Danielle couldn't move. Little Thomas had fallen sound asleep on her back. He was still hanging tightly to her fur with his chubby hands, as if he was trying to keep her there.
She gave a deep sigh and licked her lips. She was thirsty. The cocker mix gazed across the room, where the commotion had stopped, far away in the kitchen. Would anyone come save her? She gave a small, hopeful squirm, attempting to free herself from the funny child's tight grasp. He whined in his sleep, a deep, distressed sound, and simply clung tighter. A feeling welled inside of Danielle's chest, one that made her think she might cry. She was stuck.
"My sweet baby..." A sharp voice crooned, making the dog's head turn. She felt faint with relief. It was Aunt Sarah, clutching one of her cats to her chest. The Siamese was rubbing its cheek against her and purring like a kitten, but it wore a look of devilish mischief in its smile. Winding its way across the room at the woman's heel was the cat's twin. Annette and Kilian were nowhere to be seen, but Collette was crawling into the room behind Lady, Junior, and Darling.
Junior was using his own little feet to shuffle awkwardly behind his mother, acting out the action of the kitchen with his fat hands. "Boom! Chsss...Meiooow!" He squeaked, giggling to himself.
"Oh, Aunt Sarah!" Darling said softly, practically gliding over to the couch where Danielle lay trapped by Thomas. The dog tried to wag her tail, and found it hard. "He's asleep..." The woman reached one dainty hand out to brush the child's hair from his sweaty forehead. "Isn't he darling?" Danielle couldn't understand why the woman was calling this boy by her own name.
She huffed. "He's got me stuck!" She whimpered, pawing at the couch. "Ooooh...that dog..." Aunt Sarah scolded, waving one bony finger in Danielle's direction. She cringed under the finger. "That dog is going to wake him, squirming about like that. A child should not bed with hounds, no matter how prim and proper they put on!"
"Now, Sarah." Darling lifted Thomas easily from Danielle's back, cradling him against her chest. His head fell to her shoulder as if he belonged there. Danielle took a deep, cool breath and shook her fur out, then hopped from the couch to meet her mother and sister. Darling continued her gentle scolding. "Danielle meant no harm. Little Thomas seemed as though he didn't mind her being there for him."
"Yeah! He didn't care." Danielle snorted, stretching her legs out one by one. Lady gave her daughter a little nuzzle as she did so, which the younger dog gratefully returned.
"Did you help the boy fall asleep?" Lady said, in a voice as quiet and honey-smooth as her female master's. Danielle nodded sheepishly, watching Darling, Junior, and Aunt Sarah slowly walk away, the adults speaking amongst themselves. The cats slunk off in the other direction. Collette wrinkled her nose.
"I hate cats." She grumbled. "Si had me trapped under a gumbo pot in the kitchen."
"Having second thoughts about a certain female's shoes?" A voice piped up. Danielle and Collette both turned to Scamp, who looked as disgusted as his sisters at the thought of the cats being loose in the house.
"Scamp..." Lady warned, casting a very motherly eye at her son, who cowered, small tail tucked. Danielle giggled roughly. It was funny to see her brother act this way. He was taller than their mother now, but still deathly afraid of her reprimanding.
"Heh. Heh heh." He laughed nervously, backing away. "Got it mom, I'll...I'll go guard those shoes. Make sure nothing gets 'em."
Lady nodded. She was never much of a talker. Danielle admired this about her mother. Everyone else wanted to talk so much! It was hard. Especially when there were lots of dogs. Scamp turned tail and darted from the room, leaving Danielle bubbling with laughter. Even Collette gave a few chuckles.
"How did you get him to fall asleep?" Lady said suddenly, stopping the laughter. She tilted her head at Danielle, who mirrored her identically. "Uh..." She really wasn't sure how she'd done it. He'd just sniffled himself to sleep on her back.
"Who is he?" The young dog decided to ask instead. It was a question that had been on her mind since the moment she'd laid eyes on the boy. Danielle saw Collette yawn from the corner of her eye. The child did not interest her identical sister in the least. For some reason though, she didn't mind.
"His name is Thomas." Lady explained. "He was nothing more than what Junior is now when I met him, long ago. There's something wrong inside of his head." She and Danielle both turned their eyes towards the stairs. "The humans say that he's sick." Danielle's heart leapt at this new information. The boy was sick? She didn't like that. That sounded bad.
"I-I want to see him." She found herself saying. "He's probably sleeping." Collette said, as if trying to convince her sister to stop this madness.
"I wanna see him." Danielle answered, for the third time. Collette huffed, but followed anyway, with obvious love for her sibling. The pair were alone, heading up the tall, carpeted stairway. The gentle padding of the dogs' paws on each step was the only sound to be heard.
"Kilian says Meelus is coming to visit this evening." Collette said eventually. There was a soft sigh in her voice. Even Danielle knew that she adored the big red dog. Danielle shook her head hard. Though she liked Meelus herself, she wasn't going to stop this mission.
"I gotta see the little boy." She protested stubbornly. Collette gave up her blatant attempts to sway her sister then, and simply followed in Danielle's pawsteps. At the top of the stairs, across the hall from Junior's bedroom, was the room that little Thomas had been laid to sleep in.
"Is he in there?" Collette asked quietly. "Ah..." Danielle stared at the white door in front of the two dogs. She thought that this was the room. A sudden faint, gurgling wail crept under the doorway. Her heart lightened. "Ah-yup!" She said cheerfully, giving her sister a tongue lolling smile. Collette returned it, but she didn't look quite as happy with this discovering for some reason. Danielle shrugged it off and ducked her head to gave her right ear a good pawing before moving on. She pressed one paw against the white door, which wasn't closed in its frame, making it swing open without a sound. Both Collette and Danielle stood close together against the frame of the entrance, peering cautiously into the room. It wasn't one that either had spent much time in. Danielle's eyes fell on the bed in the middle of the room. It was one of those big ones, the kind with the giant frame and light curtains draped around it from the top. Without waiting for Collette, Danielle crept closer. "Wait!" Collette hissed. "Sister!" Danielle stopped to look over her shoulder at Collette. She wrinkled her nose and gave her head a little shake. Collette hadn't moved from the doorway. She was afraid! But Danielle wouldn't be afraid, oh no. She told herself hours ago that being afraid of the boy was wrong. "Come on, Collette." Danielle pleaded. Collette took a tiny step back. Danielle gave a heavy, deep throated sigh. She turned back to the bed that held the funny boy in sleep. He was there alright. Danielle could smell his fear and sweat and tears already. A small sound was carried from the bed, egging her on. Danielle reached the bed and hopped up onto her hind legs, wobbling slightly as she did so. She raised her chin and peeked over the edge of the soft, blanketed surface and found him there. The boy was curled in a nest of sheets and quilts that didn't cover an inch of him. It looked as if he had thrown them off. He was clutching the coverings as if that single handful would keep him from floating away. His slanted eyes were shut too tightly, and his face twitched in a bad dream. His face was damp with sweat.
Danielle opened her mouth and turned her head to speak to Collette. "He's dreaming..." She began, but trailed off when she saw that Collette's attention was elsewhere. Her ears had perked high, and her own head was turned in the direction of the stairs. "Meelus is here." She announced, then gave Danielle an apologetic glance before taking off in a fast trot. Danielle didn't even have time to respond. As usual. She heaved a small sigh. If there was one thing...well. One thing in a lot of things, that Danielle could never understand...it was how her sisters could be so worked up over boys! Annette and Kilian, and Collette and...everyone. She snorted and looked at the sleeping boy as she pondered. Her heart softened when her gaze fell on the child. He was clingy, but there was just something about him that drew her near. Without thinking, the spaniel laid down next to the child for the second time that day. This time, when his hands found her fur, she was expecting it. He gave a groan in his sleep and held her tighter. Happy barks were floating up the stairwell and into the open doorway that Collette had left empty. It sounded like a lot of fun down there. Danielle was tempted to get up for a moment. She was so lost in thought about the decision that it startled her when Thomas started kicking his clumsy little legs in a slow, sleepy fit. The dog didn't know what to. She pressed her body against the child's and stared at his twisted face, until those odd eyes popped open. A cry died on his lips, and his legs ceased their kicking. Boy and dog looked at each other, both confused and frightened. A whimper from Thomas broke the short silence.
"Why are you scared?" Danielle asked him, as if he could understand the words she was saying. And then, as if he really did, the boy covered his eyes with the backs of his hands. For once, Danielle absolutely understood. He was scared. Not of her, or a bad dream, but...everything. He was different, and the world was a frightening place for someone different. "Don't be scared." The spaniel said softly. "I'll protect you." And then, by some unspoken agreement, the boy's arms tightened once more around the dog, and then slacked, and fell minutes later. He was asleep, and he was alright.