Obsessive Love Disorder [PART 3]

10

November 18, 1996
Billy

"GOD, GET OFF ME! PLEASE, I'M BEGGING YOU, STOP!"

As if someone had poured ice-cold water on my head, I jolt awake from my slumber and sit up in my makeshift bed on the floor of Charlotte's room. I get up so quickly that I become slightly dizzy, but I push the nausea aside as my eyes land on Charlotte, thrashing around in her blankets like she's trying to push someone off of her. Her eyes are screwed tightly shut, and she screams at her invisible foe.

"PLEASE, NO! DAD- AAAAAAAH!"

I throw off my own blankets and dart to her bedside, placing both of my hands on either side of her face, lightly tapping her cheeks to wake her up.

"Charlotte, love, it's just-"

"NO!"

Her arm whips up suddenly, smacking me directly in the stomach. I grunt from the impact but continue to rouse her from her nightmare. Eventually, her screaming ceases and is replaced with hyperventilation and tears running from her now-open eyes. 

"Shhh, hey... it's okay. It was just another nightmare," I whisper, sitting down on the edge of the mattress. Charlotte flinches as I scoot closer but ultimately lets me keep my hands where they are, holding her head up. "It's okay, I'm here."

This has become somewhat of a routine the past few nights. 

As if a switch had been flipped, Charlotte's whole body goes limp and crashes into me; it takes every reflexive muscle in my body to catch her before she falls off the bed. I look down, fully expecting her to be unconscious, but instead...

"Charlotte?"

She sobs into my pajama shirt, salty tears dampening the soft fabric. I blink a few times, shocked at her reaction. Usually, when I wake her up from a nightmare, she goes right back to sleep. Granted, she does wake up a few hours later screaming and crying again, but this? I'm... not sure what's happening. 

"Billy?"

I whip around at the sudden mention of my name to see Stu standing in the bedroom doorway, looking blearily unhappy. Davey stands right next to him, rubbing his eyes. I wince. "I'm sorry, guys. Another nightmare."

"It's fine," Stu whispers, gesturing at my girl, who continues to wail into my abdomen. It's muffled, but agonizing. 

"Is... she okay?" Davey asks, stepping a little further into the threshold of the room. I put a hand up to stop him, and he does. 

"Yeah, kiddo, she's okay. She just needs some time to catch her breath, y'know?"

Davey nods, although he looks pretty unconvinced. Stu does too, but to be fair, he looks more peeved than anything. I get that it's not ideal to be woken up four times a night to harrowing cries, but it can't be helped. It's all part of the healing process.

"Just... go back to bed, alright?" I order, waving the two guys away with my hand. Stu merely salutes half-heartedly before trudging down the hallway, but Davey hesitates. I swear I could see tears in his eyes in the darkness, but he turns around and retreats to his room before I can say anything. 

I return my attention to Charlotte in my lap, her sweat-slicked palms grasping onto the fabric of my pajamas like she'll blow away if she doesn't. She continues to cry heavily, whimpering and choking on her own breath as she does. As carefully as possible, I slide further onto the bed and pull her into my arms, wrapping her up safely in a loose blanket and combing her hair with my fingers. In this position, her face is nestled in the crook of my neck and I can feel her ragged breath against my skin. It's why I notice so quickly that she's saying something. She's saying something so quietly, I have to strain to hear it.