Did you see the Flares in the sky?

61

Danny POV
As I pushed open the door I could hear the telly on. Peeping into the front room I saw Amber and Daisy on the sofa wrapped in a blanket. Both of them were fast asleep. The Lion King was playing.

I dumped my bag and went to make a cup of tea. As I carried it back through to the lounge I saw Amber beginning to wake up. I sat next to them and her eyes fluttered open, she half smiled at me.

"Hey Dan," she mumbled, her voice husky from sleep.

"Hi gorgeous, have a nice sleep?"

"Mmm," she shut her eyes again. It made me wonder, how much sleep had she had back at home, with her family torn apart by grief.

I remember how little sleep I got just after Dad passed, constantly thinking I should have been there to stop it.

I turned over trying to find a cool spot on my pillow. It was no use. The room was getting light but I hadn't slept yet, my head was aching from lack of sleep.

When sleep was just not possible I rolled out of bed and rubbed my face and eyes roughly. I should have noticed something was wrong, I should have noticed, I should have. But I didn't and now he was gone. Gone and never coming back.

Intoxicated from lack of sleep I stumbled into the bathroom and let the warmth of the shower flood over me.

Later that night I flopped into bed, exhausted. He voices in my head grew louder but no one was there to silence them. Lara was away so I was in bed on my own. I just needed her arms around me, to hold me, to tell me it would all be ok.

Before long I was asleep too, snuggled under the blanket with my two favourite girls.

I woke up just as the credits were rolling, Amber smiling at me.

"What?" I asked, this just made her smirk even more.

"Nothing," she looked away blushing, "you're just cute when you sleep."