Page 239 of The Bonus

“You’re breathing too loud.”

“What?” I screw up my face.

“Roll over, you are keeping me awake.”

“But I can’t sleep on that side.”

“Go to the couch, then,” she growls in an Exorcist voice.

“Fuck’s sake, calm down.” I roll over and put my back to her and I’m so uncomfortable, this is not my sleeping position at all. I try to lie as still as I can so as to not disturb her.

Eventually, I close my heavy eyes.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

I jump awake. “What the fuck is going on?”

“Your phone alarm is going off.”

“Oh.” I forgot to turn it off. I switch it off.

“How could you forget that?”

“If I knew, I wouldn’t have forgotten.” I close my heavy eyelids.

“Mom,” someone yells from a distance. “Mom.”

I keep dreaming. Shut up, kid.

“Mom…”

I jerk awake. “Fuck.” I stumble out of bed; Lucia is full crying now and I kick my toe on the bedpost and go hurtling toward the wall.

Ahhh…my toe has been dislocated.

“Stop being so fucking noisy,” Grace grumbles. “You’ve woken up Lucia.”

“She woke me up.” I hop around. “My toe is not okay.”

“I don’t give a fuck about your toe.”

“Obviously.” I limp into Lucia’s room. “What’s wrong, baby?” She’s crying, and I sit beside her. “Did you have a bad dream?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s okay.” I stroke her hair.

“Can you lie with me, Daddy?”

“Okay.” I scooch up on the side of her tiny single bed and smile as I close my eyes.

“Gabriel!” Grace yells from the other room. I jump awake.

“What now?”

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