To Everything, There Is A Season

Chapter 43

Don and Meryl quickly fell asleep on the couch after their heart to heart regarding his family. Meryl had felt like she needed to get up and organize more things in their new apartment, but once her body started to relax at the feeling of her husband's arms around her she quickly fell asleep, which then relaxed Don and he fell asleep. She soon woke up to hearing loud bumps in the apartment followed by a crash, and Don woke up with her. "Don, did you hear that?"

"Yeah, I wonder..." They then heard Henry crying and Don jumped up. "Henry!

Meryl ran behind her husband as she saw his scoop Henry up from the floor at the bottom of the stairs. "What happened, Angel? Are you okay?"

"I hate when he cries like this." Don said as he held Henry who wrapped his little arms and legs around his father while Don was rubbing soothing circles on his back. Henry was doing the kind of cry where it was constant and he didn't take a breath. "Come on, buddy, take a breath for Daddy."

Meryl was wiping Henry's tears as she kissed his face. "He's breathing, baby, let's go sit down."

"What in the hell happened?" Don looked at his wife as he continued to hold Henry. "Does he look okay?"

Once they sat down on the sofa and Don moved Henry so he was still holding him, but he was facing Meryl so she could check him out. "Yeah, he does. He has a bump on his head."

"Buddy, what happened?" Don asked Henry who was still crying. "How did you get hurt?"

Henry looked back at his father with a quivering lip. "Bwad twaiws."

"The stairs hurt you?" Meryl asked Henry as he nodded his head. "Gippy, did you fall down the stairs?"

Henry nodded his head sadly again. "Whem wot wice."

"That wasn't nice of them was it?" Meryl kissed his head. "They're different stairs than you are used to so it will take a while to navigate them. I don't want you on them without me or Daddy. Is that a deal, Gippy?"

Henry nodded his head as he curled up against his father's chest. "Kay, Mama."

"I knew those damn stairs would be a problem." Don shook his head. "I should have had them replaced before we even moved in."

Meryl had worried about them as well, but they had both agreed to wait and see how Henry navigated them. "Yeah, but he needs to learn somehow and someway. It was a learning experience."

"He just scared me." Don was still worked up. "I think we need to take him to get checked out. I can call Hal and tell him we're coming to the hospital."

Meryl looked Henry over again and she really didn't think there was a need for them to take Henry to the hospital, he just had a bump on his head which she would get ice for. Her heart broke for his husband, they had been starting to heal from the awful spring and summer they had when Sigourney attacked; and ever since then, he had been even more protective of her and Henry than usual. She knew that was why he wanted Henry to be checked out. Usually, she was the one who was overprotective of their boy, today it was Don. "Sweetheart, he just has a little bump. I will get him some ice. He's calming down because his Daddy makes him feel so safe and loved. He's okay. We'll just watch him closely and if we think he's not okay then we will immediately take him to get checked out. Deal?"

"Deal." Don conceded, he knew she was right; he just always wanted the best for his wife and son. "I think we need to replace those stairs. They are too steep and they have the open backs. We are just damn lucky he didn't fall through."

Meryl shuddered at that thought. "I agree, we need to get the gates out and put them up. I just never thought this would happen. Know anyone who could design them for us?" Meryl asked Don with a smile as he nodded. "I thought he would call out for us when he woke up like he usually does."