In complete exhaustion I drained the remaining water from my pot of Mr. Noodles and poured the chicken flavouring over it. As I mixed it with a spoon I was nearly falling asleep over my terrible excuse for dinner, sighing outwardly and just about to place the first bite into my mouth when Rory let out the loudest scream possible from his bedroom.
I dropped my fork into the bowl and sprinted out of the kitchen and across the living room, stepping on a squeaking toy as I ran. "Fuck!" I cursed as the ridiculous thing let out a howl of protest from my weight, scaring the living hell out of me.
Quickly shaking my anxiety I strode at a fast pace into Rory's room to see him standing in his crib, his beautiful face scrunched up in horror and bright red from his heavy downfall of tears. His small fists were grasping the wooden frame so tightly that his small fingers were turning white.
"Shh shh baby, it's okay, I'm right here." I whispered in an attempt to comfort him, lifting him from the confinement of his crib and holding him firmly in my arms. He let out a wail against my chest and I hummed a tune to him softly, rocking my body up and down as I paced the room.
"What's wrong Rory? What happened to my baby?" I asked him softly, stroking his darkening hair gently with my fingers as I struggled to hold him against me with one arm.
"t-the mons...monser.." He strugglingly whimpered, crying harder against me as I now switched to rubbing his back. The monster, he was saying.
I walked over to the door and quickly turned the light on, switching off his multicoloured night light that flashed patterns of sea animals on the ceiling. He loved anything that swam or lived in the ocean.
In fact, he told me in the best language an 11 month old can muster that when he gets big like daddy he wants to become a beluga whale.
I told him that he can be absolutely anything he wants to be.
"No monster, peanut. Mommy promises." I said in the happiest voice I could muster, kissing his heated cheek. In an instant he sat upright in my arms and the crying stopped as he looked at me, my heart clenching as those beautiful blue eyes stared long and hard into mine.
"No monser?" He said enthusiastically, his hands splayed against my collar bones.
"Nope. Look, I'll show you."
Walking over to the play mat, I set Rory down with hesitance as he wasn't willing initially to let me go. Placing a stuffed toy in his arms, I got his attention on me and crawled over to his crib. Bending further so I could peer underneath, I tisk'd my tongue and glanced back at my son.
"No monster here."
He smiled happily as I crawled some more, over to his change table. I lifted the package of diapers and turned my head back and fourth, humming quietly.
"No monster here either, baby."
When I looked back he was still smiling, the only remnants of his tears being the blotchy streaks on his puffy little cheeks.
Getting to my feet, I pulled Rory into my arms again and looked down the front of his onesie at his chest. "Would you look at that, no monster here either!"
Rory squealed loudly and clapped his hands, giggling uncontrollably as I kissed his neck and tickled his tummy. I was laughing too, through my exhaustion, just glad that I had my littler person to share my time with.
Trying to put Rory back to sleep was a different story.
I feared that he had night terrors, though apparently he was too young for that according to his physician. I thought she was crazy, my son was ridiculously smart and terrified to sleep. He observed things a lot of kids his age didn't in my opinion, and this new phase of seeing "monsters" proved my theory that he was afraid. I paced his room with the light on, then off with the night lights on. When that didn't work I added some calming music, then tried no music again.
When he still wouldn't let me put him down in the crib, I walked around the apartment, pacing the living room window, I tried sitting with him and rocking with him. I tried tickling his soft skin and patting his bum.
He laid against my body as I walked around some more, and I knew he was tired but refused to let me put him down. I was nearly falling asleep myself when Niall finally got home, covered in dirt and dust and god knows what else from work. He also had blue paint in his hair.
"What are you two still doing up?" He asked me quietly, removing his clothes as he walked down the hall. I rolled my eyes and waited for him to return, alternating between slowly bouncing my body and quickly doing it. When Niall came back out he was only wearing boxers and a white v-neck t-shirt.
"He can't sleep. He's seeing monsters, again." I whispered, being careful not the say the word 'monster' too loudly.
"Monsters?" Niall grunted, and I rolled my eyes, thankful when Rory didn't sit up. "What do you mean again? I didn't even know he was?"
"Of course you didn't." I mumbled dryly as I turned and started walking again. Thankfully he didn't hear me.
"Well, he has night terrors I think. He doesn't want to sleep, that's all I know."
I let out a huge exhausted breath, flinching when Niall's palm touched my shoulder from behind. "Let me take him, you look tired."
I began to lift Rory hesitantly to Niall, and as soon as I did his lids snapped open.
"No!" He screamed, making us both jump in surprise.
Niall's brows frowned deeply as his arms stayed held outwards, and I attempted once more to hand Rory over when he screamed bloody murder and curled his body up, his knees coming to his chest and his feet pressing painfully into my stomach.
"Ouch, Rory." I hissed, quickly removing his legs and holding him back against my chest. He pressed his face to my shoulder and put his thumb in his mouth.
"What..." Niall mumbled in confusion, his face laced with hurt. "I...he doesn't want me?" He asked slowly, arms dropping like dead branches to his sides.
I immediately felt bad. "No, Niall, that's not it." I began, though I truly didn't know why Rory just did that.
"He's just afraid and hasn't let me put him down for hours, he just wants me to-"
"Wait, hours? You've been doing this with him for hours?" He gasped in shock, making me frown.
"Well, he's been crying and I didn't want to-"
"No, stop." Niall held his hand up rudely in front of my face and I wanted to bite his fingers off.
"You can't treat him like that, Shay. You're babying him too much, he's going to think he can get away with anything."
I was offended that Niall of all people was trying to tell me how to parent our child, when his idea of parenting seemed to be at a very low standard.
What was I supposed to do, throw him in the crib and let him be terrified and cry for hours and hours? No.
"Don't be ridiculous." I hissed, glaring at him hard. "I'm not babying him. I'm taking care of him. He will never go to sleep if I just put him in the crib and close the door."
Niall rolled his eyes and placed his hands on his hips. "That's not what I'm saying, but you can't give him everything he wants. Let me take him, you're clearly tired and need a break. He will get over it, you can't be the only one that holds him or puts him to sleep."
Again I was hesitant, but Niall had a point and he was Rory's father. There was no reason Rory couldn't leave my arms, I couldn't let him get so overly attached that he wouldn't let anyone but me be near him.
"Fine." I huffed, peeling Rory away from myself after kissing his head. Niall took him before he had the chance to curl his body up into a ball again and kick me, but he did it anyways the moment he was in Niall's arms. He screamed at the top of his lungs and balled his fists, his little limbs shaking with ever wail.
"Oh, God." I sighed shakily, chewing my thumbnail in nervousness as I watched them.
"Rory, stop," Niall sighed, holding him comfortingly to his own chest before sitting on the couch. I had to force myself to ignore it as I walked away and into the kitchen, picking up my now freezing cold noodles. Better than nothing, I suppose.
However I just stood there and listened, for about 30 minutes, as Rory screamed and cried then gasped for breaths then sobbed then screamed some more. It was heartbreaking. I knew he was just tired and that's why he was so upset, but it was still difficult hearing him cry so violently. It hurt me that he was hurting, Rory was my life and I never wanted him to be upset.
When the crying finally seized I grabbed my bowl of noodles and walked into the living room, sitting on the couch beside Niall. Rory wasn't with him so I assumed that he had been put to sleep.
Niall and I sat quietly side by side with the TV on. After a few moments I felt him look at me as I slurped some noodles back, and with them hanging from my mouth I turned my head and made eye contact with Niall.
With the straightest face ever he glanced at the noodles hanging motionless from my mouth then down at the bowl.
"Can I have a bite of that?" He asked seriously, his face still straight.
I choked on my noodles as I laughed slightly, slurping back the remainder hanging off of my lips . I handed Niall the bowl and my fork that he took gratefully.
"Thanks" he mumbled with a mouthful of chicken flavoured noodles.
For the next little bit, we kept silent as we watched Cake Boss on TV and passed my bowl of noodles back and fourth.
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A/N: this chapter was kinda pointless but yeah lol
Tell me what you thinnnkk