Zombies 7

No Rest for the Weary

"Mommy! Daddy! Wake up!"

Zed groaned as Kenzie bounced on the bed between them. He had thought a late night if pizza and movies would help her sleep in. He was wrong.

Addison grabbed Kenzie, laying her down between them. "Let's all snuggle for a bit, then we'll get up."

Kenzie pouted. "But I want to call Uncle Bonzo now!"

Zed opened his eyes and looked at the clock. 6am. "Kenz, Uncle Bonzo is probably still asleep. We'll call later."

"I want to say happy birthday now!" Kenzie whined, beating her fists against the mattress and kicking her legs.

"Kenzie Lynn, I said no." Zed snapped, picking her up and standing her beside the bed. "Go to your room and wait for mommy or daddy to come get you. Now."

Kenzie's bottom lip quivered as tears sprung in her eyes. She ran from the room, followed by the sound of muffled sobs. Zed laid back on his pillow and ran his hands over his face.

"Are you okay?" Addison asked, placing a hand on his arm.

"I hate being the bad guy." Zed admitted. "I know she needs to learn, but I hate seeing her cry."

Addison sighed. "That's the hard part of being a parent. Sometimes you have to put your foot down, even if their feelings get hurt. Kenzie will understand eventually that we're not trying to be mean. Her actions just have consequences."

"I know." Zed nodded, sitting up. "I guess we're not going back to sleep, huh?"

Addison sat up, shaking her head. "Nope. No point in trying with Kenzie crying across the hall."

Zed pulled back the covers then transferred himself to his chair. He rolled around to the other side of the bed where Addison was standing. She tied her robe then turned to face him.

"Want me to go talk to Kenzie?" She asked.

Zed shook his head. "No, I'll go. I started this so I should finish it."

"Alright." Addison smiled softly. "I'll head downstairs and start breakfast. Pancakes and bacon sound good?"

Zed motioned for her to lean down and Addison complied. He pecked her on the lips then smiled. "Sounds great Addy. We'll meet you downstairs."

Addison nodded then left the room. Zed took a deep breath then followed suit, going across the hall to Kenzie room. At this point her sobs had reduced to sniffles which he tracked to the small lump on her bed beneath the covers.

"Kenzie?" Zed called gently. "Can you come out please?"

"No." Kenzie sniffled. "I don't want you."

Zed sighed, resting his arms on the bed. "Come on Kenz. Daddy just wants to talk. Can we do that?"

The blanket shifted on the bed. After a moment, a hole appeared and Kenzie's face emerged from the makeshift cocoon.

"There's my girl." Zed said, putting on a smile. Though his heart ached seeing her red eyes and tear-stained cheeks. "Thank you for coming out."

"You made me sad." Kenzie sniffed.

Zed nodded. "I know. But do you know why daddy sent you to your room?"

"You wanted to sleep." Kenzie replied.

"Well, yes." Zed chuckled lightly before making his face serious again. "But that wasn't the whole reason. Kenzie, when mommy and daddy say no, we mean no. You don't get to do what you want by yelling and flailing around. That gets you in trouble."