"It's really not that interesting." Sydney said laughing slightly. She sat
grading papers in bed.
"You don't get to decide that." Vaughn said kissing her stomach one last time.
"Oh really," she said skeptically. "Well I'd be happy to pass this duty on to you." She said patting her belly.
"No, you're doing an excellent job." Vaughn said kissing her gently on the lips. "It's just that you get to spend twenty-four-seven, with our unborn child, and I get a little jealous." Vaughn said smiling, and pulling the papers out of Sydney's hand.
"Well, you just wait. We'll see how jealous you are in a month when I have to actually give birth. You just wait." She said pulling him in for another kiss, while tugging on the buttons of his shirt.
"Hey now," He said in between kisses. "Isn't this what got us into trouble in the first place?" He smiled, tugging on the buttons of her top.
"Oh, you be quiet. You're the one who got me into trouble, and don't you forget it." +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
It was a strange night. Vaughn had slept contentedly. But Sydney had tossed and turned all night. It wasn't because of a nightmare. It wasn't because of anything. That was just it. She wasn't dreaming. She hadn't woken up crying, screaming, in a hot sweat. Vaughn hadn't been required to soothe her, or hold her as she cried herself back to sleep; only to relive the nightmare that had awoken her in the first place.
Sydney could no longer remember a time when her dreams had been pleasant. Maybe it was the fact that she'd had beautiful day, or that she and Vaughn had a wonderful night of making love. But neither of these things had ever prevented the nightmares from coming, before. In fact, it seemed, that the better the day she'd had, the worse the nightmares were.
But this night was so different. It scared her. She kicked herself for being scared. It was normal for people to have good dreams or no dreams or any dreams at all. But Sydney wasn't normal. And instead of being relieved by her lack of nightmares, she was scared out of her mind.
It had come to mean something to her, that her dreams were a barometer of her situation. It was if they kept her firmly rooted in the reality of her situation. It was so easy for her to get lost in the heaven that she and Vaughn had created with each other. The dreams seemed to balance out everything.
The darkness in the room somehow created comfort in Sydney's mind. The sound of Vaughn's restful breathing beside her, the tick of the clock in the hall, the thought of little Ryan sleeping peacefully; calmed her slightly. She glanced at the clock 4:47. She weighed her options. She could lie in bed and not sleep for another hour or so. Or she could get up and accomplish, the things she would just be laying there thinking about anyway.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Half an hour later, showered and dressed in sweats, Sydney sat at the computer in the office upstairs. She had one more week of teaching before the end of school. The kids still had an essay to complete, and a major math test to do. She thought about sixth grade graduation and the last minute detains still needing to be taken care of. The sound of someone in the doorway, tore her away from her thoughts. She swiveled around in her chair to find Sark standing in the doorway a cup of steaming hot coffee in hand.
"It's five fifteen." Sydney said smiling. "Thanks," She said taking the coffee from him.
"And those of us who are sleeping for two, should still be in bed doing just that." Sark said sitting in the chair opposite her.
"I know," She said looking down into the dark coffee.
"What was it about this time?" He said softly.
"That's just it." She said sipping from the cup. "It wasn't a nightmare."
After a moment Sark smiled. "It's alright Sydney. You're allowed to be happy."
She laughed, shaking her head. "I have never been allowed to be happy. It's like it's against my nature or something."
"That's untrue." Sark said laughing as well. After a long pause he looked at her. "I spoke with our mother early this morning." He said hesitantly.
Sydney smiled, "What about?"
"She wanted to know how you were. To make sure you weren't working too hard." He smiled, knowingly.
"And you told her." Sydney prompted.
"That you were, of course, doing way too much. But that you were, at least, trying to take care of yourself."
"Ryan!" She said, half annoyed-half laughing.
"It's true Sydney." He said putting his hands up in surrender. "And what did mom say about that?"
Sark laughed, "That she would like to come over here and lock you in your room."
This prompted a long pause, Sydney stared down at her coffee once again.
"Where is she?" She said after a while.
"I believe she's in Taipei." He said hesitantly.
"Why there?" Sydney said, very curious.
"I don't know." He said, half honestly-half lying. Sydney didn't notice. Neither did she speak. "She said she'll be here." Sark said softly.
"I know. I just worry about her." Sydney said looking out the window.
"I know you do. I do as well. But you worry too much."
"Here I thought I didn't worry enough."
"Yes well when it comes to your health, and the health of my niece or nephew, it's true you don't worry enough."
Sydney sighed.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"You don't get to decide that." Vaughn said kissing her stomach one last time.
"Oh really," she said skeptically. "Well I'd be happy to pass this duty on to you." She said patting her belly.
"No, you're doing an excellent job." Vaughn said kissing her gently on the lips. "It's just that you get to spend twenty-four-seven, with our unborn child, and I get a little jealous." Vaughn said smiling, and pulling the papers out of Sydney's hand.
"Well, you just wait. We'll see how jealous you are in a month when I have to actually give birth. You just wait." She said pulling him in for another kiss, while tugging on the buttons of his shirt.
"Hey now," He said in between kisses. "Isn't this what got us into trouble in the first place?" He smiled, tugging on the buttons of her top.
"Oh, you be quiet. You're the one who got me into trouble, and don't you forget it." +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
It was a strange night. Vaughn had slept contentedly. But Sydney had tossed and turned all night. It wasn't because of a nightmare. It wasn't because of anything. That was just it. She wasn't dreaming. She hadn't woken up crying, screaming, in a hot sweat. Vaughn hadn't been required to soothe her, or hold her as she cried herself back to sleep; only to relive the nightmare that had awoken her in the first place.
Sydney could no longer remember a time when her dreams had been pleasant. Maybe it was the fact that she'd had beautiful day, or that she and Vaughn had a wonderful night of making love. But neither of these things had ever prevented the nightmares from coming, before. In fact, it seemed, that the better the day she'd had, the worse the nightmares were.
But this night was so different. It scared her. She kicked herself for being scared. It was normal for people to have good dreams or no dreams or any dreams at all. But Sydney wasn't normal. And instead of being relieved by her lack of nightmares, she was scared out of her mind.
It had come to mean something to her, that her dreams were a barometer of her situation. It was if they kept her firmly rooted in the reality of her situation. It was so easy for her to get lost in the heaven that she and Vaughn had created with each other. The dreams seemed to balance out everything.
The darkness in the room somehow created comfort in Sydney's mind. The sound of Vaughn's restful breathing beside her, the tick of the clock in the hall, the thought of little Ryan sleeping peacefully; calmed her slightly. She glanced at the clock 4:47. She weighed her options. She could lie in bed and not sleep for another hour or so. Or she could get up and accomplish, the things she would just be laying there thinking about anyway.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Half an hour later, showered and dressed in sweats, Sydney sat at the computer in the office upstairs. She had one more week of teaching before the end of school. The kids still had an essay to complete, and a major math test to do. She thought about sixth grade graduation and the last minute detains still needing to be taken care of. The sound of someone in the doorway, tore her away from her thoughts. She swiveled around in her chair to find Sark standing in the doorway a cup of steaming hot coffee in hand.
"It's five fifteen." Sydney said smiling. "Thanks," She said taking the coffee from him.
"And those of us who are sleeping for two, should still be in bed doing just that." Sark said sitting in the chair opposite her.
"I know," She said looking down into the dark coffee.
"What was it about this time?" He said softly.
"That's just it." She said sipping from the cup. "It wasn't a nightmare."
After a moment Sark smiled. "It's alright Sydney. You're allowed to be happy."
She laughed, shaking her head. "I have never been allowed to be happy. It's like it's against my nature or something."
"That's untrue." Sark said laughing as well. After a long pause he looked at her. "I spoke with our mother early this morning." He said hesitantly.
Sydney smiled, "What about?"
"She wanted to know how you were. To make sure you weren't working too hard." He smiled, knowingly.
"And you told her." Sydney prompted.
"That you were, of course, doing way too much. But that you were, at least, trying to take care of yourself."
"Ryan!" She said, half annoyed-half laughing.
"It's true Sydney." He said putting his hands up in surrender. "And what did mom say about that?"
Sark laughed, "That she would like to come over here and lock you in your room."
This prompted a long pause, Sydney stared down at her coffee once again.
"Where is she?" She said after a while.
"I believe she's in Taipei." He said hesitantly.
"Why there?" Sydney said, very curious.
"I don't know." He said, half honestly-half lying. Sydney didn't notice. Neither did she speak. "She said she'll be here." Sark said softly.
"I know. I just worry about her." Sydney said looking out the window.
"I know you do. I do as well. But you worry too much."
"Here I thought I didn't worry enough."
"Yes well when it comes to your health, and the health of my niece or nephew, it's true you don't worry enough."
Sydney sighed.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++