Nightmares
Later that evening, Jack and Elizabeth sat at their dining room table enjoying their traditional first day of school meal of Chinese food. Even Rip enjoyed a few bites of chicken teriyaki on a stick shared by Elizabeth. When Jack wasn't looking, of course.
"Fortune cookie time." Jack reached into the bag pulling out both cookies and placing them behind his back. "Pick a hand, my dear."
"Hmm." She tapped her finger to her lips. "I'll take the one on the right." Quickly she ripped open the wrapper and cracked it in half. "You will be hungry again in one hour." They laughed. "You know, it's probably true. You're turn."
Jack broke open his cookie to release the paper. He smiled as he read it. "Kiss your loved ones today." He leaned forward kissing Elizabeth's baby bump then sat up to kiss her lips soundly. "I love my little family. So much."
"Good, because we love you!" she giggled.
Once they'd finished eating, Jack stood and began clearing the table. Packing away what few leftovers there were for the next day Though they'd probably all be eaten by Elizabeth for a late night snack before then.
"You seem better than earlier." Elizabeth asked as she sipped her tea. "Feeling more at ease?"
"I think so. One of the things Shane said was to think positive, so I'm trying that."
"That's good. What are you thinking about?"
Jack shrugged. "You, the baby, Tom and Julie's wedding. Tom called me today. Julie's getting anxious and may have mentioned eloping."
"What! She can't! We've been planning this wedding for months!"
Jack waved his hands around, "He's got it under control. You know how hard it is to wait. We barely did."
"Tis true," she blushed. "I just couldn't wait to have you all to myself. Even after we were married though I was still sharing you with school and the ROTC. I'm still sharing you with the Army."
"There's always something. Soon we'll be sharing each other with the baby. It's how life goes." She nodded. "But our life is good, right?"
"Very good, Jack. I can't imagine my life any other way. Without you it's just not right."
"I agree." He closed the last of the leftovers in the fridge and went back to the table, pulling her from her seat into his arms. "What would you like to do tonight, Mrs. Thornton? Up for a fall walk before bed?"
"Sounds perfect. What do you say, Rip?" They looked down at the basset hound under the table. He rolled onto his back as if to say "do not disturb". The couple just laughed. "Oh come on! If I can waddle down the road, so can you. Let's go!"
"Woof!"
"Well, he sure told you." Jack laughed. "But really Rip, a walk will be good for all of us. Lets go."
The dog looked at both of them and decided to give up. Standing he walked over to the door with a grunt in each step.
"There." Jack said. "He's ready now."
…
Julie walked up the 4 flights of stairs to Tom's apartment in the city. It was just after 6, so she assumed at least one of his roommates would be home. The thought of spending the evening with his roommates left much to be desired but at least she'd be with Tom. They needed the time tonight.
Her phone buzzed just as she reached his floor. Pulling from her purse she saw his face on the screen.
"You better not be canceling on me,Tommy boy. If I have to spend the evening with Trey and Max while you're stuck at work you will have some serious making up to do!" she scolded playfully.
"I did that once! Would you please forgive me already!" Tom laughed. "And it wasn't even for the whole evening. I was an hour late."
"An hour and 25 minutes but who was counting."
"You apparently. Relax, babe. I'm here, just not in the apartment."
"Okay, I'll play along. Where are you then?"
"Come to the roof."
"Tom! That's like 8 more flights of stairs!"
"Think of it this way, you won't have to go the gym tomorrow!" he laughed. He knew she had been working really hard to fit into "the perfect dress" as she called it. Not that she had anything to worry about. She looked amazing as far as he was concerned. No woman compared to her.
"Alright, I'm coming! Oh my goodness! What did you do!" She ran over, jumping into his waiting arms.
"It's our special night in, well out, I guess since we're outside." He led Julie over to the spot where he had set up blankets and pillows. It was like an outdoor picnic. He'd even draped white Christmas lights around giving off a romantic mood.
"This is wonderful." They settled down into the comfy pillows as Julie leaned up against Tom's strong shoulder. "Wherever did you get this idea?"
"I'd like to take all the credit for this but I sort of stole the idea from Jack."
"Really? Oh! From college when they were first married?"
"That's right. They were at the brownstone and were having a hard time juggling newlywed life, ROTC and classes. So one night Jack planned a romantic night on the rooftop for them. Seemed to do the trick."
"You Thornton's sure are romantic."
"I think we get it from our Dad," Tom smiled, pulling her closer.
"Really? Your mom doesn't seem like the type to care for such things."
"Maybe not now, but she did when Dad was alive. He'd come home from work and sweep her off her feet while Jack and I sat at the table doing homework." Julie laughed. "It was gross, but looking back now, it was sweet. He loved her more than anything."
Julie thought about that for a moment. To have such a love and lose it. "She must be lonely then."
"Sometimes I think she might be. Especially now that Jack and I are older. I asked Grandpop Davis if anyone's been coming around calling on mom. He said if they had he hadn't heard of it."
"Listen to you, "calling on mom". You sound so old school," she teased.
Tom shrugged. "I don't know what else to call it. She's my mom!"
"Fair enough. Oh, maybe we could set her up with someone! I know some nice doctors at the hospital. Age appropriate, and we could even..."
"Julie… no."
"But if she's lonely I just thought…." she moaned as he kissed her deeply. "What was that for?"
"I've known you long enough to know that's the only way to get you to stop talking. That and good food."
"Did you cook for me tonight?" She laughed.
"No, I didn't cook. I'm not that talented yet but I did get food from all your favorite places!"
"Tom Thornton, you are truly a wonderful man!"
"I try." He dished up two plates full of food then poured two glasses of wine in plastic wine cups he'd picked up at Target and handed one to her. "To you. The woman who's everything I ever dreamed of, but never thought I'd have."
"And to you, the man who's made all my dreams come true. I love you,Tom."
"I love you too, Julie. To us!"
"To us!"
…...
By 1:30 AM, Elizabeth found herself awake like she did most nights and with an empty stomach. Her son seemed to have a healthy appetite in there. Problem was, she was comfortable in her nice warm feather top bed. So instead of getting up, she tried to ignore it. She almost succeeded until…
"Ouch! Seriously, baby. You're going break mommy's ribs one of these days with those kicks." She rubbed the upper left side of her belly where her son's feet seemed be at the moment.
"Listen little Mr Thornton," she whispered. "Mommy needs her sleep so you need to stop that." She rolled onto her back hoping that a few minutes of rubbing her belly would soothe the baby to sleep, but no. Her little soccer player was awake. "And now I'm hungry. Again."
With that she rolled out of bed hoping not to wake Jack in the process. He needed all the sleep he could get. Without even glancing back she sneaked out of the room and down the stairs toward the kitchen.
"Okay, baby, what do we want." She opened the pantry. "Oreos, crackers and peanut butter, I could make tuna. No kicks? You're either asleep or not interested, huh?" She closed the door and walked over to the fridge. "What about left over Chinese? Chicken Lo Mein or Egg rolls?" She giggled as she felt a storm of movement in her midsection. "Chinese it is. I'm definitely going for the egg roll."
She sat in the living room under a big plush blanket, reading her latest chick lit novel. She, Rosie, and Faith had discovered a series of innocent Cowboy romance novels and were having a blast reading through them. The best part was it kept their poor bedridden friend calm and happy. There were a total of 22 of them in all, so they were covered for a while.
"Okay, little Thornton. Time for bed." Elizabeth closed her nook and pushed herself off the couch.
Just as she was placing her washed dish on the drying rack, she heard footsteps coming down the stairs.
"Hey sweetie. Did I wake you?" Hearing nothing in response she walked out into the hall. "Jack?"
There in the dark was Jack crotched at the base of the stairs. His eyes were nothing more than slits as he stayed still as a statue.
"Babe? Are you awake?" He didn't move. "Jack?"
Slowly Jack stood and made his way to the other side of the hall, mumbling to himself as he went.
"Oh no," she thought. "He's sleepwalking. Was this what Shane warned us about? What do I do?"
Taking a deep breath she inched closer. Trying ever so careful not to startle him.
"Jack? Babe, it's me, Elizabeth. Wake up sweetie." He didn't wake. Instead he stopped.
"We don't have time." His voice was clear, but his gaze went straight past her.
"Time for what?"
"We need to keep moving."
"Jack, where are you?" He turned and walked away a few steps.
Not knowing what to do, Elizabeth carefully ran back upstairs, grabbing her phone.
"Come on Shane. Pick up, pick up!"
"You've reached Captain Cantrell, please leave a message. *Beep*"
"No!" She hung up and dialed Faith but again just reached the voicemail. "I can do this. Jack isn't like Shane was. He's just sleepwalking. It's just a dream. I just need to wake him that's all. Right?"
Turning her phone on vibrate she went back downstairs. The whole time trying to think of how she would pull him back to reality. Clearly he wasn't home in his mind. He was stuck somewhere else. The question was, where exactly and how bad?
"Jack?" She called out as she cautiously entered the living room. "It's Elizabeth."
It was clear he was struggling in whatever world he found himself stuck in. It was as if he was being tormented relentlessly. She needed to stop this. To bring him back to safety. She reached out her hand to take hold of his shoulder.
"Jack? It's me! JACK!"
15 minutes earlier….
Jack laid in bed tossing and turning in his sleep. He was stuck in a nightmare he couldn't escape. He'd been having the same dream for weeks, but come morning he couldn't remember anything. All he knew was that he was tired.
Not long after Elizabeth slipped out of bed, the nightmare started again. It was combination of memories from his last deployment all jumbled up in one twisted maze he couldn't escape. Every time it ended with him fighting for his life or someone else's, and each time it ended with the feeling that he wouldn't be coming home.
…
Bombs exploded left and right as Jack led his men through the city streets. They were outnumbered, but fighting strong.
"Sir, what do we do?"
Jack looked over at the young soldier. It was Weaver. "Move head! We have to take that tower to regain control. Burke, take a group of men to the east and try to clear a path," he yelled over the next round of RPGs that flew over head.
Another loud crash as the second story of one build crumbled to the ground. "Look out!" They dove for cover near their Humvees.
"Hell of a ride, sir!" one soldier called out.
"You got that right. Move on forward. We've got this!"
Chaos ensued left and right as Jack and his man advanced on the enemy. In a moment of relief between rounds, Jack heard a familiar voice above all the noise.
"Hey Captain!" Burke waved from his post. "What are the orders?"
"Orders? Burke, what are you doing?" Jack asked. In his mind, he knew Doug was gone, but somehow there he stood really as ever.
Suddenly there was swoosh as a RPG flew through the air just over head.
"Doug! Look out!" Jack and his men were caught up in the blast, slammed against the ground and nearby buildings. When he made it to his feet, Doug was gone.
There was a flash of light, and the next thing Jack knew he was transported somewhere else. It took a moment to recognize it but as the dust settled he realized he was in a compound in Afghanistan. Walls crashed around him in the dark of night. He counted 2 men, one on each flank as more of the structure around them began to crumble. There was no choice. He had to move forward.
"Weaver!" Jack yelled. "Where are you?"
"Captain!" Weaver cried out from a distance.
Jack looked up, seeing his young friend in the distance and rushed forward. He ran as hard as he could to reach the young man. He was struggling. Fighting off the enemy with all his might. By the time Jack reached him it was too late. He was gone.
"No!" He cried as he kneeled over the young man. He failed him.
Suddenly a hand grasped his shoulder. Fear and terror ran through Jack like a bolt of lighting. He reached behind, grasping the enemy's arm to swing him around to the front and….
There was a loud crash, snapping Jack out of his state and bringing him back to the present. Startled and with no knowledge of what had just transpired, he looked around the room. He was downstairs in the middle of the night. The living room was lit just barely. Then he heard her. A faint soft whisper.
"Jack…"
"Elizabeth! What happened? Did you fall?" He turned around and found Elizabeth hunched over her middle on the floor. The end table next to the couch was turned over, everything that had been resting on it, including the lamp, was on the floor. He reached for her but she held up her hand, the other clutching her stomach.
"Wait, are you alright, Jack?"
"Me? I'm fine. Let me help you. What happened here?"
"Its fine. You had an episode and…"
"Wait, I did this?" He stepped back, running his fingers frantically through his hair.
"You were sleepwalking, I tried to wake you, I touched your arm and… I think you thought I was after you so you…"
"No…" he gasped, tears forming.
"You grabbed my arm and well, you sort of flung me into the table. But I'm ok. Just bruised I think."
"Here, let me help you."
"No, its fine. I think I should just sit here though for a bit."
He sat back. Tears fell from his eyes. "The baby?"
She looked downward. Her own eyes glistened with tears. "No movement yet, but, Jack it's ok. When I fell, I protected him. I know I did," her voice trailed off as she spoke.
The words stung. Like a knife in his gut. How could he have done this? He hurt his wife, he may have hurt his child. The two most important people in his world.
Suddenly Jack stood, practically running to the phone. "Jack talk to me!" She went to stand but her back hurt, so she stayed put.
"911, what's your emergency?" the woman at the dispatch said on the line.
"I need an ambulance. My wife took a fall. She's in her 3rd trimester. Please hurry."
Jack soon returned to her side, carefully sitting about a foot away from her, afraid of himself.
"Jack?" Elizabeth reached for his hand. Slowly he reached over, taking it lightly. "Talk to me, babe."
"The woman at the dispatch said to sit tight and they'd be here soon."
Elizabeth nodded, as she tried to breathe through the pain in her back. She was thankful it felt like what she'd expect from her back hitting the end table, and not a labor pain.
"Is he… has he…" Jack was afraid to ask. When Elizabeth shook her head saying that she hadn't felt the baby kick, his heart sank even deeper and the rest of his tears seemed to fall all at once.
Even with her own tears, Elizabeth was not without hope. She drew circles on her belly where she knew the baby was, trying to stir him.
"Come on, little man. Daddy needs you to give us a sign, okay? Can you do that? Please, love..."
They could hear the ambulance pulling onto their street. Jack stood to leave to meet them at the door.
"Wait!" She pulled him back down placing his hand to the upper right side of her belly. "You feel that?"
Jack gently laid his head on her belly. "Thank you, Lord."
"That's my boy," Elizabeth sighed with great relief. She ran her fingers through her husband's hair. Her mind running as wild as a runaway horse. How did things get so hard so fast?
Jack picked up his head, kissing her belly softly. His face was so red and puffy from crying she hardly recognized him. "Elizabeth, I'm so sorry. I never meant to…"
"No, Jack, this is not your fault. It's mine."
"How, sweetheart?" Jack cupped her face. "You were just trying to help."
"Exactly," she sobbed, blaming herself for making a difficult situation worse and putting herself and the baby at risk. "If I hadn't done what I did...I know what happened to you I should have just…"
There was a knock on the door and then it opened as a team of paramedics rushed in. "We got a call someone here needed our help?" a man in a paramedic uniform asked.
"Yes, my wife, Elizabeth. She's here and pregnant with our son. Please hurry!" Jack stood and ushered them into the living room.
"Hi Elizabeth. I'm Christian. Can you tell us what happened?"
"It's my fault!" Elizabeth jumped in before Jack could answer. "I surprised him and then fell into the table."
Jack turned to the paramedics. "I was sleepwalking. It's my fault."
Christian continued to examine Elizabeth. Seeing something he didn't like as he looked at her arm, he gave his partner, Scott by the name on his uniform, a sideways glance. The look meant something to him as he looked towards Jack.
"Sir, why don't we step over here in the other room. Let my friend examine your wife."
"Yes, of course." Jack could see the suspicion. The young man did trust him and as annoyed as that made him, he was comforted to know the paramedic was doing his job.
Soon Elizabeth was placed on a gurney and wrapped in a blanket as they took her out of the house. After Jack locked up the house and made sure Rip was okay, he rushed back to Elizabeth's side taking her hand.
"Gentleman, may I ride with her?" Jack asked.
Christian looked over to Elizabeth. "You okay with that, ma'am?"
"Yes, I'd really like him with me."
"Ladies wishes. Just let us get her situated first, alright?"
"Yes, of course." Jack waited outside the rig, only letting go of her hand when he had no choice as Scott and Christian placed her inside.
"So what do you think?" Scott whispered as he buckled himself up in the driver's seat out of earshot of Elizabeth.
"I'm not sure. I've seen a number of domestic abuse cases. Especially after deployments." He thought about it some more. "She doesn't seem scared or anything but I don't know. When you call ahead to the hospital, let them know we have a potential abuse case on our hands. Just in case, I want her protected."
"Roger that."
