Take me Home

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Marcus was on high alert when he woke later that evening. His body was stiff, and he was ready for anything that could come his way. He was unaware of what caused his body to be so tense until he slowly came to his surroundings and noticed he was at Jade's place. He stayed for dinner and not long afterwards Jade crashed so he joined her. He looked around for her and realised what had woken him. He quickly got out of bed as he felt his heart pounding in his chest. He quickly slides to the floor and grabbed Jade's face into his hands.

"Jade wake up." He felt panic settle into him like spiders crawling underneath his skin. Jade was muttering between both English and Arabic as she rocked back and forth as she pulled at her hair.

"Jade." He shouted, but she still wasn't waking up as he tired repeatedly but, she wasn't waking and becoming more violent to herself by the second. Not knowing what else to do, he pulled her into his lap and rocked back and forth with her as he held her arms tightly so she couldn't hurt herself. He didn't know how long he sat on the cold floor with Jade in his arms feeling helpless as there was nothing he could do to help, but watch and hold Jade as close to him as possible. He felt a wetness on his face as a single tear slide down his face and at first, he was confused until more followed. He didn't know what to do so he let them slide down his face as Jade finally stopped moving and muttering.

He let her go and the moment he did blood-curdling screams came from Jade and he quickly went to grab her again. She finally woke up from the state she was in when Marcus pulled her into his arms again. 

"Shh, it's okay. You will be okay." Jade sobbed as she felt her chest constrict and she found it hard to breathe.

"They are dead; they are all dead." Marcus held her tighter than before knowing what it felt like to lose someone.

"It's okay you're here now. Not there." Jade shook her head. She could still feel the fire burning through her skin. She could still hear her ears ringing as bullets and bombs exploded. She could still hear the sounds of screams as she tried to protect herself and the man next to her.

"I can still hear them. The screams as the filthy bastards set off dirty bombs after another. I can still feel the fire and shrapnel against my back as I protected the others from the blast. I can still feel their blood dripping off my hands as I tried to save them." Jade felt her stomach churn, and she ran towards the bathroom and vomited everything she had for dinner.

Marcus quickly followed behind her and grabbed her hair and rubbed smooth circles on her back. He said nothing because he knew Jade didn't want to talk. No one ever did after a nightmare. He remembered waking up countless times during the night and heaving up his guts and there was nothing to do until you let it pass. Marcus believed that the nightmares were worse than the tours themselves. Having to remember day in day out the nightmares you would rather forget and leave behind, but they follow you like a plague spreading and infecting anything that it touches.

"I just want it to stop," Jade mumbled as she wiped her mouth she wished it could all just stop. She wanted it all to just stop and be silent inside her head for once.

"I know, I know." Marcus gently picked her up and took her back to bed where he wrapped her tightly to his chest and hummed and song his mother used to sing to him and his brother when they were sick. He hummed until she fell asleep and even then he kept humming until he felt his eyes droop and he slowly fell asleep to the tune of his mother.

When Jade woke again her head ached, but not only that her bed was empty. She got up and went to the bathroom before wandering into the kitchen where she found Marcus cooking.