CHAPTER 10

It hadn't been too long after Britt dozed off when she was roused by Dean's voice.

"Dean?" she called, thinking he was awake (and maybe forgetting that he can't hear her). She got out of the chair and went to the bed. The room was dark but she could see that his eyes were closed tightly and his body was thrashing in the sheets.

"Pl'se stop," he murmured. "Don't know."

Her heart clenched as she realized he was having a nightmare about being held captive.

"S'm," he almost sobbed. "S'mmy, help me."

Britt wiped a tear from her cheek as she gently placed her hand on his chest. She didn't want to startle him, but she couldn't let him be trapped in that dream another moment. She rubbed her palm gently on his chest but he didn't rouse. She moved her hand to squeeze his shoulder and jumped when his eyes flew open.

"No," he called as his eyes searched the dark room frantically. "I can't - please, don't know. Stop."

Britt tried to calm him, but in the dark he didn't realize that he was out and safe. She flipped on the lamp by the bed quickly and sat down beside him.

"Shh," she soothed, taking his hand and giving him a chance to wake up. "It's okay. You're safe."

Dean blinked a few times at the assault of light and Britt knew the moment that he was back with her. The grip on her hand tightened and his body relaxed.

She placed her free hand on his cheek and squeezed his hand back. "It's me. You're here with me and you're safe, Dean. Do you understand?"

Taking a deep breath, Dean nodded. "Britt," he whispered. "You're still here. 'm sorry I woke you up."

"Don't apologize," she said, taking in the haunted look in his eyes. "And I'm not going anywhere tonight. Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he answered unconvincingly. "Jus' a dream."

"You were dreaming about it, weren't you?" she asked gently, stroking his hair. She didn't have to say what "it" was.

Dean nodded. His voice was deep as he answered. "I was there again and it was so dark. I couldn't see anything and I couldn't move and I couldn't hear them. One of them smashed my ankle and another just kept hitting me. I don't know what they wanted and they just kept on hitting and cutting. I was so tired and everything hurt so much and they didn't listen when I said I was deaf." He swallowed thickly and wiped his eyes. "I just kept hoping that somehow Sammy would find me and get me out of there."

"He did and you're both safe now," Britt assured him. "I'm so sorry that you had to go through all that, and I'm sorry that you had to relive it."

Dean just nodded. Britt continued, sensing that he wasn't ready to talk just then. "Sam is still sleeping. Cara said he was a little restless so I sent her back to bed with him." She didn't mention Sam's nightmares; Dean didn't need anything else to worry about.

"That's good," Dean answered. "I know he hasn't gotten much sleep lately. That sometimes triggers his headaches even without a concussion to screw things up."

Dean fell silent and Britt could tell he was thinking about something.

"I'm sorry I flipped out like that," Dean said after a moment, embarrassed about his breakdown. "It seemed so real, and then even after I woke up, I still couldn't figure out where I was or what had happened."

Britt gave him a reassuring smile. "It's okay," she said firmly. "You're allowed to be a little messed up after what you went through."

Dean huffed a laugh at that and squeezed Britt's hand.

"So what can I do?" she asked. "I've officially exhausted all my 'sharing and caring' for the day, so you gotta help me out here. You ready to sleep or do you want to stay up for a while?"

Dean's eyelids were so heavy. "I'm tired but I'm – I don't want to dream about that again."

"How about this? I can give you something to help you sleep. You shouldn't have any more dreams and it'll help you sleep through the night," she offered.

Dean nodded and she rose from the bed to check through the medical supplies Cara brought home. She found what she was looking for and injected it into the IV line. Once she had done that she got him a glass of water from the kitchen and helped him drink a few sips before placing the glass on the nightstand. She turned on a lamp on the other side of the room before turning off the one beside the bed. "Is it okay to leave that on?" she asked, knowing that the dark had made him disoriented earlier.

Dean nodded gratefully. "Thanks," he said sincerely as the medicine started to make him sleepier.

"Anything else I can do?" she asked as she rubbed his arm. She was impressed that his eyes were still open, but he hadn't taken them off her.

"Stay?" he asked.

"I'll be right there," she said pointing to the recliner. "I'm not going anywhere until morning."

Dean looked as though he wanted to say something else, but was thinking about it.

"Go ahead and say it," she prompted with a smile.

"Will you – I don't want to – I'm not trying – ugh," he said running a hand over his face. "I know you just met me, but when you're here I know this is real. I'm not trying to be a perv or make a move, but – " He just couldn't get the words out.

Britt let go of his hand and walked around to the other side of the bed. She slipped off her shoes. "Do you mind if I lay down with you? No pervy stuff, I promise," she said with a wink.

Dean's smile was all she needed as she slipped onto the bed beside him. She was pretty small, so there was plenty of space. She turned, making sure he could see her mouth before she spoke.

"If you need anything during the night, don't hesitate to wake me up. I'll be right here," she said as she placed her hand into his.

"Thank you," he answered hoarsely. "For everything."

"Sleep well," she said as she squeezed his hand. His eyes closed and she said a silent prayer that his dreams would be peaceful. She lay down next to him thinking about this amazing man who had seen so much suffering in his life.

It had been two years since Brian was taken away from her. After he died, she had built a wall inside so that she couldn't be hurt like that again. Lying here beside this man she had only known for a few hours, she thought that maybe, just maybe, Dean might have jumped over that wall in one leap.