Chapter 5
That night Javi trudged into his apartment. His legs were dead weight and it took every ounce of power he had to flop down on his couch. The case had been brutal. He had chased a suspect nine blocks before he finally shot him. He lept over walls and cars, he even had to climb over a garbage truck to...
"Dude, seriously? A garbage truck?" Ryan shook his head.
Javi cleared his throat.
"Anyway, I was tired, and all I wanted to do was sleep, so I did. At least, for a while."
The sharp sound of his cell phone jolted him awake. He turned over and flipped it open.
"Espo...sito." he answered groggily.
A quiet weeping sound came from the other side.
"Javi, I-uh-."
She cleared her throat. He could tell she was trying to be brave.
"It came back, with a vengeance! It scared the shit out of me. I mean, it was so real!"
He jumped out of bed and grabbed his keys.
"I'll be there in five."
The drive to Kate's apartment was quick. He ran up the stairs to her door and knocked. A small and broken girl answered. Her eyes were puffy and there were tear stains running down her beautiful cheeks. There was absolutely no trace of the strong and independent Kate he knew. No, this was different.
He held out his arms and she fell into them. She cried for the longest time, her face buried deep in his chest. When she finally calmed down he helped her to her room. He pulled back the covers and gently scooped her up and laid her down.
He was just about to leave when he heard her voice.
"Javi, can you please stay here? I'm sorry, I just, don't want to be
alone." her voice was a frantic whisper.
He nodded and crawled into bed with her. She turned to face him and he wrapped his arms around her. She snuggled in closer and quickly fell asleep. He kissed her hair and hummed until he to fell asleep, felling finally, at peace.
