Endlessly [h.s.]

twenty three

Rosemary awoke around three in the morning to Harry talking and tossing and turning uncomfortably in his sleep. He was having another nightmare. Rosemary felt terrible. He hadn't gotten much sleep in weeks and it was starting to worry her.

She knew what it was but she didn't want to upset him by bringing it up; she would have to eventually if things remained the way that they were. He couldn't live constantly tormented like that and Rosemary absolutely would not let him.

Rosemary shook him gently to wake him before he started screaming and scaring Celestina, the last time their poor little girl didn't go back to sleep for hours.

"Harry, sweetheart, wake up. It's just a dream, you're okay."

Harry nearly jolted awake and scared her momentarily, his eyes widened briefly before softening when he realized who had woken him, "Rosie?"

Rosemary smiled at him softly, she knew that she wasn't supposed to wake him when he had these nightmares but sleep was much more important for their growing little girl, "I'm here. You were having that dream again and I didn't want you to wake Celestina. Are you alright?"

Harry shook his head and pulled her close to him, he wasn't alright and he was tired of pretending that he was, "No. I keep going back to that day and it scares the living hell out of me. Just the thought of leaving you and Celestina terrifies me."

Rosemary leaned into him and linked their hands, she didn't know what he had experienced exactly but the least she could do was to tell him that she understood, "I know sweetheart, I know."

They sat like that for a while, his head in her shoulder and his arms around her as he calmed down, Rosemary didn't mind it at all, she just wished that it would stop soon because it was draining all of his energy the more that it happened and he needed so much more sleep than what he was getting.

"Would you like some tea? It helps you get back to sleep you know..." Rosemary offered after about an hour had passed, she was getting sleepy again but she didn't want to leave him up and alone after that. She knew how awful it felt to be up alone and very deeply upset and didn't want him to go through that.

Harry mumbled into her shoulder, "Yes please, I'll go downstairs with you."

Celestina started to cry the moment they had gotten up and Harry laughed very lightly, "I think she wants to come too."

Rosemary smiled softly as she picked her up, she had a feeling their little bundle of joy knew when her Daddy wasn't feeling okay but she wasn't going to say anything, "Are you hungry sweetie?"

Celestina reached up and pulled at her hair in response and Rosemary laughed lightly, "I'll take that as a yes."

"How did you know that?" Harry questioned after he had watched them interact, his two beautiful girls seemingly in sync with one another even though he knew they weren't.

Rosemary smiled up at him softly, he wasn't around to get used to her routine so she explained it the best that she could manage while half asleep, "Well for one, I'm her mother, and two, she usually gets hungry around this time. We can just leave it at the first one though, makes me sound pretty intuitive."

Harry laughed and leaned down to kiss her, he looked like he was feeling better already which was a very good sign, "Of course my beautiful Rosie."

                                                                                      . . .

"Look at how cute you are! And you're already so big!" Anne spoke to Celestina as Rosemary held her in the entryway, a bright and very adoring smile on her lips.