The scream filled the silent darkness and Bosco and Kim both jumped up out
of bed. At first Bosco thought he was just hearing Sully's screams from
the cabin and then it came again.
"Nooooooooooo! Daddy! Please don't!" came the shrill voice. "Mommy! Mommy!"
Bosco and Kim ran out of their room, nearly colliding with each other and throwing light switches at the same time. The screams were coming from Amanda's room. They both went in and saw her thrashing about on the bed, the wet hair matted to her sweaty face. Kim rushed to her bedside as Bosco turned on her light.
"Amanda. Wake up, honey. It's just a dream," Kim said in a soothing tone as she gathered Amanda up and cradled her against her. Kim talked soothingly for another moment and then Amanda was fully awake and sobbing. "It's okay. Tell me what the dream was about. It was just a dream," Kim said as Bosco sat on the edge of the bed stroking her hair.
"I can't. It's too scary," she cried. "I want my Mommy," she said as Kim felt the child shake from her sobs.
"I know you do, Sweetie. But, your Mom can't be here for you, no matter how much she wants to be. She can only be here," Kim said, pointing to Amanda's heart.
"Why did he do that? Why did Daddy have to do that?" she asked and Kim didn't have an answer.
"Sometimes, people do things that they don't mean to do," Bosco said, tucking Amanda's hair behind her ear and moving closer. "Sometimes, people just can't help it. They have problems that are so big, they can't control their frustration and they can't stop themselves. They don't even realize they need to get some help until it's too late," he said as Joey came in behind them.
"Mom?" Joey said quietly. "Johnny's crying," he said as Kim and Bosco turned toward him.
"Is my Daddy gonna come back and try to hurt me too?" Amanda asked.
"No," Bosco said quickly. "I won't let that happen. You're safe here with us. You'll always be safe here with us. I promise," he said.
Kim handed Amanda over to Bosco and said, "I'll be right back. I just have to calm Johnny down."
"I'm sorry I woke everyone up," Amanda said.
"Don't ever be sorry and don't ever be afraid to come to us with anything. We're a family and we all love you," Bosco assured her as Kim turned a sleepy Joey around and headed into the boys' room to quiet Johnny and put Joey back to bed.
*^*^*^*^*^*^**^
"Mom?" Joey said as Kim held Johnny and helped Joey back into bed.
"Yeah, Joey?"
"Is Amanda gonna be okay?"
"Yeah, Joey, she is. It's just going to take some time. She saw some terrible things - things kids aren't supposed to see. We just have to make her feel loved and safe and secure. How was she at school today?" Kim asked, sitting on the edge of Joey's bed and gently rocking Johnny who was almost back to sleep.
"Good. She seemed happy after school when we were coming home. She said she liked Mrs. Simmons and she made a couple of friends in her class," Joey told her.
"Okay. Get back to sleep. You have school tomorrow. Thanks for looking after her at school," Kim said as she stood up and put Johnny back in his crib.
"It's okay. She's my sister now," Joey said, closing his eyes and pulling the covers up under his chin.
Kim leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. "Did I ever tell you what a fantastic kid you are?"
"Uh huh," Joey mumbled and then was fast asleep. Kim took a last look at the boys and then pulled the door closed and went across the hall to see how Amanda was doing.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Kim stopped at the doorway and watched as Bosco gently and quietly talked to Amanda. He had calmed her enough that she allowed him to put her back under the covers. He handed her the rabbit that she always slept with. He started to stand up and Amanda very quietly said, "Please don't go."
"I'm not going anywhere. I'm right here," Bosco said, lying on top of the covers next to her. He continued to stroke the side of her face with his thumb as his hand cradled her cheek. Kim listened for a moment as he hummed to her. She smiled and quietly stepped away and returned to their room.
*^*^*^*^*^**^
Kim awoke to the feel of the bed moving and turned toward her husband. "She asleep?"
"Yeah. She's out like a light. I think she'll sleep through the night," Bosco said, cuddling up next to Kim.
"Your feet are freezing," she said, pulling her legs away from his feet.
"Sorry," he said. "Did you go through that last night too?" he asked, feeling bad about missing Amanda's first full night with them.
"No. I think she was too exhausted from the excitement of the day. She slept soundly," Kim said, looking at him in the moonlight.
He saw her looking at him and said, "What?"
"It's amazing," she said.
"What is?"
"How different you are when you're working and when you're home. You're so good with the kids. But at work, you have this whole different way about you. You're like a different person," she said.
"Good or bad?" he asked her.
"Oh, I definitely like a bad boy once in a while," she said with a smile.
"Oh do you?" he asked, as he reached for her and pulled her closer.
"Oh yeah," she said and they continued from there.
"Nooooooooooo! Daddy! Please don't!" came the shrill voice. "Mommy! Mommy!"
Bosco and Kim ran out of their room, nearly colliding with each other and throwing light switches at the same time. The screams were coming from Amanda's room. They both went in and saw her thrashing about on the bed, the wet hair matted to her sweaty face. Kim rushed to her bedside as Bosco turned on her light.
"Amanda. Wake up, honey. It's just a dream," Kim said in a soothing tone as she gathered Amanda up and cradled her against her. Kim talked soothingly for another moment and then Amanda was fully awake and sobbing. "It's okay. Tell me what the dream was about. It was just a dream," Kim said as Bosco sat on the edge of the bed stroking her hair.
"I can't. It's too scary," she cried. "I want my Mommy," she said as Kim felt the child shake from her sobs.
"I know you do, Sweetie. But, your Mom can't be here for you, no matter how much she wants to be. She can only be here," Kim said, pointing to Amanda's heart.
"Why did he do that? Why did Daddy have to do that?" she asked and Kim didn't have an answer.
"Sometimes, people do things that they don't mean to do," Bosco said, tucking Amanda's hair behind her ear and moving closer. "Sometimes, people just can't help it. They have problems that are so big, they can't control their frustration and they can't stop themselves. They don't even realize they need to get some help until it's too late," he said as Joey came in behind them.
"Mom?" Joey said quietly. "Johnny's crying," he said as Kim and Bosco turned toward him.
"Is my Daddy gonna come back and try to hurt me too?" Amanda asked.
"No," Bosco said quickly. "I won't let that happen. You're safe here with us. You'll always be safe here with us. I promise," he said.
Kim handed Amanda over to Bosco and said, "I'll be right back. I just have to calm Johnny down."
"I'm sorry I woke everyone up," Amanda said.
"Don't ever be sorry and don't ever be afraid to come to us with anything. We're a family and we all love you," Bosco assured her as Kim turned a sleepy Joey around and headed into the boys' room to quiet Johnny and put Joey back to bed.
*^*^*^*^*^*^**^
"Mom?" Joey said as Kim held Johnny and helped Joey back into bed.
"Yeah, Joey?"
"Is Amanda gonna be okay?"
"Yeah, Joey, she is. It's just going to take some time. She saw some terrible things - things kids aren't supposed to see. We just have to make her feel loved and safe and secure. How was she at school today?" Kim asked, sitting on the edge of Joey's bed and gently rocking Johnny who was almost back to sleep.
"Good. She seemed happy after school when we were coming home. She said she liked Mrs. Simmons and she made a couple of friends in her class," Joey told her.
"Okay. Get back to sleep. You have school tomorrow. Thanks for looking after her at school," Kim said as she stood up and put Johnny back in his crib.
"It's okay. She's my sister now," Joey said, closing his eyes and pulling the covers up under his chin.
Kim leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. "Did I ever tell you what a fantastic kid you are?"
"Uh huh," Joey mumbled and then was fast asleep. Kim took a last look at the boys and then pulled the door closed and went across the hall to see how Amanda was doing.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Kim stopped at the doorway and watched as Bosco gently and quietly talked to Amanda. He had calmed her enough that she allowed him to put her back under the covers. He handed her the rabbit that she always slept with. He started to stand up and Amanda very quietly said, "Please don't go."
"I'm not going anywhere. I'm right here," Bosco said, lying on top of the covers next to her. He continued to stroke the side of her face with his thumb as his hand cradled her cheek. Kim listened for a moment as he hummed to her. She smiled and quietly stepped away and returned to their room.
*^*^*^*^*^**^
Kim awoke to the feel of the bed moving and turned toward her husband. "She asleep?"
"Yeah. She's out like a light. I think she'll sleep through the night," Bosco said, cuddling up next to Kim.
"Your feet are freezing," she said, pulling her legs away from his feet.
"Sorry," he said. "Did you go through that last night too?" he asked, feeling bad about missing Amanda's first full night with them.
"No. I think she was too exhausted from the excitement of the day. She slept soundly," Kim said, looking at him in the moonlight.
He saw her looking at him and said, "What?"
"It's amazing," she said.
"What is?"
"How different you are when you're working and when you're home. You're so good with the kids. But at work, you have this whole different way about you. You're like a different person," she said.
"Good or bad?" he asked her.
"Oh, I definitely like a bad boy once in a while," she said with a smile.
"Oh do you?" he asked, as he reached for her and pulled her closer.
"Oh yeah," she said and they continued from there.
