A Voice In the Night

"Mom!"

I heard it from a distance, a far off voice.  I struggled to the surface of my dream.   What is going on?  Who is this mom?  What is all that racket?  My brain is still poolside, sipping a tall,fruity drink brought to me by a cabana dude who looks remarkably like Batman.  

"Mom!"  

I don't usually sleep deeply.  Usually I have one ear trained to listen for my son throughout the night.  Occasionally, however, I just can't help it, and it's extremely difficult for me to wake up when I am that far under.   My consciousness smacked me.  Get up, your child needs you!  Your child is calling for you in the middle of the night!  There may be an actual emergency!  My heart raced in response and I shoved myself from the bed with a sudden alertness that belies my addled state.  I stumble through the dark, hitting the wall with my knee.   

"Mom!"

"I'm coming!"  It's only about ten feet, but it feels like a hundred because I am still groggy. 

"Mom, Wake up!"

"I'm here, son."  I am out of breath, panting from the adrenaline rush, but I am at least next to my child, and I am ready to help him.   "What's wrong?"
 
"Zzzzzzzzzz..."

It took me a few minutes of standing there to realize that Zane had been talking in his sleep.  Then I had to wrestle with my inner child another few minutes, because I wanted to wake the boy up just because he woke ME up. 

The next morning, Larry wanted to know why I was so cranky.  I think that I would have been justified if I had punched him, don't you?