After the excitement and nosiness of the day, the house was finally quiet at night.
Jamal carried Josh, while Abigail walked beside them, her hand brushing Josh’s curls as they headed to the room.
Josh’s head leaned heavy on Jamal’s shoulder, his thumb tucked in his mouth. His eyelids drooped, but he kept trying to stay awake.
"I don’t want to go to sleep yet," Josh murmured sleepily, afraid that if he slept he’d wake up to find it was all a dream and the day had not truly happened.
"You have to, buddy. It’s late and you need to sleep. Tomorrow we will continue," Jamal whispered as Abigail hurried ahead of them to push the door open.
Abigail pulled the blanket down while Jamal laid Josh gently on the mattress. Josh clutched Lucy the panda close, yawning.
Abigail had given it to Josh earlier in the day to Jamal’s surprise since he had not expected to see the stuffed animal again after all these years.
Abigail bent to kiss Josh’s forehead. "Goodnight, my love."
Josh’s voice came small and sleepy. "Can we all sleep together on the bed? Mummy sleeps here and daddy sleeps here," he said, patting both sides of the bed.
Jamal smiled but shook his head softly as he sat down on the edge of the bed and brushed Josh’s curls back. "This bed won’t fit all of us, buddy. But Mommy will sleep here with you tonight. And I’ll be here until you go to sleep."
Josh blinked up at him, fighting sleep. "Will you be here in the morning when I wake up? You won’t go anywhere, right?"
Jamal’s chest tightened as he lay on Josh’s right side. "I won’t go anywhere. I’ll be right outside the door when you wake up." Jamal promised.
Abigail turned off the light and left the door open a little so the room wouldn’t be entirely dark, before going to lie down on the left side of the bed, both flanking him.
Josh’s lips curled into a soft smile. His eyes fluttered closed as Jamal pressed a kiss to his right cheek while Abigail did the same to his left cheek.
Within moments, his breathing slowed, deep and steady.
Abigail and Jamal stayed still for a while, watching the rise and fall of Josh’s chest both their hearts filled with love for the son they’d made together.
When they were sure he was asleep, they both carefully slipped out of the bed, and Abigail tucked the blanket tighter around Josh before heading for the door.
They left the door open a little, so he could see the light from the hallway if he woke up. Then they went to the living room.
"He has a lot of energy, doesn’t he?" Abigail asked with a laugh when Jamal stretched out on the couch like he was exhausted.
Jamal laughed. "He does."
Abigail smiled as she sat down on the couch, staring at him. She had watched the way he handled Josh all day, keeping up with his energy and endless questions, and she was glad to see that Jamal was going to be a really good father to Josh.
"Earlier we didn’t get the chance to talk. You haven’t told me about the calls you received," Abigail said, and Jamal nodded.
She listened silently as he told her about his conversation with Emily, Harry, and then Callan. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ NovᴇlFɪre.ɴet
"Do you think Callan has spoken with his parents now?" she asked quietly.
Jamal let out a long sigh. "I don’t know. Maybe they want him to rest first. Maybe not. I can’t tell. I’ve been trying not to think about it."
"Is there no way to find out?" she pressed. "Maybe you could call his parents. You’re close to them, right?" she suggested.
He rubbed his face with both hands, his shoulders heavy. "I could, but I don’t want to do so right now..." He trailed off, shaking his head. "Later. I’ll ask them later. For now we should probably go to bed. It’s been a long day and the day started too early."
"Yeah. Let’s do that."
They rose together, moving down the hall to their separate rooms. Jamal paused as Abigail went into Josh’s bedroom, "Goodnight," he called after her, and she smiled and nodded.
Jamal continued down the hall to the next room. But when he lay down, he couldn’t sleep. He just kept staring at the ceiling. The thought that Abigail was just in the next room kept him restless.
Was she asleep? She must be tired, so he had no doubt she was sleeping, seeing how she had easily agreed when he suggested they go to bed.
Abigail, in Josh’s bed, tossed and turned. She closed her eyes again and again, but sleep wouldn’t come. All she could think about was Jamal sleeping in the next room.
He was probably asleep by now, she thought. She had agreed to go to bed thinking he had suggested they do so because he was very exhausted.
She’d have loved to sleep next to him. It would have been nice to be cuddled by him as they’d done that first night five years ago.
Thinking about that night now, she felt hot and thirsty all of a sudden and she sighed as she slipped out from under the blanket.
She tiptoed to the kitchen to get a glass of water.
When she walked into the kitchen, she stopped. Jamal was already there, standing by the fridge, lifting a glass to his lips. The light of the fridge made his face glow.
"I thought you’d be sleeping," she said softly, happy to see he was still up.
He turned, startled but smiled softly. "Couldn’t sleep?"
She nodded, reaching for a glass of her own. "As you can see. And you?"
He chuckled low. "Me neither."
She tilted her head, studying him. "Why? Because you’re worried about Callan?"
Jamal set his glass down. "Yes... I’m worried about him." His voice dropped lower. "But that’s not why I can’t sleep. I can’t sleep because you’re here. Sleeping under the same roof with me."
Abigail blinked at his frankness, then laughed quietly. "Me too."