I was in so fucking out of it that I didn't even hear the heavy theater door open nor the bright hallway light pour into the room. God knows what time it was now nor how long I had been in here with a 20 pound child asleep on top of me. My body was going to hate me tomorrow. All I do know is that through my sniffles I heard Cody's voice. "Demi? Baby!" "Cody?" I called out, questioning if it was him despite knowing that that was his voice but I was just surprised to hear him I guess. "I'm here!" I shouted as I tried to push myself up from the seat through the arm rest but my entire body was numb. "I can't get up, I'm here!" Venny shot up from the ground, having not moved an inch from my feet the entire time and ran to where Cody was, bringing him over to the exact recliner seat that I was sitting at. "Cody!" I started crying all over again when I saw him walking towards me without a single injury in sight. He grabbed Landon from on top of me and laid him on his shoulder before he leaned down and wrapped his arms around my lower back, pulling me to stand up.
As I ran through te house, I yelled Demi's name, gradually panicking more and more. Venny's barking came from the theatre room and e raced up to me, grabbing at my pant leg, his way to get me to follow him. I heard Demi yell that she couldn't move an my heart stopped. Had something collapsed on her? What if she was paralyzed? What if we lost Noah? As I ran around the couch, Demi looked like she'd been having a full fledged panic attack and my son was lying still as a rock on her shoulder. My heart seized. I scooped Landon up I to my arms then pulled Demi up. I felt Landon's little breath on my neck and he adjusted himself in his sleep. I half breathed a sigh of relief knowing that my son was alive but I still had my wife and unborn child. She had collapsed against me continuing to cry but her arms held my waist tightly. "Demi, can you stand on your own? Did something hit you?" I gently pried her off of me and when I saw she was standing on her own, I pulled back to me tighter than before. "You scared me to death." I buried my face into her neck and focused on breathing and ring strong for her.
I gently sat us down on the sofa and pull her into my lap do she could lay on my other shoulder. I kissed her cheek and her neck and rubbed her back to calm her down. "Baby, it's okay. We're all okay. We'll call my parents and your grandparents too the second we get service back." She continued to cry into my chest and I knew this was her way tO let out her emotions and get past the panicked feeling. Demi pulled away from my shoulder to kiss me full on the mouth. I could feel the desperation in her actions but I only reciprocated it. When she pulled away, her hands traced my features, probably double checking that no harm had been done. "I'm really okay, my love."
When Cody started questioning if I was okay, I looked at him confused but I nodded my head at him anyways. Aside from worrying myself sick about him, nothing had happened to me. I don't even know if the tornadoes hit our neighborhood but if they did, I never would have found out because I was holed in this safety room the entire time. Cody pulled me on top of him as we sat on the couch and despite him telling me that he was okay, I couldn't help but cry. This was a different crying than all my previous one, though. This one was to release all the panic and scare and frustration that I had inside of me; now that I knew everything was fine. I pulled my face from his chest to see if he was physically hurt, seeing as I didn't have the energy or voice to ask him if it hit over where he was. I kissed his lips when I saw that he looked the same as he always did. His hands continued rubbing at my shoulders and my back, calming me down. Only he can have that effect on me. No one else knew how to calm me down, nor would it even work if they tried.
"Baby, I was so scared," I told him after calming down just enough to stop sobbing for a minute. "I was just scared at first but after hours passed, once it started getting dark, I was sure something had happened to you. Cody, I know you. I know that you would try to beat the storm the second you heard about the warning, solely to make sure that Landon and I are okay. I thought that's what you did and I thought the storm got you." I kissed the tip of his nose just because it felt so great to kiss him again and have him right in front of me again after spending nearly the entire day believing that i would never see him again. "I think even though Landon doesn't understand what was going on, he knew something was wrong. I think that's what freaked me out the most. He sat here and cried and screamed for hours, baby. Hours. Until he finally wore himself to sleep. And then that's when I started crying. What happened, baby? You were in school? Did it hit over there?"
I looked away from her sheepishly as she said that she knew I'd try to beat the storm. She was so right. If the teachers hadn't forced me to stay, I would've been on the road. "It didn't get me, baby. I was safe inside the school." I frowned as Demi told me how scared Landon was. I looked at his face as he slept and it wasn't nearly as peaceful as when he usually falls asleep. I kissed his little cheek and held him tighter. And my poor wife had to endure his screaming alone. This is why I dislike school. I can't be with my wife and son. I can't protect them from school. I can't hug them and hold them and tell them everything will be okay.
"It started in the middle of class. They hustled us all into the hallway, making us leave our stuff in the room. Remember that drill we did in school? We still have to do that. I just stayed curled tight into that little ball until the warning was over." I wanted to pretend that was the end rather than scare her but she'd find out eventually. "The tornado went by there. I could hear it." I paused for a moment, remembering the sound. "I think it hit one of the buildings cause we heard this ripping sound. I didn't stay long enough to dwell on it. The second we were given the chance to leave, I ran to the car and came straight home. I had more important things to dwell on." I pulled her closer to me and buried my face back into her neck. I wasn't ready to let either of them go. I didn't want to leave the safety of the basement either. I could live with sleeping down here for the night. As I was thinking about it, I felt Landon begin to stir and I pulled away from Demi to look at him.
"Hey Little Bear." I smiled at him as his little eyes opened. He gripped my shirt and I saw his eyes start to fill with tears. "What's wrong, buddy?" I rubbed his back as he reached out a hand for his mommy, who grabbed ahold of it immediately. I leaned down to kiss his forehead but noticed it was burning up. "No wonder you're sad. Your head must be hurting. Hold on, little bear." I gently slid out from under Demi to go get a cool washcloth from the bathroom down here. I placed it on his head that he kept on my shoulder, his hands gripping my shirt. "I'm sorry I wasn't here to protect your mommy and you. You're both safe now though." I sat back on the couch, pulling Demi into my lap and covering all of us in the blanket from the back of the couch. "He must have screamed himself into a raging headache. He'll be okay though. Have you eaten anything? Can I get you something to eat?"
Cody told me everything that went down at his school and I was so glad the staff made all the students stay in the hallway throughout the storm. Landon must have heard his dad's voice because he woke up slowly, looking around to see where he was and who was in the room. Cody said Landon's forehead felt warm, so he got up and went to get him a washcloth dipped in cold water. Cody came back and pulled me back onto his lap as Landon relaxed against the cool towel. "My poor baby," I looked down at Landon, who still seemed half-asleep despite looking back and forth between his mother and his father. "I've eaten pickles all day. I was in the process of making lunch for myself when the sirens went off. That's what set Landon off. So I had to hurry to get all the kiddies loose and to pack all of Landon's food and diapers and stuff into a bag so all I ended up grabbing for myself was the jar of pickles. I couldn't concentrate with Landon screaming and the sirens going off and me trying to rush down just in case the tornado was close by," I justified myself so that Cody wouldn't get upset that I hadn't eaten much. I really have been eating healthy and often since I found out I was pregnant. Today was just a mistake.
Without me even asking him to make me something, Cody scooted me off of his lap and he stood up, telling me to wait here. "NO!" I shot out right away, not wanting to be away from him after I'd already been without him all day. "I want to go with you," I pouted my lips, to which he nodded and grabbed my hand with his free hand. We walked over to the kitchen and when I sat down at one of the stools next to the kitchen counter, Cody handed Landon to me so he can make something for me. "I think we should throw away that meat on the kitchen counter. That's what I was going to make earlier but it's been out all day now, so it's probably gone bad." Without hesitation, Cody tossed it into the trash and opened the fridge to look for something to make. I sat Landon on the kitchen counter so that he can see what his poppa was up to, and to give my body a rest. "Make enough for you too, baby. And a little bit for the big boy, too." Landon and I followed his dad's hands as he put pasta to boil in a big pot and then as he seasoned chicken cutlets before grilling it. Everything was just so much better when Cody was around. He made everyone feel at ease, he made everyone feel more calm and loved and he always made everyone laugh. While Cody continued cooking, I decided to pull my phone out of my pocket to see if I had service yet. "Baby! It's back!" I shouted excitedly as I didn't even wait for Cody to ask me to call his mom, I just dialed her number out anyways. "It's ringing," I told Cody as I put it on speaker so he could hear too. 'Demi? Is everything okay over there? Did it hit you guys?' I saw a smile form on Cody's face when he heard his mom's voice, letting us know she's okay.
Demi began to ramble off why she hadn't eaten but I really didn't need an excuse this time. I know that I usually give her a hard time about when she doesn't eat but today was different. I knew she was probably in a rush and panicked. I was really beginning to be in tune with how her body and mind reacted to things. I knew that when she was scared, she acted first and thought later. She had protected herself and the kids before making sure that she had food for herself. I had seen the opened jar of food so I knew Landon had eaten. I gently stroked her arm and nodded, "I understand, baby. It's really okay but I'm going to go make you dinner, okay? Wait here." Demi shouted at me then pushed her lower lip out in an adorable pout that I couldn't say no to. "Okay, baby girl." I helped her off of the couch while keeping Landon resting against my shoulder. When I reached the kitchen, I settled him into his mother's arms. She told me that the meat on the counter as probably bad now and even if it had only been out a second too long, I'd toss it. Like hell I was risking my families health.
I pulled open the fridge door and made sure we had everything for her favorite meal. I pulled out all the cheeses and milk and the chicken, setting them on the counter to get started. Demi told me to make enough for Landon and I too and I grinned at her over my shoulder, "You think Landon and I would forego a meal?" She giggled and shrugged before I spun around made sure that everything was going well. I turned the oven on and pulled out the frozen breadsticks we made when we didn't have time to make homemade ones. While the oven pre-heated, I stirred the noodles while the butter melted for the sauce. Demi shouted behind and I spun around, anxious to see how my mom was. When my mom answered the phone without a hello, I smiled. I also smiled knowing she was well. "Everything's okay, mom. I haven't checked our yard or anything for damage but the house is okay. I was at school and it hit there but on one of the other buildings. Is everything okay with you guys? Have you talked to Scott and Ben yet?"
'Everyone's fine, honey. You must've gotten service back last. And it hit your school?!' She went off on some rant and I shook my head. "Mom.. MOM! Really, I'm fine, Demi can vouch for me. Not a mark. It didn't even touch my car so that's a plus." Demi confirmed to my mom that I was okay and she started drilling Demi with questions about how she was doing. We both told my mom we loved her then called Demi's grandparents. Her grandma put the speakerphone on for them and Demi's grandpa started cracking us up over how these 'stupid speaker thingies work'. Sporadically through out the conversation, I'd add cheese or cream or some various ingredient to the sauce and stir to make sure it came out just the way Demi liked it. I mixed in the chicken as the Demi ended the conversation with them saying dinner was ready. I made a plate for her and I then grabbed a plate for us to put Landon's bits on. I grabbed the breadsticks from the oven, placed them on a plate and sat down next to Demi. "Bon appetit!"
After talking to Cody's mom for a few minutes, we called my grandparents who were also doing fine. I felt so relieved and less stressed now that I knew everyone I love was safe. Cody served me a plateful of food, giving me the plate with the most food. "Thank you for serving me the most... since I'm eating for two and all," I joked around as I rubbed little Noah. I picked up my fork and I didn't hesitate nor wait for Cody to dig in, I dug in first. I chewed into the chunk of chicken I mouthed before slurping up the long pasta strand. "Mmmm," I'm not sure if he made it extra good today or if I was just extra hungry. "Thank you baby, it tastes delicious," I chewed my food while speaking, despite that being bad manners. After stuffing three huge forks filled with food into my mouth, I grabbed Landon's baby spoon and scooped up a small strand of pasta along with his tiny piece of chicken and did the choo choo train with the spoon until it reached his mouth. He laughed as he bit down onto the spoon and didn't let it go so that I wouldn't take it out of his mouth. "Dino!" I joked around with him. I looked up and saw Cody smiling as he looked at his two loves interacting. "I'm so glad to see him being playful again," I couldn't help but grin at what an adorable son we have, before I kept eating from my plate.
Once I felt ready to explode, I pushed my plate aside and retired it. Cody and Landon had finished eating from their plates and Cody was tickling him. I got up from my stool and went over to the fridge, opened a jar of pickles and took out one whole pickle. I bit into it and let out a sigh of relief. Nothing better than cold, crunchy, sour pickles for dessert. "Perfect meal," I moaned aloud, satisfied. I finished my pickle and Cody grabbed my hand while his other arm carried Landon, and he took us to the front of our house. He opened the curtain and we looked out to observe the damage. The sky was dark out and starless, something you rarely ever see in Texas. There were branches and leaves all over our driveway. My Range Rover looked to be in a good shape though, aside from covered in leaves. But then again, it was hard to see details from inside. Venice came running into the living room and started barking suddenly, scaring the crap out of me. I jumped in suspense before shaking my head and exhaling as I rubbed his head. I looked back out at the window and shared my thoughts aloud, "I don't care if anything happened to our yard or the cars, I'm just glad we're safe. And our families." Cody agreed and leaned in to kiss me, leaning his head on my chest to pull me into a tight hug. "Do you hear my heartbeat from there? It's still beating really fast. I know everyone is safe now but I was in a really bad state earlier. I guess I'm still nervous and jittery."
Once I finished my meal, I scooted Landon over towards me and started teasing him. He giggled and flinched away as I leaned forward to tickle him. Demi got up from her seat and grabbed a pickle from the fridge and crunched into a giant one. I started laughing as Demi looked to have obtained her fix. I scooped Landon up and held him as I walked with Demi to check the damage in the front yard. I walked around the driveway, making sure to check every inch of the Range Rover. This car was nice as shit and like hell I would be accepting if Demi drove in a dented car. Demi remained in the house and as I walked back towards the front door, Venny came bounding towards her, barking. I saw Demi near jump out of her skin and frowned at Venny. When I returned her, she said she didn't care if the car was damaged or if anything else was damaged since we were all safe. I kissed her lips. "I agree but since we're all safe, I just wanted to see what was damaged. We're blessed regardless." I kissed her lips gently before pulling her close to hug her. I could feel her heart still pounding and she must've known because she asked.
"I can hear and feel it, baby. Let's go draw a bubble bath for yo-" Demi protested saying she just wanted to be with all of us. "Alright, my love. Let's go put this dinosaur in his jammies." Landon and I "flew" to his room while his mommy kept watch for any incoming planes. We reached a successful landing on his changing table where he kicked his heels against the cushion in excitement. I pulled his shorts off then unsnapped his onesie while his mom picked out his pajamas. "Oh no! Naked Boy!" I leaned own and blew a loud raspberry on his little chubby belly. He cracked up and pushed my head away. I chuckled as I tossed his clothes in his little laundry basket. Demi took over dressing him and I hugged her from behind, kissing her neck as she leaned her head on mine. I pushed my hands under her shirt to settle on her still flat stomach. I rubbed gently at her smooth skin, remembering how she said once that it relaxed her. "Wanna sing to him, baby?"
Reply
I gently sat us down on the sofa and pull her into my lap do she could lay on my other shoulder. I kissed her cheek and her neck and rubbed her back to calm her down. "Baby, it's okay. We're all okay. We'll call my parents and your grandparents too the second we get service back." She continued to cry into my chest and I knew this was her way tO let out her emotions and get past the panicked feeling. Demi pulled away from my shoulder to kiss me full on the mouth. I could feel the desperation in her actions but I only reciprocated it. When she pulled away, her hands traced my features, probably double checking that no harm had been done. "I'm really okay, my love."
Reply
"Baby, I was so scared," I told him after calming down just enough to stop sobbing for a minute. "I was just scared at first but after hours passed, once it started getting dark, I was sure something had happened to you. Cody, I know you. I know that you would try to beat the storm the second you heard about the warning, solely to make sure that Landon and I are okay. I thought that's what you did and I thought the storm got you." I kissed the tip of his nose just because it felt so great to kiss him again and have him right in front of me again after spending nearly the entire day believing that i would never see him again. "I think even though Landon doesn't understand what was going on, he knew something was wrong. I think that's what freaked me out the most. He sat here and cried and screamed for hours, baby. Hours. Until he finally wore himself to sleep. And then that's when I started crying. What happened, baby? You were in school? Did it hit over there?"
Reply
"It started in the middle of class. They hustled us all into the hallway, making us leave our stuff in the room. Remember that drill we did in school? We still have to do that. I just stayed curled tight into that little ball until the warning was over." I wanted to pretend that was the end rather than scare her but she'd find out eventually. "The tornado went by there. I could hear it." I paused for a moment, remembering the sound. "I think it hit one of the buildings cause we heard this ripping sound. I didn't stay long enough to dwell on it. The second we were given the chance to leave, I ran to the car and came straight home. I had more important things to dwell on." I pulled her closer to me and buried my face back into her neck. I wasn't ready to let either of them go. I didn't want to leave the safety of the basement either. I could live with sleeping down here for the night. As I was thinking about it, I felt Landon begin to stir and I pulled away from Demi to look at him.
"Hey Little Bear." I smiled at him as his little eyes opened. He gripped my shirt and I saw his eyes start to fill with tears. "What's wrong, buddy?" I rubbed his back as he reached out a hand for his mommy, who grabbed ahold of it immediately. I leaned down to kiss his forehead but noticed it was burning up. "No wonder you're sad. Your head must be hurting. Hold on, little bear." I gently slid out from under Demi to go get a cool washcloth from the bathroom down here. I placed it on his head that he kept on my shoulder, his hands gripping my shirt. "I'm sorry I wasn't here to protect your mommy and you. You're both safe now though." I sat back on the couch, pulling Demi into my lap and covering all of us in the blanket from the back of the couch. "He must have screamed himself into a raging headache. He'll be okay though. Have you eaten anything? Can I get you something to eat?"
Reply
Without me even asking him to make me something, Cody scooted me off of his lap and he stood up, telling me to wait here. "NO!" I shot out right away, not wanting to be away from him after I'd already been without him all day. "I want to go with you," I pouted my lips, to which he nodded and grabbed my hand with his free hand. We walked over to the kitchen and when I sat down at one of the stools next to the kitchen counter, Cody handed Landon to me so he can make something for me. "I think we should throw away that meat on the kitchen counter. That's what I was going to make earlier but it's been out all day now, so it's probably gone bad." Without hesitation, Cody tossed it into the trash and opened the fridge to look for something to make. I sat Landon on the kitchen counter so that he can see what his poppa was up to, and to give my body a rest. "Make enough for you too, baby. And a little bit for the big boy, too." Landon and I followed his dad's hands as he put pasta to boil in a big pot and then as he seasoned chicken cutlets before grilling it. Everything was just so much better when Cody was around. He made everyone feel at ease, he made everyone feel more calm and loved and he always made everyone laugh. While Cody continued cooking, I decided to pull my phone out of my pocket to see if I had service yet. "Baby! It's back!" I shouted excitedly as I didn't even wait for Cody to ask me to call his mom, I just dialed her number out anyways. "It's ringing," I told Cody as I put it on speaker so he could hear too. 'Demi? Is everything okay over there? Did it hit you guys?' I saw a smile form on Cody's face when he heard his mom's voice, letting us know she's okay.
Reply
I pulled open the fridge door and made sure we had everything for her favorite meal. I pulled out all the cheeses and milk and the chicken, setting them on the counter to get started. Demi told me to make enough for Landon and I too and I grinned at her over my shoulder, "You think Landon and I would forego a meal?" She giggled and shrugged before I spun around made sure that everything was going well. I turned the oven on and pulled out the frozen breadsticks we made when we didn't have time to make homemade ones. While the oven pre-heated, I stirred the noodles while the butter melted for the sauce. Demi shouted behind and I spun around, anxious to see how my mom was. When my mom answered the phone without a hello, I smiled. I also smiled knowing she was well. "Everything's okay, mom. I haven't checked our yard or anything for damage but the house is okay. I was at school and it hit there but on one of the other buildings. Is everything okay with you guys? Have you talked to Scott and Ben yet?"
'Everyone's fine, honey. You must've gotten service back last. And it hit your school?!' She went off on some rant and I shook my head. "Mom.. MOM! Really, I'm fine, Demi can vouch for me. Not a mark. It didn't even touch my car so that's a plus." Demi confirmed to my mom that I was okay and she started drilling Demi with questions about how she was doing. We both told my mom we loved her then called Demi's grandparents. Her grandma put the speakerphone on for them and Demi's grandpa started cracking us up over how these 'stupid speaker thingies work'. Sporadically through out the conversation, I'd add cheese or cream or some various ingredient to the sauce and stir to make sure it came out just the way Demi liked it. I mixed in the chicken as the Demi ended the conversation with them saying dinner was ready. I made a plate for her and I then grabbed a plate for us to put Landon's bits on. I grabbed the breadsticks from the oven, placed them on a plate and sat down next to Demi. "Bon appetit!"
Reply
Once I felt ready to explode, I pushed my plate aside and retired it. Cody and Landon had finished eating from their plates and Cody was tickling him. I got up from my stool and went over to the fridge, opened a jar of pickles and took out one whole pickle. I bit into it and let out a sigh of relief. Nothing better than cold, crunchy, sour pickles for dessert. "Perfect meal," I moaned aloud, satisfied. I finished my pickle and Cody grabbed my hand while his other arm carried Landon, and he took us to the front of our house. He opened the curtain and we looked out to observe the damage. The sky was dark out and starless, something you rarely ever see in Texas. There were branches and leaves all over our driveway. My Range Rover looked to be in a good shape though, aside from covered in leaves. But then again, it was hard to see details from inside. Venice came running into the living room and started barking suddenly, scaring the crap out of me. I jumped in suspense before shaking my head and exhaling as I rubbed his head. I looked back out at the window and shared my thoughts aloud, "I don't care if anything happened to our yard or the cars, I'm just glad we're safe. And our families." Cody agreed and leaned in to kiss me, leaning his head on my chest to pull me into a tight hug. "Do you hear my heartbeat from there? It's still beating really fast. I know everyone is safe now but I was in a really bad state earlier. I guess I'm still nervous and jittery."
Reply
"I can hear and feel it, baby. Let's go draw a bubble bath for yo-" Demi protested saying she just wanted to be with all of us. "Alright, my love. Let's go put this dinosaur in his jammies." Landon and I "flew" to his room while his mommy kept watch for any incoming planes. We reached a successful landing on his changing table where he kicked his heels against the cushion in excitement. I pulled his shorts off then unsnapped his onesie while his mom picked out his pajamas. "Oh no! Naked Boy!" I leaned own and blew a loud raspberry on his little chubby belly. He cracked up and pushed my head away. I chuckled as I tossed his clothes in his little laundry basket. Demi took over dressing him and I hugged her from behind, kissing her neck as she leaned her head on mine. I pushed my hands under her shirt to settle on her still flat stomach. I rubbed gently at her smooth skin, remembering how she said once that it relaxed her. "Wanna sing to him, baby?"
Reply
Leave a comment