Small Town Love

Nightmares

It was about 4:30am when I heard a faint knock on the bedroom door, I had stayed at Ryan's in their guest room. I layed in bed a minute thinking the knock was just my imagination, but then I heard it again. When I opened the door I saw Ryan. His black curly hair was a mess and his cheeks were tear stained. I stood staring at him trying to let my eyes adjust to he darkness. 

"Have you been crying?" I asked with sleepiness evident in my voice. He nodded looking down at his feet. "Why?" He just started to tear up again and I pulled him into a hug rubbing comforting circles on his back and his head slouched down on my shoulder. "I lost everything, I lost you, my family" he quietly sobbed, "I lost my life." "It's ok it was only a nightmare." I said still hugging him. I knew he had nightmares, but I never knew that they were like this. 

We stood hugging for a good 5 minutes. I finally pulled away and looked at him "Do you want to go to the living room, I'll make us some hot chocolate and you can tell me what exactly happened in your dream, if you want?" He nodded. I took his hand and lead him to the living room, he sat on the couch and I made my way to the kitchen to make the hot chocholate. I tried to be as quite as possible but I kept stubbing my toes on my air tank. When I finished making our drinks I went back to the living room to Ryan. 

When I walked in he had a blanket draped over his legs. I handed him his cup and noticed he had scratches on his left forearm. I must of been starring at them because he spoke up, "It happenes sometimes when I have nightmares and can't wake up. I'll end up scratching my self to wake up, it's kinda weird I know." As he sparkle he was shaking and clearly still scared.  "Oh." I said not really knowing how to respond. "So do you want to tell me what happened in your dream?" I asked as I set down my cup on the coffee table. He looked at me and took a deep breath. And began to speak.

"I watched it all happene. Like I wasn't me, I could see me in the dream. Does that make sense?" He looked at me and I nodded. "Ok well, your cancer had gotten a lot worse and you had been permanently put in the hospital. I refused to leave your side because Thayer told us you would only live a few more weeks, maybe a month. I watched you die. Slowly, painfuly, sadly. When you died I was holding your hand and we were talking, I had finally said I love you then you went to say it back, I think, but you only got to 'I lo-' then your machines went off and doctors rushed in and the told me you were dead. Then when I went home I refused to eat, my parents took me to a doctor and they told me I had depression and gave me medication. You could probably guess that I refused to take it. I then watched my self slowly die as well. I just kinda of faded away. The part that scared me the most is I died in my sleep, peacefully, that's when I woke up crying. Then I came to find you, I didn't know who else to go to." He looked at me like he was sorry. I pulled him close. "Aw..... I'm sorry, I don't really know what to say. I'm so sorry." I said at a lost for what to say. "It's ok. It feels better just to tell some one that." A moment of silence fell.  That was until Ryan broke it. "Would you stay up with me, I don't think I can go back to sleep." I smiled "Of course I will." I said. He reached over and turned on the tv. There's not much on at 5:00 in the morning so we just put it on something random and sat in a comfortable silence.

We sat far about 10 minutes before I heard quite snores coming from Ryan. I looked over and sure enough he was asleep. I pulled the blanket over him, I decided to stay with him in the living room just in case he had another nightmare. All I could think about was how scary that would be if it actually happened. I made a promise to my self to not let that happen, just to calm my own nerves.