Page 213 of Unexpected Hero

My heart jumps in my throat, threatening to shatter. “I’m so sorry, James. I didn’t know.”

“It’s okay, Lettie. It doesn’t bother me.”

Liar.

“What happened to her?”

His sigh stretches into a yawn. “It’s late, Lettie. We can talk about this another time.”

“Okay. I just want to know more about your life. I feel like I’m always the one doing the talking.”

“You are. Like now,” he quips, a teasing lilt to his tone.

“Smart-ass.”

“Good night, sugar bear.”

“Good night, babe.”

Pained wails wake me. Someone is yelling.

“No. Don’t. Bring her back. No!”

The fog of sleep recedes further.

“I’m sorry. Don’t take her. Please. Don’t. I’m sorry. I’ll be quiet. I promise. Please don’t.”

It’s James.

He’s talking in his sleep. Well, screaming in his sleep is more accurate. And he’s got a death grip on me.

“Don’t take her. No. I need her. Don’t take her away. I love her. She’s mine. No, no, noooo.”

I twist in his arms, struggling to move with the hold he has on my upper body. “James! Wake up!”

“Daddy, no!” he yells louder this time.

“James, you’re dreaming. Wake up.”

Keeping his eyes closed, he shakes his head back and forth.

I manage to get one hand free to gently tap his cheek. “Wake up. Babe, wake up.”

His yelling ceases, and his words become choppy whispers that I can’t quite make out. With the streak of light from the closet shining across the bed, I see a sheen of perspiration lining his brow. His face is a mask of anguish, every muscle pinching tight.

Oh my sweet man.

My ribs suddenly feel too tight for my body. I must pull him out of whatever misery he’s lost in.

“Babe, wake up. James, it’s me. It’s Lettie. You’re having a nightmare.”

His voice turns into an almost child-like cry. “Please, don’t take her.”

Tears pool in my eyes. His suffering is filling every corner of the room.

I place my open palm on his upper stomach to help him center. “Hey, calm down, babe. It’s okay. Wake up.”

His eyes finally spring open, but he doesn’t seem to focus. “Where is she?” he grits out in a rush.

---