She followed him into the bedroom to find that he had already set her down on the bed and covered her in the sheets. She walked up beside him and watched as her sister slept more peacefully than she had in months. She had been watching the two of them since her release from Tarry town, the way they looked at each other, the way they worked together, the trust they shared and she had a suspicion that they both had deeper feelings for each other that they weren't yet willing to admit but now seeing the way he watched her and the way she slept so peacefully after falling asleep in his arms she knew.
" Do you love her?" she asked her voice just above a whisper. He was startled by how forward her question was and how confident she seemed, he wasn't sure how to answer but for her his silence was all the answer she needed.
" More than you could ever imagine" he finally said deciding there was no use in trying to lie to her when she obviously had great confidence in what she was saying.
" Have you told her?" she asked " Because i've seen the way she looks at you and the trust she has in you she doesn't just give that away you know". He stood silent The ability to speak suddenly leaving him, He knew what she was talking about but there was no way to be sure that she felt the same way and that wasn't a risk he was willing to take.. not yet at least. " You don't know that for sure" he said once he found the words.
" No but you know what i do know for sure? that couch out there happens to fold out into a bed" she said with a sneaky smile before spinning around and leaving the room happy with her contribution the his problem.
He stood silently processing what Jenny had told him until he felt a sudden wave of tiredness come over him. He changed into his sleeping attire and slipped under the sheets of the mattress that lay on the floor next to Abbies bed, but he quickly learned that it didn't matter how tired he was sleep would not find him not while his mind ran wild with possible reasons why Abbie would have kept from him that the couch folded out into a bed. Two hours later he lay awake still unable to sleep when he was ripped from his thoughts by a pained screamed.
" CRANE!" she screamed her voice clearly pained and panicked.
He scrambled up from the floor and over to Abbies side, He came around to face her, she was tossing crazily and her forehead was drenched in sweat. " leftenant" he said, gently taking her shoulder in his hand
" leftenant" he said louder this time grabbing both shoulders and gently shaking her. This times her eyes shot open and she lunged forward gasping for air nearly falling off the bed. He caught her and lifted her back up, leaning back so he could look into her eyes.
" Crane " she breathed her eyes searching his for anything to grab hold of.
" Yes" he said softly trying to calm her down. She took a deep breath and looked up to him, he stood hovering above her bed in the flannel pants she got him a while ago, his hair was out and some of it hung across his face. She scooted over so he could sit next to her, he hesitated for a moment before taking a seat next to her, He looked over at her, her face was so full of fear that it scared even him.
" Nightmare?" he asked although the answer was obvious, they had always told each other about their nightmares and had witnessed each others first hand but never had he seen her so distressed by one.
" Yeah" she said weakly.
" Would you like to speak about it?" he asked although she never did. She shook her head and took a deep breath.
" I'm sorry did i wake you up?" she asked.
" No, i couldn't sleep" he said avoiding disclosing what kept him awake " This one was different?" he asked but it came out as more of a statement than a question. She looked up to him and nodded, her eyes were so full of pain and fear and dread that his heart was tearing apart.
They held each others gaze for a while before she turned away to face the wall opposite the bed and he braced himself for her to tell him what was wrong.
" I was on a horse, at first i thought you were there too but then he reached for the reins and i saw a red military coat.. i was riding with the horseman, it was after dark so i couldn't see much but we were riding near the cabin, after a while we came to a clearing and stopped i tried to jump down and run but it was like there were ropes around me but there was nothing there. I heard you calling for me, The horseman heard too and it was like he wanted you to be there, to see what was bout to happen, he got down from the horse and i turned around to see what he was doing and he sliced my chest with his axe, same place as you" she said stopping because although she knew it was just a dream there was something about it that made the next bit extremely painful to speak about. " I fell to the ground and i knew i was dying, i screamed your name and then you came out of the bushes and you saw me there on the ground". They sat silently both now staring at the wall for some time just processing everything she had said picking out any detail that might clue to something.
" And then what happened?" he asked
" Then " she said tilting her head up to hold back the tears that threatened to roll down her face " Then i woke up". He didn't say anything, he couldn't he was too upset it was one thing for her to have to wake up thinking she was still trapped in purgatory but now she was witnessing her own demise first hand.
" Lef.." he started but with one look in his eyes he knew just how upset she was " Abbie, i cannot begin to imagine what that must have been like for you and i'm not going to try and convince you that i do but believe me if i could i would take away all your suffering, but for now the best thing i can do is swear to you i will never allow anything to happen to you" he promised softly. It wasn't until she turned to face him that he realised she was crying, He immediately wrapped him arms around her and pulled her to his chest.
She hated crying in front of people, always had a product no doubt of her many years in foster care. But with him she wasn't scared to open up, to let him see her vulnerable. With him she could be completely open and he would never judge her. So when he wrapped his arms around her it just felt right especially because she had over heard what he and her sister had said earlier when they thought she was asleep.
" Thank you" she said talking into his chest " I don't know what i would do without you in my life".
" And i prey that you never find out" he said softly.
He felt her tears seep through his shirt as he sat holding her until he felt he couldn't hold his eyes open any longer.
" Abbie" he said yawning " i think we could both use some sleep". She took a deep breath and pulled back from his embrace looking up into his eyes. She didn't want to admit it but she was afraid, of everything and she felt like if he left she could die.
" Will you stay with me?" she asked her eyes dropping down too scared to hold his gaze in fear of his rejection. He looked down at her as she stared right back at him, her eyes were so pained and she looked as though she might fall apart at any moment if he left.
" Of course" he said. She scooted over further and shivered when her leg made contact with the cold untouched sheets. He layed down down on his back, his arm never leaving her waist and he was amazed by how much more comfortable this bed was compared to his mattress on the floor. " My god" he said his voice in a wonderous tone it took when he discovered something new " This bed is the most comfortable thing i have layed on in 250 years". At that she couldn't help but laugh a welcome distraction from her fear. As they lay side by side she thought about how nice it was to finally not be alone in life but that started an avalanche of fear.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN HE LEAVES? she thought
" Crane" she said her voice so soft he wasn't sure if she had even said anything " Please don't ever leave" she begged. He took a deep breath and pulled her closer, taking her hand in his.
" I swear to you Grace Abigale Mills for as long as i draw breath you will never walk alone". She knew that he meant what he said with all his being and it gave her a sense of security she hadn't felt in as long as she could remember. He pulled his arm tighter around her and she rested her head on his chest before they both drifted off to sleep.