You're Beautiful To Me

After Miles and I stop by the bathroom to wash our hands we go into the kitchen and I start cooking eggs while Miles makes the toast for me and just as we finish Anna and Frank come into the room, Frank smiling wide as I put a plate infront of him. "Looks great guys" he says and Miles smiles as he grabs the juice from the fridge, sitting it on the table while I grab the other plates and we all sit down together and eat. After we all finish Anna goes to brush her teeth and Miles helps me clear the table while Frank finishes off his juice and when Anna comes back they leave. After the dishes are stacked beside the sink I turn to Miles and say "How about you take a shower and then we can work on some more school work?" Miles nods and leaves the room and I stack the dishes in the dishwasher as I listen to the sound of him moving through the house, the bathroom door opening and then closing again before I hear the shower start. Ten minutes after he gets in I hear the water stop and a few minutes later I hear the sound of the bathroom door opening but Miles doesn't come into the kitchen where I'm waiting for him. I let another few minutes go by and everything remains silent so I stand up and make my way down the hallway and the closer I get to Miles' room the louder the small whimpers and whines he's emitting become and when I step up to his closed door I knock softly before saying "Allie baby, are you ok?" I don't get a response, just the sound of muffled sobbing so I slowly ease the door open, stepping in and seeing him laying curled up on his side on the bed, his face half buried in his pillow as he cries and I kneel beside the bed and reach out to gently stroke my hand over his damp hair. "What's wrong baby?" I ask softly and Miles sniffles before choking out "It won't go away." "What won't go away?" I ask and he rolls onto his back, straightening out and I see the obvious bulge in his shorts. "I hate it, I just want it to go away" he chokes out as he curls back onto his side and starts sobbing hard again and I feel my heart crack, my own eyes going blurry with tears as I get up and sit on the edge of the bed, gently pulling Miles to sit in my lap sideways and remain curled up as I hold him to my chest gently rocking him side to side as I let him cry it out, completely clueless about how to handle this.

After Miles finally settles down and his erection goes away we lay on his bed together and I grab his Harry Potter book, softly reading to him until he falls asleep again. Once he's fully out I climb off the bed and go into the living room where I find Frank with the tv playing low in the background while he fiddles with his guitar. "Hey beautiful" he greets me when he looks up and I smile weakly as I say "Hey." "What's wrong?" He asks and I cross the room to sit beside him before saying "Miles got an erection while he was in the shower and he broke down. I don't know what I'm meant to do to make this better for him and it's scaring me." Frank remains silent for a few long seconds as he sits his guitar aside before turning to me and wrapping his arms around my waist as he says "Baby I love you so much, you're an amazing husband and father and I know you care about our kids more than anything but it's not your job to fix everything all the time. I know what Miles is going through right now is hard, it's hard on everyone but it's not your fault. I'm starting to worry about you aswell, I know you're not sleeping and you're constantly stressed out and worried and it's not good for you baby. Miles is a kid, he's going to be confused about a lot of things and this whole thing could be just a phase for all we know." I remain silent, unsure of what to say and after a few long seconds Frank says "You're a good parent babe, I think it's amazing just how much you care but taking some time for yourself is ok too. How much sleep did you get last night?" "An hour or two" I admit, my gaze focused on my lap and Frank sighs softly before bringing one hand up to gently cup my cheek, tilting my head so I'm looking at him as his thumb gently rubs the darkened skin under my eye. "Come with me, take a hot shower and have a sleep baby, everything else can wait for a few hours." "But Miles" I protest as he pulls me up from the couch and starts leading me from the room, my hand clutched in his and Frank turns back to me and says "I'm here, he'll be fine." I nod, following along as Frank keeps walking and when we reach the bedroom he leads me straight through into the bathroom.

After my hot shower I feel a lot better, dressing in comfortable clothes before making my way back out into the living room where I find Frank watching some b grade horror movie and I lay down on the couch beside him, my head resting in his lap and his fingers start gently carding through my hair as my eyes slip closed, exhaustion winning out and the last thing I register is the blanket off the back of the couch being pulled over me and I snuggle under it as I slip into unconsciousness. The next time I wake up I'm tucked into my bed alone and when I get up I can hear laughter coming from the living room and when I walk in I see Mikey and Miles laying on the floor on their stomachs, controllers in their hands as they play a game against each other, their characters fighting on the screen as they laugh to the themselves and I sigh in relief and smile at the sight of Miles happy enough to laugh again. I stand in the doorway and watch for a few minutes until the front door opens, Frank and Anna coming inside and I notice Anna has a split lip. "What happened to you?" I ask as I walk over and cup her chin in my hand, tilting her head so I can get a better look and she huffs out an angry breath and says "Sarah was saying mean things about Miles and all the other kids were laughing and agreeing and I told her to stop and she didn't so I pushed her and she hit me so I hit her back and now I'm in trouble. It's not fair." "Anna" I start before Frank cuts in and says "You gave the other girl a black eye and even worse split lip, of course you're in trouble." Anna turns her head, pulling her chin free of my grip to glare at Frank before stomping down the hallway and into her room, slamming the door behind herself and I turn to Frank and say "How bad?" "She's suspended for four days and then we have to go in and meet with the principal before she can go back." I nod, taking a deep breath and running my hands through my hair before making my way down the hallway and knocking softly on Anna's door before I go inside, finding her laying on the bed with her arms crossed, a frown on her face.

Notes

I feel like maybe there's not enough focus on Anna....thoughts?