Marriage is Murder

Steven looked up as Khaat spoke about heading up to her room he glanced at Jess who just staid stood bu the fire warming herself " he will be fine" she said softly Jack staid sat in the chair Cassidy sat facing him but at a yawn decided to head for a small sleep before she fell asleep in the chair . Steven chuckled at seeing her yawn.

"Seems some one is sleepy already." he said and she stood up to kiss his cheek and moved to the stairs and up to their room. " guess the warmth and tea got to her " he said taking her place in the chair " so chess any one?" he asked Jim made the board float to him

" Have to warn you I'm pretty god" Jim said and Steven chuckled as he moved the first peace.

Brian and Angus and Robert did an intense tai chi workout. Robert came back upstairs, took a mug of fresh tea and went up to join Kate. Angus came back upstairs, headed to the kitchen and prepared his dough for breakfast so it had the night ot rise. Brian on the other hand decided for a long, endurance swim. He had been in the pool nearly an hour when he got a hard cramp in the calf of his right leg. It caught him by surprise and he ended up falling to the bottom where he hit his head on the bottom of the pool, blacking out.

Upstairs, Khaat suddenly felt the same pain in her own calf. She'd never felt anything like that. She bolted out of bed and tried to run downstairs, but the pain that she had that now felt like it was everywhere--between her head, her neck, her back, and now her leg---almost made her fall.

"Somebody..." she called to the people she knew were still downstairs. "Find Brian. Something's wrong. He's in trouble. Go. Go now!" She stumbled on the steps and fell down the last few.

Jack stood up knowing he'd gone downstairs he moved quickly to the pool at first he didn't see him then he did at the bottom of the pool diving in fully clothed he grasped him around his waist and pulled him to the surface where Jess and Steven were waiting. Steven pulled him from the water and lay him on his side. Jack climbed out and went for Robert .
" Robert come quick its Brian , somethings happened I found him in the pool at the bottom of it " Jack said grabbing a towel as he passed a bathroom to dry off his face and hair.

Angus heard the yelling and went downstairs.

"Robert is in bed upstairs on the second floor, remember? I'm sure he doesn't hear you down here," Angus said. He went over to Brian and found a large bleeding wound at the back of Brian's head, and blood in the pool water. "That's not like him. I've never seen him do that. Wait...wasn't he going for Tai Chi with Robert? I've seen how Robert does tai chi. I can't imagine anyone needing a second workout after that. Let's get him upstairs."

Angus wrapped a towel around Brian's head to stop the blood from dripping, grabbed a couple of bath sheets, and levitated him upstairs. Michael snatched one of the white terry bath sheets and laid it on the sofa so they could put Brian there. Then he saw Khaat sitting awkwardly on the floor, in silence, watching them bring up Brian's limp form. She didn't move, didn't speak, afraid for Brian, not wanting to lose him. Clearly she'd fallen down the stairs and nobody had bothered to help her. Michael wasn't happy. He went over to her.

"He'll be alright," he said softly. "Are you hurt?"

"I...dont know. I havent' felt anything like that. I don't know if that was mine or his," she said.

"Where?"

"My leg," she said, massaging her calf.

"Let me see," he said, massaging the painful cramp gently for her.

Jess moved to Brian placing her hand on the cut she stopped the bleeding then placing her hand on his heart she forced it to stay beating while she turned his head and pushed the water he'd swallowed out of his body and lungs hoping this would make him breath " okay I did all I can " she said seeing the cut slow and stop bleeding " its just superficial but deep " her hand didn't move as she checked him further and sighed "cramp in his calf" she said relaxing the muscles to make the cramp settle as well. Jess then looked over T Khaat and Angus " did it come on suddenly?" she asked then looked to Angus " I think she picked up on the cramp Brian had Angus" she said looking down at Brian.

"I...was reading," Khaat said. "There was just no warning. It was all of a dudden, and the...just nothing. I just knew. I knew he was in trouble."

"He's alright," Michael said, soothing her. "Sounds like Jess is right. He had a muscle cramp in his leg."

"I've had cramps from running," she said. "I haven't felt anything this hard."

"Then he's overdone himself," Angus said. "He doesn't get those sorts of cramps that easily and not that badly. He's had to have just somehow overdone it. He was with Robert and me doing Tai Chi. Robert and I quit because he was tired. The last I saw Brian said he was going for a bit of a swim. I thought he was crazy to do that after that sort of a workout."

"Come on," Michael said. "Let's get you up off the floor." He helped her up and took her over to the sofa to see Brian. It wasn't that she didn't trust Jess, but her concern for Brian made her check on him anyway. Jess had done a good job stabilizing him. He was going to be fine.

"Okay?" Michael asked. She nodded. "Shall I talk to him about his stupidity when he wakes?"

"No," she said. "He really should know better. Let it go."

"Mama?" Abbey called, at the bottom of the steps, rubbing her eyes sleepily. Khaat frowned.

"Why are you up?" Khaat asked gently, getting up to go to her.

"It scary," Abbey said as Khaat got to her and picked her up.

"What's scary?" Khaat asked.

"I no know. My room....It dark....Scary...." Abbey huddled into Khaat.

"Were you sleeping?" Khaat asked. Abbey nodded. Khaat was guessing that Abbey had detected either Brian's momentary fear when he got the cramp in the pool or she'd detected Khaat's own fear for Brian. "Its alright now," Khaat soothed her. "You want me to go back to your room with you?"

"I sleep with Papa and Gam?" she asked.

"If you like," Khaat smiled, kissing her, knowing her parents were both still awake reading.

Jess moved to one side to let Khaat be with Brian understanding that it was to settle her own mind he was okay " I'll stay with him " she turned to look at Abby and sighed smiling at her a she spoke " I'll take her Jack stay with Brian" she asked as she stood up and took Abby from Khaat carrying her up to Robert and Kate's room. Knocking she pushed open the door " some one would like to sleep with her papa and Gam, she got scared" Jess said placing Abby down to let her walk over to the bed " we had a little incident with Brian but he'll live , all be it with a head ache when he wakes" she added " he tried to swim after your tie chi work out " she smiled watching Abby settle back down and she closed the door walking back down to check on Brian again.

Khaat was glad that Jack was staying with Brian as long as he was still unconscious. And she was glad Jess was taking Abbey upstairs to her grandparents. She knew she herself would feel better if Brian would just wake up.

Robert and Kate were reading, laying on their bed, propped up with pillows when Jess came in with Abbey. They looked up when Jess came in.

"With us?" Robert asked. Abbey didn't usually come in to sleep with them unless she was having nightmares. He knew Abbey did sometimes go in and sleep with Khaat and Brian, but not typically with them. "Come tell Papa what's the matter," he said to Abbey. Abbey scrambled up on the bed and huddled tight into Robert who wrapped her close. He kissed her. "Its alright, Sweetie. Tell Papa," he said softly.

"Dark, Papa," she said softly. "I see lots of dark."

"Were you awake or asleep?" he asked.

"I no know," she said. "It scary."

"I know," he soothed. "But you're safe here." He looked at Jess. "If you need me for Brian, do let me know. But I trust you can deal with it unless you tell me otherwise. As for this one here, I think we have it. Thank you." He figured he'd just check him in the morning, if he didn't hear otherwise.

"No dark, Papa," she said.

"No. No dark. We can leave the lights on tonight if you like. Would that be better?" He asked. She nodded.

"Abbey," Kate said, huddling close to Abbey on the other side. "Look." She fired a spell from the palm of her hand up near the ceiling and creating Abbey's favorite kitty of pink sparks that she was used to seeing at Sparks and made it run around the ceiling for her.

"My kitty!" she was delighted. Robert turned the lights down a little so she could see the kitty better. "I keep him tonight?" she asked, looking at Kate.

"Yes, of course," Kate smiled, "Now crawl under the covers." She and Robert slid back the covers enough for Abbey to get into bed between them.

Jess nodded she understood " I'll leave you alone " she said and walked back downstairs to the others as she sat she smiled touching Brian on his forehead checking his pulse she found it to be strong. " his pulse is strong I'm betting he'll be awake by morning " she said " Jack stay with him for tonight " she accioed a blanket and placed it over Brian as he slept. Jess moved to sit not far from him feeling she would not go far until he woke.

Jim walked out of the kitchen with a tray of cookies and tea , the tea Angus had made earlier for them. Jess took a cup and curled up on the couch her feet pulled against her as she waited for Brian to wake.

Khaat wanted to stay with Brian, but she knew that Jess had it all under control. She knew it was nothing more that a typical bonk on the head for Brian and she was stewing over nothing. She knew she could find out how he managed it when he woke up. She believed she knew. If he had worked out with her father and then gone swimming, he might well have overdone it and caused the leg cramp himself. And that might have been enough to cause him to hit his head.

"Since you have it under control, Jess," Khaat said, "I'm going to bed. I know you and Jack can handle it. If you need Daddy or me, you know where we are. Looks like he did this one to himself. Once he wakes up, you can either just leave him there or you can send him upstairs. Your decision. Goodnight."

She did go upstairs and go to bed. Brian woke a couple of hours later, but he was awake for only seconds before he slipped off into sleep again. Michael happened to be passing through to head off to bed when he saw Brian wake and drift immediately off.

"That boy isn't going to remember waking up whatsoever," Michael said. "I'd let him sleep it off now if I were you."