The sound was unbearable. The piercing shrieks were filled with terror, approaching the point of hysteria. Peter was shattered, remembering past misfortunes, as he rushed to his thrashing brother. When the blonde reached his sibling, he realized that tears were streaming down Edmund's face. The boy's cries were incomprehensible, and Peter was only able to catch snippets of the pleas Edmund released – " No… Not Peter… My fault…"

Peter grabbed his brother's shoulders and attempted to wake the tortured boy, hoping to remove him from the tragedies he was seeing. "Ed, wake up! It's just a dream! I'm here, you're safe!" Edmund's eyes flashed open, and he tried to catch his quickened breath. Peter pulled his brother into a loving embrace, determined to console his trembling brother. "Not again, Peter. I thought they were going to end." Edmund, who was usually the epitome of solidarity, was struggling to hold back tears. Peter couldn't sort out his overwhelming thoughts – 'What should I do?' He looked around the room for answers. 'The nurse! He can at least get something to help him sleep.'

Peter took hold of his brother gently, looked into Edmund's deep brown eyes, and then asked, "Can you get up?"

Edmund replied warily, "I can't be sure. You may have to help."

Peter immediately stood up and offered his arm for support. Edmund leaned against his brother and hesitantly rose to his feet, still displaying obvious signs of distress. The two boys staggered out of their dormitory and into the empty hallway. A few of the other students, with mussed up hair and bleary eyes, peered out of their rooms, looking for the source of the loud disturbance that woke them from their sleep. The sight of a crying Edmund was disturbing to say the least, and the tired bystanders were thoroughly shocked. The Pevensie brothers were always stoic and noble, qualities the boys secretly envied, and to see them so disheveled was extremely unsettling. With one steely glance from Peter, however, the observers looked away. Peter was not one to mess with, and he unquestionably demanded privacy.

When the two boys arrived at the infirmary, Peter rapped at the large oak door, anxiously trying to get the school nurse's attention. Edmund appeared to be slightly placated, although a few small teardrops lingered on his face. 'If only I knew what he was thinking. Maybe I could help him defeat his pain.' Peter wrestled with 'these innumerable thoughts, wishing he could see his younger brother happy and at peace. He resolved to do anything, with Aslan's help and approval, in order to help Edmund. When the nurse finally emerged, she looked surprised that neither boy was bleeding, but the presence of tears, especially on a Pevensie, rendered her speechless.

"Pevensie! What's the matter with your brother?" The nurse, a vibrant redhead in her early thirties, was surprisingly alert, considering the time of night. "There's no blood, and nothing seems broken. It's too early to be wandering around and visiting nurses."

Peter, who now seemed both desperate and flustered, was at the verge of begging, as he said, " Miss O'Malley, he's had an unusually frightening dream. He's relaxed some, but I don't think he'll be able to fall back asleep. All I could think to do is bring him to you."

"Nightmares, eh?" she replied, looking from one brother to the other. "Well then, bring him in. I'm sure I have something in here that will have him sleeping like a baby." Edmund merely nodded at the nurse's offer, so Miss O'Malley decided to take the brunette's noncommittal response as a yes.

"Don't be shy, dear. I only bite people who deserve it." she said while motioning for the brothers to enter the infirmary,

At this, the two boys the walked through the doorway, and Nurse O'Malley ushered Edmund to a bed near the room's entrance. While following him, the woman grabbed a glass bottle with a clear liquid sloshing around inside. Peter opened his mouth, about to ask the woman about the contents of the bottle. "Don't worry. It's only a mild sedative. Your brother won't be seeing any pink elephants." For the first time since he heard Edmund's screams, Peter cracked a smile. Finchley was fortunate to have such a caring nurse, despite her many eccentricities.

After a slight nudge from Peter, Edmund crawled into the bed before them. Miss O'Malley handed the younger Pevensie the mixture, and then said, "Bottoms up!" Edmund gave a final glance toward Peter, before downing the entire container without stopping to breathe. The effects of the sedative were almost instantaneous; after he finished swallowing, he handed Peter the bottle, leaned back, and said "Good night, Pete," before closing his eyes and falling asleep.

Peter looked at Miss O'Malley with some astonishment, jaw wide open at the medicine's efficiency. "Don't just stand there gawking," Miss O'Malley said. "Come here. Let's sit and have a drink. Tea? Juice? Something stronger?"

Peter responded with a quick, "Only water, please."

The nurse gave him a wink and teasingly said, "You can stick with water. I'll be having scotch." For a moment, Peter thought she had been joking about the alcohol, but when she grabbed a clear bottle containing an amber liquid from a nearby cabinet, he was forced to reconsider. Luckily, she also carried a metal pitcher of water, to Peter's great relief.

As Miss O'Malley poured water into a slightly chipped wine glass, Peter decided not to avoid the impending problem any longer. He turned to the nurse and asked, "Nurse O'Malley, what do you think is wrong with Edmund? He's had dreams before, but that was ages ago."

Miss O'Malley sighed and sat down across from Peter, considering what to say to the boy. "I can't be sure, Blondie, but I think this is beyond my medical knowledge. I can set a broken arm, but I can't deal with anything concerning the mind." Peter displayed signs of disappointment, and as Miss O'Malley, she immediately tried to ease the boy's concerns. "Now, don't fret, dearie. I can't help, but I do have a very close friend who can. I can get in touch with him if you want."

Peter was comforted to know that someone could help his brother. "That would be perfect, Miss O'Malley. Edmund's been through so much, and he deserves inner peace." The older Pevensie took a sip of his water, then stood up and pushed in his chair, saying, "Thank you for all of your help, Miss O'Malley. I trust you to take care of my brother."

Peter began to exit the infirmary, and Miss O'Malley, calling after the boy, inquired, "Where are you going, love?"

He looked back at the nurse and said, "I'm going to get some sleep. If I'm dozing off while standing, Edmund will never heal." At that, Peter Pevensie left the infirmary and closed the heavy wooden door.

In all of her life, Elizabeth O'Malley had never encountered two boys as concerned by dreams as the Pevensie brothers appeared to be. 'What hardships could Edmund have gone through to incite such night horrors? These brothers are quite a mystery.' The nurse took a swig of her scotch and said softly, "I won't know if they don't tell me. I might as well sit back, enjoy this lovely drink, and watch what events unfold."