Thanks once again to Debbie.
Waking Up
Chapter 9
This was just heaven. She lay there happy and so content. Her head resting on his bare chest as he lay on his back. His breath still coming fast and deep.
She knew without looking that there would be a smirk on his face, but she didn't mind. He deserved that. He'd worked hard, put in one of his best ever performances. So she didn't begrudge his bask in glory.
Beside she was too satiated and too spent to care. Just lying snuggled into him while he lazily tickled one hand behind her hair, while the other lovingly stroked her back, was as close to perfect as you could get.
"Can't feel me legs." She teased. Knowing that the blood had been rushing to other parts of her body.
He chuckled at that; and as he did his chest moved and bounced her head up and down.
"Don't think I can feel mine either Dawes." He replied. "Might gonna need a medic."
Now it was her time to laugh.
"Do you know any?" She asked.
"Might know one or two." Said Charles. "One in particular."
"She any good?" Molly played along.
"She's ok." He sighed out. "A bit gobby and all that, but ok."
He never finished. She knew his weakness and began to tickle him.
"You cheeky buggy." She laughed. "Just Ok?"
She put her full weight behind her assault, and pinned him down. Tickling and touching him where she knew it would gain the most pleasure, and torture for him.
He laughed freely and happily and she loved it. Despite it all, she loved him, and loved how care free and young he was around her. How they goofed around like love sick teenagers when behind closed doors, when the weight of the world wasn't on his shoulders, or when she felt the eyes of the world weren't watching or judging her.
Soon though the battle was quickly turned, and he used his strength and flipped her over. Turning the tables on her. Starting his tickle assault on her.
"Put some bloody effort in." He teased. Knowing he was winning.
Within moments he had her pinned, naked beneath him, and his too naked body hovered tantalisingly about hers. They continued in the play wrestle for minutes, until she begged for mercy and he gave it to her. As the peace fell amongst them she looked up into his eyes and saw nothing but love for her. A love she was beginning to understand, to accept and most of all felt worthy to have.
He must have seen something in her look, and soon he softened his hold on her.
"God Molly. I don't think I've been this happy…..ever." He said softly placing a kiss on her nose. "You make me happy."
There was nothing to say. Her voice choked in her throat and her heart was so very full. So all she could do was smile contentedly back at him. She was slowly getting used to this and found she liked it. She like being adored by him ….being adore for now…..and maybe even forever.
She was also slowly getting use to the new level of sex she'd been subjected to. Finding with Charles it was no longer just about the act or about him. Unlike before it was an act that was very certainly about them. Sometime they made love quickly, fast as though their lives depended on it, and other times it was slow, considered, and as though their love depended on showing each other the depth of their feelings. He was a kind considerate lover, each and every time, and always made sure she was happy, and he always was very very good.
Though she knew this nirvana couldn't last and wouldn't. Just like she was slowly getting used to his love, she was also getting used to the small two bed house he had just rented. Somewhere where they now had total privacy, and somewhere Sam could come and stay over. A little domestic hide away that was a million miles away from anything Molly had seen or known before.
"Suppose we're going to have to make a move." He said breaking the spell. He turned and stroked her face. "Do you know what the best thing is about this house?" He asked.
"What? The extensive gardens or the quiet neighbours?" She laughed. Knowing that the garden was a size of a postage stamp, and the neighbours were noisy as hell. More than once they had had to bang on the adjoining wall demanding that they turn the music down, or to reduce their arguing to a small roar in the early hours of the morning.
"No." He said but had a smirk on his face enjoying the banter between them. "I know this house is small, and, well kind of crap, but it means we have somewhere to go. Somewhere where I don't have to keep my hands off you. Somewhere where I can show you just how much you mean to me. Away from prying eyes."
She knew exactly what he meant. It was just them.
"Ditto." Was all she said softly as she reached forward and pulled him in for a kiss. Suddenly all thoughts of them getting up abandoned for now.
Molly bit back the tears. She was not going to be defeated by this. She knew she had to be the bigger person, and after all she was the grown-up in this relationship, not him. Not Charles' only son. The son that had just given her a mouthful about how much he hated her, and he would never ever want to be her friend.
She had thought they were getting somewhere. She had hoped that they had started to make inroads into liking each other. The other night they had gone out to the cinema and she had actually caught him laughing. Then afterwards out for pizza, he chose to sit next to her rather than Charles. She honestly thought the cold and closed off kid that she had met all those weeks ago was starting to turn into the nice young child Charles always insisted he was.
That was until today. That was until tonight picking him up from Rebecca's for the usual Friday night get together, followed by a weekend to be spent at Charles' parent's house. She knew instantly that he had been excited and looking forward to it as he happily skipped to the car. Smiling holding his Daddy's hand. However that all stopped as soon as he saw Molly sitting in the car. Charles noticed too.
"Come on Scamp." His dad said cheerfully. "I told you we were meeting Molly, and she was spending time at Gran and Grandpa's house."
From that moment Charles almost had to drag Sam into the car. From that moment Molly knew what the tone of the weekend was going to be like.
She tried her best. Spending the weekend on eggshells. Hoping that the tide was turning. Yet her hopes were dashed as she listened to Sam's latest outburst. Within earshot of his grandparents and father.
"I hate you." He screamed. "I hate you. I will never like you."
They had been playing a nice game of snap. Unfortunately Molly's competitive edge took over slightly, and saw her winning a round. Everybody else, every other adult had won, and Sam had graciously accepted that. Yet when it came to Molly's turn to win he angrily threw the cards down and stormed off.
"Let him go." Charles' mother counselled as Charles stood up to go and follow his son.
"He shouldn't be behaving like that." Charles said sad and angry. She could see the disappointment on his face. They had both hoped that it would get easier as time went by.
"I'll go." Said Molly in some type of selfless act of trying to make the situation better.
She saw Charles raise his eyebrows and look at her unsure whether or not he could let her go. Yet he did, he had ran out of tricks to make the situation any better, so he reckoned that it was better her going after Sam than nobody going at all.
"Hey Scamp!" She said as she found him sitting in the back garden picking up stones and throwing them in the fishpond. "I don't think your Gran would want you to do that. Imagine if you hit one of her precious fish. Might gonna give one of them a headache." She tried to laugh, but she saw an upset little boy with a face of thunder. He was a million miles away from enjoying her jokes.
She stood next to him, and picked up a handful of stones, and pass them from one had to another. Just waiting for Sam to say something but he didn't.
"You know I ain't ever gonna take your Mum's place don't you." She began. Wasn't sure if this was the right place to start. "I'll never be your Mum. It's just that... .." She didn't get any further.
"I hate you. Daddy hates you. He's only being nice to you because of what you did out there when his leg was bad. Mummy says as soon as he comes to his senses he'll realise."
Molly crouched down to be closer to him, gently touching his arm. She could see how upset he was. Although they were words from his mouth, she knew they were the opinions of his mother.
"Sam I love your Dad. And he loves me. I know it's hard for you to understand, but I want to be your friend. Because your Daddy loves you so much, I want to be your friend, and cause I think you are a pretty great little fella as well. I could do with a friend like you."
Sam wiped away the tears rolling down his face and as his nose was bunged with snot, he thickly said.
"I will never like you. Mum says you're not good enough for my Dad and you're not. I liked all his other girlfriends better than I like you." And then he ran away off into the garden.
Molly took a deep breath. She couldn't let this get to her. It was draining, it was tiring, but she was in love with a man, who had a kid, and therefore they had to try to make this work.
"Everything alright? Charles asked knowing the answer as he walked out into the garden. He saw the hurt look on her face.
"Yeah." She said with little attempt to hide that everything wasn't alright. "Just you know!" She shrugged and went to move away.
He would not let her go. He softly grabbed hold of her arm and spun her around just as she was trying to make her escape.
"I'm sorry. I know this is hard for you."
She smiled weakly. There had been so many apologies, and so much said over the past couple of weeks, that she didn't feel she needed to make a comment.
"This is why." He continued. "I was so scared to tell you."
She looked at him.
"What do you mean?"
"Back in Afghanistan. When it all started. This is why I was so scared to tell you about me being married, about some stuff about my life. I was so scared because I thought this is exactly what would happen." He smirked with the bitterness in him. "I was exactly right. Wasn't I? It's too much?"
Molly could see the agony on his face. She moved forward, closer to him, and allowed herself to be engulfed in his arms.
"I know i understand now, but I didn't like being lied to." She admitted. "You hurt me, and I didn't like the fact you didn't think I could handle it, but I can. I'm still here ain't I?"
He nodded.
"You certainly are Molly."
"You haven't got to be scared about sharing with me. Ever. I know this is shit Charles. But it ain't going to be this shit forever."
Charles let out a laugh.
"Are you sure about that?"
"I know it's hard seeing him like this. Because I know this is your Sam. But sometimes it just takes kids time. He's had a lot going on. And me coming on the scene has just made him more confused. We'll get there."
"You promise." Charles squeezed her tighter.
"We're going to have to try." Molly said simply. "Because I ain't going anywhere."
"That's good to know." He bent down and give her a kiss that was brief but held all his emotions in. Then he stepped back dipped his head towards the path where they had last seen a retreating Sam.
"Yeah!" She nodded. "You go; go find him."
He did and she was left alone.
Things didn't improve, as so weeks later knowing how things stood, she couldn't believe that he had done this to her. The sensible part of her understood that this had little to do with choice, and more to do with duty, and that was why she was in the situation; because he was the type of man who followed the rules to the letter.
Still at 3 o'clock in the morning all alone by herself, in his bed that they had shared just hours before, listening to his son crying out, she still had a small amount of anger towards the situation.
Molly slipped herself out of the bed. Pulling on a sweatshirt of Charles' that he had left lying on the bedroom floor, then pulling on a pair of jogging pants to make herself respectable. Slipping quietly out of the bedroom towards the small guest room that Sam was now in.
She didn't know what to do. Certainly her brothers and sisters had had night terrors when they were younger, and she quite often consoled them. But they had wanted her there, they had wanted her company. Sam still very much did not want Molly in his life. Yet without the presence of his dad who had had to go to work on some urgent business in the early hours of the morning Molly was all that Sam had.
She slowly pushed open the door and could see his little figure sitting up in the bed. The night light that Charles had left on in his bedroom showed just how upset Sam was. Tears streaked his sleep addled face.
"Sam." She said more gently. "You ok Scamp?" And she moved softly into the room and knelt down in front of him. She watched him mutely nod his head and frantically trying to dash the tears away from his face.
"What's up?" She asked as she gently touched his wet knee and understood the problem immediately. "You had a nightmare?"
He nodded his head vigorously and she went to stand up. He pulled his knees up around his body guarding himself. The smell of his night fear evident.
She moved over to the spare bag of clothes that Rebecca had dropped off on the doorstep, and rooted around for fresh pair of pyjamas. She was pleased she also knew where the sheets were for the small single bed that Sam slept in.
"How about we get out of those wet pyjamas and put some nice clean ones on?" She said putting a hand out for him to take it. "Let's get you in the bathroom and clean you up a bit, and then put these nice warm cosy pyjamas on."
Sam stood and to her surprise he caught hold of a hand squeezing it tightly. She guessed that the bedwetting and the little night terror he'd had made him softer, more willing to accept succour from whoever offered it.
She quickly tidied him up in the bathroom, and dried him off putting the nice clean Buzz Lightyear pyjamas on him. Then while he was filling a glass of water and was having a little drink, while trying to avoid looking her in the eye, she slipped into his bedroom stripped the bed and freshly made it again. Pleased that Charles was the type of dad who had protected the mattress knowing that quite often little lads had bedwetting incident.
As she came out of his bedroom she thought about immediately suggesting that he go straight back to bed. Yet he looked at her for the first time and very timidly offered her a sorry.
She crouch down in front of him. It was the first time he'd spoken since she entered his bedroom.
"There is nothing to be sorry about Sam." And he suddenly leaned forward and gently give her a hug.
"Mummy gets cross. She says I'm a big boy shouldn't be doing things like this."
Molly enjoyed the cuddle and responded.
"Well I don't Scamp. These things happen. We got it all tidied up. didn't we?"
She then looked at the sheets that had stripped off. She gathered them up and held her hand out to Sam again.
"I tell you what how about an extra treat while I go downstairs and put these in your Daddy's washing machine, why don't I make us some hot chocolate, and then will come back and snuggle up in Daddy's bed for a bit?"
She had expected Sam to say no. She'd expected him to want to move away from her as quickly as possible now the crisis was over. She thought that he would be embarrassed. But instead he looked at her gratefully and nodded his head vigorously.
She made quick work of putting the sheets in the washing machine and making them a nice cup of hot chocolate. By the time she returned upstairs she found Sam had snuggled deep into Charles' pillow and was lying there.
Again he spoke but only for the second time that night giving her an almost pleasant thank you.
They drank the hot chocolate in silence, and when it was finished Sam put the cup on the bedside cabinet and snuggled down. It hadn't been what Molly had intended. She had expected that he would creep back into his own bed. Yes here he was; he seemed to have claimed Charles' empty spot for his own.
She did not feel she could move him. And she also did not feel that it was the wrong thing to do, keeping him there. Knowing how sad, and sometimes scared, her brothers and sisters used to be waking up in the early hours of the night, she knew that they enjoyed sneaking into their parent's bed and so she let Sam stay.
"Will you tell Daddy?" He asked as he snuggled closer. His hand reaching out to just touch her arm. "Mummy says Daddy will be sad if he knows I still wet the bed. I don't like Daddy to be sad."
Molly smiled even though it was not light enough for him to see her face. Instead she reached a hand out and gently push the hair from his face.
"I don't like your Daddy being sad either Sam. But he won't be sad about you wetting the bed. He loves you. He knows it was an accident."
"Mummy says only little babies wet the bed."
"Well I don't know about that. But all I know is that it sometimes happens and it's nothing to worry about. But if it will make you happy we'll keep it a secret. Just between you and I."
Sam didn't say a word, but let out a small sound that seem to be happy assent. He then wiggled his body closer to hers, so it was touching her as he used her arm to hug while he drifted off to sleep.
She stayed awake for a while thinking and listening to the little soft body next to her. Hoping against hope that this was a little move forward to an entente between them.
However she couldn't keep her eyes open for long. Soon sleep claimed her too. Molly drifted off asleep.
It was hours later before the dawn had arrived, that Charles quietly crept back into his house. Surprised at the sight as he did.
He had peeked first into Sam's room and was surprised not to find him in there. Then the sound of the washing machine going as he had entered the house made him realise what had happened. He gently made his way back to his own bedroom. Surprised by what he saw. But very happy.
There lying in his bed was Molly snuggled up tightly, holding in her arms Sam. Both were fast asleep, both oblivious to his presence.
It made Charles happier than words could say. It was a sign that perhaps Sam for the first time ever was beginning to accept Molly. As he crept into the small bed that Sam slept in, he hoped that when they all woke up in the morning things might just be that little bit better.