him and said, “Thataboy, kiddo,” and kissed him on top of his wonderful-smelling head. Although the dominating scent was Johnson’s Baby Shampoo, as far as Simon was concerned the smell of his son’s hair was still the best smell in the world.
“Ow!” Jeremy screamed.
Simon was confused for a couple of seconds and didn’t know what was wrong, and then he realized he was squeezing Jeremy way too hard. He let go, but Jeremy was already on the verge of crying—his little scrunched-up face was bright pink.
“Oh, God, I’m so sorry.” Simon felt awful. “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”
Jeremy was already hysterical. The screeching and crying was extremely loud, echoing off the walls of the small room, but to Simon it sounded even louder.
With his hands over his ears Simon shouted, “Will you stop? Will you please just
stop it
?”
Alison, in panties and a long T-shirt emblazoned with “Best Mommy in the World,” rushed into the room and said, “What’s going on here?”
Simon couldn’t take the noise anymore, and he pushed by Alison and went into the bathroom in the hallway and locked the door. Yeah, like a little push lock would be any protection for his family if he turned into a werewolf.
Rinsing his face with cold water, he tried to calm down, but his pulse was still pounding. There was no pain in his mouth, like what he’d experienced that time he’d transformed. There was no unusual pain elsewhere in his body, and he checked his hands and there was no sign of increased hairiness, or of his fingers and nails changing into claws.
He remained in the bathroom for about five minutes just to make sure he was okay, and then he returned to Jeremy’s room. Jeremy was sitting on Alison’s lap, smiling, holding Sam, his favorite stuffed bear.
“Is he okay?” Simon asked, though he knew the question was rhetorical.
“He’s fine,” Alison said calmly, but by her tone Simon could tell she was furious with him. She said, “You and Sam play for a little while, sweetie. Mommy has to talk to Daddy about something.”
Simon knew he was in for it, so when he and Alison got into the bedroom, he tried to nip it in the bud, saying, “It was no big deal. I just hugged him a little too hard and he got scared.”
Glaring, Alison said, “He said you hurt his arms.”
“Oh, come on, he’s exaggerating. I barely touched him.” Simon knew this wasn’t true; he
had
hugged him much harder than he’d intended. But he continued, “You know how he likes to create drama, especially lately. The other day I lifted him out of his stroller at the playground and he said I was hurting his arms.”
Simon was trying to do everything he could to minimize and defuse the situation, but he could tell it wasn’t working with Alison, who was still looking at him like he was some vile criminal. If she’d blinked during the past sixty seconds, he’d missed it.
“I have to know if I can trust you,” she said.
“Excuse me?” Simon said.
“It’s one thing…” Alison had to take a few moments to compose herself, stifling tears. Then she continued, “It’s one thing if you’re going through something personal. I can deal with you sleeping on the couch, and not wanting to touch me, and your weird exercise obsessions and whatever else you need to do while you work on your … well, your
problem
. I’m willing to support you, and to be patient, and try to help you through this. But it’s another thing if you’re going to bring Jeremy into it, if you’re going to start acting weird around him. I mean, if you’re going to start hurting—”
“Oh, come on, can you stop it?” Simon said. “I didn’t hurt him, okay? I’d
never
hurt him. I hugged him a little too hard and he got scared. That’s it, end of story. You don’t really think I’d ever hurt him intentionally, do you?”
Alison continued to stare at Simon, as if she
“Ow!” Jeremy screamed.
Simon was confused for a couple of seconds and didn’t know what was wrong, and then he realized he was squeezing Jeremy way too hard. He let go, but Jeremy was already on the verge of crying—his little scrunched-up face was bright pink.
“Oh, God, I’m so sorry.” Simon felt awful. “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”
Jeremy was already hysterical. The screeching and crying was extremely loud, echoing off the walls of the small room, but to Simon it sounded even louder.
With his hands over his ears Simon shouted, “Will you stop? Will you please just
stop it
?”
Alison, in panties and a long T-shirt emblazoned with “Best Mommy in the World,” rushed into the room and said, “What’s going on here?”
Simon couldn’t take the noise anymore, and he pushed by Alison and went into the bathroom in the hallway and locked the door. Yeah, like a little push lock would be any protection for his family if he turned into a werewolf.
Rinsing his face with cold water, he tried to calm down, but his pulse was still pounding. There was no pain in his mouth, like what he’d experienced that time he’d transformed. There was no unusual pain elsewhere in his body, and he checked his hands and there was no sign of increased hairiness, or of his fingers and nails changing into claws.
He remained in the bathroom for about five minutes just to make sure he was okay, and then he returned to Jeremy’s room. Jeremy was sitting on Alison’s lap, smiling, holding Sam, his favorite stuffed bear.
“Is he okay?” Simon asked, though he knew the question was rhetorical.
“He’s fine,” Alison said calmly, but by her tone Simon could tell she was furious with him. She said, “You and Sam play for a little while, sweetie. Mommy has to talk to Daddy about something.”
Simon knew he was in for it, so when he and Alison got into the bedroom, he tried to nip it in the bud, saying, “It was no big deal. I just hugged him a little too hard and he got scared.”
Glaring, Alison said, “He said you hurt his arms.”
“Oh, come on, he’s exaggerating. I barely touched him.” Simon knew this wasn’t true; he
had
hugged him much harder than he’d intended. But he continued, “You know how he likes to create drama, especially lately. The other day I lifted him out of his stroller at the playground and he said I was hurting his arms.”
Simon was trying to do everything he could to minimize and defuse the situation, but he could tell it wasn’t working with Alison, who was still looking at him like he was some vile criminal. If she’d blinked during the past sixty seconds, he’d missed it.
“I have to know if I can trust you,” she said.
“Excuse me?” Simon said.
“It’s one thing…” Alison had to take a few moments to compose herself, stifling tears. Then she continued, “It’s one thing if you’re going through something personal. I can deal with you sleeping on the couch, and not wanting to touch me, and your weird exercise obsessions and whatever else you need to do while you work on your … well, your
problem
. I’m willing to support you, and to be patient, and try to help you through this. But it’s another thing if you’re going to bring Jeremy into it, if you’re going to start acting weird around him. I mean, if you’re going to start hurting—”
“Oh, come on, can you stop it?” Simon said. “I didn’t hurt him, okay? I’d
never
hurt him. I hugged him a little too hard and he got scared. That’s it, end of story. You don’t really think I’d ever hurt him intentionally, do you?”
Alison continued to stare at Simon, as if she
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