Ages:

Jim - 30
Melinda - 26
Katie - 15 months

When Melinda's foot kicked Jim's side, it took him a moment to register where it came from. He was still groggy and half-asleep when she did it again, and he sat up in bed. His wife hadn't had a nightmare in weeks and it had been even longer since one was this bad. She was crying so loudly it drowned out everything he was saying to her.

Those sedative phrases that more often than not bring her out of the depths of terror did nothing. Even his touches couldn't begin to calm her thrashing this time, and each scream felt like a stab in the heart. She was trapped in a hell that he couldn't pull her away from and the only thing he could do was stay by her side and wait for it to pass on its own. All while trying to listen beyond her screams for the sound of the cries of another — their daughter. Thankfully, they never came.

There was a thin sheen of sweat covering Melinda's body when he was finally able to pull her into his embrace. They didn't speak at all while he moved his fingers through her damp hair. He let her rest against his chest in attempts to coax her breathing back down to a normal rhythm, her hands were wrapped so tightly around his arm that he was certain her nails left a mark.

He watched her sleeping peacefully next to him once again. Her chest rose and fell with each breath, her hand relaxing as it rested against the pillow, no longer balled into a tight fist or gripping his arm. Even though the sun was beginning to rise, he didn't want her to wake yet. She was too peaceful and the night hadn't been the best for any sleep.

He sat at the edge of the bed for a minute, making sure she was okay before standing and slipping out of the bedroom as quietly as he could. Katie's bedroom was just the next room over and he wasn't surprised to see her sitting in her crib when he peeked in.

"Hey, bug," he whispered, chuckling when her head shot up to look at him in the doorway. "How long have you been awake?"

He wasn't sure why he asked the question because, at fifteen months, his daughter was still too young to answer him. Katie had said a few things here and there, but not much else. Instead, she scrambled to the end of the crib and pulled herself up to stand, smiling widely at him.

He picked her up and held her close, laughing at the messy mop of hair on her head. "Your hair is growing like weeds Katiebug," he whispered as he moved around her dresser to find an outfit for her to wear. He grabbed a onesie and a pair of pants for now, not sure what the plan for the day was yet. "We are going to have to convince mommy to let us cut it just a little bit so you can see better."

Katie squealed at the mention of her mother and excitedly grabbed for his face as she attempted to pivot her little head to the side so she could see the doorway behind him.

"Mommy is still asleep," he told her, setting her down carefully on the changing table. "You will see her in a little bit." Once she was changed and ready to go they made their way out to the hallway and he pressed his finger to his lips. "Shhh."

His sweet, little girl mimicked his actions by placing a tiny finger over her lips when they got to the bedroom door. He pushed it open slowly, careful not to make a sound, and peer in. Rather than seeing Melinda still asleep as he had hoped for, she was sitting up in bed. The sheets pooled around her crossed legs and she seemed to look disoriented.

"Hey," he whispered.

"I wasn't sure where you were," she said, her voice still rough and gravelly from sleep. "I just woke up, and you were gone."

He could already see the nervousness on her face and he pushed the door open further for Katie to poke her head in so Melinda could see why he got out of bed. "I'm sorry for leaving you, but I wanted to get her before she started to cry and woke you up," he explained, bringing Katie into the bedroom and sitting on the bed with her. Their daughter lit up when she saw her mother and jumped to her when she had the chance. "Are you hungry?"

"A bit," she said with a shrug, her eyes were fixated on Katie as she held her in her arms.

Melinda seemed to be okay now. No longer sweating or showing any signs of anxiousness. He knew better than to ask her about it now, especially with Katie in the room. She won't answer until she's ready and she definitely won't answer with Katie nearby. It would have to wait until later.

"Do you want some eggs too?" He suggested.

Melinda nodded again. "And maybe some orange juice?"

"Okay," he smiled, looking at the little one. "Come on, Katie. Let's go make breakfast."

He was just about to pluck their little girl from the bed when Melinda put her hand on his forearm. "No," she said softly as she laid back in bed with her. "I want Katie to stay with me." She rubbed her back as Jim sat back down and smiled at her.

"Okay, that's fine. I love you," he said and leaned in to kiss her lips before he got up to leave the room, looking back just in time to see them snuggled under the covers now.

Jim worked as quickly as possible, toasting enough bread for all three of them to eat as he set out to make scrambled eggs. He quickly plated the food onto two separate plates on a tray along with some orange juice before he went back upstairs. Balancing the tray carefully, he made his way to the bedroom and pushed the door open with his foot. He set the tray down on the bed and then drew the curtains open, filling the room with sunlight.

"See, Katie," Melinda said softly, kissing her head as they both sat up. "Daddy is back with some yummy food just like I told you."

As he slipped back into bed, she grabbed for a piece of toast and pulled it apart. She continued to break it into smaller pieces, setting them on the tray for Katie who eagerly and hurriedly began to trap the morsels between her tiny fingers.

"Daddy makes good toast, huh, bug?" She whispered, looking at him. "Thanks, honey. It smells delicious." She brought her fork to her mouth and took a bite of the eggs.

Katie squawked something that sounded like bread or toast, but Jim couldn't be sure.

"There's something under this sheet," he said, giving Melinda a look that let her know to play along.

"You're right," she said with a smirk, taking another bite before she covered her mouth. "I think we better investigate."

It was good to see Melinda smiling this morning. After a nightmare as rough as hers was, he wouldn't be surprised if her entire day was shrouded in gloom, but she seemed to have bounced back pretty quickly. The ghost must not have a tight enough grip on her yet.

"It's right underneath this tray," he said suspiciously, setting his hand down and patting the sheets near Katie's little foot. "I think I know what it is!"

"I see it now," she giggled, leaning down to peer under the tray. "Is it what I think it is?"

Katie looked at her father, then to her mother before turning her focus back on Jim. The little girl made a grunt of protest as she furrowed her eyebrows like she desperately wanted to know what was under the sheet when he grabbed hold of her foot.

"It's a foot!" He crowed, tickling Katie. The little girl giggled and fell backward onto the bed, squirming in attempts to free her foot from Jim's grasp.

"Stop," Katie giggled, one word she was very fond of and familiar with. "Daddy... stop!"

Before the little one could kick the tray and send orange juice flying all over the bed, Melinda quickly moved the tray and set it on the floor, coming back to sit down on her side of the bed next to them.

"He's got you again, Katie," she whispered. "Don't worry, you'll get him back when you get bigger."

"I'm sure she will," he sighed, leaning back.

"Did you see how she points, yet?" She asked. "She just started doing it the other day."

"No, she won't do it for me. I tried all last night while you were at that book club with Delia," he sighed, looking at his wife.

"We were pointing for hours at the store, right bug?" She said gently, lying back down with her. "Katie? Katie, where's daddy?"

It took the little girl a moment, but slowly Katie rose her hand, pointing her finger out in Jim's direction.

"And where's mommy?" He asked.

Katie then moved her finger so it pointed at Melinda very quickly and he chuckled at the sight of it, nearly crying at how fast she's growing.

"You are definitely a smart little girl," he whispered, holding her hand for a moment, but it wasn't long before she yanked it away. "I bet you'll be smarter than both of us soon."

Melinda put her arms out and Katie shuffled across the bed. Her hands wrapped around her mom's pointer fingers and Katie pulled herself up to stand, hanging onto her tightly on the uneven, soft surface of the bed. "She'll probably be able to walk without falling so much soon, too," she said proudly, smiling at her.

"Then we're all in trouble," he said warmly.

Katie giggled excitedly and stumbled, but Melinda kept ahold of her, letting go when she was finally stable. She took a few steps on the bed and flung herself forward into Jim's arms, giggling loudly when he curled her into his arms

He felt his wife's head press against her shoulder and noticed she was closing her eyes again.

"Are you still tired?" She nodded. "Go back to sleep, Mel. I'll take Katie downstairs and keep her occupied."

"Are you sure? Don't you work?" She asked, a yawn taking over.

"Sleep, Melinda," he whispered, kissing her lips. "It's Sunday, and we can talk about it all later. If you want."

"Okay," she yawned again. "Don't forget the tray. I ate. You didn't."

"I won't," he give her another kiss and got up from the bed with Katie, letting Melinda slip under the covers on his side of the bed.