The Calm Before The Storm

Punches and Pigtails

~Chloe~

"Chloe..."

I wake up with a start, hearing my name being called, "Huh?".

"Shit... no... god, fuck... no".

"Max?" I say, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

"Please... god, no... don't fucking... no...".

"Max?".

I look over at the bed, seeing her struggle under the sheets, "Chloe... Chloe... no, no, fuck, no!".

I sigh inwardly and get up, from my chair, walking and sitting on the edge of the bed. Shit, another nightmare, I think to myself as I wonder what to do. Waking her up, isn't exactly the best idea, but... she looks like she's scared out of her mind and... I don't want Max to be scared anymore. But what other choices do I have?

"Hey. Hey, Max... wake up. It's okay... I'm here, it's just a dream" I whisper, rubbing my hand up and down the length of her arms.

She tenses up almost immediately, "No... please, please, please, don't ... I can't... I- I don't... no".

I pull my hand away and sigh, mentally preparing myself for what comes next. I look down at Max, her brunette hair damp with sweat, her face scrunched up in discomfort, tears forming in the corners of her eyes and... I- I can't just leave her like this, so, with a heavy sigh, I grab her shoulders and shake her awake.

"Max, come on, you've gotta wake up... you're having a nightmare".

She continues to struggle in my grasp, her breathing growing quicker, and her cries growing louder and more panicked.

"Chloe-e... please... please no...".

"Max!" I say again, this time, giving her body a rough jostle.

She jolts awake, a scream stuck in the throat, "Chloe!". She struggles to get away from me but I hold her tight until her momentary panic passes.

"Shh, Max... I'm here... I'm right here. You're safe, I've got you" I coo softly, rocking her in my arms.

I hear her take short, quick deep breaths as she desperately tries to regain control of her breathing. "I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm okay" she repeats to herself.

"It's okay, Max... I'm right here,".

Max buries her face in the crook of my neck and cries for a while, it seems to be helping her relax, So I just hold her until she's ready to talk.

"You good?" I ask after a few minutes when she pulls away.

Max nods and takes a long, deep, shaky breath, "Yeah... I'm good,".

"Are you sure you're okay?".

She nods, but then shrugs... then shakes her head, "No... I'm not. I'm just... really freaked out".

I sigh, looking down at Max's hands as she rubs at her wrists to the point where they're starting to become irritated and red.

I grab her hands and hold them in my own, stopping this action at once. I can feel her shaking, I mean, this isn't a little tremble, Max is legitimately shaking.

I sigh and flick on the lamp on the bedside table, both of us flinching at the sudden burst of light.

Shit.

Max looks almost pale, did whatever she dream of scare her that badly?

"I'ma get you a glass of water okay, it'll help you relax," I say as I start to get up.