The Fighter

Chapter 27

The night before Henry's funeral I go and visit him. The were just done preping him for his burial. I pull up a chair beside him and stroke his hair.

"Hey Henry." The words take me back. I wanted to hear him say hey one more time but nothing came out of his cold lips.

"I guess I'll do all the talking today." I try to joke but I begin to cry. I regain my strength and then start to talk to him.

I tell him about my dreams and how I've been working through it. I even told him about the time I woke up with a pen in my hand thinking it was a knife. A small tear runs down my face as I bring my conversation to an end.

"Goodbye Henry." I sniffle as I give him a kiss on the forehead and get up to leave.

I take a walk back to the palace with a cigarette lit on my lips. The smoke curls around my face as I walk down the street. I started to smoke more after I quit drinking so much. The cigarette relieved my pain as I walk up the palace stairs.

When I walk into the palace I squish out the butt of my cigarette. Alan stands by the library door as I begin to make my way in. His arms are spread open for a hug.

"How was it?" He says as I fall into him.

"Hard." I choke.

"I know." He rubs my hair back as I slowly swallow my tears.

Once I've regained myself I walk to bed. Closing my eyes was my new enemy that I battled with every night. My resistance was trying to stay up but it never quite actually worked.

I thought seeing Henry would give me some relief but it actually just made it worse. When I wake up from the dream somebody gasp from under me. I have Oliver by the throat in a tight grip.

"Oliver!" I roll off of him quickly as he takes a gasp for breath.

"I'm so sorry." I cry.

"It's ok." He gives me a smile and a kiss on the forehead. My body shakes as I wrap him in a hug.

"I'm so sorry." I say again.

"It's ok." He gives me a squeeze and then pulls back.

His lips meet mine in a small little kiss.

"Goodnight." He says and starts to walk out of my room.

"Oliver, wait!" I stop him.

"Can I lay with you? I'm terrified to go back to sleep." I hesitate.

"Yea." He nods. I run out of my bed and follow him to his. He wraps his arm around my guiding my to his room.

When I lay down with him I instantly lay close to him. His protecting arms pull me into his chest as I close my eyes.

A beeping wakes me out of my nightmare. This nightmare was when I couldn't find Oliver and I thought he was dead.

"Oliver!" I shriek as I shoot up. He turns the alarm off and quickly sits up. I wrap my arms around his neck.

"I love you so much." I rush air through my lungs as he pulls me into him.

"I love you too."

I get out of bed and go back to my room while he gets dressed for Henry's funeral. A laced black dress hangs on my bed with a pair of high heels. I put it on and then walk down the hall way, downstairs.

Alan and Jax are waiting at the end of the stairs. Oliver comes to me with a pack of cigarettes from the kitchen.

"Thank you." I pop one in as we walk out of the palace.