HEAL

9 -- OLD LIGHT THROUGH NEW WINDOWS

"LAULAU !!  HELP ME !"

Larry woke up with a start, sitting bolt upright, sweat drenching the clothes he'd fallen asleep in, shivering and panicked.  His chest was heaving in breath as fast as he could fill his lungs, his eyes darting around the room, not quite knowing where he was.  It wasn't completely dark, the lamp in the corner of the room casting a warm glow, though hardly enough to seem at all warm and welcoming to Larry at that moment.  He tried to scramble out of bed, his legs seemingly wanting to work even less than they normally did, tripping over himself and promptly falling to the floor, wincing in pain.  

The staff member on duty on his floor knocked on his door having heard him cry out, and opened it quickly, hearing the fear in Larry's voice.  There was always one staff member on duty stationed in a little office on each floor, for emergencies such as this.  With traumatic brain injury, especially those caused by accidents, nightmares, panic attacks, and flashbacks were par for the course, and with four bedrooms on each floor, they were a nightly occurrence.  

"Larry, do you need Marcus ?"  

"No, Laulau !"  he gasped out in a ragged breath, his eyes wide.  His tears were falling thick and fast now, not just because he was in pain.  He needed his brother.  

"He's still here, I'll call him, OK ?  Just stay there, he's coming, Larry, he's coming." she told him gently, sitting down next to him, stroking his hair back from out of his face.  She pressed the alarm button at Larry's bedside, which would alert Marcus, and by proxy, Laurent.  

"It sounds like you had a nightmare.  Are you OK ?"  she asked sweetly.  His breathing had evened out a little, but he still shuddered his breaths in, letting out long slow exhales, still trying his best to calm himself.

"Are you hurt, did you hurt your legs or your arm, sweetie ?"  Larry rubbed his legs and winced in pain.  "I'll get you some painkillers"  Just as she got up to leave, Laurent came rushing in through the door, looking around wildly for his brother, a pained expression on his face.

"Larry !  Are you OK ..... oh, sweetie .... "  His heart dropped at the pathetic sight in front of him.  Larry was sat on his ass, his legs out in front of him, tears streaking his cheeks, his arms outstretched for his brother.  Laurent squatted down in front of him, and let him engulf his neck with his arms and his broken sobs, as he rocked them both back and forth.

"Oh, Larry, I'm so sorry.  I checked on you earlier and you were sleeping, I didn't want to disturb you !"

"I .... I wi ...ish you h...hh..had .... "  he hiccuped, burying his face further into his brother's neck.  Laurent pulled back from him gently, pushing Larry's hair off of his face, brushing his tears away with his thumbs.

"You wanna talk about it ?"

"N... no ...."  he breathed.  He took a minute to actually think about it then.  "Ye ....es, I do ...."  The girl came back with two Tylenol and a glass of water.  "I need to go to the bathroom."

"OK"  Laurent got up, pulling Larry up after him.  Larry winced in pain again, Laurent now realising what the pain killers were for.  He handed him his crutches, as he made for the door.  Laurent looked after him, puzzled, once he realised he wasn't going to his own bathroom.  As if he knew what he was thinking, because he probably did, Larry answered his silent question.

"The bathroom down the hallway."  He had to see it, to inspect it.  Just to be sure it was a nightmare, and not as real as it had seemed.  Marcus met them just as they were leaving Larry's room as Larry brushed past him brusquely, not even bothering to look at him, a question mark between his brows, only to be met with a shrug of Laurent's shoulders.  They followed Larry the few paces to the communal bathroom.  He stopped in the doorway, breathing heavily, noticing the filtered light coming in through the frosted window, the same light from his nightmare, as he felt goosebumps march along the flesh on his arms.  He flicked the light on.