Surviving the Life Dax (Smythe #2)

Chapter 23

Chapter 23

       I suddenly shot up in my bed, drenched with sweat. I released a shaky breath and wiped the sticky hair from out of my face. I closed my eyes, trying to push that nightmare out of my mind. However, it wasn't leaving at all.

       And it hurt me a lot, so it was no surprise when I couldn't stop myself from crying.

       The bedroom door suddenly creaked open. I looked up and saw Skittles with his teeth clamped down on the bottom of Seb's pajama bottoms, pulling my brother into the room. Seb was rubbing his eyes, looking exhausted.

       "Can you tell your dog to stop dragging me here?" Seb asked. Then he actually looked at me. "Dax, what's wrong?"

       I looked down and wiped the tears from my eyes. "Nightmares. Same old, same old."

       Seb walked over at sat down beside me, pulling me into a hug. "It was just a dream, Dax," he said. "Whatever happened isn't real."

       "It felt so real," I said. "It felt like....like I lost someone else I love."

       Seb was silent for a bit, just keeping me in his arms. "You're not going to lose anyone else, Dax," he said. "What happened was a complete accident and just because it happened once, it doesn't mean it will happen again."

       "I know...."

       "You don't know that Seb," I said. "What if you get into a car crash while drinking and driving?"

       "Dax, I don't drink and drive anymore," Seb said. "I barely drink. I promise you that I won't get into a car crash, okay?"

       "Okay...."

       Seb gave me one more hug before getting off of my bed. "If you can't sleep, feel free to watch TV in the living room," he said. "Even though it's two in the morning, it shouldn't wake me and Artie up." I nodded, so he walked out of my room.

       Skittles jumped onto my bed, nudging me with his nose before curling into a ball beside me. He always seem to know when I was sad. Whenever I was, he always cuddled beside me.

       I laid down on the bed, closing my eyes, but I didn't want to fall asleep. I didn't want to be sucked into that nightmare again. I didn't want to dream about Seb getting into a car crash and the doctors telling me he didn't make it. I didn't want to live through that again.

       I actually did fall asleep, but I didn't have another nightmare, thankfully.

       I was waken up by the door creaking open. I opened my eyes, seeing Isadora walking in. "What are you doing here?" I asked. "And what time is it?"

       "It's almost noon," she said, sitting down beside me, though Skittles was still laying there. "And Seb called to tell me that you weren't feeling that well, so he thought I could hang out with you."

       I sighed. "Seb's overreacting. I'm fine. I just had a nightmare last night."

       "What was it about?" she asked as she scratched being Skittles's ears. 

       "That Seb got into a car crash," I said. "And he didn't make it. Just like my mom."

       "Oh, I'm sorry you dreamed about that," she said. "It must be hard having to relive that. If it's any consolation, I get nightmares about my sister. I walk home and see her laying on the floor with an empty pill bottle in her hand."

       I gave her a sympathetic smile, gently picking up Skittles and moving him on the other side of me before scooting closer to Isadora. I wrapped my arm around her and she rested her head on my shoulder. "I don't know how it feels like to lose a sibling," I said. "And I suck at comforting. I wish I could do more."