Man… That was not the best night's sleep I normally get. I kept waking up every hour because I can't get this little Shri- Tch… Well, yea, Shrimp. It's the nickname I gave him. At least I took the time to give him one. But, man! I kept waking up every hour thinking about that little Shrimp. Jeez… I wonder if Mom has breakfast ready. I could use some… Huh? What the? Something sticky is touching my face…
I open my eyes and what do I see? It's the little Shrimp, and he's licking at my face! "Gah! What do you think you're doing, Shrimp?" I shouted as I lifted him off my face and set him back on my stomach. I hope I didn't say that too loudly… Did my parents hear? A minute passed before I breathed a sigh of relief. "Whew… That's good. They didn't hear me. So, Shrimp, ready for breakfast?" I asked the little Buizel. Wait… Why exactly was I asking him? He couldn't respond in any way; it was like I was talking to myself, basically.
Shrimp just sat on my belly, tilting his head. Small little coos and chirps were coming from his mouth. For some unknown reason, I just started petting him on the top of his head. Why exactly I was doing that, I don't know. He seemed to like it, because he closed his eyes and let out small little chirps. I don't think I was ever petted on the top of the head, so why did Shrimp get to experience it? Well, I could stop at anytime; it was my paw that was petting him, but I just didn't stop. Maybe I am starting to like him…
"Well, isn't that sweet? It's so nice to see you being nice to Tyler, Isaac," I heard a voice proclaim. I ceased my petting and turned my head to see my mom standing in the door way. I didn't really know how to react to my mother right then. I felt Shrimp start to move around on me. I redirected my gaze over towards him to see him stumbling around on top of me. Apparently, he still wasn't coordinated enough to walk on all fours, but he just kept clambering his way up me.
When he got to my face, he started to lick me again! This time, I just wanted to shove him off me, but… with my mom standing right there, that wouldn't have ended well… So I opted to just lift him off my face and just held him in the air. "Could you come grab him so I can get outta bed?" and before I do something I might regret.
"Oh, sure. Just a second," my mom replied. She walked over and took Shrimp from my hold and proceeded to walk out of the room. "Breakfast is already on the table when you're ready," she said before exiting.
I got up from my hammock and stretched out my arms and legs. A large yawn also escaped my mouth. I was still very sleepy, but somehow managed to not just get back in bed and fall asleep again. Nah, breakfast was much too important to miss. I started out of my room and down the hall, passing my father about halfway through. "Isaac, how much longer do you think you'll call your brother 'Shrimp?'" he said as he passed me.
I froze instantly upon hearing that. Apparently he did hear my shouting minutes earlier. I slowly turned towards him and responded. "I-I'm not sure… It feels like that's just his name to me…"
He let out a sigh before speaking again. "Isaac, me and your mother talked it out and decided that we will allow you to use that nickname for him, but only if you can still acknowledge that his name is still Tyler and that calling him 'Shrimp' is nothing more than a nickname, not an insult, understand?"
At first, I did think of calling him 'Shrimp' as an insult, but now… it's just like it's my name for him. I am just thankful this didn't turn into another scolding like last night. "I'll try to just call him that when around the house, but I'm not making any promises," I replied.
"Just know that he's still Tyler," my dad simply responded. He turned back around and continued to wherever he was going.
Well, that turned out better than expected, and now, I can call him 'Shrimp' anytime I want! Actually, since it's now not gonna be something I'd have to hide, it's probably gonna lose some meaning and I'll just stop calling him it so often. A rumbling in my belly reminded me as to where I was going. I continued down the hall and walked down the stairs. I got to the dining room and saw both a fair amount of berries on the table, and my mom giving Tyler his breakfast. Wait… Did I just call him 'Tyler?' Heh, yup, just like I thought…
I sat myself down at the table and started to munch on a few berries from the pile. I looked over to see that Tyler was still enjoying his meal of berry mush. I again wondered why I never liked that stuff…
After breakfast was over, my mom set Tyler to play with what toys they had and told me to just watch over him so that he doesn't hurt himself. He was set in the living room, so I just hopped up onto the couch and just watched him play. At least she didn't make me play with him. Besides, he seemed content to play with a little overhanging toy that had rotating Wingulls on it, just laying on his back and smacking at the hanging birds to make them spin around… I can't even remember a time when I did the exact same thing. When he's my age, he probably won't remember either.
About 10 minutes after I was told to watch over Tyler, there was a knock at the door. Who could be coming by this early in the morning? "Hey Mom! Someone's at the door, should I get it?" I called to my mother.
"Please. I've got my hands full with cleaning right now. Just be sure to keep an eye on Tyler," she called back.
I don't think that he could get into any trouble if I answered the door. I got up from the couch and headed towards the door. I started opening the door. "Hello?" Aww… Crap.
"Hey Isaac!" I knew exactly who it was the second I opened the door, both that… and because of the death hug shortly following.
"Gah! Katie!" I shouted out; it was my way to get her to release me from her grip. I also noticed that she wasn't alone. Sean was standing next to her, shrugging his shoulders and shaking his head.
"Hey there, Isaac. Hope this isn't a bad time," Sean said after Katie released me.
"Oh, no, it's fine. I'm just watching Tyler as he plays," I responded while still catching my breath. Saying that, I turned my head back over to see if he was still doing alright. Sure enough, he was still just watching the Wingull fly, swatting at them to keep 'em in motion. "I'm sure you can come in, just be careful. You don't want to do what I did last night…" I said, opening the door fully to let them in.
Katie and Sean both accepted the offer and came inside. I shut the door behind them, which actually caught the attention of Tyler, who just looked questioningly at them.
"Aww, he's so cute!" Katie exclaimed shortly after laying eyes on Tyler. He was apparently intrigued by the orb on her tail because his eyes were just following it as she swished it around.
"He looks a lot like you, Isaac," Sean stated. Did he really? I've never been able to check, and my parents haven't said anything about it, either. If it's true, maybe that's why he likes me so much. Nah, it can't be that simple.
"We can't look that alike," I replied, "So, why'd you guys come by?"
"We actually wanted to see Tyler, and also to see if you've changed your mind about him," Katie said. Well, something has definitely changed, but I still don't know if he's gonna be my best friend and that I'd do anything for him. "Well?"
"I'm learning to be nicer to him, if that's what you're asking," I answered. I noticed that Katie was now facing me, which meant her tail was now in range of Tyler's paws. As she was swishing it around, Tyler was attempting to grab at it. That worried me, because if there's any electricity stored up in that orb, it might transfer over to him.
Unfortunately, my worries were correct. The second that he grabbed it, Katie jumped up in surprise, but also released a small jolt of electricity, which transferred right over into Tyler. He was barely a few days old. How could he handle being zapped by any amount of electricity?
Katie backed away from him after she realized what just happened. I ran over to him, and just as I got to his side, he started crying profusely. I actually took that as a good sign, because it meant that the electricity hadn't stopped his heart. His crying was quick to draw the attention of my mom, who was in the doorway in an instant after she heard him.
"Isaac! What happened?" she shouted.
"Ma'am, I am so sorry. He grabbed my tail, and it caused me to jump up and release some electricity," Katie said while bowing her head down.
I, meanwhile, was checking Tyler for any burns or anything like that. Thankfully, there didn't seem to be any permanent damage, and he was just in a bit of pain from the shock. "He seems to be alright, aside from any pain he might be in. Mom, do you have anything that might help?"
"Yes, I do. Try and calm him down while I grab it," she responded, before heading into our storage area.
I picked Tyler up and started to try and calm him down, pretty much the same way it was last night. However, Tyler didn't cease his crying as easily as he did last night. He must've been in a lot more pain… If a small jolt of electricity can cause my arm to go numb at my size, how would the same amount affect a Buizel that is less than a quarter my size?
After a minute or so, my mom returned, holding a bottle of what looked to be oil. "What is that stuff?" I asked.
"It's Wacan extract. It's designed to lessen the effects of an electrical shock," she replied. I've heard about those special berries that can lessen the effects of a certain type of attack. Some of that would've been useful for any of the other hundred times that Katie has zapped me in the arm… "Now, where was he initially shocked?" my mom asked.
"I'd assume his paws, since that's what he grabbed Katie's tail with," I responded. She nodded and started to apply it to his paws. She set the bottle down and started to rub the oil into his paws. After about a minute, Tyler had finally seemed to calm down a little. He was still crying a little, but he seemed to not be in as much pain. He opened his eyes for a brief moment to see who was holding him. After he saw me, he nuzzled himself closer to me, probably to try and escape some of the pain he was feeling. However, a few minutes later, he had somehow fallen asleep. That was probably for the best; he'd be able to recover easier if he slept.
"Isaac, let's take him up to our room for now," my mom said. I followed her up the stairs and when we got to my parent's room, I set Tyler down on their bed. My mom then covered him up with the straw blanket they had there. He still had a look of pain on his face. I hope he's gonna be alright…
With Tyler safely resting on my parent's bed, my mom and I went back to the living room where Katie and Sean still were. They had moved over to the couch while we were tending to Tyler. Katie looked like she could've just burst out into tears right there, but Sean was comforting her.
As soon as she saw us, Katie jumped up from her seat and ran over to us, "Is he going to be alright?" she asked.
"Yes Katie, he should be fine. He just needs to rest for now," my mom replied.
"Ok… Again, I am so sorry for that," Katie said, bowing her head down again.
"It's fine, Katie. Tyler's going to be alright when he wakes up," my mom told her. I really hope she's right…
"C'mon, we should get outta here," Sean said to Katie. She nodded her head, and they both started towards the door. They stopped halfway, and Sean turned his head around. "You wanna join us, Isaac?"
"Oh, uhh," I turned to my mom, "Do you need me for anything, Mom?"
"No, go ahead," she replied, "Oh, wait. There is something that you could pick up on your way home. If you could, stop by the marketplace and pick up a small blanket for Tyler's bed. We already requested one, so it should be finished by now."
"Alright, I'll pick it up. Later," I said back. I joined Sean and Katie at the door, and we headed off towards a place where we hoped would calm Katie down, the flower field.
The walk there could be easily described as quiet and tense. It seemed like every time I looked over at Katie, she turned her head away from me. She must really be beating herself up, but… for some reason, I feel like I'm responsible for Tyler's injury. I can't understand why…
It didn't take long for us to reach the fields. We all just set ourselves down on the hill just before the flowers. Katie just looked miserable; Sean looked like he had no clue on what to do or say anymore, and as for me? I felt the same way, clueless.
After a minute or so, Katie broke the silence. "Isaac, I'm sorry for what I did to your brother…" She still couldn't look me in the eye, even as she said that.
"Listen, Katie, at least you were sorry when you first did it. When I hurt him, the first thing I did was yell at him," I said back to her.
Sean's ears perked themselves straight when I said that. "What happened? What did you do to him?" he asked.
"Coming home last night, I just walked into my house and, uh, ended up tripping right over him. And the first thing I said when my mom asked me what happened was 'If that little Shrimp wasn't lying in the middle of the floor, I wouldn't have tripped over him.' I just instantly blamed him, putting no blame on myself."
"So, you just instantly put all blame on him and didn't care that you had hurt him? You didn't seem that way just a while ago. You seemed to really worry for him," Sean replied.
"Well, my dad scared me straight afterwards and told me to apologize to him. My mom had tried all she could to get him to stop crying, but nothing she did worked. But, here's where it gets crazy, the second that he saw me, he wanted to be in my arms, just like he was when I first met him. And after I was holding him, he just stopped crying and calmed down completely! I already told you guys he had a huge liking to me, but to feel that comfortable around me? My entire family was shocked."
"I noticed something similar back there. After your mom rubbed that ointment in, he seemed to cuddle as close as he could to you. He also fell asleep in your arms. He sees something in you; otherwise, he wouldn't feel that safe around you," Sean stated.
"Exactly. But what he sees in me is what I can't figure out."
"Hey, guys? I'm gonna head home…" Katie suddenly said. She picked herself up from where we were sitting and began to walk away. Her head was hung low, and her tail was dragging along the ground. She was still beating herself up. I gotta find some way to get her to calm herself.
"Katie, you don't need to worry about Tyler," I said to her, getting up myself and walking over to her, "How about this, I'll stop by your house tomorrow and tell you how Tyler's doing, ok?"
"O… k. Thank you, Isaac," she said back. What she did next completely surprised me. She turned around and just flat out hugged me. It wasn't anything like her greeting hugs; it was gentle. I didn't even know Katie could hug gently. It didn't last for long; she broke it quickly and continued on towards her house.
As I watched Katie continue up the hill, Sean came by and patted me on the back a couple times. "Hey, I'm gonna head home too. See ya later."
"Huh? Oh, ok," It was just like yesterday, although the circumstances were very different from yesterday. It was still very bright and early, barely even noon. I had no clue what to do. Well, there's still the blanket I can go pick up.
"Might as well go grab that thing now, before I forget and it gets too late and they all close shop," I said to myself. I started heading up the hill myself now. I could still see both Sean and Katie in the distance, but where I was headed was on a different path than either of them.
On my way to the marketplace, I noticed a group of Teddiursa on the side of the road, on top of a pile of large rocks. One of them looked to be stuck in between a couple of rocks and couldn't get out. The other two were just staring blankly, not really helping the other one out. I decided I'd try and help them out, since they weren't really making any progress to get out.
"Hey, you guys need a hand?" I asked them.
"Yea, we were playing on the rocks and he fell over and landed in between those other rocks," one of the Teddiursa told me.
"Alright, let me see what I can do," I walked over to the trapped Teddiursa and noticed that his leg was pretty much pinned between two large rocks. When he fell, one of the rocks must've shifted or something, because, from this view, there didn't seem to be any real damage to his leg. The rocks were fairly heavy, but I still managed to pry them apart easily enough to allow him to move his legs out from between them. I don't think that even if all three of them tried, they'd have never been able to move that rock.
"Are you hurt any?" I asked the Teddiursa.
"I don't think so…" he replied.
"Well, let me take a quick look." I knelt down and examined the kid's leg and saw that it was only a little scuffed and the fur was a little dirty. "Nope, you're fine. It's just a little dirty. Want me to clean it up for you?"
"Sure, go ahead," the Teddiursa replied. I nodded and fired a weak stream of my Water Gun at his leg, washing off all the dirt and rocks from his fur. "Yah! It's cold!"
I stopped the stream of water and chuckled a little. "Heh, sorry. Doesn't come at preferred temperatures." His leg was already sufficiently clean, so I didn't need any more water anyways. "Alright, you're good to go. Just be more careful, kiddo. Try and find somewhere else to play too; here isn't the best place for that," I told them.
"We will. Thank you, Mister Buizel!" the one I helped said. He ran over to the other two, and they all started running down the road, laughing and smiling amongst themselves. Had I not stopped by, that one might've still been trapped in those rocks. Heh, maybe I will make a good brother to Tyler… Well, better get moving again.
The marketplace was still as busy as ever; everyone had something to get somewhere it seemed. There are many different stores and stalls, each selling something different. I knew exactly where I was going though, a small little building where all the fabric items were sold, from cheap straw blankets, to cloth ones, like the one I was there to get, to high end silk blankets made from either Caterpie or Spinarak silk. The store is run by an Aipom named Daniel, but everyone just calls him "Handy Dan" on account that he is an Aipom. I just call him "Dan" though; I never really caught on to the "Handy" part.
As I entered the store, I saw that Dan was busy with another customer, but he still called out to me. "Hey, bud, I'll get to ya in a sec. Here's your blanket back; all patched up."
"Thank you, Dan. Let's go kids, and try not to shred this one up again," a large Sandslash said to three little Sandshrews. Apparently, I'm not the only one who also just calls Dan 'Dan.' Well, I was next in line.
"Hey there, Dan," I said to him. He was putting some equipment away, so I don't think he knew exactly who I was.
"Hey, what can I do for- Oh! Hey, Isaac. Here to pick up your little bro's blanket?"
"Yea, you have it?"
"Of course, it's been waitin' for ya for a while now. Here ya go," he said as he reached under the counter and produced a fairly sized, cream-colored blanket, neatly folded up. "So, how's the little tyke doin', huh?"
"Not too well right now. He got hit with some electricity and is in a bit of pain."
"Oh, bummer. Hope the little dude's alright."
"Yea, me too…"
"Well, you'd best be gettin' on home, then, and give him this blanket. I'm sure he'd appreciate it."
"Thanks Dan." I grabbed the blanket off the counter and headed out the door. I wasn't prepared to go home just yet; I don't want to see Tyler still in any pain. There was a lot swimming around in my mind, also. I decided I'd go to the one place where I could think in peace, the cliff edge.
I headed over towards the forest and the river that I follow to get to the cliff. It didn't take long before I heard the telltale sounds of the waterfall. There was still a lot of time left in the day. All this crap happened early in the day. I sat down under the same tree I slept under the day before, but I don't think I could sleep as easily as I did yesterday. Tyler's condition is what kept me awake. I can't help but feel entirely responsible for what happened. I could've warned Katie or had us sit on the couch away from Tyler. I've been responsible for injuring him twice now, and he was still feeling the effects of one of those injuries. I'm sure he does have a bruise or something from when I tripped over him, so he's probably still feeling the effects of that injury as well. I've done nothing but hurt him. Ever since he was brought home, I've only just hurt him in some way. A great brother I've been so far…
Katie beat herself up when she was still with us, and here I am, beating myself up in complete solitude. I can't believe I'm worrying this much about Tyler… I've never worried about anyone this much ever before. Not even when I was with Sean, and he ticked off a lot of Beedrill. The second they came after us, I just ditched Sean on the spot and ran away. When I saw him again, he was covered in sting marks. He didn't talk to me for a month after that.
I even found that little accident funny, but now… With Tyler… I only find myself in a state of intense worry. Maybe it's some brotherly instinct, or maybe it's because I feel responsible for getting him hurt. I wasn't responsible for Sean's injury, but I was for all that has happened to Tyler. I wonder how he's doing right now… He's probably still in a lot of pain… that I caused.
"Tyler, I'm so sorry," I whispered. Tears started to streak down my face now. They slid off my water-resistant fur and just fell to the ground. I've never cried under these circumstances before. Sure, I've cried when I got hurt when I was younger, but I have never cried for having hurt someone. I feel miserable right now; I don't ever want to feel like this again.
"Tyler, I swear I won't let anything happen to you, ever again." I made that promise to myself, and I was going to keep it, no matter what.
A fair amount of time had passed since I came to the cliff, so I figured I'd better get back home. It wasn't dark or anything, but I still had to deliver this blanket back home. I don't think enough time has passed for Tyler to have recovered, but I can't avoid it forever. I had to go home some time. I picked up the blanket from off the ground, brushed off any dirt it collected, and headed back towards my house.
Again, it takes about 20 minutes to get from the cliff to home, so I was there in no time. I started opening the door to my house but stopped for a second. I didn't know if Tyler had woken up or anything, and if he was on the floor again, the last thing I need on my conscience is falling over him again. I slowly poked my head through the door, but there was no sign of Tyler. I fully entered my house and slowly closed the door behind me.
I decided I'd check my parent's room, to see if Tyler was still asleep or if he had woken up. I climbed up the stairs and went into the room that belonged to my parents, and there was Tyler, still asleep on the bed. The room smelled of that Wacan oil, so my mom must've just recently used it. At least we had something to null the pain a little.
I walked over to him and saw that he was sleeping soundly, not cringed up in pain in any way. I smiled knowing that and set the blanket I picked up for him next to him. Apparently, he thought that I was next to him or something, because he rolled over and cuddled with the blanket like he would do when in my arms. Maybe it's because I've been holding that blanket all day and it started to smell like me. Well, whatever the case, he seemed to be sleeping quite normally, so I decided I wouldn't bother him anymore.
I figured I'd go find my mom and let her know that I was home. It was still too early for my dad to be home, and I don't think she'd be quick to leave Tyler unattended at home. I climbed down the stairs and headed for the kitchen, since that's where I'd expect her to be.
She emerged from our storage area just as I walked into the kitchen. "Oh, Isaac, how long have you been home? Did you pick up the blanket?" she asked.
"Not very long, and yes, it's up with Tyler now," I replied.
"Thank you, Isaac. Was he still asleep?"
"Yea, he was."
"Oh, ok. Well, do you want anything to eat?" she offered.
My body was hungry, but I just didn't have any appetite. "No, that's ok. I think I'm gonna head up to my room for a bit."
"Alright, dinner will be soon anyways, just as soon as your father gets home."
I nodded my head and went back upstairs. I passed by my parent's room and saw Tyler still cuddled up next to his blanket. If he does think that's me, won't it be a little cruel when he wakes up? If he sees it is not me, and just something that smells like me, how would he react? Well, at least for the moment he's happy.
When I got to my room, I just instantly headed for my hammock. The whole reason I got that instead of a frame bed was just so I could relax more easily, and I really needed to relax. I just hopped up into it and started swinging it back and forth. Doing that always… helps me calm… down… …
"Isaac? C'mon, buddy, time to wake up," I heard a voice say. Something was also prodding at my arm.
"Guh… Huh? Who's there?"
"Just your father saying it's time for dinner. C'mon, no need to be sleeping at this hour," he said.
"Alright, be down in a minute," I responded. My dad smiled, and then left the room. I hopped up from my hammock and started towards downstairs. I was extremely sore, so I stretched my muscles as I walked. I stopped by my parent's room to see if Tyler had woken up yet. He still looked to be- Wait… Nope, he's finally awake. Those big blue eyes never lie. Seeing him awake, I felt an enormous wave of relief pass over me.
I walked into the room and got next to him. "Hey there, sleepy-head. You had us all worried for a minute," I said to him. I ruffled his head fur and smiled at him. He apparently wanted to be in my arms again, because he did the tell-tale motioning with his arms, but there was something new this time. In one of his paws, he was holding the blanket I had picked up for him earlier in the day. Dan was right; he must've really appreciated it. I picked him up from the bed, making sure to grab the blanket with him, and started for the stairs.
"Hey, look who's finally awake," I called out when I entered the dining room.
"Tyler! You're awake!" my mom shouted out. She ran from her spot and snatched Tyler out from my arms. She failed to grab the blanket though, and also tore it from Tyler's grip. It looked like she didn't even see it, either, because it probably blended in with the cream fur on my chest. She just started cradling Tyler in her arms, unaware that he was close to falling from her grip to get back to his blanket.
"Uhh… Mom? I think he wants this," I said as I held up his blanket.
"Huh? That's that blanket I asked you to pick up, right?" she said back. She looked down and noticed that he was motioning like he wanted to be back with his blanket. I walked over to him and set it down on top of him. He snatched it in his grip and started to cuddle with it. He really liked that blanket.
"Yea, it's the same blanket. The moment I set it down next to him, while he was still asleep, he started cuddling with it, just like he's doing now," I told them.
"Really? That's so nice," my mom replied. She walked over back to the table and set Tyler into his seat, along with his blanket. "I'm sure that you're hungry now, aren't you, Isaac?"
I've forgotten that I hadn't eaten since breakfast this morning, and my hunger came to bite me very quickly after she said that. "Uh, heh heh, yea, you could say I'm hungry…" I said while scratching the back of my head. My stomach growled fiercely seconds later, and I took my seat and quickly grabbed some berries to eat to appease it. My mom had left for a moment, only to return with another bowl of berry mush. Tyler also hadn't eaten anything since this morning, so he should be as hungry as I am.
Dinner came and went. Both I and Tyler ate more than we usually do. After cleaning Tyler up, she set him again in the living room to play, although he had some new things to play with. One new thing for him to play with was his blanket. He absolutely loved that thing. He would roll around on it, try and cover himself with it, and even try and wrap himself up in it. Since he still wasn't able to walk on twos or fours, he often fell over his feet when moving around. It was sorta funny, actually.
But another thing he had to play with was me. After watching him for a minute, I decided to join him. I mainly just took his blanket and covered him up with it, and while he was trying to stumble his way out, I would move around to behind him. He would then poke his head out at the side that I was previously at and look around a little, probably for me. I would then pull the blanket off the rest of him, causing him to turn around and stumble over to me. It was kinda like a reverse peek-a-boo game, where instead of me being the one to hide, Tyler'd be hidden. He apparently enjoyed playing this game, because every time he turned around, he'd start to smile and laugh as he stumbled over to me.
Strangely enough, I even enjoyed playing with him. Every time I saw the confused expression on his face, I would also start laughing and smiling. When I first met him, this was exactly the kind of thing I was dreading the most, but now… I can't believe how wrong I was. It was like because Tyler was happy, I was happy. My parents were both happy that I was playing with Tyler. They both just sat on the couch and watched us, laughing a little along with us.
By the time the sun had begun to set, we had already drained Tyler of any energy he might've accumulated while he slept. He started to yawn a bit and lie down on his blanket. I had also used up some stored energy myself and was pretty tired as well.
My mom had come over from her seat next to Tyler and picked him up, remembering to grab the blanket along with her this time. "I think it's time for bed, sweetie," she said to me.
I let out a loud yawn shortly after she said that. Yup, it definitely was time for bed. My mom simply smiled at my response and started walking up the stairs with Tyler in her arms. I followed right behind them and decided to also join them to Tyler's new room, since his bed was now completed and he had covers, he didn't need to sleep on my belly again.
Tyler's room was just a little farther down the hall from mine, an empty room before it was converted into his room. Tyler had already fallen asleep in my mother's arms while we were walking upstairs, so she just set him down onto his new bed, a standard wood frame bed but with temporary barricades on both sides to prevent him from falling off. She covered him up with his blanket and bade him good-night. I also walked over to him and said good-night as well, also to my mom.
We both left the snoring Buizel and headed back to our respective rooms. I hopped up back into my hammock again, but this time, a lot more calm and happy. Tyler was as healthy as he could be and probably won't even remember that he was electrocuted in the first place. That memory will stay with me, however. It'll probably also stay with Katie. I just hope that she has calmed down, though…
