“Jesus, Hells. Wake up! Hallie, wake up!”
Calling her name over and over, each time louder than the last, was fruitless. In desperation to break her free from the chains embedding her into the nightmare, I flicked on the bedside light, tore back the sheets, rolled her onto her back, and flung her robe wide.
Naked and exposed to the cool air hitting her sweltering skin, she gasped. Her eyes snapped open but didn’t blink. I froze as trickles of unease prickled across my shoulder blades.
“Hells?” I asked, barely above a whisper.
Unblinking eyes cut my way and stared.
“You’re awake?”
An exhale rushed past her lips. “Yup.”
Relief deflated me on the side of the bed, and I flicked her robe back into place. “Fuck, you scared me.”
She swallowed and drew in another shuddering inhale. “Was I making noises?”
“Yeah. It sounded like you were crying underwater…”
She shook her head as a single tear rolled from the outer corners of each eye. “I was screaming. I was… trying to save them.”
“Christ, Hells.” The words came out crushed.
“I know.” A sob left her chest, taking me by surprise. She sat up and tore off the bathrobe in desperation. “This is fucking suffocating me.I need it off.” Angered growls accompanied her efforts to remove it, and as soon as it was free from her arms, I wrenched it away.
Torn between giving her space and gathering her in my arms, I floundered with the robe still clutched in my fist. “What do you need me to do, Hallie?”
“I don’t fucking know!”
Stricken despair pulled her expression tight. She looked scared. So fucking terrified.
“I’ll get you some water. Sit tight for a second.”
I rushed from the room and returned with chilled water from the fridge. Hallie carefully tipped it to her lips and took the smallest sip. I bent a leg and sat facing her on the side of the bed, waiting for her tentative sipping to stop.
When she handed me the bottle, I set it on the bedside table without a word and turned my full attention to her.
“I’m worried about you.”
“I’m fine, Shaun.”
“You’re not fucking fine.”
Her fiery gaze hit mine and brimmed with temper. I held her glare, refusing to back down from it and daring her to acknowledge her denial.
“Want to talk about it?” I murmured.
Hallie scoffed. “I’d rather be hooked and hung from my nipples.”
“I don’t recommend that,” I deadpanned, then bit down a small smile when one almost graced her mouth. “Seriously though, Hells.”
She released a deep sigh. “I can’t. I’m not ready to talk about it. I just want to fucking forget every single detail until Lorna pulls it out of me.”
“Your psychologist?”
“Yeah.”
I nodded. We all had one; Claire made it mandatory, and while at times it was simply a tick in the box after each assignment, I was so fucking thankful that Hallie and the girls had access to those resources. Especially after shit like what went down today.