Cages of Love

Chapter Ten

"Μπαμπάς, παρακαλώ μην με αφήνεις" (Dad, please don't leave me.) she continued to mumble that in her sleep, until the mumble became screams. I look over to the clock and it's 3:30 am, she's drenched in sweat and has the shivers again. I turn on the lamp beside me and turn over to wrap my arms around her and pull her close. "Vanya, det är okej nu. Jag är här. Det var bara en dålig dröm. Jag är här." (Vanya, it is all okay now. I'm here. It was just a bad dream. I'm here.) Pulling her close, she's cold and my heart aches to see her in so much pain. I kiss her forehead lightly and get up to make her some chamomile tea. I have a meeting with my editor in four and a half hours and I'm not sure I'll get her to sleep well for the rest of the night or myself but it isn't about me, this is about her, she is in pain, a pain I can't ever take away no matter how much tea I make her but I can try and just be there. There to make her smile and laugh -- to show her that everything will be okay.
I get back from the kitchen and there she is sitting up and holding her chest, trying to control her breathing. I rest the mug of tea on the nightstand next to her and sit on the bed. I hold her hand and practice deep breaths with her until she is calm.

"Thank you."
"Always."

She smiles and takes a sip of her tea,

"Sugar?"
"Right. We're out. I'll have to pick some up at the store tomorrow after my meeting."
"Thank you."
"You're always welcome."

I kissed her on the forehead and she wrapped her arms around my neck pulling me in for a hug. I've gotten a lot of hugs from Vanya in our time together but this one was different. It felt like she was scared of something. Not of just her dream but scared that I would somehow one day give up on her. There's this thing about love my mother always told me when I was growing up and it's that real love is something you fight for even when you're still with the person for months and years, you still fight for them. Love has no expectations and it isn't selfish. I'll never forget that night she told me that, it has gotten me through the darkest of days.

"I'm going to try and get some sleep."
"Good, I'll be here. I'm going to do some writing actually in my office and then I'll come back to bed."
"It's really late, is everything okay?"
"Of course, I would always tell you if it wasn't."

She smiled at me - the kind of smile that always takes my breath away for a moment and reminds me of just how lucky I am. She is beautiful and not just in looks but her heart is so beautiful that it radiates through her entirely and it fulfills me with hope and faith. It's more refreshing each day.

I smile back and begin to walk towards my office and there are so many emotions flowing through me that I have to start typing. I can hear in the background that she has put on nature sounds to help her fall asleep. My heart fills with warmth knowing that she is safe.
I begin to type and finally after months of getting no where, the words just pour out of me and straight into my finger tips. I type and type until it becomes aggressive.
She's always had the night terrors and she's spoken through them at night but she has never mentioned anyone named Eli until tonight.
I am not quite sure who that is but she hasn't really told me what happened with her father entirely so maybe this is someone or something she doesn't want to discuss.

Who is he?