.
"She hardly ever talks to me anymore."
"How unfortunate for you." Micah wrapped his hands around the armrests of the wheelchair to keep them from punching Jeremiah square in the jaw. "I don't see what this has to do with me."
"It's really very obvious," the boy explained calmly. "She's infatuated with you."
(Infatuated? You make it sound dirty, you little--)
"Oh?" He forced a pleasant smile. Jeremiah nodded, the first few signs of unrest showing in him. He shifted on the windowsill.
"Yes. She talks to me and I know she's thinking about you. She looks at me and I know she's seeing you--" Jeremiah stopped himself and dragged a hand through his mop of chestnut hair. "Look, all I'm saying is--"
"Wait." Micah held up one hand, still containing his anger as best he could. It wasn't working well. "You said Gabe's infatuated with me. What makes you think that I don't feel the same way?" The boy paused, looking surprised. Then he offered a crooked smile that wasn't as boyish as the rest of his grins.
"Let's just say I know more about you than you'd suspect. Gabe's not your type."
(stupid idiotic heartless little pervert)
Micah gripped the armrests again, his fingernails digging deeply into the plastic.
"Oh?" he said again, not even bothering to contain the edge on his voice. "And what exactly do you know about me?" Jeremiah kept smiling.
"Now, now. We must save some conversation for later."
(come on you little bastard bring it on)
Micah opened his mouth to finally let loose his anger when Gabe slipped back in.
"Sorry 'bout that. Edith needed--" She paused when she saw the look on Micah's face. Jeremiah was back to normal; the cunning smirk was a pleasant grin again. "What's wrong?" Jeremiah shrugged wordlessly. Micah shot him a dark look, then glanced back up to Gabe.
"I don't feel very well," he said quietly, watching the figure in the corner of his vision stiffen a little. "Could I take you up on that movie offer? I think I should lie down." Her palm immediately went to his forehead.
"Of course," Gabe murmured, pulling her hand back and running it over his hair. She turned to Jeremiah. "Sorry, Jer, but you'll have to go. He might need some more medicine." The boy on the windowsill shifted. Micah saw his face twitch a bit. Then it broke into a handsome grin.
"Yeah, sure thing." Jeremiah swiveled and swung his legs outside. "See you both later." There was something in that last sentence that stung Micah's ears, but he didn't care. Jeremiah pushed off the sill and disappeared below the window. He stared after him, but Gabe had already unset the brake and turned Micah around.
"C'mon. You get to pick what we watch." The words still echoed in his ears
(Legless Wonder)
("She's infatuated with you.")
("She looks at me and I know she's seeing you.")
("Let's just say I know more about you than you'd suspect.")
and poked relentlessly at his mind. Micah shook his head and smiled unsurely at her.
"Lead the way."
"Come on, Micah. Can't you at least try to sleep?" He shook his head, clenched his teeth, and gripped the doorframe tightly.
"No." Gabe pushed again from behind.
"This is stupid and childish, Micah!" She grunted with the exertion. "Just go... to... bed!"
"No!" Micah dug his nails into the wood. "You saw what happened last time. I'm not going to sleep!" Gabe stopped pushing and sighed in disgust.
"You're being silly." She paused, then slid her arms around him from behind. "Come on, Micah. Be reasonable." Sensing a trap, he clutched the doorframe even tighter.
"I don't want to sleep," he said, hearing a little whine creep into his voice. Gabe hugged him gently.
"Please?" she murmured, and her voice sounded sincere. Then, suddenly, her hands slipped to his sides and tickled hard. Micah squeaked in surprise and snapped his arms down, giving Gabe the opportunity to shove him into the bedroom. The wheelchair rocketed forward, but she grabbed it in time to stop him from flying into the wall. Micah crossed his arms over his chest, defeated, and scowled.
"I'm not going to bed," he repeated sullenly. Gabe sighed again and turned the chair slowly around to face her.
"All right. All right." She gave him a small smile. "You wanna pull an all-nighter? Is that what you wanna do?" Micah nodded meekly, eyes downcast.
"Yeah."
(Anything to stop those dreams.)
Gabe paused, then leaned forward and pressed a light kiss against his forehead.
"Then I'll stay up with you." He looked up hopefully.
"You will?" Micah murmured. She smiled, pushing his hair away from his face.
"Naturally." Gabe disappeared behind him and began wheeling the chair to the living room. "With me, the phrase 'I'd kill for you' takes on a whole new meaning." The words made him wince, but she went on and didn't let him comment. "Tomorrow's Saturday, so I don't have to work at the hospital. We'll get comfy in the living room, watch some late-night TV, and pop open a couple of Cokes. We can be regular insomniacs together."
"Really?" Micah twisted and glanced over his shoulder. "You sure?" Gabe grinned warmly.
"Positive." She patted his arm as the wheelchair stopped beside the couch. "I'll go get the sodas. Be right back." The girl retreated into the kitchen. He smiled after her and settled back into his chair. The first few hours would be the hardest, but after that, it would get easier to stay awake.
(And you have to. No more dreams.)
6 hours went by slowly. Gabe had been positioned on the couch, Micah stiffly in his chair. Once the television reminder flashed 2:00 a.m., she had demanded that he move by her to be more comfortable. He refused. After an episode and a half of 'Three's Company', Micah had surrendered and been transferred over to the couch. Now they were both settled comfortably on the cushions; Gabe leaned an elbow against the armrest while he simply curled up beside her, pressing his cheek against her shoulder. It was 4:17 a.m., and sleep was beginning to claw at his eyes.
"This is the most pointless show," muttered Micah, staring at the screen grumpily. On it, Archie Bunker was lecturing his son-in-law on something or other.
"Is not!" Gabe protested. " 'All In The Family' is the best!" She paused, giggling at something that Archie said, and added, "Ya meathead."
"You see that?" He jabbed a finger at Archie with a scowl. "He's a bad influence. Crazy old man." Gabe rolled her eyes and leaned her cheek against the top of his head.
"I told you that you're cranky without sleep."
"Am not," Micah said, smirking. There was a quiet chuckle.
"Meathead." They lapsed back into silence. She sipped carefully at her Coke and he continued frowning at the antics of the Bunker family. Before he knew it, Micah had slipped into sleep -- fighting all the way.
"Micah... did you see what happened?" There were the words again, Garret's simple questions that echoed through his mind.
"Some of it."
(You liar.)
"What?" He stared back blankly.
"My parents."
(No, don't ask me these questions, please...)
"You saw what happened to them?" He answered with what he always answered:
"I saw the corn."
(Stop badgering me, please, I don't want to tell you!)
Garret looked excited and pressed on.
"What, what? Were they out in the cornfield?" He opened his mouth to let the words spill forth, because he knew they would -- but this time they were different.
"Their blood was for the corn."
That was how it really went, that was the right answer. It wasn't an innocent observation -- "There was blood for the corn" -- it was a hard-hearted fact, the confirmation that he had absolutely no qualms about the fate of his parents.
"Their blood was for the corn."
He was out of the dream before he was even fully sure he was in it. Gabe's hand was gently probing his face as she whispered to him.
"Are you asleep, Micah?" He looked drowsily up at her and shook his head.
"No." The word was dry and croaked. Gabe blinked, looking surprised. "What?" Micah asked confusedly.
"You're crying," she murmured, brows twisting in concern. He brought a hand up to his face and found she was right. Gabe wiped away the tears gently with her thumb. "What's wrong, honey?"
"Dream," he said quietly, suddenly ready to cry on his own. "I had another one."
"Oh, love, I'm so sorry." She turned on the couch to pull him close, pressing his face to her shoulder. "I should've paid closer attention--"
"It wasn't that bad," Micah mumbled against her pajamas. Gabe's fingers ran over his hair soothingly.
"You're crying," she pointed out again. "Want to tell me what it--"
"No." He realized how blunt and cold that sounded, but at the moment didn't want to think of the dream at all. She paused.
"Oh." Then she kissed the lobe of his ear tenderly. "You want me to take you to your bedroom?"
"Nah," he muttered, tears under control. "I'm fine."
"God, stop trying to be so brave." Her voice was soft, but the tone was firm. "You can't keep backing away from me, Micah. I'll just follow you into your shell, so you'd better stop retreating into it." Micah blinked in surprise, then buried his face into the soft fabric of her pajamas.
"Every time I back away, I end up running into you anyway." Gabe chuckled quietly and kissed the side of his head.
"Damn straight," she murmured. "Get some sleep, Micah. It's nearly five-thirty in the morning."
"But I'll dream," he pleaded weakly, already feeling his eyelids droop. "Please, I can't--"
"It'll be all right." Gabe's hands made sure he was comfortable before she leaned back on the couch, still cradling him against her like a child. "I promise."
"Gabe," Micah protested feebly. "Gabe, please, don't let me sleep--" She lowered her lips to his ear and whispered.
"Everything's gonna be all right. I promise you, Micah. Everything's gonna be all right." His eyelids felt like ten-ton weights now and it was a great effort to talk. His body was ready for sleep, but he wasn't.
"Gabe," he whimpered again, and buried his face in her shoulder. "Please..." Her hands stroked his hair tenderly.
"Everything's gonna be all right," she repeated quietly. Gabe fell silent. For one long moment, he thought he'd be left alone in the darkness to fend for himself. And then sleep was upon him, full and heavy and smothering -- but her arms were there. He could feel her, he could smell her, and that was a consolation in itself. Micah surrendered to sleep, hoping that consolations could stop nightmares.