The Beautiful Dance

Chapter 17

Peyton had always thought that the talk about all sleepless nights that came with having an infant was just that. Talk. They were exaggerated stories told by exhausted and desperate mothers in an attempt to warn future parents about the reality of child rearing. It didn't take Peyton long to realize that all of the talk was true.

Emily hadn't slept through the night in over a month. Late night feedings and a touch of colic had left Peyton with a noticeable set of dark circles under her eyes. It seemed like a big cosmic joke at her expense that whenever her head would hit the pillow Emily would begin to cry. Lucas had proven to be little help. He could sleep through an earthquake or more appropriately the sound of his infant daughters crying coming in through the baby monitor on his nightstand.

Peyton had been lulled into a false sense of security the first night in a long time that Emily hadn't cried. When she climbed into bed next to her sleeping husband. Sleep had become something that she not only needed, but something that her body craved. So she greedily slipped into a light slumber with the blanket wrapped tightly around her shoulders. Then the high-pitched wail of Emily's crying cut through the calm night air.

Sighing softly to herself Peyton remained in bed, hoping in vain for a magical end to the crying. When it became clear that there wasn't an end in sight she looked over at her husband who had no intention of waking up as she watched him roll over onto his side and pulled a pillow over his head. It took a healthy amount of self-restraint to keep her from pushing her oblivious husband off the edge of the bed.

Minutes later Peyton was wearily making her way down the hall towards Emily's room. She could have made the familiar walk blindfolded simply by following the direction of the cries.

Stepping into the dimly lit nursery, Peyton's sour mood quickly diminished as she stepped closer to the crib that held her daughter. Peyton smiled down at her as she was scooped out of her crib and into the strong capable arms of her mom.

The little girl's cries eventually subsided with the gentle movement provided by the old rocking chair set up in the corner of the nursery. Peyton watched with mild amusement as Emily tried to fight off sleep, even at two months old she had that trademark Sawyer stubbornness in her.

Sleep eventually won out and Emily was sound asleep, her tiny fingers gripping the collar of Peyton's shirt. Taking great care not to wake her, Peyton slipped her gently back into her crib. She whispered love and goodnights, knowing that in a few hours she'd be doing the same thing all over again.

At breakfast the next morning Peyton sat quietly at the table, a bowl full of cold cereal in front of her, glaring at her husband.

Lucas must have felt the heat from her stare because he peeked over the edge of his newspaper. He would have attempted a smile but the look on her face made it clear that she was in no mood for his charm.

"What's the matter?" he asked after glancing back down at his paper.

"What is the matter?" she repeated his question with a smirk that never reached her eyes. "The matter, Lucas, is that for the past few weeks I have been running on very little sleep, I'm exhausted and really close to reaching my breaking point."

"Why haven't you been sleeping?" the way he asked the question, completely sincere and unaware angered Peyton even more.

"Are you serious Lucas? You really have no idea as to what could possibly be keeping me awake."

"Is it Emily?"

"No, it's not Emily. Its Emily's uncontrollable crying every single night. I am getting up at least two times a night to rock her back to sleep while you lie in bed completely oblivious to what is going on."

"I'm sorry Peyton, but its not like I'm sleeping through it on purpose." He replied with more edge to his voice than he had intended.

"I don't need you to be sorry Lucas, I need you to help me out because I can't do this on my own." She could feel the sting of tears welling in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Peyton stood from the table and walked silently back to the nursery to ready Emily for the day.

Peyton had spent the rest of the day apart from Lucas knowing that it was best for both of them if she had a chance to cool down. She took Emily to the park and to lunch with her Aunt Haley. Peyton kept her argument with Lucas to herself seeing no reason to involve Haley, only because she knew that Haley would just help solve the situation and Peyton wanted a little more time to sulk.

She climbed into bed that night ignoring the only piece of advice regarding marriage that her father had given her, don't go to bed angry. She wasn't angry so much as exhausted and not willing to get in another, more in-depth argument that would no doubt come with her accusing him of not puling his weight when it came to their daughter.

Lucas lay in bed beside her, his back turned to her. She was tempted to talk to him but instead closed her eyes and tried to sleep. On cue, Emily began to cry from the next room. Before she could do anything Lucas pulled back the blanket and climbed out of the bed.

"I got her Peyton, go back to sleep." The gentleness in his voice made her feel guilty for the way she had been treating him, but she said nothing as he walked out of the room.

Through the tinny reception of the baby monitor she could hear him scooping Emily from the crib and rocking her in the chair his mother had given them. She smiled to herself as she listened to him singing an old Beatles song in an attempt to quiet their daughter. The song worked and the monitor was soon absent of crying, his song the only noise making its way through.

Peyton was soon making her way down the dark hallway. Lucas smiled up at her from his perch in the old chair as Peyton leaned in the doorway of Emily's room.

"She's asleep." He whispered looking down at the sleeping baby in his arms.

Peyton crossed the room and kneeled down on the floor next to him, her head resting on his knee.

"I'm sorry Lucas, for what I said today."

"There's nothing to be sorry about. I wasn't helping you and I needed the wake-up call. It won't be like that anymore. I promise."

She nodded in agreement and they stayed in the nursery for another hour, a silent calm settled over them. And everything was okay.