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“You’re spoiling him. It is to stop, Nathan, and it is to stop tonight. He is not a baby anymore and he will learn to cope on his own.”
Nathan’s mouth set in a thin line but his mother cut him off. “No. I mean it. He’s nearly seven, more than old enough to deal with his own nightmares. You stopped running around the house looking for a security blanket by the time you were five. Stop coddling him. Do you understand me, Nathan?”
The words didn’t want to come. “Yes, Ma. I understand.”
With those words, her face softened. She stepped in to him, adjusting his shirt collar. “I knew you’d understand. He’s a weak boy, Nathan, not like you. You have to put your foot down with him.” Her hands smoothed down his chest and patted softly. “And what will he do when you go to college? It’s for his own good.”
“I know. “ His shoulders slumped. “I know, Ma.”
“Starting tonight.”
“Starting tonight.”
She smiled tightly. “That’s my boy.”
*~*~*
Nathan had just laid down in bed when he heard the light footsteps running down the hallway and stopping outside his door. Then came the light knock and the door cracked open. “Nathan? Are you awake?”
He stayed still, hoping that if he didn’t respond, Peter would give up and go back to his own room.
The door opened further and closed again. “Nathan?” The little voice trembled. “Nathan, are you awake?” A hand lightly shook him.
“Yes, Peter, I’m awake.” He sat up and turned on the bedside light. Realised - after he’d done it - he should’ve left it off because saying “No” to Peter was hard enough when he wasn’t being faced with tearful eyes.
“I had the dream again. Can I sleep with you?”
Nathan set his jaw. “No, Peter. You have to stay in your room. You’re too big to come and sleep in here.”
“But-”
“No buts.” He slid out of bed and took Peter’s hand. “Come on. I’ll take you back to your room, but you have to stay there.”
Peter shook his head slowly. “But it’s scary in there.”
“It’s your room, Peter. It’s not scary. It’s got all your toys, and your books, and your bed.” He set off back to Peter’s room, half dragging his brother behind him.
“But-”
“No, Peter.” He picked him up and set him in his own bed, pulling the blankets up around him. “I’m not going to lock my door, but you can’t come in when you have a nightmare. Ma says you have to stay here, you know that.”
He ignored the puppy eyes his brother was giving him as he tucked him into his bed and plucked his rabbit from the floor and put it back in his arms. “You’ll be fine, Peter. Just go to sleep.”
The silence was worse then the whining as he kissed Peter’s forehead and turned out the light. He pretended not to hear the tiny whimper as he closed the door behind him and went back to his own room.
He ended up covering his head with the pillow to block out the small muffled sobs coming from the next room.
*~*~*
Peter didn’t talk to any of them the next day, instead vanishing outside to climb up the apple tree. By the day after though, he seemed to have forgiven, or forgotten, being turned back to his own room and was back to his usual chatty self after school, climbing up onto Nathan’s lap to talk about everything that happened.
And for a while, it was normal again, because Nathan was the centre of Peter’s world once more.
And for a week or two, Nathan could forget that his mother had told him to not allow Peter to stay with him when he had his night terrors. Until he was woken up by Peter screaming.
Every muscle in his body screamed at him to run down there and check on his little brother. Hold him. Bring him back here at least until he stopped shaking.
He lay where he was, perfectly still, not even breathing as he heard Peter thunder down the hallway and stop outside his door, breathless and sniffling.
“Na- Nathan?”
He closed his eyes as silence followed and then footsteps moved away again. Peter’s door clicked shut and as he listened closely, he could hear the frightened sobs through the wall they shared.
Time stood still as he lay there, trying to listen. Not to hear.
He flung off the blankets and slid out of bed, ducking out into the hallway. Down to Peter’s room, where he knocked lightly and then stepped in. “It’s just me, Peter.”
The sniffling stopped short. “I didn’t go in. I didn’t.”
“I know.” He came over and sat on the edge of the bed, nudging the boy over. “I had a bad dream. Can I stay with you?”
He had to smile at the way Peter bit his lip as he smiled and nodded and snuggled himself back into the safety of his big brother’s arms.