Really short chapter, sort of like an opening scene. This isn't going to be a dark story like the last but I still thought this was a good transition point

 

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“Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

 

Melinda violently awoke to a scream erupting from across the hall and thrashed around trying to remove her covers, throwing herself on the floor in the process. It was unmistakably MIles’ scream and that had sent her mind into an adrenaline fueled overdrive and panicked impulse to reach him.

 

“Miles, I’m coming!” she yelled as she fought to untangle the bedding from around her feet.

 

Finally succeeding, she half-stood and stumbled out her door and face-first into his, forcing open the unlatched door and tumbling to the floor next to his bed. She scrambled to his side and panted as she tried to will her heart to cease its attempt to race out of her chest.

 

Miles!? What’s wrong!? Did you have a nightmare?” she asked frantically, placing a hand on his back.

 

“No, No. Please No” he held his head in his hands and nearly wept, convulsing with each sob that threatened to escape.

 

“Honey, everything is going to be okay. Just tell me what’s wrong.” she slipped her arm around his shoulders

 

“Oh geeze, you were dead and I..” he rocked and back and forth whimpered, “It was horrible and I just can’t..”

 

“Miles, what happened?” she said softly, pulling him a little closer.

 

He whined and shook his head.

 

“You’ll feel better if you talk about it,” she said, “I know it’s hard but you can’t bottle it up.”

 

“I can’t, I just don’t want to think about it anymore because it hurts” he choked,

 

“I promise it’ll hurt less if you talk about it and let me help you,” she reached up and gently rubbed one of his ears, which seemed to calm him down.

 

“I was just so scared and…” he took an uneasy breath,

 

“It’s only going to get worse if you keep it all inside,” she said, “please, talk to me.”

 

“I’ll try,” He took a deep breath, “ it was just like that night and everything was the same until I closed my eyes after…” he trailed off.

 

“After I said goodbye,” she said quietly.

 

“Yes, but I couldn’t hear you and him talking like what really happened. I just heard something hitting the floor and footsteps coming towards me. When they stopped next to me I heard laughing and felt something heavy and wet falling into my lap.” He froze for a moment

 

“Oh God,” Melinda thought to herself, “I hope this isn’t going where I think it is”

 

“I wish I hadn’t opened and my eyes, but I did. I opened them and looked down and it was...” he finally broke down sobbing.

 

“Come here, honey,” she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a hug, causing him to bury his face in her chest.

 

“It was your head,” he choked out through the tears, “he killed you and left your head laying in my lap.”

 

“It’s okay, I’m right here and everything is okay now,” she gently cooed as she rocked him back and forth, “Everything is going to be just fine.”

 

“I just can’t get the image out of my head because it could’ve really happened and I could’ve lost you” he took a strained breath and continued sobbing.

 

“but it didn’t, we’re both safe at home,” she gently kissed him on the head, “You’re safe in your bedroom and I’m right here,holding you, so just try to calm down.”

 

“Just please stay with me until I’m feeling better, I don’t want to be alone.” he choked out.

 

“Honey, I promise I’m not going anywhere,” she slid one knee onto the bed, “Now come on, slide over a little.

 

“Mom? What are you doing?” he gave her a confused look as she squeezed onto the twin-bed next to him and attempted to find a comfortable position , but complied with her request.

 

“After that, I’m not leaving this room tonight” she finally managed to settle into place on top the comforter next to him.

 

“I haven’t slept in the same bed as you for years,” he said with a sniff “isn’t this a little weird.”

 

“I know you tend to forget, but you’re still just an eight-year old boy and I’m your mother. Anyone touched in the head enough to find it weird can put a sock in it because I still remember when entire families crammed into one bed for warmth. not to mention when I was your age and we lived in tiny one-room hovels where you walked on each other” she smirked.
“I sometimes forget how old you really are,” he somewhere between laughed and yawned and rubbed some of the tears from his eyes before he slunk under the comforter and laid down,”Goodnight.”

 

“Goodnight, Kiddo, and try to get some sleep.” she laid her arm over and coaxed him to scooth a little closer, “Feel better?”

 

“Yeah, this is nice.,” his body was still snaking a little under her arm, but he quickly started to fall back asleep once he closed his eyes, “Thanks mom, I love you”

 

“I love you to, and you’re welcome,” the adrenaline finally fading from her system, she closed her eyes and quickly followed.

 

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Sunlight streamed through the thin curtain into Melinda’s eyes, causing her to flinch and awake from her slumber. Despite the slightly cramped arrangements she had to admit she slept well, and assumed the same of Miles since there was no more screaming and he was still comfortably asleep next to her, having put his own arm around her sometime during the night.

 

It was only a moment before she felt him stirring as well and he slowly opened his eyes.

 

“Good morning, kiddo,” she smiled as she watched him groggily look up at her.

 

“Morning, mom,” he removed his arm and sat up.

 

“Did you sleep okay?” she sat up herself and shifted to the other end of the bed, sitting cross-legged across from him.

 

“Yeah, I felt a lot better after you came in last night,” he rubbed the back of his head, “now I just feel stupid getting so worked over a bad dream.”

 

“Try not to think way, nightmares often play off our own fears and that’s the part that hurts”

 

“I guess it hurt so bad because I’m afraid of losing you, right?” he asked nervously

 

“Come here,” she held out her arm and he smiled

 

Miles smiled and crawled over, wrapping his arms around her neck and hugging her.

 

“It’s just really hard to deal with all this, sometimes,” he said.

 

“Sometimes when you go through things like this, it hurts for a while and takes time to heal,” she gently rubbed his back, “but having someone to talk to about it helps and I’m here, along with Kai and even Sonic. We’re gonna get through this.”

 

“Thanks, I just feel helpless because I’ve never lost it so bad dealing with Eggman,” he said.

 

“I know, but this was different. Isa, or Frost as he was calling himself was just utterly inhuman and he had a way of getting under people’s skin. He was also incapable of feeling anything but hatred and the twisted joy hurting others brought him.” she sighed, wrapping her arms around him even tighter.

 

There was silence for a few moments before Miles finally spoke up.

 

“Did it hurt?” he asked.

 

“Did what hurt?” she asked.

 

“You’ve explained it to me and I kind of understand how quickenings work and what happens when-,” he trailed off for a moment, “when you have to take one and I can’t imagine what seeing into the memories of someone like that was like,”

 

“It’s never easy with someone as twisted as him because it’s well, sort of like a vivid nightmare, but you don’t have to worry about me because love is more powerful than hate, and I have plenty of that, “ she kissed him on the forehead as he pulled his head back to look at her.

 

“I love you too, Mom,” he once again leaned in closer and hugged her tightly.

 

“You know, there’s one other very good reason why you never had problems dealing with that crackpot of a doctor, besides you being brave that is,” Melinda said.

 

“What’s that?” Tails asked.

 

“He’s such a moron that none of you guys could ever lose against him, and it’s hard to be afraid of distilled stupid.” she laughed.
“Mom…” he giggled.