Chapter Three-Hundred and Five
Clarissa pushed John's bedroom door open, watching as he smeared antibacterial cream over his knees and proceeded to bandage them with expert hands. "Amelia's fine." She smiled, taking a seat beside him on the bed. "She just got a scratch."
He nodded, tying to wrap off before he looked at her. "Good."
She tilted her head, looking into his dark eyes only to see that he wasn't all there. He was in a flashback, still able to respond, but barely recognizing what was happening around him. She knew that these could hit without a large trigger to set them off, but it was rare to find him still able to communicate. "Call if you need anything." She sighed, pulling his door shut to let the memory ride itself out.
Toby laughed as he and Tyler thundered up the stairs, skidding to a halt when Clarissa stopped them. "Hey Mrs. Standish." He smiled, covering his mouth as she shushed them.
"We just got the quads to sleep." She whispered, closing the nursery door and stepping toward the stairs. "And I'm not dealing with screaming babies."
Truth was, none of them had gotten much sleep lately. Not only had the quads been fussy, but both John and Phoebe had been suffering night terrors and occasionally someone would find one of them hiding in a dark room and sobbing from the fear.
Despite John's meetings with Holly, and the acupuncture appointments, he still faced the demons of his past every time he closed his eyes.
Clarissa stepped onto the back porch, opening the door to the garage where John was currently working out on his weight sets. She watched as he pulled his sweat covered body up on the bar. The muscles in his shoulders tightened and flexed under his skin, the scars rippled as his true strength was used.
He lowered himself onto the floor, wiping his head on his forearm. He blew the sweat from his lips, taking a drink of water from the bottle on the counter. "What's up?" He asked, able to smell her citrus perfume and the faint hint of bacon and homemade bread.
"We're gonna watch True Grit… we were wondering if you might like to join." She dried his back off with an old towel, being careful when she got close to any of his more tender spots. She could see where he'd bruised himself up in his sleep or when he'd been working on projects, she touched a scratch on his ribs, shaking her head when she noticed the way his muscles shook with exhaustion.
He nodded, able to sense that she was going to scold him for pushing himself so hard. "Sounds like a good plan."
Claire lifted her plush blanket as John sat beside her, nestling into his side as the movie started. She listened to his strong heart, the thump against his ribs forcing his blood through his body. She could feel his body heat against her own, his exhausted muscles shaking slightly as his cheek rested against her head. "I love you." She breathed, tilting her head and nipping at his ear.
He chuckled, biting her lip and being careful to not harm her with his sharp teeth. "I love you more." He pushed his hand into her hair, tangling her locks of red fire in his fingers and pulling her closer to him.