To Everything, There Is A Season

Chapter 70

Soon, Henry was moved to a private room on the pediatrics floor. While Meryl was with Henry, Don made sure that their family would have the ultimate privacy. With Meryl's quick rise to fame lately, they were both afraid of what people would do to get a story about the sick son of Meryl Streep. While Meryl worried about Henry's privacy, Don worried about what people would do to get a picture of the distraught mother by Henry's bedside. Don wasn't as worried about Henry as he was about his wife knowing he would protect both at all costs, but also knowing how bad Meryl would feel if someone used her to get to their son. Dr. Abbott assured Don that since they were on the private pediatric floor that Henry and Meryl would be protected; it was New York after all so special rules and procedures were in place. Once Don felt better knowing that his wife and son would be protected and safe from the paparazzi, he went to see if Henry had woken back up yet after they moved him to his private room.

***

Don walked back into Henry's room to find his two- year-old son screaming in pain in his bed and shaking. "Darl?"

"He's in a lot of pain, Don." Meryl snapped. "Our baby just had surgery."

Don knew that Meryl was worn thin and exhausted after the events of the day, not to mention all of the events of Thanksgiving weekend, and knew how much she hated when their son hurt. Just as he did. All Don wanted to do was to help. "I know, baby." Don knew the best thing for both his wife and son was for Meryl to comfort him, no matter how much he wanted to comfort them both, he just wanted to help make it better. He walked over and reached for the call button. "I'll call the nurse and find out if they can give him anything."

"I already did that, Don!" Meryl snapped. "What? You think I don't know how to take care of my own fucking son?"

Meryl's outburst shocked Don. This wasn't a tired and emotional Meryl, this was a territorial and pissed off Meryl. "I know that, sweetheart, I just wanted to help you both. I just wanted to do something."

"You want to do something? Stay out of the way and let me take care of him." Meryl snapped yet again, not taking her eyes off her son. "I will take care of my son like I always do. I know what to do when he is in pain, you don't. Just like when he was in pain when we were in that fucking warehouse. Let me take care of my son."

Don felt numb. He felt lost. He felt cut off. He didn't know what to do. He just knew that he felt like he did when Meryl pushed him away after they lost William, and he wasn't sure if he could go through that again. All he wanted to do was help his wife and son. He wanted to assure Meryl that their boy would be alright. He wanted to storm out of his son's hospital room and figure out why Henry hadn't received anything for the pain yet. As Henry started to throw up, Don wanted to go help his wife. But he didn't. He went and sat in the corner of the room in the hospital room, quietly, and just watched. It took everything in him not to go be with his wife and son, but he knew that would only make things worse which he didn't want to do. Part of him wondered if he should give her more space by leaving the room, but he truly thought the could have lost their baby boy that day, and he couldn't bear the thought of leaving him. So, there he was sitting in the chair. His heart was breaking. His limbs were feeling numb. He was left thinking that maybe the worst really was still to come. Don found his voice to say something to her. "I'll be right here."

***

Meryl took a deep breath once the shot the nurse gave Henry through his IV had seemed to take effect. He wasn't screaming anymore, in fact, he had fallen back asleep. The throwing up had stopped. His body wasn't shaking as it had been. He wasn't sweating. It took Meryl back to when he had been in so much pain from malnutrition when Mann had kidnapped them, and she did all she knew to do to make her boy feel safe and loved and protected. Thinking about that time made her want her husband when she realized he was no longer by their son's bed like had been earlier. Meryl carefully got out of Henry's bed and looked around, surprised to see Don sitting as far away from them as possible in the corner of the room, which she found unusual. She went from wondering why he was sitting so far away from her and Henry, while he had barely left their sides all day, to worrying about him when she saw how he was shaking and pale. She immediately went over to him and knelt down in front of him between his legs. "Baby, what's wrong? Why weren't you over there with me and our boy?"