He lay sweating … the palms of his hands were red hot , he'd seen her again .. and although he had this dream many times it never got any easier waking up without her . He knew her face well every contour of her being was what he breathed .. Her spirit haunted him each time he closed his eyes she came to him .. and each time he awoke he was alone. Now though his dreams were more vivid he not only saw things he was starting to feel them too . He reached over and took his glass of water and took a sip, knowing he wouldn't be able to settle again he picked up his guitar as he often did to find comfort, and started to play.
Across the city she jumped up .. something had startled her , her brown eyes had turned green, she had been fighting in her sleep again , her hair hung wild and tassled and the sheets of the bed were tangled around her legs. She was angry wanting to hit out and she was feeling lost and desperate, her parents had been killed , she could still taste the smell of fire and hear the deep animal war cries from Indian Braves as they slaughtered her family… she fought so hard to hold back the tears of dispair but it was no use she gripped her pillow and began to sob , it was all so real and she felt so alone , these nightmares were haunting her very soul.
This was the reason she had ' Achat' group therapy in the morning these night terrors were getting more extreme and she believed she would go insane if she didn't get some help quick.
The rain splashed down with the wind making it dance across the pavement, she was running late. At last she arrived at Achat, her feet were squelching in her shoes and she really wasn't prepared for all eyes on her as she burst through the door. As she stood there with everyone looking she just wanted to turn and run. A man approached her with his hand outstretched to introduce himself. “Hi there I'm Jim you must be Chanty”, taking his hand she shook it and nodded him a yes , she tried to speak but the words just seemed frozen and wouldn't come out . Jim directed her to a seat and she squelched her way across and sat down.
Across the room he sat looking her over , there was something strangely familiar about her and he had this urge to scoop her up and take her away to somewhere safe , she looked delicate , fragile and he knew he had to protect her . He tried to dismiss his instincts and focus on other people in the room who were already underway talking about their sleep patterns. Eventually it was her turn to speak and as everyone’s eyes reached her he watched her shift .. she was uncomfortable and looked anxious , he noticed she was shivering from the cold material pressing against her skin , he knew he shouldn't but the pull was too intense to ignore . He stood and walked across to her and held out his hand to her and spoke softly, ” Come with me a moment ” , glad to have an excuse to escape she took his hand , as he led her away he apologised to Jim with a promise they would be back shortly, and they left the room .
Once outside she took a deep breath and lent against a wall, she didnt think she could do this , it was stupid of her to come and she just wanted to leave right there and then and go home and slip into something warm and drink a hot cup of chocolate . He spoke to her as if he had heard her thoughts , his voice deep but soft , ” look at you , you are soaked , you must be freezing ” he took his warm sweatshirt off and handed it to her ” here put this on , lets get you warm, your lips are almost blue ” She took the jumper gratefully thanking him politely and pushed her head into the warm material, her body instantly glad of the heat caused her to moan softly , it was instantly soothing. She watched him kneel before her as he slipped her shoes from her feet and began drying them with a thick cotton handkerchief he pulled from his coat pocket. She didn't know this stranger but she was so glad of his nurturing and she felt a strange almost electric pull to him .. it made her shiver.
