The Order

Sigal Induced Road trip

"Harper...wake up." I shook her shoulders and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Mmm," she whimpered, as a tear slid down her cheek.

She looked like she was in pain, and that made my stomach turn and my heart skip a beat.

"Mom?' Cameron mirrored my fake calm and tried to wake her by wrapping an arm around her and talking in her ear.

"Short Cake, come on...wake up." I said again, this time lifting her to my chest.

Her eyes flew open and she took a sharp, hard inhale, squirming out of my hold. Disoriented, she scooted away from me until her back hit the headboard. Her gray eyes darted wildly around the room until she got her bearings.

"Cal? What are you doing in here?" She panted, locking her eyes with mine.

My stomach flipped at the eye contact.

"You were having a nightmare. You okay?" I asked.

"Uh, yeah..." Her eyes shifted to her son, and seeing the worry on his face had her wincing. "Cameron, I'm sorry I woke you up." She bit her lip, calming her voice for him.

"You scared me." He sobbed, no longer mirroring my calm.

"I'm sorry. It was just a nasty dream, I'm okay." She held her arms out, waiting for him to make the move "Let's go back to sleep, okay?"

"But...I'm scared that it will happen again, and I won't be able to wake you up," He hesitated to take her up on the invitation.

"Cam..."

This time Harper scooted closer to her son who looked even more agitated. She brought a pillow from behind her and placed it in his lap. He immediately hugged it tightly to his chest, rocking slightly.

Harper glanced at me out of the corner of her eye, giving me an apologetic look as I sat there silently like a jackass.

I didn't know what to do to help.

She had warned me at some point that if he had a meltdown not to touch him unless he could hurt himself. I didn't know if this was heading that way or not.

Harper locked her eyes back on Cameron, who didn't seem to be as agitated.

"Better?" She asked.

"I don't know...I'm still scared that it will happen again. Only Callan could wake you up...can he have a sleepover? In case you have another nightmare? He can make it okay again." He begged.

His request made my stomach drop and my heart skip another damn beat.

"Oh...umm" She looked from her son to me. "I don't know, Cam."

Before I could stop myself or talk myself out of it, I took a deep breath, stood up and rounded the other side of the bed that Cameron was on.

"Scoot over, little-man." I made sure not to touch him and let him move closer to his mom, to make room on the full-sized bed.

He did so willingly.

There wasn't much room for me but we would have to make it work because there was no way in Hell I would leave the kid to be that scared again. Especially not when he pulled at my heartstrings like that.

"Seriously?" Harper asked.

"Up to you" I shrugged.

Not a big deal...not a big deal. I told myself, trying to keep my thoughts from drifting back to where they had been earlier.

It was just a sleeping arrangement for a night. One that involved a kid.

Harper looked at her son whose eyes pleaded with her to let me stay.