Witness

31| The Nightmare Continues

I'm standing over a table, the body is right in front of me, but the sheet is still covering it. Jax isn't with me. Where did he go?

"Okay Emery," the medical examiner says. "Come take a look."

I inch closer, shaking badly. I need Jaxon; he promised he would be here.

The medical examiner shot me a smile; a creepy, sinister smile, as he pulled the sheet away.

Lifeless... cold...

Im so, so cold. I look down at the body. The vacant stare of his eyes. I want to look away; I want to run, but I cant. Something is holding me in place. Something doesn't feel right.

The vacant stare in the man's eyes suddenly disappears, and his expression turns sinister. I'm frozen in place, watching as his gaze drifts slowly to meet mine. His neck turning slowly as his eyes shift to me.

I look up to the medical examiner, but he's no longer in the room. I'm alone with the man.

He sits up on the table, the sheet falling away to reveal an open wound in his chest.

"We're coming for you, Emery," he says.

"No!" I scream, "leave me alone!"

"Emery, wake up!" A masculine voice drifted to me.

I felt a hand grip my shoulder, and I was quick to jerk awake, struggling against whoever it was. I wasn't going to let the men get me.

"Woah woah! Hey, it's okay! It's me," the man said. Jaxon. I'd recognize his voice anywhere.

My body immediately calmed and I stopped fighting him, though my heart was still beating wildly in my chest.

I finally took a full, shakey breath and wiped furiously at the tears that were streaming down my face.

"Fuck..." Jax breathed, "I thought your nightmares were getting better."

"They were..." I admitted, "today must have triggered them again. It was a different nightmare than my usuals."

He reached out, brushing his thumb across my cheek to catch a fallen tear.

"Come here," he said, pulling me into a tight hug. God... I was so sick of crying.

Still, I allowed Jax to comfort me. I had been so afraid in my dream, and no place in the world made me feel as safe as right here in Jaxon's arms did.

"You're shaking," he pointed out, "Do you wan't to talk about the dream?"

I sniffed, pulling back from the hug so that I could look at him. "It was about the body," I admitted, "he um... I was in the room alone with the body, but then he came to life. He told me that they were coming for me."

Jax sighed, tucking a loose piece of hair behind my ear. "I'm sorry... that sounds really scary."

I sniffed, "It was. Sorry to wake you."

He glanced at the clock. "I wasn't sleeping yet... it's only 11."

I chuckled, but it was more of a hysterical sound. I was pissed that it was only 11; I doubted I'd be able to fall back asleep after the nightmare, and I certainly didn't want to be up all night.

Well... unless Jax were to stay in my bed with me. Then I could maybe fall asleep again.

"What are you thinking?" he asked.

"I'm thinking about the best way to ask you to stay in my bed with me," I admitted. My voice was quiet, and I was struggling to look him in the eyes as I asked. I gnawed on my lower lip in a nervous gesture as he pondered my request.

"I..." he stammered, "I told you we can't do that again. You know why..."

"Jax...," I cut him off, "I know there are rules, okay? I know that. I know that you and I can't ever end up together or do anything that would put me at risk. But I'm asking you, as my friend, can you please sleep with me again tonight?"

He hesitated for a long time. I could see the small scar on his eyebrow move as his brows furrowed together.

"I need you," I whispered, another tear falling from my eyes. It was unintentional, but I was pretty sure it helped to win him over in the end.

He groaned, standing up from the bed. "Damn it, Emery. Okay. Move over."

I scooted closer to the wall, allowing space for Jax to climb into bed with me. "Thank you," I offered.

I didn't think he would agree, but I was so happy he did. I hadn't felt this vulnerable in a while.

The double beds didn't leave us with too much room since he was such a large man, but that just made it less awkward when I scooted closer, hoping he would hold me like he had last night.

He felt stiff beside me, and for a moment I was nervous he was going to go back to his own bed. Was this different than sleeping with me last night? Maybe the fact that this was intentional and last night had been an accident was making him uncomfortable? Or, maybe he was so stiff because we were in an actual bed together, not just a futon?

I was about to back up to make him feel more at ease, but then a door slammed next door. The thud was loud enough to make me jump; I was already feeling terrified, and since the shooting, I had been sensitive to loud noises. I found myself pushing closer to Jaxon despite my thoughts.

Jax must have felt this, because he wasn't stiff anymore. Instead, he was quick to wrap his arms around me and pull me to his chest. It was like whatever shred of self-control he was holding on to had vanished.

I shook hard in his arms, clinging as tightly to him as I dared without freaking him out.

"I hate seeing you so scared," he said, his deep voice rumbling in his chest. "What can I do to help you?"

"This," I sniffed, "I already feel much safer just having you in bed with me."

He sighed, shifting so that he was on his back. My head rested against his chest as I curled into his side. "Did you want me to leave the light on?" He asked.

"Um..." I hesitated. I wasn't generally scared of the dark, but after my dream I wasn't so sure. "Are you able to sleep with the light on?"

He shrugged, "Don't worry about me."

That was probably a no. "You can turn it off; just promise you won't leave me."

He brought a hand up, gently tucking my hair behind my ear again. "I won't leave you," he promised.

Then he reached over, and we were cast into darkness.