CHAPTER NINETEEN - THE SLEEP
PAMPERAGE! I thought Catcher could use some lovin' cause he obviously isn't getting enough.... _ silly Catcher...
~
There was a quiet knock at the door.
The rain had stopped.
Lara opened her eyes. Just resting. Looked down at Catcher. Sleeping on her chest. And smiled lightly. Before turning. "Yeah?"
"Can I come in mommy?"
"Sure baby..."
Agatha walked in. Holding two cups. Both filled with milkshake. Lara's first. Agatha's second.
Catcher sniffed. And twitched. As Agatha climbed up onto the bed. Carefully.
Lara took her hand off his back. Warm. Getting hold of one of Agatha's cups. Cold. Before she almost tipped it over. And set it on the bedside table.
"I brought you your milkshake." Agatha said. Getting situated.
Lara put her finger up to her mouth. Hushing her. And Agatha looked down at Catcher.
Lara was lying bowed. With her head and shoulders supported upright by pillows. Catcher's head was on her chest. Breathing lightly. Her hand on the side of his head. Rubbing his hair. Her thumb moving in little circles. His arms were akimbo around her.
She was laid out straight. While Catcher was mostly jackknifed off to her side. His bare torso laid on her. With his legs bent away. His weight pressed her into the mattress. Hot. And soft.
"Is he still sick?"
It'd been about an hour. Since the hallway. Enough to get Catcher asleep.
"Yes, he is. But he's getting better." She felt his forehead. "He's gotten cooler. And his color's coming back."
"I think he just needed love."
"Maybe you're right." Lara smiled down at him. Reaching over. To take a drink from her milkshake. Kissing Agatha's head. In mid-reach. Liking the comment.
"This is good." She smiled. Purposely tipping her glass almost too far. Making a crest on her upper lip.
Established with her legs crossed. The milkshake between her thighs. Agatha laughed. "You have a mustache." She was quiet about it.
Lara smiled. And wiggled her nose like a rabbit. "You make tasty milkshakes."
"Milkshake kisses!" Agatha tipped up her glass. And made her own mustache. Leaning over. To kiss her mom on the lips. Meshing milkshake. As they both laughed quietly.
"Mmm," Lara licked the mesh off. "What's yours?"
"It's Oreo banana." Agatha was proud. Looking down into her glass. Splotched with black flecks and yellow chunks. "I couldn't decide on which one to get."
"It's yummy." Lara took another sip of her own. - Strawberry - Before setting it back down.
Catcher sighed. And snuggled. Both girls looked at him.
"He looks happy." Agatha commented. Leaning over to brush at his hair. Just to touch him.
"He does." Lara rubbed his hair too. Soft.
Agatha put her milkshake next to her mom's. Before leaning in. Snaking her arm beneath Lara's. Linking them. As she leaned her head against her shoulder. Sighing.
Agatha stared at Catcher's contented face. "I think he loves you."
"Why do you think that?"
"I dunno. I can just tell." She cocked her head. As if the answer would come. "Do you love him mom?"
"I don't know..." Lara's sentence died away. Not sure what to say.
"Are you going to marry him?"
Lara lifter her arm. And wrapped it around her shoulder. "Puddin' bear, grown up love doesn't work like that."
"Why not?" Agatha looked up. Her big eyes sincere.
"It just doesn't. You've got to have time, for love to grow."
"Like a puppy?" Excitement was in her voice. Slightly. Coyly.
Lara was thrown a bit off guard. "Yeah, I guess like a puppy."
"Can we get a puppy?" Agatha turned to her mom. Sneaking it in.
Lara's mouth came open. "How sly we are." She tightened her arm around her daughter. Smiling at her stealth.
Agatha grinned. But didn't press the matter. Looking towards Catcher.
Who still slept soundly. Snuggling again. As if Lara's bosom was a pillow. She flinched. When he tried to dig into her breastbone. And smiled.
"How much time does it take to fall in love?" Agatha asked.
"Depends..."
"On what?"
"On stuff..." She was purposely leaving the answers open.
"What kind of stuff?"
"Stuff..."
"Mom!" She'd had enough.
Catcher's eyes came open. Agatha's hands slapping across her mouth. Her eyes wide.
Catcher lifted his head. Eyes half closed. As he turned his head to the other side. And set it back down. Sighing deeply. Wrapping his arms tighter.
His left fist touched Agatha's foot. And she reached down. And took it in her tiny fingers. Holding it.
A smile came across his pale face. Slight. And sleepy.
"What are we gonna do after he wakes up?"
Lara opened her sleeping eyes again. Brought out of her light napping. "Hmm - what do you want to do?" She closed her eyes again. Unable to keep them open.
Agatha's face twisted as she thought. Before shrugging. And snuggling her head into Lara's shoulder. Closing her eyes too. Feeling the pressure of sleep.
"Let's sleep on it..."
"Mkay..." Lara was already halfway in dreamland.
There was only soft breathing for the moment. Before it was broken by a whisper.
"Mommy?"
"Yeah?" she was losing herself. Fast.
"Can we go get a puppy?"
PAMPERAGE! I thought Catcher could use some lovin' cause he obviously isn't getting enough.... _ silly Catcher...
~
There was a quiet knock at the door.
The rain had stopped.
Lara opened her eyes. Just resting. Looked down at Catcher. Sleeping on her chest. And smiled lightly. Before turning. "Yeah?"
"Can I come in mommy?"
"Sure baby..."
Agatha walked in. Holding two cups. Both filled with milkshake. Lara's first. Agatha's second.
Catcher sniffed. And twitched. As Agatha climbed up onto the bed. Carefully.
Lara took her hand off his back. Warm. Getting hold of one of Agatha's cups. Cold. Before she almost tipped it over. And set it on the bedside table.
"I brought you your milkshake." Agatha said. Getting situated.
Lara put her finger up to her mouth. Hushing her. And Agatha looked down at Catcher.
Lara was lying bowed. With her head and shoulders supported upright by pillows. Catcher's head was on her chest. Breathing lightly. Her hand on the side of his head. Rubbing his hair. Her thumb moving in little circles. His arms were akimbo around her.
She was laid out straight. While Catcher was mostly jackknifed off to her side. His bare torso laid on her. With his legs bent away. His weight pressed her into the mattress. Hot. And soft.
"Is he still sick?"
It'd been about an hour. Since the hallway. Enough to get Catcher asleep.
"Yes, he is. But he's getting better." She felt his forehead. "He's gotten cooler. And his color's coming back."
"I think he just needed love."
"Maybe you're right." Lara smiled down at him. Reaching over. To take a drink from her milkshake. Kissing Agatha's head. In mid-reach. Liking the comment.
"This is good." She smiled. Purposely tipping her glass almost too far. Making a crest on her upper lip.
Established with her legs crossed. The milkshake between her thighs. Agatha laughed. "You have a mustache." She was quiet about it.
Lara smiled. And wiggled her nose like a rabbit. "You make tasty milkshakes."
"Milkshake kisses!" Agatha tipped up her glass. And made her own mustache. Leaning over. To kiss her mom on the lips. Meshing milkshake. As they both laughed quietly.
"Mmm," Lara licked the mesh off. "What's yours?"
"It's Oreo banana." Agatha was proud. Looking down into her glass. Splotched with black flecks and yellow chunks. "I couldn't decide on which one to get."
"It's yummy." Lara took another sip of her own. - Strawberry - Before setting it back down.
Catcher sighed. And snuggled. Both girls looked at him.
"He looks happy." Agatha commented. Leaning over to brush at his hair. Just to touch him.
"He does." Lara rubbed his hair too. Soft.
Agatha put her milkshake next to her mom's. Before leaning in. Snaking her arm beneath Lara's. Linking them. As she leaned her head against her shoulder. Sighing.
Agatha stared at Catcher's contented face. "I think he loves you."
"Why do you think that?"
"I dunno. I can just tell." She cocked her head. As if the answer would come. "Do you love him mom?"
"I don't know..." Lara's sentence died away. Not sure what to say.
"Are you going to marry him?"
Lara lifter her arm. And wrapped it around her shoulder. "Puddin' bear, grown up love doesn't work like that."
"Why not?" Agatha looked up. Her big eyes sincere.
"It just doesn't. You've got to have time, for love to grow."
"Like a puppy?" Excitement was in her voice. Slightly. Coyly.
Lara was thrown a bit off guard. "Yeah, I guess like a puppy."
"Can we get a puppy?" Agatha turned to her mom. Sneaking it in.
Lara's mouth came open. "How sly we are." She tightened her arm around her daughter. Smiling at her stealth.
Agatha grinned. But didn't press the matter. Looking towards Catcher.
Who still slept soundly. Snuggling again. As if Lara's bosom was a pillow. She flinched. When he tried to dig into her breastbone. And smiled.
"How much time does it take to fall in love?" Agatha asked.
"Depends..."
"On what?"
"On stuff..." She was purposely leaving the answers open.
"What kind of stuff?"
"Stuff..."
"Mom!" She'd had enough.
Catcher's eyes came open. Agatha's hands slapping across her mouth. Her eyes wide.
Catcher lifted his head. Eyes half closed. As he turned his head to the other side. And set it back down. Sighing deeply. Wrapping his arms tighter.
His left fist touched Agatha's foot. And she reached down. And took it in her tiny fingers. Holding it.
A smile came across his pale face. Slight. And sleepy.
"What are we gonna do after he wakes up?"
Lara opened her sleeping eyes again. Brought out of her light napping. "Hmm - what do you want to do?" She closed her eyes again. Unable to keep them open.
Agatha's face twisted as she thought. Before shrugging. And snuggling her head into Lara's shoulder. Closing her eyes too. Feeling the pressure of sleep.
"Let's sleep on it..."
"Mkay..." Lara was already halfway in dreamland.
There was only soft breathing for the moment. Before it was broken by a whisper.
"Mommy?"
"Yeah?" she was losing herself. Fast.
"Can we go get a puppy?"