I'll Be Back

A First Christmas

Lisa feels the lashings hitting her skin as she grunts out in pain. Over and over again they continue to rain down on her. She feels her flesh being ripped open, oozing blood. The maniacal laughter of Mengenala echoing throughout her aching head.

She shoots up in bed, her naked body covered in sweat. Jennie wakes up, noticing Lisa’s frantic state. She sits up in bed with Lisa, grabbing ahold of her wife’s face, trying to get her wild eyes to stay on her.

“Look at me. Look at me. You’re home. You’re home. You’re with me, honey.“

Lisa can see him, he’s in the corner of the room, just his shadow but she knows he’s there. She can’t stop looking at him, waiting for him to lunge forward.

“Don’t look over there look at me. Lisa, look at my eyes. Hey, look at me.” Jennie tries, Lisa’s pupils are dilated, no brown hues in sight. She’s shaking and staring off in a corner. Jennie continues to try to force her eyes on her.

“Lisa, you’re with me. It’s Jennie, I’m right here.” Lisa starts to feel hands on her face, well, they’ve been on her face but she’s just now noticing. She turns her eyes and sees Jennie. Jennie’s bright worried  eyes.

“That’s it. Keep looking at me. Feel my hands on your face. Just keep looking at me. You’re home, no one’s going to hurt you.” Jennie nods her head along with Lisa as she slowly comes out of her episode. Lisa feels the weight being lifted, cloud cover clearing. She recognizes she’s in her room. She’s home with her wife. She’s not there anymore.

Lisa lets out an exhaustive breath as she comes back. Jennie smiles at her, seeing the warna Color return to her eyes.

“Hi.” Jennie breathes out. Lisa moves to drop her head into the crook of Jennie’s neck, slowing her breathing. Jennie begins smoothing out Lisa’s hair, comforting her.

“Hi.” Lisa whispers. She peeks to look at the corner of the room for the shadow but it’s gone. She pulls back from Jennie and wipes the sweat from her forehead. “I wasn’t even sweating this much when we were having sex earlier.” Jennie laughs, moving some of the hair stuck to Lisa’s forehead.

“Guess I wasn’t doing my job right.” She jokes. Lisa laughs.

“No, you definitely were. Give me a second and we can test that theory again.” Lisa winks, Jennie rolls her eyes and nods as Lisa’s naked body rises to go into their ensuite bathroom.

She hears the water running and Lisa clearly splashing her face. Her nightmares had been getting better and not lasting as long. She’s been staying on a strict schedule of therapy and anti-anxiety and depression medication. It seems with Christmas just around the corner her anxiety of spending her first holiday back with her family is at an all-time high. Jennie waits patiently for Lisa to return.

Lisa stares at herself in the mirror for a moment. She feels her throat drying all of a sudden and begins drinking excessively from the tap. Soon, a naked Jennie is coming into the bathroom.

“Babe I can go get you a glass?”

Lisa looks up and nods. Feeling a little sheepish. Jennie places a kiss on Lisa’s cheek before grabbing her robe and exiting the bathroom. Lisa takes a deep sigh.

“Calm down.” Lisa tells herself.

Jennie heads downstairs as quietly as possible hoping not to wake any of the kids. Until she hears what sounds like paper ripping in the kitchen. Jennie furrows her brow and enters the kitchen. Only the small light above the sink is on as she sees Aden wrapping presents.

“What are you doing up?” She asks. He notices her and grins.

“I needed to wrap these and put them under the tree before Lia started going through my closet. You know she’d tell mama all the presents.”