Jordan- 2

Ever since getting a toddler bed, Jordan hated it. Night after night the two year old would wake up and scream bloody murder. Hank and Justin were tired, one if them if not both of them would stay awake with her until she went back to sleep.

Hank would rock and hold his little girl until she calmed down. He tried everything to get her to sleep in her bed but it never worked. He tried to get hia work schedule fixed so he can stay with her at night so his son could at least get some sleep.

It was a dark and stormy night in Chicago, a bad thunderstorm was rolling in. It was now raining hard soon a loud crack of thunder was heard followed by a flash of lighting.

Jordan was tossing and turning in her sleep, when the thunder clapped that had scared her awake.

"Daddy!" Jordan cried.

Hank awoke to hearing his baby crying, throwing the blankets off him he ran from his room to her room. The toddler was sitting in the middle of her bed holding her stuffed rabbit closely as tears ran down from her eyes like a dam. Her door was opened by a worried and panicked Hank, he saw his little girl sitting on the bed crying he then went over to her picking her up.

"What's wrong baby". Hank says softly.

"I scared".

"Why are you scared?"

"The monsters might get me".

Before Hank could say something a loud crack of thunder was heard followed by a flash of lighting, that had scared the toddler more as she clung tightly to her father. Hank knew between her young imagination and the storm she was scared.

"Sweetheart it's alright, it's just a storm it won't hurt you".

"It's loud. Make it go away".

"I would if I could baby".

Another crack of thunder was heard and Jordan cried as she buried her face into her father's neck. Hank held and rocked her as she clung tightly to him..

"It's alright baby, daddy's here. I won't let anything hurt you".

"Not even the monsters?"

Hank chuckled and kissed her head. "No monster will ever get you wanna know why".

She looked at him, her brown eyes filled with curiosity. "Why".

"Because all the monsters run when they hear me coming, nobody will ever get you or you're brother".

After a few minutes of rocking her, Jordan was slowly falling asleep till she was out. Carefully as he could Hank laid his little girl down on the bed and covered her up, he then laid on the floor next to her bed falling asleep.

By the next night Hank couldn't make it home in time to put Jordan to bed so it was up to Justin to do it.

"Alright Jo Jo, time for bed". Justin tells his sister.

"No". Jordan said.

"How come?"

"Daddy's not here and the monsters might get me, they don't get me when he's here".

"Wanna hear a secret?"

"What?"

"Daddy actually taught me how to keep monsters away".

"Really?"

"Yup".

He picked her up and carried her to her room, once in the room he checked under the bed and in the closet. He knew it was his sister's young imagination running wild but to make her feel better he'd do it.

After checking for the 'monsters', Justin rocked his sister to sleep. Jordan was asleep in minutes as carefully as he could the elder man put his sister in the bed and covered her up.

"Sleep tight Jo Jo". He whispered.

He kissed her head and went to his room for the night. The time was now 2:30 in the morning so far the toddler had stayed asleep in her bed for a few hours now, a few minutes later she let out a loud cry.

Justin awoke to hearing his sister cry, he quickly ran from his room to her room. Jordan was in the middle of her bed crying as she clutched her rabbit to her chest

"Justie!" Jordan cried.

A moment later Justin rushed into his sister's room and she ran from the bed to her brother. Justin picked her up and cradled her to his chest as she cried.

"Hey hey it's alright munchkin, it was just a bad dream. I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you". Justin soothed her.

"I want daddy".

"Daddy's at work right now he'll be back in the morning".

Jordan clung tightly to her brother, Justin was rocking his baby sister hoping to calm her. He knew she wouldn't stay in her room so he brought her to his room, by this point she was back asleep. Justin laid her down and got next to her holding her closely with a protective arm around her.

Hank arrived home the next morning dead tired between work and not getting enough sleep, he was drained. He noticed his house was quiet. Too quiet.

It was 9:30 in the morning, usually his children would be up by now. He went to go check on them, going up the stairs he checked his daughter's room to see it empty. Fear quickly filled his body as he rushed to his son's room. The older father was able to breath at seeing the sight of his children asleep.

Jordan awoke and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, she saw her father and untangled herself from her brother running to him.

"Daddy!" Jordan says excitedly.

Hank swept her up and kissed her head. "Hey baby".

Justin awoke to hearing talking in his room, he blindly looked to see his father and sister.

"What time is it?" Justin asked, his voice heavy with sleep.

"Almost 10, I'll go get breakfast started". Hank tells his son.

"Ok".

Justin was still tired after being up with his sister half the night, he'd be on an off sleeping checking on his sister. He decided to stay awake so he can talk with his father about what to do with Jordan's sleeping problems.

After changing he went downstairs to see his father cooking and his sister coloring. He ruffled his sister's hair and kissed her head.

Going over to the stove he started quietly talking to his father.

"Pop what are we gonna do about Jo? She still won't sleep in her bed. She's scared". Justin quietly tells his father.

"We have to be patient Justin, she's two so she's gonna be scared. Some stuff she aint gonna like right now". Hank replies.

"What are we gonna do?"

"I'll think of something. You were like that at her age".

"I was?"

"Of course you were, you're mother and I tried everything to get you to sleep but nothing worked. When one if us started staying in your room you slept through the night".

"I think I remember that".

"You were a handful now I see where Jo gets it".

"I wasn't that bad".

"Who are you kidding".

The day went by quickly and soon it was dark. Hank made dinner and the small family sat down and ate. After dinner the older father went up and helped Jordan bathe and get ready for bed.

Once Jordan was ready for bed, Hank held her and sat down in the rocking chair. He rocked back and forth gently as she began to settle down, Jordan was fast asleep as her fingers loosely held his shirt.

As carefully as he could Hank walked over and put her down on the bed and covered her up. She stirred a bit and blindly looked at him.

"D'ddy?" Jordan say sleepily.

"Shh go back to sleep baby". Hank says gently.

The toddler went back to sleep as she was laid in the bed. Hank sat in the rocking chair for a bit, it was a method he used when Justin was a toddler. He'd sit there for a little bit watching her sleep.

Hank sat in the rocking chair for almost two hours, one of his legs had fallen asleep so he got up and went to leave the room. Jordan turned to see her father.

"Daddy, where are you going?" Jordan says, her voice heavy with sleep.

He then went back to sit on the floor and watched as she went back to sleep. Hank softly brushed her hair back from her forehead.

"I'm not going anywhere sweetheart". Hank whispers.

Once the toddler was back asleep again, Hank took this time to go back to his room. He left the door cracked just in case. The rest of the night Jordan had slept soundly in her bed and didn't wake up once.

Hank awoke the next morning feeling refreshed, he didn't feel tired of drained. He then went to check on his children, Justin was sprawled out on the bed. One of his arms and legs were hanging off along with his blanket. Chuckling he left his son's doorway and went to check on his little girl.

Jordan was sound asleep in her bed, after weeks trying to get her to sleep in her own bed she finally did.

The first few nights either Justin or Hank stayed in Jordan's room, they sat in the rocking chair for a couple of hours till they left. The father and son were finally able to sleep again. Occasionally they'd check on the toddler to make sure she was still asleep and was alright.

After that Jordan was able to sleep through the nights without the screaming and crying. The small family was able to sleep at night again. Sleepless nights are no more.