Nightmares

Sara slowly opened her eyes to find herself in a room, the smell of disinfectant wafting in. She looked around and her gaze fell on Nick and Catherine. She blinked at them as confusion set in.

“What happened? Where am I?”

“You fainted,” Catherine said as she moved closer. “The doctor found you and had you brought in here.”

Sara stared at them as the memories slowly came back. She closed her eyes as tears stung them.

“You’ve been out for two hours,” Nick put in. “We thought you needed the rest.”

She looked at them then as tears rolled down her cheeks. She wiped her eyes as images of Greg flashed before her.

“He doesn’t look well,” she whispered, fighting back a sob.

“He’ll be fine, Sara,” Catherine said, placing a hand on the younger woman’s arm.

“I hope so.”

Dr. Tyler came in then and checked Sara over. He smiled softly at her, but she was too worried about Greg to return it.

“You’re fine now,” he said after awhile. “You can go home.”

Sara nodded, but didn’t feel like going home. The place wouldn’t be the same without Greg. It would seem lifeless.

“I’ll take her home,” Catherine offered and the doctor agreed. She handed the doctor her card.

“I’ll call if there’s any change in Sanders’ condition.”

Catherine nodded and the doctor left.

Several minutes later, Sara was dressed and headed home. She sat in the passenger side her eyes closed. The images came flooding back and the fear welled up inside her. She tried to push them back, but they refused to be ignored.

“Greg,” she whispered as she ran a hand through her hair. “What have I done to him?”

“Everything’s going to be fine, Sara,” Catherine said as she pulled into the parking lot. “He’ll be all right.”

“Will he?” Sara asked, staring at the older woman. “Will he be all right? After what I’ve put him through.”

“With you beside him, Greg will be.”


~*~

Sara unlocked the door and stepped inside, closing the door behind her. She stared at the living room, taking in the silence. She closed her eyes and leaned against the door, feeling as if she were the only person in the world.

She pushed herself away from the door and walked toward the kitchen. Memories flooded her mind, causing tears to blur her vision. She blinked them away, realizing she had been crying too much lately.

“Stop it,” she whispered to herself. “You’re stronger than this. He’ll get better.”

She wiped the tears away even as doubt crept into her mind. She wanted him to get better, needed him to get better. She wanted to tell him everything, wanted him to understand why she hadn’t.

Sara opened the fridge and saw the left over Chinese sitting on the top shelf, mocking her. She stared at it, fighting back a sob. She slammed the door closed and turned away. She closed her eyes, placing her head in her hands.

Why didn’t I just tell him? Sara thought as she went back into the living room. He’d be here with me instead of the hospital.

She laid on the couch and stared at the ceiling.

Once he wakes up, I’ll tell him, she thought with determination. I’ll tell him everything.


~*~


Greg slowly opened his eyes, his vision blurred. He blinked several times as his vision cleared and found himself staring at the ceiling. He looked around the room, wondering why he was still here. His gaze fell on the chair beside his bed and it’s occupant.

Sara. What is she doing here? He thought, confused. What’s going on?

He stared at her in amazement and confusion. She didn’t love him, so why was she here? Was it guilt that brought her here? Was he wrong about her and she did love him?

The thoughts chased themselves around in his mind and he couldn’t make sense of them. He closed his eyes, sighing.

“Greg,” Sara’s voice brought his attention to her. She moved closer to his bed and he saw she looked a mess. He stared at her in surprise and concern.

“Sara, you look a mess,” he said softly.

Sara smiled slightly at him as she sat on the edge of the bed. She ran her fingers through his hair and a shiver of desire flowed through him. He closed his eyes, letting himself revel in her touch. He didn’t know how much he had missed it.

“What’s going on?” Greg asked as he looked at her. He saw the worry in her eyes and a wave of guilt washed over him. He had put it there.

“When I didn’t find you at home, I got scared,” she said as she continued to stroke his hair. “Catherine tracked you to the Hilton where we found you.”

Her voice cracked and he reached up and touched her face. It was wet and more guilt welled up inside him. How could he doubt she loved him?

“Why did you do it, Greg?” Sara asked, anger tinting her voice. “What could possess you to do such a thing?”

Greg looked away, closing his eyes. How could he tell her? It would only make her feel worse than she probably already did. He sighed and turned his gaze to her.

“I thought you didn’t trust me,” he said, his voice soft. “I thought you didn’t love me.”

Sara stared at him as if he had hit her. “How could you think that, Greg?”

“You wouldn’t let me help you,” he whispered. “You wouldn’t tell me about your nightmares.”

Sara looked away then and he wanted so much to comfort her. He wanted to take her in his arms and banish both their doubts and fears. He tried to sit up, but she turned around, placing a hand on his chest.

“You need to rest,” she whispered as she blinked away the tears. “You’ve been out for three days and Dr. Tyler has you on a watch.”

“Oh, great,” Greg said, closing his eyes.

“He also wants you to see a psychiatrist.”

Greg stared at her, not liking the idea. He shook his head and she smiled slightly.

“We’re just worried about you, Greg,” she said. “You scared all of us.”

“I’m more worried about you,” he whispered as he brought her head down to rest on his chest. “You probably look worse than I do.”

She laughed as she traced small patterns on his chest.

“You had another nightmare?” He asked, wondering if she would open up to him now.

“Yes,” she whispered. “I want them to stop, but I don’t know how.”

He stroked her hair, wanting to soothe her. He wanted to demand she tell him, but didn’t. He closed his eyes as he tensed in waiting.

“I know I should have told you,” Sara whispered. “I was afraid. I wanted to protect you.”

“What?” Greg asked, staring at her. “Protect me from what?”

Sara looked at him, “From the memories. All my dreams were of my stalker and you.”

A tingle of fear went up his spine as he realized what she was talking about.

“Sara,” he whispered as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her against him.

“He killed you in all my dreams,” she said softly. “In each dream, I find you dead.”

“You didn’t want me to relive all that, did you?” Greg asked gently as he stroked her hair.

“No, I thought they would go away, but something worse happened because of it.”

Greg kissed her forehead and looked into her eyes. He saw the fear and pain in them, but he also saw her love for him. He wanted so much to take the pain and fear away, to end her nightmares once and for all.

“I was stupid,” he whispered as he wiped the tears away with his thumbs.

“Don’t,” Sara said. “Let’s just promise to be there for each other in the future. No more doubts.”

Greg smiled and kissed her gently. The desire he had for her still burned brightly as he deepened the kiss. She moaned into the kiss, her hands burying themselves into his hair.

The sound of someone clearing their throat jolted them back into reality. They quickly parted as Greg glared at the intruder.

“I see you’re awake,” Dr. Tyler said as he came into the room. “And obviously feeling better.”

Greg said nothing, but raised an eyebrow and glanced at Sara. She smiled gently then left the room. He watched her go, wishing he could go with her.