Ages:

Jim - 33
Melinda - 28
Katie - 3

The lightning split the sky, its bright, jagged edges piercing the darkened night like the strike had been furled against the inky black by a furious hand. Melinda sat in bed, reading Jane Austen for the third time.

Jim was due home soon and she wanted to stay up for him. She didn't know if she could go another night without falling asleep with her husband by her side.

A rumble of thunder shook the house and it was loud and strong enough to startle her, so she wasn't surprised when she heard the sound of little feet running down the hallway not long after.

"Mommy, I'm scared" The little girl's soft voice came out of the darkness, the tremble countered by another rumble of thunder that echoed outside. Katie held her bright orange bunny in her arms as she came to the edge of the bed. "Can I sleep with you?"

"Oh, baby it's ok. I'm right here and of course! Who else am I gonna snuggle with?" Melinda said as she picked her daughter up, placing her book back on the side table. She'd finish it again another day. She pressed a kiss against the soft hair that fell across her little girl's forehead and wrapped her arms around her just a little bit tighter. "Did the storm scare you or something else?"

Katie had never really liked the dark, although Melinda couldn't blame her. She didn't particularly like it either. Not when she knew what could be hiding in it. But she'd had a lot longer to get used to it than her little girl had.

"I am so scared of the tunder, mommy. Is so loud... where's daddy?" Katie pouted, covering her ear. "You said he'd be home when I'm sleeping. I suppose to be sleeping, mama!"

Melinda sighed, really wishing she'd used her words a little better now. She kissed her little girl's forehead. "He'll be home soon. Daddy is still stuck at work saving lives. They need him," she said, looking to the clock. "See that clock? It says 1:30. He'll be home when it says three. That's when the next shift of doctors just like your daddy come in at the hospital and let him come home so he can rest and be with us."

"Oh, well if they need daddy I guess," the little girl nodded as though everything made sense.

"Yeah, now let's try and get some sleep, huh? Daddy will be home soon." Another crack of lightning shot through the sky, filling the bedroom with a flash of electrical light. The lamp beside her bed went out, along with the alarm clock. "Oh shoot. The power's out."

"It's dark, Mama," Katie pushed herself into her mother's arms, burying her head in her stomach. "I don't like being in the dark. I can't see the ghosties in the dark."

"I know, baby. You are just fine though, see? And there are no ghosts baby. Not right now." She laid down, pulling the blankets up as Katie laid directly next to her. "Mama's got you and no one can hurt you when I have you in my arms. I promise." Her little body was pressed up as close as she could get.

Trailing a hand gently down her daughter's hair, she began to sing softly, hoping it would settle her a little and get her back to sleep, but Katie squirmed, twisting until she found the right spot to snuggle into her.

"Mama, I hate the dark and tunder. Is so loud and scary." Katie whimpered.

Melinda frowned. "You know, mama doesn't like the dark that much either. It can be a scary place," she explained softly. "But you know what? You've got me right here to protect you and your daddy will be right here when he gets home too. We will always keep you safe."

Katie settled into her then, a little more relaxed, and was able to fall asleep a few minutes later. She had even managed to fall asleep with her, the patter of the rain slowly lulling her to sleep.

Jim came home not long after, smiling when he saw his wife and daughter asleep together in the light of the lamp. He'd found it weird that Melinda had left the light on until he saw that the alarm clock was blinking and realized there must've been a power outage from the storm.

It's likely one of the reasons Katie came into bed with her. The little girl didn't like the dark or thunderstorm too much, but she was still little and he didn't blame her.

He sat on the bed carefully and picked their daughter up carefully. As much as Jim loved his Katiebug, he just wanted to be alone in bed with Melinda tonight after a long shift at the hospital.

The three-year-old's thumb was slipped into her mouth; a habit Melinda was trying very hard to break, but Jim still thought it was cute and worth any braces his wife thought she may need.

After lying the little girl down and tucking her in, he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Sleep tight, Katiebug. I'll make you french toast in the morning." He made sure her night light was on in case she woke up before he made his way back to the room just in time to see Melinda sit up.

"Hey," Melinda whispered, rubbing her eyes slowly. "You're home."

"I tried to lay down lightly before and not wake you. I know it's been hard for you to fall asleep lately," he muttered. "I'm sorry."

She smiled sleepily and reached over to caress his cheek. "It's okay," she yawned. "You know that I like to know you're home."

"You always look so peaceful when you're asleep," he said, blowing a kiss to her. "I still feel bad."

"You're too sweet." She felt for Katie around in bed as he changed, pulling his scrubs off and then settling into bed in his boxers. "Wait... where's Katie?"

Jim hooked his arms around her waist and pulled her to him. "In her bed," he teased. "I wanted to be a little selfish."

"I do like it when you're selfish," she giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck as he kissed her.