AN: Here's Sunday's installment. The author's a little hungover, but today's installment should be up later today.
"Hello?" Ryan listened to the dead air on the opposite end of the phone line. "Hello."
At first he'd thought it was Marissa, but her father had told Sandy that she was upstate in a rehab center.
He was leaning more toward Eddie now. The calls always came at night, or early morning as it may be.
"Hello?" Ryan tried one more time. He heard a small breath before the dial tone.
He put the phone back on the night stand.
"No answer?" Teresa murmured from beside him.
"Nope. Go back to sleep…"
"You first," She mumbled, snuggling closer to him.
It'd taken a lot for him to get used to having someone sleep with him. Sure, he'd been with a lot of girls in his limited life, but they rarely spent the night. Ryan tended to practice 'sleeptime karate'. He'd kick out in his sleep, wrestle with the covers, tossing and turning until he settled into a realm of sleep that his brother had called 'stone-like'.
But Teresa had been sleeping with him for the past two months. She'd sneak out of her room after her mother had gone to sleep and crawl into bed with him. She'd put her arms around him and hold on tight.
It was an adjustment. But he didn't really mind anymore. She needed to be close to him. She needed him to hold onto.
He was here for her. He'd promised her. He'd take care of her and if it meant he'd hold her in his arms every night while she slept, he'd do it.
It didn't matter that he couldn't sleep.
He was tired. Work was hard and he was tired.
And every night when he finally got to sleep, she'd crawl into bed with him.
And his mind would go off again. Swirling thoughts of Sandy and Kirsten's disapproving faces. Seth's angry visage. Teresa's need. Marissa's betrayal.
He couldn't sleep.
He knew it wasn't Teresa's fault.
It was his mind. It was his issues.
He just wanted to sleep. A full night's sleep was all he wanted.
He'd done his duty, he'd walked away from everything he'd ever wanted to take care of Teresa.
All he wanted was a good night's sleep.