Can you be my Nightingale?

Chapter 32

The sun had finally set over the horizon after a long day and nearly everyone had fallen asleep. Two little night owls remained awake and they were Maddie and Max. The pair were hanging out on the screened-in porch in the backyard watching a movie on Maddie's laptop.

A couple of movies later, Maddie decided that it was an appropriate time to head to bed. While Maddie picked up her laptop and helped Max to her feet, Max had no intention of going to bed. Max followed Maddie into the house, sticking close by her aunt. They exchanged goodnights and Max wandered into her mom's room where the girls were also sleeping.  She climbed into bed, tucking herself just between her mommy and Dinah. She wanted to feel safe despite the increase of her fleeting thoughts rushing through her mind.

"Max. Max? Look at me!" Max heard a low growling voice mutter. She buried herself more, hiding underneath the covers. She shook her head, tears brimming her eyes, Max was too scared to look. "Look at me! If you don't look this way there will be dire consequences. It would be a shame if something happened to your mommy and her friends, wouldn't it? I can arrange that and you know I can. LOOK!" The tall man spat.

Max started sobbing and looked up screaming, "You don't hurt my mommy! No! Stay away from my mommy! Y you can't h hurt her! Go away!"

"Oh, but I can... and I can hurt you!" Hearing the screaming and the commotion coming from next to them in the bed, both Demi and Dinah woke up to Max in complete hysterics talking to something that was not there. Demi scooped the crying little girl up in her arms and carried her out of the room, Dinah following. Demi was attempting not to have anyone else wake up and to help Max calm down. Maybe a change in environment would help her.

"What's going on, Dems?" Dinah questioned.

"I'm pretty sure she's hallucinating. I heard her say something along the lines of 'go away'," Demi explained as her little girl cried uncontrollably into her jumper.

"Well if we want to get any meds in her, we need to get her to calm down a good bit," Dinah thought aloud, pondering how the two of them could possibly calm down the distraught child before them.

"I... Um," Demi wondered just as Dallas made an appearance downstairs.

"What's going on? I heard the commotion. I thought that maybe Max was sleepwalking," Dallas rambled concerned.

Demi shook her head, "Max is having a tough night with her hallucinations, we need to get her calm enough so that she can take her meds and get some rest."

"Awe, poor kid. Let me see her?" Dallas asked, offering her assistance. Demi gladly took her up on the offer, gently handing Max over to Dallas. Dallas shushed the crying child in her arms and cradled her closely, "It's alright, Max, love. Your mommy, Mads, the girls, and everyone else are all safe and sound." Max's cries muffled a bit and the three women were left with nothing shy of wonder regarding what those awful voices could have been saying to their little Maxie. Dallas reached over for the tv remote, switching on Disney Junior for Max.

"Hey, baby girl, look at the tv, Dallas put something on for you!" Demi explained to Maxie, who sheepishly rubbed her tired eyes with her fists and turned to look at the show. Maxie sniffled and shook her head reflexively before beginning to focus on Doc Mcstuffins. "Baby, I've got some medicine to help you sleep better, okay?" Demi said, telling a bit of a white lie to Max, who nodded, agreeing to take the medication.

"I'll grab it," Dinah offered.

"Thanks, love" Dinah head to the kitchen counter to grab Max's medications before returning with the appropriate ones and a juice box. She handed the pills and the juice to Maxie, who took them without studying them or hesitation. Dallas, Demi, and Dinah were all relieved by this because had she had studied the pills she may have noticed they were the same ones from earlier. 30 minutes of Doc Mcstuffins later, Max was curled up in Dallas' lap fast asleep.