To Everything, There Is A Season

Chapter 80

Don smiled as he woke up on Christmas morning, bringing his wife into his arms, and his smile grew when he heard her sigh happily. "Merry Christmas, my girl."

"Merry Christmas, my Don Man." Meryl said turning in his arms and kissing his lips. "I can't believe Henry hasn't woken...Henry!"

Don sat up with his wife as she did, and immediately knew what she was thinking. When they had gone to sleep the night before, Henry had been sleeping between them. "Where is he?"

"I don't know." Meryl hopped out of bed and threw on her robe over her pajamas. "He's not in here, Don."

"Baby, he's here somewhere." Don told her with a kiss to her lips. "You stay here and I'll go check his room."

Meryl nervously made the bed as she waited for her husband to return, and as she did she found Colt under the covers. Meryl knew Henry wouldn't go anywhere without Colt. Meryl knew by the look on Don's face when he ran back in that Henry wasn't in his room, and she ran to him with Colt. "I found Colt. Don, he wouldn't go anywhere without Colt."

"I know, baby." Don sighed. "He isn't in his room. Third's door is still closed so he and Maeve and Abe are still in there, I peeked in your parents' room since the door was open and they are still asleep. Mary and Dana's doors are still closed."

Meryl took deep breaths. "How could we not hear him?"

"Okay, let's take some deep breaths." Don was trying not to freak out, but he was. He tried to tell himself that they were at Meryl's parents' country home in Connecticut, that it was safer than their loft in New York. However, he had security measures in place at their loft back in the city to make sure his wife and son were safe. While they did have a private elevator in their loft, he and Meryl both knew that Henry could never get in it without out an adult because you had to have their special security code in order to work it. Don took Meryl's hand in his. "Let's go find our boy!"

***

Henry had woken up early excited when he remembered it was Christmas morning. He knew not to wake up his parents since the sun wasn't out yet and decided to run downstairs to see if he saw Santa. His eyes were as big as saucers when he saw all the presents under the tree. He was about to tear into the wrapping paper but heard a sound in the kitchen. While in the kitchen he saw the plate of EXTRA cookies from the night before, having seen where Santa had already eaten his cookies he left for him, so...he climbed onto the countertop and had a little pre-breakfast snack.

***

"Why didn't he wake us up?" Meryl asked still holding onto her husband's hand. They had not been able to find their missing son, and deja vu to Thanksgiving a year ago had set in; though, she knew that James wouldn't have been able to get to Henry neither could Peggy and Mann. "He always wakes us up."

Don kissed her hand as he pulled her towards the kitchen; he didn't want her to know how panicked he was getting, but the fact that they hadn't found Henry yet really terrified him. "He was probably all excited about Santa, Darl. Let's check the kitchen and if he isn't in there then let's go to the treehouse and check there?"

"Outside? Oh, God if he..." Meryl and Don stopped dead in their tracks as they saw their son sitting on the breakfast island in the kitchen with icing all over his face. "Henry! There you are?"

"Wookie?" Henry held out a cookie to his parents. "It dood."

Meryl let out the breath she was holding since she and Don found Henry missing. She immediately ran over to him and kissed all over his face, holding him in her arms. "You're okay! You're okay!"

"Just a little messy." Don let out a chuckle of relief as he too kissed their son. "Henry, you scared me and Mama."

Henry looked at them in confusion. "Thanta wiz hew. Pwesents. I hungwy. Sun no out. Ou thay no-no, Hewy, sun no out."