Her Haunted Millionaire

ChapterFive

Isabelle doesn't wait any longer to dash for the door. But Raphaël is faster. She finds herself looking at his shirt covered back as he races out the door with her hot on his heels.

The two get to Rayan's room in record time, but just as Raphaël is about to burst through the door, Isabelle curls a trembling hand over his bicep.

And what a bicep.

He turns to her, face etched in urgent concern.

"It's okay, Raphaël, I'm sure he's just had a bad dream. We don't want to disconcert him further so... I think I should go in first. ", she whispers, breathlessly.

"Why?! He's my nephew, I want to be there, even if it is just a bad dream. He needs me!"  he responds, frowning.
He looks at the door over his shoulder.

She tugs on his bicep, turning him to face her.  "Listen, if you walk in instead, he's going to get scared. Come in behind me then we can calm him down together."

He's about to argue, but the sound of his nephew crying through the slightly open door tugs at his heart and he nods in agreement.

Isabelle pushes the door open and walks in, Raphaël right behind her.

She can practically feel the concern emanating off him.

It's dark in the room. Isabelle can just make out the boy's huddling figure on the bed.

"Rayan. ", she says gently.

He stops crying and just sniffles as he backs away to the furthest part of his bed. 
Rayan sees big shoulders in the doorway. It's his father. He's come back with the knife to finish him off.

He killed his mama! He killed his mama.
He begins to whimper softly as he violently shakes his head. 

"Non, non. Viens. Ce moi, Rayan.", Isabelle whispers.
When she switches on the bedside lamp and he sees that it really is her,  he freezes in his spot, curled up in the corner as the last fragments of the horrible nightmare fall away.

Isabelle lowers herself slowly onto the bed and extends a hand out to Rayan, trying not to get really upset over his state.
She needs to stay calm in order to calm him down.

Rayan hesitates a little, then slowly crawls over the bed to where she's sitting.

His tear streaked face makes Raphaël purse his lips and look down. Helpless to take his little nephew's pain away.

Isabelle lifts Rayan into her arms and settles him on her lap with his head against her chest, she hugs him to her.

"Ça va aller. It's going to be okay, sweetheart. ", she soothes.

Raphaël approaches and slowly kneels by Isabelle, with his hand on her knee as he gazes down at his nephew. Rayan looks back up at him, noticing Raphaël properly for the first time.
He blinks twice then stares at his uncle.

The man in his dream with the knife. His papa. This is not him.
He's not the one who hurt his mama.

Rayan blinks up at his uncle.
He's the one who came and scared his papa away.

Raphaël looks down at the boy, seeing the range of expressions playing on his face.

They quietly observe each other.
Raphaël wondering what he could possibly do or say to take away his nephews trauma. Rayan coming to a slow realization all by himself.

Isabelle quietly holds Rayan and draws her face back away from them. She needs to make sure that her nose doesn't appear in their line of view and disturbs this moment.