Dreams

Part 3

Pov: Cody.
  "I can't calm him down!" Amy screamed into the phone She started sobbing again. I felt bad for her.
   I held the receiver farther away from my ear."What am I supposed to do?!" She cried out. I could barely hear her because of the noise in the background even through she was yelling.
   "Has Coby tried to calm him down?" I cast a glance at Garret, who was making coffee.
   "What's happening?" Garrett mouthed.
   "Cory's having a nightmare," I said softly. "Pray," I encouraged. Garret nodded and bowed his head. The sight of Garrett praying brought some peace to all the turmoil.
   "What am I supposed to do!" Amy yelled. "Coby's sitting beside him, but Cory won't acknowledge him."
   "I don't know. Throw some water on him. Let him know you're their for him. Just try something else. Pray," I offered. My voice was laced with worry. Amy's crying got louder.
   Chad walked into the kitchen. "Morning, Garrett. Morning, Cody."
   "Hey, Chad, do you know where Tyler is?" I asked.
   Amy started yelling at me again. I couldn't tell what she was saying, though.
   "Yeah, he's in his office. Why? Is everything okay?" Chad inquired.
   "Cory had a nightmare, and they can't calm him down," I explained while Amy continued screaming at me.
   He nodded and looked around. "Ok. I'll go grab Ty." He walked away. Tyler came out a couple minutes later.
   He must have seen my face or else Chad told him, but he asked, "What's going on, Codes?"
   I handed him the phone.
   "Hello, Amy?... Yeah. What's happening?" Ty spoke into the receiver.  "Ok...I'll send Cody over... You gonna be okay?... ok... I'll have Cody take some over... Yeah... I got it... Cody's on his way... I'll stay on the line." He pulled the phone from his ear and looked at me.
   "Do you mind going over?" Tyler asked me.
   "I don't mind. What do you need me to take over?" I questioned.
   "Uh..." Tyler looked at the ceiling. "Oh, yeah, take some essential oils over."
   "Ok." I fetched the oils in the cabinet, grabbed a cup of coffee, and was on my way.
   I didn't know what had been going on with Cory until today. I mean, I knew he wasn't sleeping well, that part was obvious, but nightmares so bad that he refused to sleep just to avoid them? How was I supposed to know? I was scared. My friend was literally a grown man. Were the nightmares that intimidating?
    And what about Coby. Those two were inseparable. How was he taking all this? I shook my head sadly.
   My phone rang. It was Amy. I really didn't want to answer it, but I needed to help, even if it meant listening to a stressed Amy.
   I took a deep breathe before picking up the phone.
   "Hey, Amy, how's Cory?" I asked,  hoping I didn't sound annoyed. I would rather talk with Coby right now.
   "Coby, are you on your way? He calmed down, but he's..." She paused.
   "What's wrong!?" I snapped. Enough with the suspense My mind screamed. I just wanted to know what was wrong with Cory.
   "He's shaky..., I don't know how to describe it. It's not like he's screaming or throwing things anymore, but he's unstable." Amy sounded calmer. Although still stressed, she seemed to be doing better.
   I swallowed, not quite getting what she was saying. "Ok, I'll be there soon." I was five minutes out.

Pov: Coby
   Cory had woken up screaming this morning. Neither me or Amy were able to calm him down. I was really worried. Amy had called Cody earlier, asking if someone could bring some essential oils over. Cody was supposably on his way with some. I just hoped he would get here soon. Amy had taken the kids to their neighbors against their will, and it added up to just one big headache.
  I sat next to Cory for most of the morning with my hand on his shoulder. He hadn't acknowledged I was there until a couple minutes ago.  I was relieved when he grasped my hand and quit screaming. Then he started crying, but it was like he couldn't see me. He stared straight ahead. It was like he knew I was there, but he was still stuck in his nightmare. It broke my heart seeing him like this. Amy sat on the opposite couch. I think she was a little scared of Cory. I didn't blame her, though.
   She hopped off the couch."I'm genna call Cody again," she declared.
   I nodded. My throat hurt from yelling at God since around six this morning when Cory first woke up. Why was God letting Cory suffer? It didn't make sense.  Sometimes I had even had to yell above the sound of Cory's cries. I could barely make words anymore, but I still tried to offer encouraging words to Cory.
   "It's going to be alright, Cor," I rasped. Pain exploded in my throat, but I was getting used to it. His breathing was heavy, and he was shaking badly. I couldn't feel my hand anymore because of the death-grip Cory had around my fingers.
   "It's okay, Cor. You are fine. I'm right here," I whispered. I heard Amy in the kitchen talking with Cody.
   I closed my eyes. I was exhausted. I hadn't slept at all last night. If I was so worried about Cory not getting enough sleep, why was I making the same mistake he had? What was I doing? It wasn't like I was having nightmares, I had just been so worried last night. I prayed harder.
   Amy came back into the living room. "Any changes?"
   I shook my head.
   "You okay?" She asked. Concern clouded her features. My brother was so lucky to have her. Of course, I was equally lucky to have Aubrey. I smiled at the thought. Amy told me this morning that she had called Aubrey yesterday. I wanted to call my wife now, but Cory needed me more. Cory and Aubrey were my two favorite people in the world. It hurt to see one of them in so much despair.
   "Can you make me tea?" I rasped.
   "Yeah," she said gently. Then she disappeared into the kitchen.
   "Coby," a weak voice croaked beside me. I whipped around.
   "Cory!" I tried to stop the tears. I was a grown man: I could handle this. I wrapped my arms around my brother. Cory rested his head on my shoulder. He was still shaking, but it didn't matter. He wasn't stuck in his dream anymore. He was acknowledging me as a person. He was talking to me. "Cory, I love you so much," I whispered into his ear. Emotions welled up inside me.
   "I know. I love you too, Coby." His voice shook, but it was sincere. "I'm going to see a therapist," he assured me.
   "Me too," I answered. The pain in my throat seemed to disappear. "This needs to change. I'm here for you, Cor." My voice was highlighted with love.
   "Thank you. That means so much," he reassured me. Thank God.