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“No! God, no!” She sobbed, “Please tell me it’s a lie, please.” She struggled against my hold, “Mom! Mom! Dean! No!”
Jesus, how many people were in this dream with her? “Ember, stop. Ember, you have to wake up.” I squeezed her arms, trying to apply enough pressure to break through to her, but not enough to hurt her.
She screamed one more time and then jerked up against my hands. Her hair was plastered to her face and sweat beaded over the top of her lip, but her eyes held me glued. They looked like they had just relived hell.
She threw her arms around me and began to cry.
“Ember, baby, it’s alright. You’re safe. You’re alright,” I cooed to her while I stroked her head and back. After a few minutes, she finally calmed and began to hiccup softly.
“Let me get you some cold water,” I began to pull my arms away from her, but she held me more tightly. “Ember, sweetheart, I’m only going to the bathroom to get you some cold water. I’ll be right back.”
“Promise?” She sounded like a five-year-old, and it broke my heart.
“I promise. I’m going ten feet away, and then I’ll be right back.” She slowly loosened her grip and let me get up. Her eyes had lost that look of primal fear, but she still looked pale in the small amount of light streaming in from the bathroom.
I refilled her glass and quickly soaked a washcloth in cold water before I returned. She sat propped up against the pillows, the covers pulled up to her chin, and her fingers clenched over them.
My heart was finally starting to calm down after my rude awakening. I could just imagine how fast hers was beating. “Here, sit up and drink some water.”
She winced as she began to sit, and I put my arm behind her back and helped her. After a few sips, she leaned back into the pillows, and I ran the cloth over her heated skin. She moaned, and I hoped it was a good moan.
“I should probably check your incision,” I said after she had calmed down further.
She gave me a nod and pushed the sheets down, never once opening her eyes. I pulled back the bandage and found that she had pulled one of the sutures. A small amount of blood was present but not enough to cause worry.
After replacing the bandage, I sat beside her and held her hand. “Do you want to talk about it?” She shook her head, and I noticed a trail of tears on her cheeks. “Ember, honey, it’s alright, you’re alright. It was only a bad dream.”
Half a sob broke free from her throat and startled me. Was she going to go back to those? I watched her carefully, but that was it. “Let me get you another pain pill, and you can go back to sleep.”
She shook her head aggressively.
“What? You don’t want the medicine?”
“Want that, not sleep.”
“Ember, you need to get your rest.”
“Stay with me?” her voice was so soft, I almost didn’t hear her.
“You want me to stay with you?” She nodded the slightest assent. “Okay, I’ll stay with you.”
After she took her pill, I climbed in the other side of the bed and reached for her hand. She grabbed it, and tugged me closer. By the time she was settled, I was leaning back against her pillows and she was lying on my chest, her hand over my heart and my arms wrapped tightly around her.
As I drifted off to sleep, I thought, I could get used to this.
