{Avenged} My Nightmare {Sevenfold}

{Avenged} My Nightmare {Sevenfold} [4]

I watched her leave kind of curiously as Val entered. “Do you guys think I could be sick with something?”

“Well it was cold and rainy the day of the funeral,” Lindsay said.

“But you don’t seem sick so I think you’ll be fine after you eat some of Lindsay’s wonderful toast,” Val smiled.

“I have to go to work so Val’s going to stay with you ok?”

“Yeah that’s fine Lindsay. Really I don’t think I need supervision.”

“Well we thought you might like some company since Johnny is determined to keep you in this room today. He wants to make sure you aren’t coming down with the flu or anything since you woke up.”

I rolled my eyes. “Well I guess not a lot has changed since I have been asleep,” I grumbled. Immediately Jimmy filled my thoughts and tears filled my eyes.

“It’s alright hun. A lot has changed actually. All the guys are grieving and well I have a feeling Johnny’s going to be a little more overprotective of you for a while.”

“Why?”

“Because he lost his friend and you lost your friend and your boyfriend. He wants to make sure you are ok. At the funeral you broke down before you passed out. Matt had to carry you away from the service. I think it broke what was left of his heart to see you so hurt than more anything else that day. I know you scared the crap out of him when you just slumped over in Matt’s arms and quit crying.”

I felt really bad hearing that. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Why I react like this to death.”

“You’ve done it before?”

“The summer you were in Europe and my parents had their accident. When the police came to the door and told me and Johnny I couldn’t stop crying for hours and then something happened and I ended up catatonic for a month and half. Jimmy never left my side. That’s how I knew he really cared and wasn’t just trying to play me.” My tears welled up again and began streaming down my face. I put the empty plate aside having ate all of the toast. Val handed me a box of tissues as she sat on my bed.

“You know it sounds to me like your body is just protecting itself from shock. It shuts your mind down until you are ready to deal with the hard stuff.”

“Nobody else does,” I muttered.

“Nobody else keeps as much of what they are thinking and feeling inside.”

“I don’t really though. I just have a hard time sharing with everyone. I always share with Jimmy…”

“I know you did and he isn’t here now. I think that’s part of why you shut down like that. It’s ok to talk to us you know?”

“I know. I just…” I struggled to find the words.

“It’s alright Kathy. You don’t have to force it. Just know that if you ever feel like talking we’re all here for you ok?”

“Ok,” I smiled at her feeling a little relief that she wasn’t going to push it.

“Here, eat your soup before it gets cold,” Val handed me the bowl.

***The Next Morning***

There was a knock on my door and Val and I both sat up as Matt poked his head in.

“You guys might want to come down and see this. Brian is cooking breakfast.”

Val and I looked at each other and then back at Matt. “Brian?” we both asked at the same time.

“Brian,” Matt confirmed.

Val and I looked at each other and giggled before scrambling out of bed and following Matt down to the kitchen. Sure enough there in front of the stove was Brian with a skillet and a plate stacked with pancakes.

“Hey guys help yourselves,” He muttered staring intently at the pan.

“I didn’t know you could cook,” I said forking a pancake onto another plate.

“A man’s got to eat Katie,” Brian said using Jimmy’s nickname for me. Immediately his eyes looked up and connected with mine. I was frozen and so was he until an acrid smell started filling the air. My eyes snapped down to the skillet.

“Uh Brian….”

“Shit!” He dumped the pancake out of the skillet and into the trash. “Sorry Katie….uh..”

“It’s alright Brian. It’s kind of nice to hear it. Makes me feel like Jimmy’s still here somehow,” I said with a feeble smile.

I sat down at the table and poured myself a glass of orange juice. Matt came to the table with a cup of coffee and I felt my stomach rebel. I quickly got up and ran to the bathroom. I went up to my bathroom to clean my mouth out before I went back to the kitchen.

“You ok?” Johnny asked.

“Yeah, the coffee smell is just messing with my stomach still.” I noticed that Matt had substituted a glass of orange juice for his coffee.

“Sorry Kathy. I didn’t think.”

“It’s ok Matt. Honestly I don’t know why….” I heard the eggs crack seconds before they hit the hot skillet and the smell…I was off and running to the bathroom again. I came back to the kitchen to find everyone sitting worriedly at the table. Brian had put the eggs away and was obviously done cooking.

“I’m sorry guys I really don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“Well, I went ahead and made an appointment with Dr. Henderson for you,” Lindsay said.

“Thanks.”

“She wants you to go to the hospital as soon as possible this morning and then she’ll see us with the results this afternoon.”

“Ok then let’s just go and get this over with.”

After a quick shower and a short uneventful drive I found myself being poked with needles, prodded with other instruments and hooked up to a million different machines. Two hours later we left the hospital.

“Now we wait,” I said tiredly.

“Now we wait,” Lindsay repeated softly with a smile.

“Why are you smiling?”

“Oh I was looking through some pamphlets and I think I may know what’s going on but I want to wait to be sure.”