The Safe House

Chapter 16

I woke up and thought I heard Kenna. Sometimes she would wake up in the middle of the night, so I got up as quietly as I could so I wouldn't wake Jason up. I looked at the clock. It was midnight. We had only been asleep for an hour. I went to her door and heard her crying. I went in and she was sitting in her bed covered in puke. It was in her hair, on her clothes, on her bedding. I got her up and undressed. I took her to the bathroom and started the bath.

Once I got her all cleaned up, I gathered her clothes and bedding and threw it in the washer. The longer that sat the worse it was going to stink. I got some water and the thermometer from the bathroom to take her temperature. It was 99.4. She had been shivering ever since I got her out of the bathtub. I had wrapped her in a blanket, but she was still shivering. I gave her some water trying to get her hydrated. I picked her up and sat in the rocking chair. I rocked her for half an hour before she finally fell asleep. I put her back down and went back to bed. I got in my own bed this time because if she got sick again, I didn't want to wake Jason up.

I woke up and looked at the clock on my nightstand. It was six a.m. I could hear Kenna fussing. I went to check on her and she had puked. Again. This is the fourth time I have been up with her. I am so extremely tired, but it doesn't matter, she comes first. So, I did it all over again. I got her cleaned up, got her bedding and clothes put in the washer, and took her temperature. I was snuggling with her and trying to get her to go to sleep, but she kept shivering. I had learned in my parenting class in high school that skin to skin contact is extremely important (but that is only for newborns) but it can also help keep them warm from the body heat radiating off of you. So, I did the only thing I could think of that I hadn't tried yet. As weird as it would be, Kenna is like a daughter to me, and I would do anything for her. I am the only woman in her life, I have taken the role of her mother. I don't want to become her mother, but I am the only mother figure in her life right now.

I got the comforter off my bed and took my shirt off. Of course, I still had my bra on. I laid her on my chest and wrapped the blanket around us. After about five minutes she stopped shivering. It didn't take her long to fall asleep. I was starting to doze off in the chair so I started to get up and accidentally knocked her dollhouse over. It made a really loud noise. She jerked awake and I was trying to hush her back to sleep when the door to her room swung open. Jason stood in the opening.

"Hey is everything ok?" He asked.

"Uh not really. This is the fourth time I have been up with her, she's been puking." I replied.

"Here let me take over. Why don't you go try to get some sleep?" he said as he started walking towards me.

"No!" I said, he stopped. "Sorry, but I got it, it's okay. You go back to bed."

A look of concern crossed his face "Maddie, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." I replied. I really didn't want him to know I was in a bra. And I especially didn't want him to see my scars. He started to come towards us again.

"Look, I don't know what is going on, but if I need to be up all night to take care of Kenna I will. She is my responsibility, not yours." He said as he kept walking towards us.

" I'm in my bra." I said. He stopped walking. He looked confused. She was finally back to sleep, so I laid her down and wrapped myself in my blanket.

We went into the hallway and I explained. "She wouldn't stop shivering and I learned in one of my classes that skin to skin contact can help because of the body heat radiating off of you. I know its weird, but nothing was working so I tried it and it actually worked."

"I'm sorry that you had to be up with her, she is my responsibility. I should be the one who has to stay up with her." He said.

"No, I love it. Yes, I'm tired as hell, but she is like a daughter to me. I love her so much and being around her and you and the boys, I feel like I finally have something to live for now." I said as a tear slid down my face.

He pulled me to him and I didn't care anymore that I didn't have a shirt on, I wrapped my arms around him. I wanted him to know that I trusted him and I was comfortable around him. He kissed me on my head and led me to his room. I wrapped up in my blanket so he wouldn't see my body or my scars.

"I'm going to grab my shirt." I said.

"Here. You can have one of mine." My heartbeat sped up. That is so sweet, but how am I going to get it on without him seeing me. He handed me his shirt and smirked at me.

"Am I going to let you watch me?" I asked sarcastically.

"I don't know, are you?" He teased.

"I think you already know the answer." I replied.

He started to walk towards his bed when he said, "Hey, how are your scars? I know you don't want me to see them and you don't like to talk about them, but I just want to make sure you're ok."

I took a deep breath. "If this relationship is going to work, we have to trust each other and be able to tell each other secrets. You have to be like my best friend, which you pretty much are my best friend." I took a couple of steps towards him and lowered the blanket. I expected his eyes to go directly to my scars and for disgust to cover his face, but he continued staring into my eyes.

"Look," I whispered. He kept my gaze for a second more before he looked at the scar across my stomach. Then he looked to the scar on my shoulder. He reached up and traced it with his thumb. I was so afraid that I would feel insecure if he ever looked at them or touched them, but it actually brought comfort to me.

"You" he paused and his hand came up to cup my face. Oh no here it comes. He's going to crush my heart. "You are beautiful." I crashed my lips onto his. I think I love him. No! You're just saying that because he just called you beautiful. We have only been going out for two months. I'm just caught up in the moment. I can't love him already. Although, we have been living in the same house for three months. So, considering the fact that we have lived in the same house and not been allowed to leave it means we know each other better than most couples do by the time they've been dating for four months.

Once our little makeout session was over, I put his shirt on and we got in his bed. It only took about two minutes for me to fall asleep.