"Hello?" Erin said groggily as she answered her cellphone. Squinting, she saw that it was nearly half past one in the morning, which explained why she was so tired. "David?"
"No." The voice was quiet and sad, and Erin felt herself instantly come to wakefulness as she recognized Penelope's voice. "And before you worry, we're all okay. Well, physically, at least. I, I guess I just needed to hear a motherly voice. I tried talking to Kevin, but he was more concerned about the fact that I had to share a room with Morgan, because there aren't enough rooms in this B&B, and I just couldn't deal with that again. It's so hard to be up here in Alaska and removed from all my friends. I know it's so late there, but I was hoping that maybe I'd catch you at a late night feeding for Catherine."
"She's sleeping through the night now," she murmured as she sat up and pressed her back against the headboard. "What's bothering you, and why do you feel like you can't talk to Agent Morgan?"
"I watched someone, someone I didn't even know, die. I held his hand as his life just…slipped away. You know that I don't like seeing the crime scene photos that our team comes across. I've tried to get better over the year, but there's something that hurts my heart to see the cruelty that humans can inflict on others. But to see it so up close and personal? I feel like it has broken something in me. My Boo, for all that I love him, wouldn't understand how I'm currently feeling. And Jayje has to be in agent mode, so can't turn her focus off her job. I'm just sitting around, waiting to be useful, because there's not much for me to do while they're out in the field. The population is so small, and I can only do so much digging, so I am left with time to ruminate. Talk me off the ledge?"
Erin let out a deep breath as she picked up David's pillow with her free hand, awkwardly hugging it to her chest as she thought about what she could say to help soothe Penelope. The door to her bedroom creaked open in that moment of silence, revealing Tabitha. Motioning her daughter over to the bed, Erin smiled when she crawled beneath the covers and cuddled up close to her, resting her head on the pillow, while Erin started to run her fingers through her hair. "Death is never anything that we're prepared for, even less when it's a violent death that happens in front of our eyes. It makes sense that you are deeply affected by this, because you have a tender heart. That is a blessing in this cruel world, but it is also a great curse. You empathise so well with others, that you often take on the sorrows that they carry. The remote setting you're currently in magnifies those feelings, because you know that everyone has to come together to survive, and so it starts to feel like you can't trust anyone there. You just have to stay strong and resilient, like I know you are. And don't be afraid to reach out to your friends who are there with you. I know that you don't want to distract them from their jobs, but you're a team, and as a team you need to function together."
"Okay. Thanks for listening to me, Erin. I know that it's late, but I really appreciate you taking time to be there for me. I'll let you get back to sleep now."
"You try and get some sleep yourself, Penelope," she replied before ending the call and dropping her phone back onto the nightstand. "Did the phone wake you up, Tabby?"
"No, I couldn't sleep, Mama. I got up to drink some water and heard you talking, so I thought I'd come in and see what was up. Is everything all right?"
Erin nodded as she gently pushed her daughter off her, giving her the pillow, which she promptly stuffed beneath her head before looking up at her. "There's just a case that Papa Dave's team is working, and it's bothering Penelope more than she expected. Let's try to get back to sleep?"
Tabitha nodded a little as she wriggled around in an effort to get more comfortable. "I'm just not tired, Mama. And my stomach hurts. I don't think that I'm sick, but I'm unsettled. If we wake up on time tomorrow, could we talk before we have to get ready?"
Erin nodded as she reached out and stroked Tabitha's hair gently once more. "Of course we can, darling. But if you're not feeling good when we get up, you can stay home. I'll just tell Jessica that you're here, so she can bring Jack and Elise here instead of to her house after school." Tabitha nodded as a wide yawn interrupted her next words. "See, you are getting tired, darling."
"Maybe a little. Why do you have to put out so many fires with Uncle Aaron's team? Do they deliberately get into trouble so that you have to fix things?"
Erin giggled, shaking her head a little. "The team is reckless, because they know the stakes involved in the cases they get. Of course I wish that they'd use a little more caution at times, but they do get things done. And cause me to have so much more work at the end of the day. I swear, if I weren't breastfeeding, I would drink a little more."
Tabitha nodded, giving her a little grin. "After all I hear you and Papa Dave talk about when you think we're asleep, I don't blame you. But we could get some of that sparkling grape juice we have on New Year's, and you could pretend that it's the good stuff."
She sighed as she let out a huff of a laugh, slipping down so that she was stretched out alongside her daughter as she curled her arms up to rest beneath her head. "The good stuff is debatable. Though it might be nice to have a fancy supper night this weekend. We can put together a menu tonight when I get home, and then I can grocery shop tomorrow before coming home."
"That would be perfect, Mama." Tabitha smiled as her eyes slowly blinked a few times, telling Erin that she was about to head off to sleep. Reaching out, Erin caressed her daughter's cheek lightly before starting to hum beneath her breath. "My lullaby," she murmured, and Erin nodded. "Sing it for me?"
"Of course, Tabby." Erin quietly began to sing the lullaby she'd used with al her children. It was so easy to slip back into that mode, and she watched as Tabitha's eyes finally fully closed, as her breathing slowed and evened out into true sleep. As soon as Erin was certain Tabitha wouldn't wake up again, she turned onto her back, pulling the covers up around her shoulders as she started to relax and relax, counting slowly in an effort to bore herself back to sleep, knowing that morning was soon coming, and she would have to get the children ready and out the door before heading to work, and she wasn't quite ready to face that thought. Just before she fully drifted back to sleep, Erin heard the bedroom door open once more and then familiar light steps were padding over to the bed before Elise scrambled up and wormed her way between Tabitha and Erin, snuggling in close to Erin, and she instinctively turned towards her daughters, sleep finally claiming her once more.
