Don't Leave

Chapter 28

Amanda's POV

"You liked what they did to you." Nick said.
"What?" I asked.
"You heard me"
He threw me against the wall.
He grinned staring at me.
"Amanda, Amanda" I heard a faint whisper.
"Amanda!" It got louder.
Nick got closer to me. He looked sinister.
"Wake up!"

Nick's POV

At two in the I heard screaming. I knew she was having another night terror.
"Amanda, Amanda" I shook her.
No luck. She continued screaming and fighting.
"Amanda!" I tried again louder. "Wake up!"
Her eyes shot open
"No!" She screamed covering her face.
"It's just me"
"But you... I thought you believed me." She said still trying to catch her breath.
"I do, what are you..." I started.
"You promised you wouldn't hurt me! You promised!" She shouted
"I'm not going to. Is that what your nightmare was about?"
She didn't answer, just started crying.
"Amanda I'm right here and I'm not going to hurt you."
I pulled her into a hug as she continued crying. I did but I didn't want to know what she was dreaming about. Judging by her reaction it related to me and it wasn't good.
"What was it about?" I finally asked.
"Nothing. Please just don't leave."
"I won't."
Something must've really messed her up. She was clinging to me for dear life. I held her close and tightly eventually falling asleep.

Amanda's POV

Nick was sound asleep as I slowly made my way to the bathroom. I did my best not to disturb him. I got to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. I looked at my face, my stomach, my back, arms, everywhere. Not a single new bruise. It was just a dream I thought. But God it felt so real. The events that took place in my nightmare replayed in my head.
"Hey, what are you doing up?"
I suppose he was smiling when he said it as he said it jokingly. But that smile faded when I gasped and jumped like five feet in the air.
"I'm sorry, I didn't, mean to startle you."
"It's fine, I just, I, I don't actually know what I'm doing." I said not even bothering to give an actual reason.
I looked closer in the mirror thinking I saw something. A cut maybe? I looked closer and felt my face. Nothing was there. I'm losing my mind.
"What are you looking at?" Nick asked.
I didn't know what to say. So I said the first thing that came to mind.
"It felt so real." I looked at him. "The nightmare. We were right there on the sofa, the way we sat earlier."
I assumed I fell asleep there and he carried me to bed because I don't remember going myself.
"You said..." I stopped myself before I repeated what he had said.
"What'd I say?"
"Nothing." I shook my head. "It was just a bad dream."
I walked past him out of the bathroom. But was it? Was it just a dream? I started second guessing myself. Why did it seem so real? I've had several nightmares before, but this one felt different. Did I black out after hitting the wall? No, nick would never do that. But then I remembered. That's what I thought about Jeff. About Tucker, the nurse, half the fucking station! It seems anyone I'd remotely trust were the ones who hurt me the most.
I got lost in my thoughts and didn't realize I was standing in the middle of the kitchen till Nick said my name.
"I think I'm losing it" I said.
"I think you're just going through a lot." He took my hand. "How bout you go back to bed."
"I'm not tired."
He glared at me then raised his hand. Just as it collided with my face I woke up.

Nick's POV

She bolted upright struggling to catch her breath.
"It's alright, I'm right here." I spoke softly.
She looked at me with wide eyes.
"I know" she said then bolted out the door.
"Amanda wait!" I ran after her.
I cought her before she made it to the end of the driveway. I carried her back inside ignoring her protests. I put her back on her feet inside.
"It's not even 10° out you can't be running outsids." I tried explaining.
"I can't take this anymore." She dropped to her knees. "Just kill me already!"
"What? No, I'm not gonna kill you."
I knelt down beside her.
"Why?" She pleaded.
I looked down at her arms.
"Oh my god your wrists are bleeding." I ran and grabbed towels covering her bloody wrists.
"Amanda tell me what's going on or I'm bringing you to the hospital."
"No!" She pleaded.
"Then tell me what's going on."
She didn't speak for a second. She finally managed to get control of herself.
"It was the nightmares. Two of them after another, but they weren't like normal ones." She said
"What do you mean by that?"
"They were so real. And they weren't like a flashback like all the other ones were. No, it had to of been real."
"What were they about?"
She looked at her bloody wrists then at me.
"You" she said.
Maybe it was the way she said you that made me realize what she was trying to say. The was she reacted waking up and seeing me. It starting becoming clear to me.
"No, god no, i'd never hurt you. That's what the nightmares were about?"
She simply nodded her head.
"None of what happened was real. I need you to believe that."
I don't want to even imagine why she'd think I'd do anything to her.
"Do you believe me?" I asked her.
She stood still, no response.
"Come here" I hugged her as she cried into my shoulder.
After a little while of rubbing her back and hair I brought her to the sofa. The rest of that night I would not sleep. I did cry every now and than, but I mostly stared blankly at nothing completely lost in my thoughts.