Hanging On

Perfect

Alright, this one is a littler longer....again, not ALOT goes on...but I liked it. Oh, and I thought I better get this out there. This story is completed...in microsoft word. I pre write ll my stories before putitng them up, then put them up a chapter at a time. So you dont have to worry about this stroy never geting finished.

For the next week, Tucker and I spent our time stealing as many moments together as possible, and working on the farm, as usual. He was kind, and gentle, and funny when we were at work, making me smile and laugh more than I had in years. Every day I hoped my mother would ask us to go on some errand that would take most of the day, just so Tucker and I would have some time together.

I didn’t ask him to sleep in with me since the night my mom and I had a fight, because I didn’t want him to think that I was weak, and I didn’t want to disturb him. I didn’t sleep very well.

It wasn’t until the following weekend, exactly one week after Tucker and I had made our trip to Gunthar, that something happened.

My eyes snapped open from my restless sleep at the slightest noise from Tucker’s room. I couldn’t quite place the sound, but I knew something wasn’t right. I looked at my cell phone; it was only just after one. The noise came again, but still I couldn’t tell what it was.

I darted out of my bed and into Tucker’s room, not bothering to knock. For once, the light was off, and he was asleep. He tossed onto his back and made the noise again. It was something between a whimper and a cry, and it broke my heart. I froze, unsure of what to do.

“You can’t.” he muttered, his hand clenching into a fist. I stepped closer to his bed. I had seen him have nightmares before, but this was different. It was a nightmare, obviously, but he really looked terrified, and vulnerable. “You can’t.” he said again, whimpering at the end. He muttered it a few more times, and I knelt down next to his bed, about to wake him.

Suddenly, he sat bolt upright in bed.

“STOP!” he screamed, rolling quickly out of bed and onto his feet, his arms raised to defend himself, his eyes wide, his chest heaving. I slowly stood up, holding my hands up in a surrender motion.

“Tucker, it’s ok, it’s me.” I said in the calmest voice I could muster, trying to keep the cracking out of it. His stance faltered, but he didn’t let his arms down. I stepped a little closer, and he stepped back, lowering his arms and staring at me, his breathing ragged. He stared at me for a few moments before turning his back on me.

“You should not have come in here.” He said in a steely voice.

“What?” I whispered, scared and worried.

“I said, you should not have come in here.” He snarled, whipping around to face me, his face unreadable. I stared at him shocked.

“Tucker, it’s ok, it was just a dream.” I said softly.

“You can’t come near me when I’m…like that!” he barked, stammering a little. I was lost.

“What are you talking about? Everything is ok, just listen to me-”

“No, listen to me! I could have hurt you! You cant ever wake me up again, no matter how bad it may seem.” He said, his voice softening a little. I suddenly understood. He lashed out ion his dreams, and waking him up could startle him, and I could get hurt.

I didn’t believe it.

I shook my head.

“No, I won’t just let you suffer like that.” I said stubbornly. His jaw clenched and he looked away for a moment.