Lullaby

Scott is resting his elbows on his knees and staring at the floor as Nate sits down next to him. He doesn’t bother to look up, unsure whether he appreciates his presence or not.

“If I say yes, I’m lying. If I say no, everyone will just want to help and they can’t. So what should I say?”

He swallows hard and finally straightens to lean his head back against the wall, closing his eyes. The whole evening was just playing itself over and over again in his mind, making him relive the pain in every moment.

Though he knows the statement may not be totally true, it comes out anyway. “My fiancé left me for a man who doesn’t even love her. How am I supposed to be after that?” He grits his teeth, wishing that he would quit feeling like crying. He felt like a baby.

“I guess guys like me are doomed to always live for dreams that will never be realized. It’s the curse of geeks and nerds.”

Scott’s tired, his eyes hurt, and he just wants to run away from everything, but he can’t. “And now this happens and I can’t even respond the way I want to. ‘Cause when she wakes up, nothing will have changed, and me being here will just make things worse.”

He finally turns his head to look at Nate with his reddened eyes. “Now, you tell me if I’m okay or not.”


Laura enters the room quietly and comes up beside the bed, looking down on Katie with a bit of sadness, and a prayer on her mind. She looks to Jason and lays a hand on his shoulder. She knew that he and Katie were only friends, but they were close friends, and it was obvious that this was hard on him.

“Hey, Hotshot, you alright?”

Jason nods. “Yeah…I’m okay. Just isn’t too fun.”

Laura offers a small smile. “I know. She’ll be okay though. She’s too strong not to pull through this.” She cocks her head. “Anything I can do?”

“Actually…” Jason quirks an eyebrow. “You wouldn’t mind calling Camryn, would you?”

Laura is a little surprised, then realizes why he’s asking. “Don’t want to tell her about this yourself, huh?”

“I’m just not sure she understands.”

“I bet she understands more than you think, but yes, I’ll call her for you.” Laura returns to Katie one more time to give her hand a pat. “Come back to us, Katie…” Sighing, she turns and goes back out into the hall to make the phone call.


Jason sits quietly, enveloped by the silence in the room. The others were content to leave Katie be…why wasn’t he? Despite knowing that his relationship with Katie was now built strictly on friendship, he couldn’t deny that their connection made it impossible to ignore each other. He simply couldn’t leave her. He was her life source and she his, whether they liked it or not. And being close to each other strengthened them both, mentally and physically, even if it couldn’t be explained.

His mind drifts to Scott. What had all that been about? Why had Katie broken their engagement? Jason could think of only one reason, and he dreaded finding it out. If it was because of him, he wasn’t sure he would deal with that too well. His connection with Katie could disrupt things sometimes, but surely it could be worked around…couldn’t it? Jason didn’t even want to think about him and Camryn right now. He could only hope that this would not affect things.


As the time passes, soon a mellow voice drifts into the hall, the sweet tone soothing…comforting.

"Don’t fear the night, baby.
Dream now, to my lullaby.
Settle that deep soul of yours,
You’re safe here tonight.

Hush now, sleep now,
Don’t be afraid.
You’re safe now, You’re here now,
Let your dreams take flight.

Don’t let those shadows scare you,
I’m here by your side.
Happiness awaits you,
Close your eyes.

Hush now, sleep now,
Don’t be afraid.
You’re safe now, You’re here now,
Let your dreams take flight.

Hush now, sleep now,
Don’t be afraid.
You’re safe now, You’re here now,
Let your dreams take flight.

Mmm…hush now…
Oh sleep now…
Mmm…shhhh."