shots of camren (camren)

Sleep Tight

"Mommy!"

Lauren was startled awake by the shrill, frightened scream echoing through her home. Fear wrapping around her heart in an icy grip, her instincts flared to life as she fought against the mental fog lingering from sleep to find the source of the sound.

Camila shifted besides her, her warmth pressing against Lauren's side, reassuringly putting a hand on her arm. "Lo, calm down. He was having nightmares the whole time you were gone last week. It's probably just that."

Lauren gave her a questioning look. "I thought he was okay. We Skyped every day. He seemed fine."

Camila sighed. "He was putting on a brave face, babe. I promised not to tell you as long as he did later."

Lauren frowned. "I don't understand. He never has that kind of trouble when you go away."

Camila smiled, palming her wife's cheek. "Because I'm not his hero. I can't keep the monsters away like you can."

Turning into the familiarity of Camila's touch, Lauren's eyes widened. "Hero?"

"Mmm-hmm. His strong, fierce Momma Bear he knows will do anything to protect him."

With Lauren glad for the cover of darkness to hide her blush, she accepted Camila's kiss before she climbed out of bed, watching the Latina nestle comfortably into the warmth she left behind.

Lauren made her way down the hall to their son's bedroom, the light from the corridor casting a glow over the shaking little body curled into a ball on the bed. A lump rose up in her throat. "Leo."

Leo looked up at her with wide green eyes wet with tears, glistening in the pallid light against his Cuban caramel skin. His lips trembled as he bit back a sob and Lauren's heart ached, rushing in to sweep the boy into her arms. She held him protectively in her lap, arms tight around his little frame as Leo burrowed as close as he could get to his momma's reassuring presence.

"Hey, little man, what happened? Why are you crying?"

Leo shivered in the encasement of his mother's arms, and Lauren wrapped the blanket snugly around him, smoothing back russet curls away from his face. "What is it, Leo? What was so scary?"

"I had a bad dream."

"What was it about?"

Small fingers curled almost painfully into the fabric of Lauren's tank-top as the child's face went even paler than before. Lauren tightened her hold around her son, settling the boy's head on her shoulder, her hands tracing soothing circles across his back. "It's okay, kiddo, it's okay, little man. Mommy's here now. I won't let anything hurt you. So will you tell me what the bad dream was about?"

"You went away again, Mommy. You-you went away and I called to you, whole bunches of times. I called your name again and again, but you never looked back at me." Leo peered up at Lauren with those identical eyes, his wide and pleading. "Mommy, did I do something bad? Is that why you keep going away? Are you gonna leave for good now?"

Any beating, injury, and trauma Lauren could ever experience in her life, all of them paled dramatically in comparison to the pain she felt in response to her son's innocent and frightened question. "Oh, Leo. You know I only go away because it's my job, buddy." She leaned forward, placing a gentle kiss on the child's brow.

"I would never, ever leave you alone. Most definitely not because you did something. You could never do something to make me leave you. I'm your mommy, Leo. Mommy's stick with their boys."

His mother spoke with such conviction and seriousness that Leo couldn't help but not solemnly. "Do you promise, Mommy?"

With a smile, Lauren held out her hand. "Yep, it's a deal." Leo flashed a toothy grin and returned the handshake, and returned the handshake.

Lauren leaned forward until she and her son were nose to nose, causing their vision to become cross-eyed, "That's a promise, alright?"

"Alright!"

Lauren's smile faded, as she suddenly remembered the reason for her son's distress. Since Leo had been born, Camila had spent more time in the music studio than on the movie set, as both women decided to try their hand at acting after making it in the music industry, (Lauren seemed to like acting more these days, rather than Camila) keeping her mostly in LA for work. It was Lauren that had taken to traveling for work, especially now with Camila eight months pregnant with their next child. Lauren didn't necessarily like it, but the money was good and needed to support them their growing family, especially if Leo was going to attend the private academy Camila was so keen on next year.

What Lauren hadn't realized, however, was how her absences were affecting their son.

"Hey, little man, I'll tell you what. Starting next week, I'm going to take a nice long vacation, all right? Then you'll have me at your mercy for the whole time. How does that sound?"

Leo threw his arms around his mother's neck in his excitement and giving a giggle of amusement, Lauren reached up to ruffle his hair, holding him close. "I'll take that as a yes, then?"

"You bet!"

Lauren knew motherhood had turned her to mush, making her putty in this precious boy's hands, (as she was in that of Camila's, as well), but she could never bring herself to care. She was certain the sunshine could never outshine the radiance of her son's smile.

Unwrapping the arms from around her neck, Lauren expertly and effortlessly lifted the small weight from her lap as she rose to his feet, swinging the child down into the bed. She pulled the covers up snug over him.

"It's time to get some sleep, now, little man. Mama would kill me if she knew how late I kept you up."

Giving his best effort to hide a yawn, Leo looked up at her thoughtfully. "Mama's tired," he informed her matter-of-factly.

"She is, Leo. Carrying a baby does that to mommies. She'll be tired for a while. Are you excited about the baby? You're gonna be a big brother soon."

"Uh-huh," he said sleepily, watching his mother through half-lidded eyes. "I'm gonna have a 'lil sister."

Smoothing back his hair against his forehead, Lauren smiled. "Get some rest, babe. It'll be morning soon."

Just as she was preparing to leave the room, the small voice thick with sleep called out to her once more. "Mommy?"

"Yes, kiddo?"

"I got a name for my sister."

"What is it?"

Another yawn. "Hope. Mama said that a baby born is worth a world of hope."

Another smile touched Lauren's lips, unable to help herself. "Hope is a great name, little man. Go to sleep now."

"I love you, Mommy."

"I love you, too, Leo."

As she crawled back into the welcoming warmth and comfort of her neglected bed, her wife's sleeping form instinctually nestled against her. Wrapping her arms around Camila to pull her closer, Lauren drifted into a peaceful and dreamless sleep.