All That I've Got
Sleep
A Week Later: Frank's P.O.V.
After a week the only news from Jake was that he'd been drugged during his first session, and that Carys' old nurse was the only one showing any sympathy for him. From what the rest of his report said, he figured he could tough it out for now. His laptop was safe under his pillow, so he promised to contact Carys and I if anything else happened.
Their parents were leaving today, and Carys would be released from the hospital later in the afternoon as well, though Dr. Scott gave strict orders to keep a close eye on her. She was no longer so tired, but the medicine from the hospital did nothing for her emotional state. She made no attempts to talk, and barely met anyone's eyes unless she was forced to.
My dad had arrived at the hospital to pick me up, and I think he was glad to finally see me. I'd been at the hospital for three days straight and was ordered to at least shower, though I knew he also wanted me to get some sleep.
"Anthony! It's been awhile," Mr. Winters said as he wrapped his old friend in a hug. My dad and Mr. Winters were about the same age, and from my understanding they'd also known each other since high school.
"Too long man. So what's the news?" he asked, pulling away. We'd already filled him in on Jake's plan, and Mr. Winters quickly led him out into the hallway, probably worrying about how Carys would take it, hearing the same news again.
They soon walked back into the room, waiting as the nurse finished up with Carys.
"Okay, Ms. Winters, your heart beat's normal and everything else is in check. You're free to go," she said cheerily.
Carys payed almost no attention her, impatient to finally leave. The nurse left just as quickly as she came, and when Carys went to stand up I was quick to catch her after her knees buckled under her. Who knew not walking for so long could make your legs that weak.
She looked up at me with a weak smile, the first she'd given ever since Jake had left. I slung her arm over my shoulder and helped her stand, so that this time she didn't fall. The adults all got up and filed out of the room, leading the way out of the hospital after making sure that Carys was signed out. I gave Carys a tight squeeze before helping her into her parents car, finally getting into my dad's and buckling my seatbelt.
"How's Carys holding up?" he asked, glancing at me as he pulled out of the space and started the drive back home.
"She's really tore up Dad. Jake leaving was like a slap in the face for her, and I don't know, I'm the only one that can get near her without her flinching," I said sighing as I looked out the window.
"She trusts you Frank, if she's going to get any better, it's only with your help," he said thoughtfully. "Not to put any pressure on you, but you're in too deep now. It's your job to find out what happened to Carys before the asylum messed with her, that is the real cause for all she's going through."
"And I'm willing to take on that job, but I don't know how to help her. I know she trusts me enough to be alone with me, but I don't know how deep that trust is. I don't want to do anything to ruin that," I admitted, knowing my dad was doing his best to help me out.
"Well you have three weeks, you'll find out sooner or later bud," he said when we were about five minutes from the house.
"Just let me know one thing, am I watching her at her house, or is she going to be with us for the next three weeks?," I asked, looking at him.
"Sam said it was up to you, but we want you two to chill out for a few hours, so why don't you think about it?" he asked as we pulled up into our driveway. "Just to let you know, and I've already told Sam, but I'm going to be out of town for the first week. I'm leaving tomorrow."
"Going to see Marie, huh?" I asked smirking at him, succeeding in making him blush. He'd thought I didn't know about his girlfriend.
"You looked through my phone didn't you? Ya little punk," he said laughing as he ruffled my hair. "And yes, I'm spending the week with her."
Marie was Dad's girlfriend, and judging by the many time her number was in his cell, they'd been going out for about two months now.
"Well it wasn't completely on purpose, I got up one morning and your phone just happened to be on the table when I was eating my cereal....," I trailed off with a shrug.
We got out of the car soon after the Winters' arrived and I went across the yard to hug Carys again. She seemed to have calmed down slightly from the sudden suprise.
"I'll see you in a few hours, okay?" I asked, running a hand through her long hair as she relaxed in my arms, nodding slowly before I let her go. She waved a goodbye before she and her family went into the house, waving goodbye before they shut the door.
"Shower and then I want you to take a nap," my dad said as I walked past him and into our own house.
"I'm going, I'm going," I said in defeat as I jogged upstairs, quick to grab what I needed before locking myself in the bathroom, the cool water from the shower loosening some of my muscles. I got out when I was clean and dressed in the usual jeans and t-shirt, dropping my dirty clothes off in the laundry room before walking into my bedroom. I fell back onto my bed, wondering if I'd be able to handle all of this after all.
It wasn't hard to fall asleep, I just had to clear my head first. Luckily my guitar helped with that. I played a few notes of the lullaby my mom used to sing to me when I was little and soon felt dreary, putting my guitar back in it's case before I fell asleep.
A Few Hours Later
"Frank? Wake up bud," I heard my dad say as he shook me, his hazel eyes mirroring my own as I woke up to see him leaning over me. "You were out like a light. I'll get on you about your room later, but Sam and Beth are leaving now, so what's it gonna be?" he asked as I sat up and rubbed my eyes.
"For now I guess I'll be over there," I said sleepily.
"Probably the best way to go about it," he said nodding as I stood. He followed as I jogged downstairs and nearly ran next door, Carys already sitting on the porch swing, smiling when she saw me.
Her parents came out soon after, Mr. Winters holding quite a few bags before my dad offered to help.
I sat down next to Carys and put my arm around her, smiling when she leaned her head on my shoulder and let out a small yawn.
"You're still tired, huh?" I asked and she nodded, eyes closing as I slowly rocked us back and forth with my foot.
"Well, we're off, you guys take care, and promise you'll let us know if you hear anything from Jake," Mrs. Winters said as she came over and hugged us both, Carys patting her mom on the back but still tensing up slightly.
"We'll call the second we find out anything," I promised as I hugged her back.
Mr. Winters also hugged us, waving a goobye to my Dad before getting into the car with his wife, and then they drove away. We watched until they disappeared around the corner, probably already worrying about how their kids would hold up without them.
"So I assume you've got everything under control Frank?" my dad asked as he turned to face us, a smile on his face.
"Pretty much," I said nodding.
"You know where to find me. I'll see you two later," he said waving before jogging back to our house, the door soon shutting behind him.
I continued to rock the porch swing back and forth at a slow pace, chin rested on top of Cary's head as she slowly drifted off to sleep, singing softly to myself.
I can't close my eyes
I can't shut my eyes to you
I can't close my eyes
I won't shed a tear for you
Not this time
No matter how hard I try
I break all the ties
Heartbreak is forever
Land of the lost
I found myself in nothing
This time
Promises broken
Find me clutching to you
For something
Something that you're not
Believing in what you say
Makes me lie awake at night
The truth is not what scares me
It's why you have to lie
All the time
Heartbreak is for forever
I found myself with nothing to believe in
This time
The promise is broken finally
Clutching you for something
All the time
I can't close my eyes
I can't shut my eyes to you
I can't close my eyes
I won't shed
Not this time
Cause heartbreak is forever
Heartbreak is forever
Heartbreak is forever
Heartbreak is forever
Heartbreak is forever
But nothing lasts forever.
My eyes had drooped slightly as I sang the last words, opening wide when I heard the soft tap of rain as it hit the ground. Looking over to see that Carys was now asleep, I smiled to myself before sliding my arms under her so that I could carry her, truly shocked at how light she was. There was no way she weighed more than a hundred pounds. The door was already unlocked so I simply had to move my arm to turn the knob, closing it behind me with my foot before starting up the stairs towards Carys' room.
I lied her down gently on her bed, moving some of her hair behind an ear before quietly leaving the room and flicking off the light switch.
It was now about 4 in the afternoon, only a few hours until it began to get dark outside. I walked into the kitchen to see that a note was left on the counter, written in the familar script of Mrs. Winters.
Frank,
I cannot thank you enough for doing this, we really appreciate it. I really didn't want to tell Carys or Jake this but we didn't leave for a family reunion. My father's in the hospital and they think he may not make it for much longer. Hopefully he's going to pull through though, we'll let you know. We already know you're going to take good care of Carys. I don't trust anything that asylum told or gave us before we left, so before you give her anything make sure to call Dr. Scott first. His and the other emergency numbers are taped to the fridge. There's more than enough food for you both to survive while we're gone, please clean up any messes if you decide to 'experiment'. There's also money for pizza if you guys get bored. I hope I didn't forget anything, but I'm sure you'll figure it out if I did.
Love and good luck,
Mrs. W
I smiled at the last part of the note, carefully folding it and placing it in an empty drawer so that I could find it later. I took a can of soda out of the fridge, sitting myself at the counter as I opened it.
My phone rang loudly about ten minutes later, nearly shocking me enough to fall off the stool before I answered it.
"'Ello?" I asked cooly as my heart beat slowed and I situated myself safely on the stool again.
"Hey Frank, it's Mikey, why didn't you answer your house phone earlier?"
"That'd be because I'm not at my house bud, and because I know what you're going to ask now, I'm at a friend's house and I'll be here for about three weeks," I said, pausing to take another sip of my soda.
"Carys, right? She got out of the asylum?" he asked. I'd already informed the guys about this, but Mikey was usually the only one to pay attention to details.
"She got out about a week ago, but got out of the hospital this morning. They gave her some kind of drugs at the asylum that really messed with her system. No clue what it was though," I sighed.
"So there's something fishy about the asylum, huh?" he asked, and from the noise in the background, it sounded like he was sitting down on a bed.
"Definately, I'll give you the details later though. All I know for sure is that it's stressing everyone out, for sure she's talked at least twice, that's it."
"So she can't hear you telling me her whole bio?" Mikey asked, and I could almost see the smirk on his face.
"She's asleep genious, and Gerard's looking at you right now with a really confused look on his face, isn't he?" I asked, more noise in the background giving away the sound of Mikey's older brother.
"Ya nailed it Frank," he said, his line going silent for few minutes as he replayed all of this to his brother. "We're coming back tomorrow by the way, would it be okay if we dropped by?" he asked.
"I don't see why not, but there must be a storm or something coming through. It might blow over by tonight but just to warn you. And Mikey?" I asked, making sure to be clear that I was serious about what I was about to say.
"Yea Frank?" he asked.
"Carys is flat out timid around people she doesn't know, please, I'm begging you, don't you or Gee try anything to scare her," I said gulping down the rest of my abandoned soda.
"We'll be on our best behavior. She lives right next door to you, right?" he asked for clarification.
"Yep, I'll see you tomorrow Mikes, tell Gee and your parents that I said hi," I said nodding to myself.
"Later Frank."
I put my phone back in my pocket, throwing away my can before getting up and looking around, guessing that it was probably best if I went back home to get my stuff now. I scribbled down a note for Carys in case she woke up while I was gone, finding a roll of tape in the kitchen and taping the note to the banister. I grabbed the spare keys that Mr. and Mrs. Winters had left me before leaving the house and crossing the lawn to my place.
"I was wondering how long it'd take you before you came back," my dad said chuckling when I walked in. "Did Mikey call you back?"
"Yep, and Carys is asleep so technically, I am being responsible about this," I said before heading up the stairs. Somehow I managed to quickly dig an empty bag out of my stuffed closet, filling it with clean clothes and whatever else I needed before zipping up the bag, slinging it onto my shoulder and heading back downstairs.
"Got everything?" my dad asked from the couch when I'd reached the bottom of the stairs.
"Clean clothes, pajamas, boxers, toothbrush, hair dye, soap, lyric book, cell phone, yep, got everything," I said nodding.
"Sounds like you're good to go, have fun," my dad said smiling. "I'll call you when I get back."
"Try not to get Marie pregnant while I'm gone!" I said waving before dodging the pillow he threw at me, laughing before I walked out the door.
"Same goes for you Frank!" he said laughing before I closed the door, shaking my head with a smile before walking back to the Winters' house. There was no sign of Carys when I closed the door behind myself, so she must've still been sleeping. I put the keys back on the table and locked the door before quietly walking upstairs, down the hall and stopping at room across from Carys' bedroom. This was the guest room, where I'd be sleeping for the next three weeks.
The walls were painted a warm shade of gray, seeming to blend in with the dark carpet below. I smiled at the few posters that Mrs. Winters had allowed me to hang up awhile ago. They still hung just as straight as I'd taped them down. I unpacked my clothes, leaving everything else in my bag for now. Being only 4:30 now, I still had some time ahead of me until settling down for a reasonable bed time, so I lied back on the bed, pulling out my lyric book and letting thoughts flow freely into the notebook, the hours seeming to fly by.
11:30 PM
I was half asleep when I heard my door open, and I'd ignored it as my imagination, until the weight on the right side of the bed shifted, and I heard the sound of thunder, and soft crying. I opened my eyes to see Carys sitting on the edge of the bed, knees pulled up to her chest as she cried.
"Woah, woah, what's wrong?" I asked sitting up, not even caring that I didn't have a shirt on. It hadn't occured to me that she was afraid of the lightning and thunder until she clung to me after a loud bolt had sounded, scaring the hell out of her. "Shhh, Car, it's okay. I've got you, you're fine," I whispered into her ear as I held her. She buried her head into my chest, tensing up every time a bolt of lightning struck outside. It wasn't a bad storm, just the kind that you'd expect to freak a little kid out.
I slowly lied down with her still in my arms, stroking her hair as she slowly calmed down, until every so often she only sniffled. The storm continued for another half hour until she finally fell asleep, head rested on my chest, heart beat slowing. My arms were still wrapped around her, so in fear of waking her up, I just shifted my weight so that I was lying on my back, soon falling asleep again.
So now I had established that Carys was deadly afraid of thunder storms, what else could there be?
After a week the only news from Jake was that he'd been drugged during his first session, and that Carys' old nurse was the only one showing any sympathy for him. From what the rest of his report said, he figured he could tough it out for now. His laptop was safe under his pillow, so he promised to contact Carys and I if anything else happened.
Their parents were leaving today, and Carys would be released from the hospital later in the afternoon as well, though Dr. Scott gave strict orders to keep a close eye on her. She was no longer so tired, but the medicine from the hospital did nothing for her emotional state. She made no attempts to talk, and barely met anyone's eyes unless she was forced to.
My dad had arrived at the hospital to pick me up, and I think he was glad to finally see me. I'd been at the hospital for three days straight and was ordered to at least shower, though I knew he also wanted me to get some sleep.
"Anthony! It's been awhile," Mr. Winters said as he wrapped his old friend in a hug. My dad and Mr. Winters were about the same age, and from my understanding they'd also known each other since high school.
"Too long man. So what's the news?" he asked, pulling away. We'd already filled him in on Jake's plan, and Mr. Winters quickly led him out into the hallway, probably worrying about how Carys would take it, hearing the same news again.
They soon walked back into the room, waiting as the nurse finished up with Carys.
"Okay, Ms. Winters, your heart beat's normal and everything else is in check. You're free to go," she said cheerily.
Carys payed almost no attention her, impatient to finally leave. The nurse left just as quickly as she came, and when Carys went to stand up I was quick to catch her after her knees buckled under her. Who knew not walking for so long could make your legs that weak.
She looked up at me with a weak smile, the first she'd given ever since Jake had left. I slung her arm over my shoulder and helped her stand, so that this time she didn't fall. The adults all got up and filed out of the room, leading the way out of the hospital after making sure that Carys was signed out. I gave Carys a tight squeeze before helping her into her parents car, finally getting into my dad's and buckling my seatbelt.
"How's Carys holding up?" he asked, glancing at me as he pulled out of the space and started the drive back home.
"She's really tore up Dad. Jake leaving was like a slap in the face for her, and I don't know, I'm the only one that can get near her without her flinching," I said sighing as I looked out the window.
"She trusts you Frank, if she's going to get any better, it's only with your help," he said thoughtfully. "Not to put any pressure on you, but you're in too deep now. It's your job to find out what happened to Carys before the asylum messed with her, that is the real cause for all she's going through."
"And I'm willing to take on that job, but I don't know how to help her. I know she trusts me enough to be alone with me, but I don't know how deep that trust is. I don't want to do anything to ruin that," I admitted, knowing my dad was doing his best to help me out.
"Well you have three weeks, you'll find out sooner or later bud," he said when we were about five minutes from the house.
"Just let me know one thing, am I watching her at her house, or is she going to be with us for the next three weeks?," I asked, looking at him.
"Sam said it was up to you, but we want you two to chill out for a few hours, so why don't you think about it?" he asked as we pulled up into our driveway. "Just to let you know, and I've already told Sam, but I'm going to be out of town for the first week. I'm leaving tomorrow."
"Going to see Marie, huh?" I asked smirking at him, succeeding in making him blush. He'd thought I didn't know about his girlfriend.
"You looked through my phone didn't you? Ya little punk," he said laughing as he ruffled my hair. "And yes, I'm spending the week with her."
Marie was Dad's girlfriend, and judging by the many time her number was in his cell, they'd been going out for about two months now.
"Well it wasn't completely on purpose, I got up one morning and your phone just happened to be on the table when I was eating my cereal....," I trailed off with a shrug.
We got out of the car soon after the Winters' arrived and I went across the yard to hug Carys again. She seemed to have calmed down slightly from the sudden suprise.
"I'll see you in a few hours, okay?" I asked, running a hand through her long hair as she relaxed in my arms, nodding slowly before I let her go. She waved a goodbye before she and her family went into the house, waving goodbye before they shut the door.
"Shower and then I want you to take a nap," my dad said as I walked past him and into our own house.
"I'm going, I'm going," I said in defeat as I jogged upstairs, quick to grab what I needed before locking myself in the bathroom, the cool water from the shower loosening some of my muscles. I got out when I was clean and dressed in the usual jeans and t-shirt, dropping my dirty clothes off in the laundry room before walking into my bedroom. I fell back onto my bed, wondering if I'd be able to handle all of this after all.
It wasn't hard to fall asleep, I just had to clear my head first. Luckily my guitar helped with that. I played a few notes of the lullaby my mom used to sing to me when I was little and soon felt dreary, putting my guitar back in it's case before I fell asleep.
A Few Hours Later
"Frank? Wake up bud," I heard my dad say as he shook me, his hazel eyes mirroring my own as I woke up to see him leaning over me. "You were out like a light. I'll get on you about your room later, but Sam and Beth are leaving now, so what's it gonna be?" he asked as I sat up and rubbed my eyes.
"For now I guess I'll be over there," I said sleepily.
"Probably the best way to go about it," he said nodding as I stood. He followed as I jogged downstairs and nearly ran next door, Carys already sitting on the porch swing, smiling when she saw me.
Her parents came out soon after, Mr. Winters holding quite a few bags before my dad offered to help.
I sat down next to Carys and put my arm around her, smiling when she leaned her head on my shoulder and let out a small yawn.
"You're still tired, huh?" I asked and she nodded, eyes closing as I slowly rocked us back and forth with my foot.
"Well, we're off, you guys take care, and promise you'll let us know if you hear anything from Jake," Mrs. Winters said as she came over and hugged us both, Carys patting her mom on the back but still tensing up slightly.
"We'll call the second we find out anything," I promised as I hugged her back.
Mr. Winters also hugged us, waving a goobye to my Dad before getting into the car with his wife, and then they drove away. We watched until they disappeared around the corner, probably already worrying about how their kids would hold up without them.
"So I assume you've got everything under control Frank?" my dad asked as he turned to face us, a smile on his face.
"Pretty much," I said nodding.
"You know where to find me. I'll see you two later," he said waving before jogging back to our house, the door soon shutting behind him.
I continued to rock the porch swing back and forth at a slow pace, chin rested on top of Cary's head as she slowly drifted off to sleep, singing softly to myself.
I can't close my eyes
I can't shut my eyes to you
I can't close my eyes
I won't shed a tear for you
Not this time
No matter how hard I try
I break all the ties
Heartbreak is forever
Land of the lost
I found myself in nothing
This time
Promises broken
Find me clutching to you
For something
Something that you're not
Believing in what you say
Makes me lie awake at night
The truth is not what scares me
It's why you have to lie
All the time
Heartbreak is for forever
I found myself with nothing to believe in
This time
The promise is broken finally
Clutching you for something
All the time
I can't close my eyes
I can't shut my eyes to you
I can't close my eyes
I won't shed
Not this time
Cause heartbreak is forever
Heartbreak is forever
Heartbreak is forever
Heartbreak is forever
Heartbreak is forever
But nothing lasts forever.
My eyes had drooped slightly as I sang the last words, opening wide when I heard the soft tap of rain as it hit the ground. Looking over to see that Carys was now asleep, I smiled to myself before sliding my arms under her so that I could carry her, truly shocked at how light she was. There was no way she weighed more than a hundred pounds. The door was already unlocked so I simply had to move my arm to turn the knob, closing it behind me with my foot before starting up the stairs towards Carys' room.
I lied her down gently on her bed, moving some of her hair behind an ear before quietly leaving the room and flicking off the light switch.
It was now about 4 in the afternoon, only a few hours until it began to get dark outside. I walked into the kitchen to see that a note was left on the counter, written in the familar script of Mrs. Winters.
Frank,
I cannot thank you enough for doing this, we really appreciate it. I really didn't want to tell Carys or Jake this but we didn't leave for a family reunion. My father's in the hospital and they think he may not make it for much longer. Hopefully he's going to pull through though, we'll let you know. We already know you're going to take good care of Carys. I don't trust anything that asylum told or gave us before we left, so before you give her anything make sure to call Dr. Scott first. His and the other emergency numbers are taped to the fridge. There's more than enough food for you both to survive while we're gone, please clean up any messes if you decide to 'experiment'. There's also money for pizza if you guys get bored. I hope I didn't forget anything, but I'm sure you'll figure it out if I did.
Love and good luck,
Mrs. W
I smiled at the last part of the note, carefully folding it and placing it in an empty drawer so that I could find it later. I took a can of soda out of the fridge, sitting myself at the counter as I opened it.
My phone rang loudly about ten minutes later, nearly shocking me enough to fall off the stool before I answered it.
"'Ello?" I asked cooly as my heart beat slowed and I situated myself safely on the stool again.
"Hey Frank, it's Mikey, why didn't you answer your house phone earlier?"
"That'd be because I'm not at my house bud, and because I know what you're going to ask now, I'm at a friend's house and I'll be here for about three weeks," I said, pausing to take another sip of my soda.
"Carys, right? She got out of the asylum?" he asked. I'd already informed the guys about this, but Mikey was usually the only one to pay attention to details.
"She got out about a week ago, but got out of the hospital this morning. They gave her some kind of drugs at the asylum that really messed with her system. No clue what it was though," I sighed.
"So there's something fishy about the asylum, huh?" he asked, and from the noise in the background, it sounded like he was sitting down on a bed.
"Definately, I'll give you the details later though. All I know for sure is that it's stressing everyone out, for sure she's talked at least twice, that's it."
"So she can't hear you telling me her whole bio?" Mikey asked, and I could almost see the smirk on his face.
"She's asleep genious, and Gerard's looking at you right now with a really confused look on his face, isn't he?" I asked, more noise in the background giving away the sound of Mikey's older brother.
"Ya nailed it Frank," he said, his line going silent for few minutes as he replayed all of this to his brother. "We're coming back tomorrow by the way, would it be okay if we dropped by?" he asked.
"I don't see why not, but there must be a storm or something coming through. It might blow over by tonight but just to warn you. And Mikey?" I asked, making sure to be clear that I was serious about what I was about to say.
"Yea Frank?" he asked.
"Carys is flat out timid around people she doesn't know, please, I'm begging you, don't you or Gee try anything to scare her," I said gulping down the rest of my abandoned soda.
"We'll be on our best behavior. She lives right next door to you, right?" he asked for clarification.
"Yep, I'll see you tomorrow Mikes, tell Gee and your parents that I said hi," I said nodding to myself.
"Later Frank."
I put my phone back in my pocket, throwing away my can before getting up and looking around, guessing that it was probably best if I went back home to get my stuff now. I scribbled down a note for Carys in case she woke up while I was gone, finding a roll of tape in the kitchen and taping the note to the banister. I grabbed the spare keys that Mr. and Mrs. Winters had left me before leaving the house and crossing the lawn to my place.
"I was wondering how long it'd take you before you came back," my dad said chuckling when I walked in. "Did Mikey call you back?"
"Yep, and Carys is asleep so technically, I am being responsible about this," I said before heading up the stairs. Somehow I managed to quickly dig an empty bag out of my stuffed closet, filling it with clean clothes and whatever else I needed before zipping up the bag, slinging it onto my shoulder and heading back downstairs.
"Got everything?" my dad asked from the couch when I'd reached the bottom of the stairs.
"Clean clothes, pajamas, boxers, toothbrush, hair dye, soap, lyric book, cell phone, yep, got everything," I said nodding.
"Sounds like you're good to go, have fun," my dad said smiling. "I'll call you when I get back."
"Try not to get Marie pregnant while I'm gone!" I said waving before dodging the pillow he threw at me, laughing before I walked out the door.
"Same goes for you Frank!" he said laughing before I closed the door, shaking my head with a smile before walking back to the Winters' house. There was no sign of Carys when I closed the door behind myself, so she must've still been sleeping. I put the keys back on the table and locked the door before quietly walking upstairs, down the hall and stopping at room across from Carys' bedroom. This was the guest room, where I'd be sleeping for the next three weeks.
The walls were painted a warm shade of gray, seeming to blend in with the dark carpet below. I smiled at the few posters that Mrs. Winters had allowed me to hang up awhile ago. They still hung just as straight as I'd taped them down. I unpacked my clothes, leaving everything else in my bag for now. Being only 4:30 now, I still had some time ahead of me until settling down for a reasonable bed time, so I lied back on the bed, pulling out my lyric book and letting thoughts flow freely into the notebook, the hours seeming to fly by.
11:30 PM
I was half asleep when I heard my door open, and I'd ignored it as my imagination, until the weight on the right side of the bed shifted, and I heard the sound of thunder, and soft crying. I opened my eyes to see Carys sitting on the edge of the bed, knees pulled up to her chest as she cried.
"Woah, woah, what's wrong?" I asked sitting up, not even caring that I didn't have a shirt on. It hadn't occured to me that she was afraid of the lightning and thunder until she clung to me after a loud bolt had sounded, scaring the hell out of her. "Shhh, Car, it's okay. I've got you, you're fine," I whispered into her ear as I held her. She buried her head into my chest, tensing up every time a bolt of lightning struck outside. It wasn't a bad storm, just the kind that you'd expect to freak a little kid out.
I slowly lied down with her still in my arms, stroking her hair as she slowly calmed down, until every so often she only sniffled. The storm continued for another half hour until she finally fell asleep, head rested on my chest, heart beat slowing. My arms were still wrapped around her, so in fear of waking her up, I just shifted my weight so that I was lying on my back, soon falling asleep again.
So now I had established that Carys was deadly afraid of thunder storms, what else could there be?