"Iain?"
Iain blinked as he heard Lily whisper his name, a slight frown forming across her tired features. He had been contemplating her question. What did he want to know?
Well, the short answer was everything. He wanted to know everything that had happened so that he could help her heal, and could stop scaring her, however unintentionally. But he knew that he couldn't just ask her to tell him everything. He had to start smaller.
"Where did it happen?"
Lily nodded as she considered her answer.
"In an alley about ten minutes away from the hospital. It had been a nice day so I had walked to work. He grabbed me."
"Do you have to go by that spot after work then?"
"Thankfully, no. It's just a footpath. I can't go down there with my moped, and I'm not walking to work right now."
Iain nodded, rubbing his eyes. Despite having a few hours sleep, he was still tired from his night shift. Lily was observant; she obviously noticed the movement.
"Go home, Iain. Get some sleep. You're exhausted and shouldn't have to stay here instead of catching up on much needed rest."
"I'm fine," Iain protested through a yawn, causing Lily to let out a little laugh, in turn, making Iain smile at the sound he hadn't heard in a while.
"You aren't fine. How are you going to be able to drive the ambulance tomorrow if you're overtired?"
"No," Iain protested. "I'm not just going to leave you; that would be rude."
"Well," Lily started, before stopping to consider what she was about to say next. "You could stay here and just have a nap for a couple of hours? You could just lie on the sofa; see if you can get a bit of sleep."
"Won't that make you uncomfortable?" Iain asked, noticing that he now seemed to be considering Lily's hesitant suggestion.
"I don't think so," Lily said; softly, as if simply thinking aloud. "I mean, I'll be awake, so I'll know you're here. I think it should be okay. If it isn't, I'll wake you and we can rethink."
Iain nodded in reluctant agreement. He was only now noticing that his eyes were heavy; the length of time his eyes remained closed during each blink was lengthening.
"Okay," he said. But I want you to promise me that you'll wake me up the second you start feeling uncomfortable."
Lily agreed, and stood up to grab a blanket and a pillow out of her wardrobe. Within a couple of minutes the sofa was turned into a makeshift bed.
"What are you going to do?" Iain asked. He hoped that she wasn't going to sit and watch him sleep, but at the same time he wouldn't tell her that in case keeping an eye on him was the only thing that would keep Lily calm.
"I have some reading to do," she replied. "My books are in my room so I'll just go in there." She shrugged her shoulders, trying to show that she was at ease with the situation, but her eyes gave her away. But she was determined, so Iain didn't bring it up, instead pulling the blanket up to his waist and twisting into the sofa, trying to find a comfortable position.
"Erm, okay then," Lily said, wringing her hands as she dithered in the doorway. "I'll wake you in a couple of hours?"
"Thanks," Iain said, already feeling his eyes closed. Just before sleep took him away, he heard Lily stepping into her bedroom, and the creak of the door as she carefully closed the door, making sure to leave it slightly ajar.
"No! Let go! Help! No! No no no no no! It hurts! Stop!"
Iain's eyes shot open as he leapt to his feet. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he took a second to orientate himself, and felt his heart drop into his stomach as he realised what had woken him.
Lily continued to shout and scream, the terror in her voice shooting through Iain like a bullet, and causing him to propel himself into her bedroom.
Lily was slumped to the side in her bed; she must have dozed off whilst sat up in bed. The book "Principles of Anatomy and Physiology" by Gerard J. Tortora was open on the floor.
"No!"
Lily twitched in her sleep, tears leaking out between her closed eyes.
Without thinking, Iain walked over, sat on the bed and ran a finger across her cheek, swiping away the tears as they fell. He hoped that the gentle touch might register in her subconscious. And it did, but not in the way he was hoping. She let out another shout and twisted away, legs kicking slightly. She was still in the grips of her nightmare. As she twisted, her top shifted slightly, and Iain thought he saw a vertical cut on her stomach. Self-inflicted? He hoped not. Another shout broke him out of his reverie.
"Lily, wake up!" Iain was panicking now, and reached out to grab her flailing arms that were getting ever closer to his face.
The screaming stopped.
Lily's eyes snapped open, and she froze, her chest heaving as her breathing got shallower and quicker. Hyperventilating. Immediately her eyes flitted down to where Iain's hands were wrapped around her wrists, and he let go as if he'd been burnt. He opened his mouth to apologise, but the words died in his throat as he saw the look in her eyes.
Lily turned on to her side, curling into a tight ball. Her body trembled as the tears silently fell.
"What can I do?" Iain whispered, desperate to put this right. He couldn't believe that he had grabbed her like that, and especially when she was asleep.
Lily lifted her head, coldness in her expression as she quietly, but assertively, said one word.
"Leave."
A/N: Sorry about the long wait between updates! I was on holiday for a couple of weeks, then I've been crazy busy at work. Hopefully I'll be able to start updating more regularly now. Please review to let me know if you're still enjoying it!
