A sudden twitch awoke the sleeping Mellish. He quickly sat up and looked to his right. He saw Jo fidgeting slightly as sweat beat down her forehead. Quickly, Mellish started shaking her.
"Jo, it's okay. It's just a nightmare."
Her eyes snapped open as her hands coiled around one of his arms.
She whimpered, "Mel. Mel."
Her breathing was ragged and heavy. Small tears cascaded down her cheeks. Mellish brought her into a hug. Her body shook with violence. He stroked her hair as he calmed her down.
"Sh. It's okay. I'm here," he paused, "Was it Donnie again?"
She shook her head. "No, this time it was C-Caparzo."
His eyes widened. He knew she had the same nightmare with a different person each time. Most recently, Donnie had been the one running into death. He was shocked that his late best friend had appeared this time. He continued to rub her back soothingly.
"It was just a nightmare. Carpy's been gone awhile, okay? Everything will be just fine."
The pair held each other close as silence filled the room. Mellish rested his chin on top of Jo's head. She turned it slightly downward as she took deep breaths. Moments later, she returned to sleep. However, her husband wasn't so lucky.