They come in dreams

Part 23

My dad is holding me as I wake up from a nightmare about dinosaurs chasing me down and trying to steal my soccer ball.

"Daddy I'm scared the Dinosaur is gonna come take away soccer," I whimper just a little kid in his arms.

"The dinosaur can't take away soccer, soccer is in your heart," he points to my chest. I feel safe in his arms and start to drift off to sleep. Suddenly he starts coughing.

"Daddy what's wrong?"

"I just can't quite breath," he is choking and smoke starts to surround him.

"Daddy, daddy, no wait come back," I scream as he disappears.

"It's okay baby you're gonna be okay," Maia is holding me, we are in her bed and I've had a nightmare. She rocks me back and forth wiping me tears.

"Why did it have to take him," I sob. "I still needed him."

"He will always be here," she points at my chest. A Erie feeling comes over me.

"My dad used to say that," I finally realize. Its not the first time Maia has said this but I only just realized my dad had said the same thing to me.

"He loved you so much, I love you so much," she holds my hand. Then there is a bang.

"Oh god are those fireworks," I whimper. I've hated fireworks ever since my dad died.

"I'll go check," she gets up and walks over to the window. "I don't see any fireworks. Wait someones standing out there," as she says this the noise happens again and she crumples to the floor.

"Maia," I shriek jumping up. Blood is surrounding her and a gunshot wound disfigures her face. I am screaming and crying when I am shaken awake.

"Dani Dani you gotta wake up," Tierna is holding a ice pack to my chest and looking down at me in fear. "Oh thank god you've been muttering and screaming and crying for 30 minutes. I was worried you weren't gonna wake up at all." I am sobbing as she holds me.

"Oh my god you're gonna be next, everyone around me dies, I can't be around you you're gonna die." I am thrashing in her arms. Terrified the template will repeat again.

"Dani that's not how it works, I know that's how it feels but we are both going to be okay." I sob into her shirt unable to catch my breath. Eventually the sobbing becomes so violent that I am heaving. I run to the bathroom with Tierna in toe. I continue to sob and heave over the sink before Tierna guides me to the floor in front of the toilet. My tears splash into the toilet as I sob. I end up throwing up everything in my stomach before continuing to dry heave with my sobs. Tierna turns on the shower to a cool temperature and with both of us fully clothed lifts me into it. I am inconsolable for the first minutes heaving over the drain as I sob. Eventually the water brings me out of my haze though. "Good job just breathe," Tierna is whispering. She's probably been talking this whole time but I couldn't here her.

"I'm sorry," I whimper. It must be like 2 am and now we are both laying soaking wet in the hotel tub.

"You don't need to be sorry Dani just keep breathing." I lay there trying to steady my breath for a few minutes. Eventually I start shivering I initially think from the cold water but we get out and Tierna helps me dry off and change and I am still shaking. We climb into bed and the shaking continues. Its only after a few hours that I realize my body is trying to keep me awake. Tierna wakes up around 8 and finds me laying there still shivering wide awake. "Did you get anymore sleep?" She asks gently.

"No," I respond still shivering.

"Do you want me to bring you up breakfast?"

"Yeah sure," I agree. She heads down stairs and within a few minutes the door opens again but its Morgan.