STUCK 2

Chapter 42

Tara ran in the hallway crowded with people in uniforms, some dressed in blue, others in pink. Their steps were faster than hers, sliding the stretcher across the long corridor, yelling medical terms she could not understand. Tara realised that she was screaming, crying for help from strangers that told her they would everything to save her.

Her? Her who? She did not know.

She looked down at the blurred figure laid on stretcher, the outline of nasal tube going through the little nose, syringes attached to the fragile wrist. Who was it? She stretched her eyes through uncontrollable tears, confused and frightened for who it was that she was crying for.

And suddenly she was pulled apart, by whom she did not care to look, her eyes focused on the figure on the stretcher that was now moving away from her. Its eyes opened and it looked at her, the green forest met her dark orbs. Tara could finally see her daughter through the haphazard chaos, realising the cause of her own helpless cries, the arms of nurse holding her back from OT. Ina looked at her mother as she was being carried away, mouthing the word that Tara could never forget, "mumma"

Tara gasped when she found herself pulled out of the terrifying dream, sweating and breathing hard. She jerked out of her sleep, uncaring towards the large hand that she slung away from her body, standing upright like a soldier on a duty. She gulped in fear as she kept walking in the hallway, ghastly aware of her raging heartbeats and only stopped when she stood outside the well known door, apprehensively opening it.

When she saw the little woman snoring in her innocent oblivious sleep clutching the teddy bear did she allow herself to breathe, wiping the tear that had trickled down her cheek.

"Just a dream" she told herself, not knowing why tears were still making their way out of her eyes. She stood there, unmoving, hesitant to go back to their room. But she knew she had to, Don wouldn't like the sight of empty bed.

She flinched when a pair of hands surrounded her, his head sleepily dipping in the crook of her neck, sharply inhaling. Speak of the devil...

"Are you sleepwalking?" his hoarse voice whispered in her ear, in a way waking her up for the second time, assuring her that she was not alone, he was here. He would never let anything happen to their daughter, not until he was alive.

"No" she whispered back, sniffling, terribly failing to hide her turmoil.

"What's wrong?" he asked, a hint of realization glimmering his voice, the tip of sleep fast escaping.

"Nothing" she wiped what had remained of the last tear, the profuse waterfall had alas stopped flowing,

"What's wrong?" he asked again, turning her towards himself, not failing to realise her mournful stance.

"Just a bad dream" Tara felt as if she would break down again, the mere recollection of the content of the nightmare made her sick in the guts, and before she could give into the temptation of crying again she heard him speak,

"Heyy...look at me" she did, yet again becoming aware that her loneliness was only a history, he was here, he would always be here, "It's just a dream alright? Nothing's gonna happen her, okay?"

She was grateful that he understood without effort and nodded in yes, looking down at her feet before leaning into him, feeling secure as he embraced her in his arms, patting her back as she felt her anxiety calming.

He watched the snoring Inaya too, her heavy sleep stopping her from realising two adults woke up from their sleep. And he felt a light rumble on his bare chest as the woman in his arms said something without losing the comfort of hug. His brows furrowed as he failed to understand her incomprehensible muttering.