Page 45 of Diluted Truths
“William, you have a reputation of hitting and quitting women. I didn’t want you to do that to her. She deserves more than that,” Sarah explained. “I now see that you actually care for Ophelia. I’m not sure how I didn’t put it together earlier, but the two of you are perfect for each other.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, genuinely curious.
In my view, she was completely out of my league.
“You balance each other. She brings out the best parts of you, and vice versa. You also seem to push each other. William, you’re in New York for the first time in a decade and a half. Not only are you here, but you didn’t even think about it because she had to be here,” she explained.
I was opening my mouth to respond when I heard that sound that would haunt my nightmares.
Jackie was screaming again.
“Fuck!” I yelled as I stood and ran up the stairs to get to her, my water spilling on the floor behind me.
I could hear Bec and Sarah running behind me asking what was going on, but I had one thing on my mind. I needed to get to Jackie, I needed to see she was okay, I needed to wake her up. The sounds of her screaming broke something in me.
I rounded the corner and threw open the door to find Jackie just as she was last night. She was screaming in her sleep and thrashing about. Itwasn’t a scream of pain, but pure unadulterated fear. I hated seeing her so scared, even if it was just a dream.
I finally reached the side of her bed and took her face in my hands. “Jackie! Wake up Sunshine, please wake up,” I exclaimed as I began trying to shake her awake.
“William, what’s going on?” Sarah asked behind me, sounding scared and confused.
“She’s having a nightmare,” I was still trying to get her to wake up. “Jackie! Wake up!”
“Why won’t she wake up? What’s happening?” Bec asked as she stood by Sarah, sounding equally scared.
“God Dammit Jackie! Wake up!” I yelled, continuing to shake her.
Finally, she shot up, panting hard like she had just been running.
“Who was that? Where am I?” Jackie asked, looking around the room, but not seeming to see us.
I sat next to her and wrapped her in my arms. It was as if having her there made it easier for me to breathe. “You’re okay. We’re in New York. You’re safe.”
I continued to repeat that to her as she slowly began to calm down and catch her breath. These nightmares completely wrecked her. She looked as if she had been running, and was sweating just the same. I looked down to see what she was wearing. “Are those snowman pajamas?’
Jackie chuckled softly, a sound that helped soothe my anxiety. “Yeah, I got them for Christmas last year from Theo. She has a matching pair.”
I smiled at her. She was safe, in that moment that was all that mattered to me. These nightmares were terrifying to witness. It was as though someone else was in control of her body and it felt impossible to wake her up.
“Ophelia, what was that?” Jackie jumped at Sarah’s question, just now seeing she and Bec were in here.
“Ummm…I-I’m not sure. I can’t remember,” she responded, almost in a whisper. “I’m sorry if I ruined your night.”
“No, not at all, sweetheart. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I have never seen that before. It scared me,” Sarah responded as she sat on the other side of Jackie on the bed with Bec taking the foot.
Jackie sighed as she looked at Sarah. “Last night was the first time, Will woke me up then too. I don’t know what it is, I can’t remember.”
“That’s okay, Sunshine, you don’t need to. Let’s just go to bed. We can figure it out tomorrow,” I told Jackie as I laid us back down. Sarah followed suit, laying down. I knew she needed to be here tonight too. We needed to make sure Jackie was okay.
Slowly Sarah and Jackie drifted back to sleep. I began to do the same when Bec shook my leg, getting my attention.
“Will, what was that?” Bec asked.
I shrugged in response, having no idea.
Slowly my sister and I fell asleep as well, both knowing these nightmares were more than met the eye. It was the second best sleep of my life, only being beat out by the night before. Something about sleeping next to Jackie made my thoughts slow down and my anxieties calm.
Once again, however, I awoke the next day without Jackie by my side. It was almost becoming a cruel joke to fall asleep with her in my arms, finally having her close, to only having her missing the next day. I stretched and looked around my now empty room. It was obvious Bec and Sarah had stayed the whole night by the mussed pillows and blankets scattered around the bed.
