Page 67 of Escape

In a flash, I was in the guest room. The lights were off—the room was just as dark as mine had been—and I could hear the frantic movement of Josie’s body in the bed.

“Josie?” I called.

“Huck, help me.”

Her voice was begging me to do something for her. Sadly, there was little I could do to stop what was happening. Because there was no imminent physical danger.

Josie’s mind was terrorizing her. She was having another nightmare.

Fuck.

This was the second time it had happened, the first since I brought her home from the hospital three days ago.

I’d been wrong. I had foolishly assumed that the nightmare in the hospital was a one-time thing, that she’d quickly realize she was safe and didn’t have to worry. Apparently, that wasn’t the case.

The movement of Josie’s legs against the mattress mixed with the moans of distress indicated she was becoming more and more restless. I moved in her direction. “Huck, please. No. No!”

Gently, I placed my hand on her arm. “Josie?”

With a gasp, her body shot up in the bed. Given the nature of her injuries, I was surprised she’d managed to do it in a way that seemed so effortless. Though I couldn’t make out any of her features in the dark, I could see the shadowy outline of her torso, which remained still for all of two or three seconds, before she started to scramble away to the opposite side of the bed. “No!”

“Josie, it’s me. It’s Huck,” I said, my voice firm.

She froze. “Huck?”

I reached out to the lamp, turned on the light, and met her gaze. “It’s me. You’re okay. You’re safe.”

Even as the relief swept through her expression, her bottom lip trembled. “I’m not safe. He’s not going to let me go.”

Hearing the fear in her hushed voice was nearly enough to bring me to my knees. It was the knowledge that Josie only had me right now to see her through this that stopped that from happening. She needed me, and I refused to let her down. There wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do to take this away from her, to take away the terror and give her the strength and resolve to believe she was never going to be a victim again.

I sat down on the edge of the bed, held my arms out to her, and said, “Come here.”

No longer running on adrenaline, Josie moved much more gingerly. I enfolded her in my arms, tucking her head into the crook of my neck. Her body was shaking, trembling, and shuddering in the aftermath of her nightmare, and it was all I could do to remain calm.

Placing one hand on the back of her neck, I offered a gentle squeeze and insisted, “You’re safe, honey. I’m not going to let anything happen to you. Nobody can get you here, not without having to go through me first. They’d have to kill me to even have a chance to get to you. And I’m not planning on dying any time soon. So, I promise you are safe as long as you’re here with me.”

Josie nuzzled her face closer, seeking comfort. I did my best to give it to her by keeping one arm wrapped firmly around her, my thumb on that hand stroking her side, while my other hand massaged the base of her skull and along her neck. While I did that, I continued to whisper words of reassurance to her. The only thing that mattered was making sure she understood she was safe, that I’d never let anything happen to her.

It took some time, but Josie’s breathing eventually evened out, and the one hand she had the use of loosened its hold at my side. As I felt that tension ease out of her body, the same happened for me.

Josie pulled her face back from where she’d kept it buried against my neck and looked up at me. I could just barely make out the lines on her face, the hint of worry still lingering there.

“Would you…” she trailed off.

“Would I what?”

There was a long pause that followed that prompt. Clearly, Josie was torn about whether to ask me her question. Just as I was about to urge her to ask whatever she needed, she said, “Would you mind staying here with me?”

I swallowed hard. There was nothing I wanted more than to be in a bed with Josie, her body pressed close and wrapped up in my arms. And even though this wasn’t how I envisioned it happening, there wasn’t a chance I was going to deny her what she so obviously needed right now.

“Not at all,” I answered, releasing my hold on her and standing so I could shift my body beneath the covers with her.

After sliding in the bed beside her, I reached out to the lamp once more, turned off the light, and scooted close to her. With her arm still in a sling, Josie had to lie on her back to sleep, so I couldn’t hold her the way I would have liked. But for Josie, I had a feeling she was grateful simply to have me there with her. So, I settled myself on my back as well, trying to find that same level of gratitude for being able to be close to her.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“You’re welcome, honey. Any time you need anything, all you have to do is ask,” I reminded her. “Are you comfortable?”