Chapter Five: Sleep Over

Greg woke up abruptly, his chest heaving as he tried to draw in a full breath of air. With his body entangled in the sheets it only made the predicament worse as he worked to free himself, one hand reaching for the alarm clock. He only succeeded in knocking it over, a curse brushing past his lips as he grappled with the cord, pulling the device back onto his bed.

It wasn't even noon yet; he had been sleeping little over an hour. His heart was still racing in his chest as he relaxed back into the pillows, trying to ease his fitful breaths. None of this was new, the sleepless days, the endless nightmares…they had been occurring since that night. Greg knew he couldn't put up with it much longer, he was becoming too tired. Finally he gave in, picking up a sleeping aid on his way home from last night's shift.

Were they helping? He had slept longer in one span today than he had all week. Even now, though fully awake from his recent scare he felt tired…yes, they were helping. But no matter how many he took, or how often, they couldn't banish his fears. He could handle this for the most part, or so he thought. That was before this dream…this nightmare.

Without a second thought Greg reached for the phone, dialing the number he knew by heart. He didn't take into consideration the time, or the simple fact that she would be sleeping. It wasn't until she answered in a groggy voice that he felt guilty.

"Sara…I…" he began to explain, but fell silent when he realized he couldn't. He didn't know why he was calling her, or even what he wanted to say. Sara must have heard the indecision in his voice, because the drowsiness that was there before was now gone.

"What is it?"

Greg shook his head, although knowing she couldn't see him. "I just…I don't why I called, I didn't mean to wake you," he was apologizing now, ready to hang up and let her go back to sleep. Sara cut him off however, stating that she would be right over. Before Greg could disagree she had ended the call.

This was how he found himself pacing nervously back and forth in front of his door, dressed in a pair of long pants and a t-shirt, his hair ruffled from the tossing and turning he endured prior to falling asleep. It took nearly twenty minutes for the knock to come, and he was waiting.

Throwing it open he wrapped her in a hug, breathing a sigh of relief as he did so. Sara must have been stunned, because she didn't return the affection straight away, and when she did it was in an awkward sense. "I'm glad to see you too."

"Sorry…" Greg was quick to apologize, as well as pull away from her, giving her the space that she not only wanted, but often demanded.

"What's bothering you?" She would let it pass, knowing him well enough that he wouldn't just cross boundaries unless there was a real reason. It was obvious he was nervous, as he turned on his heel, wandering into the kitchen. Shutting the door she followed, pulling her coat around her.

She hadn't wasted much time, not even bothering to change, but slipping into her shoes and a coat as she headed out. Greg had sounded stressed on the phone, upset almost. Sara could only wonder vaguely what it was.

She found him in the kitchen; elbows on the counter as tapped the surface lightly, staring at the wall in a trance. Placing her purse on the counter she waited, knowing he would talk when he could.

Several minutes passed of uncomfortable silence, and yet she made no move to say anything. Finally Greg moved, rubbing the back of his neck as he let out a nervous chuckle. "I shouldn't have called you," he started to apologize.

"Talk to me," she prodded, interrupting him. Greg was already shaking his head, but she wouldn't let up that easy. She had not driven halfway across town to be turned away. "Talk…"

"It's nothing really," he admitted, thumbs twitching nervously. "Kind of silly…"

"If it's bothering you this much it's nothing silly," she reassured him. Her worry was growing by the minute.

"It's a dream I had…" Greg admitted, feeling more than childish now, his cheeks burning with faint embarrassment. None of it had been real, normally he could let all of it pass by, but for some reasons he couldn't get the image out of his head. He expected Sara to say much of the same, expected her to laugh, smile even.

It surprised him when she urged him to continue, serious as he was. She waited patiently as he drew in a breath, trying to form an explanation in his mind. "Of that night…"

Again she nodded, but said nothing, not wanting to interrupt him. Greg turned away as the dream came back, trying his best to fight off the gruesome memories. "I was walking to the Deli…just like that night…but this time you were with me…"

"When the…when they grabbed us, I tried to do something. You were crying, all of them, they were all over you…touching and…" his voice broke here, bringing his hand up to cover his face. "I couldn't do anything…just watch. You were calling me, begging for help and I couldn't."

Sara felt her skin crawl listening to this, watching as the man before her began to cry. Nightmares were often all too real, she had plenty of her own, but never had they been about someone she cared about.

"When…when they were finished…they had a knife. I tried Sara…you have to believe me, I tried to help…"

Greg hadn't even been aware that he had been crying, lost in the terrifying memories, ones that he couldn't separate from the real world. The hand on his cheek startled him, and he pulled back to find himself looking into Sara's eyes.

Her voice was firm and gaze steady. "It's just a dream; it's not going to happen."

He nodded dully as she pulled him into an embrace, resting his head on her shoulder. Greg already knew that it was just a dream, but the fear was something he could not dismiss. Just because it hadn't happened then didn't mean that it would not. The simple thought terrified him more than he could ever imagine.

"You want me to stay?"

Greg forced a laugh as he pulled away. "I'll be okay," he nodded, drying his face with the back of his hand. "I'm sure you have other plans that don't involve babysitting me…"

"Sleeping?" Sara offered up a laugh and it faded into a smile. "I can do that here too. Tell you what, why don't settle down on the couch, watch a movie or two, just talk. We haven't done that in a long while now, have we?"

Greg shook his head, but made no attempt to move. He was still somewhat stunned, hanging in an uneasy balance. It was Sara who guided him over the furniture, and her as well that turned the television on. There wasn't much on at this time of day, and she left it on a music channel, the sound turned down on low.

It was her as well that guided the conversation, doing her best to keep the man's mind occupied. Greg was thankful, even if it was barely working. Sometime during the hour he found himself falling into the conversation, laughing along with Sara at several things that should have not been funny in the first place.

As the hour came to an end, Greg found himself stretched out along the couch, Sara resting against him. She was still talking, but it was also clear she was very tired, her eyelids continually drifting close before popping back open.

"How was your dinner date last night?" he wondered. They were running out things to talk about, and despite how much he knew Sara wanted sleep, he didn't want to be left alone. He knew that was selfish of him, but knowing she was here, hearing her voice was the only thing keeping him sane at the moment.

"Dinner date?"

Greg nodded, "You said you were meeting someone…"

She laughed, a soft giggle that turned into a yawn. "I wouldn't really call it a date. It was okay, nothing fancy."

"New boyfriend?" He hadn't wanted to ask the question, afraid of the answer, but curiosity was getting the better of him.

"Not really," she shook her head. "Just some guy I met a few days back, he was lost, so I helped him out. He wanted to thank me."

"What, a card wasn't enough?"

Sara smiled, opening her eyes as she glanced up at him. "It would have gone better if you came along."

"Maybe, but three's a crowd. I didn't want to be a bother."

She reached up, wrapping her arm around his that rested over her waist. "You wouldn't have been."

She fell asleep there, her last words lingering on his mind. Her soft breaths were enough reassurance that everything would be okay, but even as tired as he was Greg could not find sleep.

TBC