บท 31: I'm Here

"Mm? Jason?" Her rasped voice brought reality to her hazy vision. As the clouded mist cleared up in her sight, she realized she was back in the hospital room. From a close distance, she could hear Jason's voice calling out her name.

Taking a few seconds to herself, she remembered the cold, metallic touch she dreamt of. Suddenly, something chilly ran down her neck; making her jolt up in bed and nervously brushed it away. It was her sweat, but it startled her greatly.

"Ahhhh!!" She covered her ears with her palms in a shaking manner. Darkness, emptiness and murderous chills combed through every strand of hair on her body. Breathing heavily, her eyes wandered around the darkness as she shaped out Jason's silhouette by her side.

Flustered with reddened cheeks, her right hand searched in the dark for Jason's hand. She didn't know what to do to calm down. Like the sound of meat getting hammered, her heart pounded ten times as loud. Clenching her shirt, she sensed the tightness in her chest tangling into a dead knot.

After grabbing a hold of his arm, she leaned into his embrace as if her life depended on it to survive. She heard whispers to her ears, but no words could settle her emotional catastrophe. His arms wrapped around her from behind as her tears drained endlessly down her cheeks.

Sniffles and hiccups filled the room as he rubbed the sides of her arms protectively. He whispered, "It's alright. I'm right here. You had a bad dream. You're safe. I won't let anyone hurt you. Shhh, everything is okay." Though her body was drenched in cold sweat, he didn't give a tinker's damn.

She was vulnerable like a newborn deer taking its first breath. Her trembles didn't slow down in his embrace; making him tighten his arms around her. With his chin pressing on her shoulder, his tender voice sounded calm like an imitation of water flowing in nature.

"Are you cold?" While he asked, his hands had already felt her hands. As expected, the cold sweat on her body was sending shivering signals to her body system. Swinging his feet, he hastily flung his slippers away and adjusted his sitting position on the bed.

Taking the double pillows from behind, he stacked them against the wall to support his back. Pulling her in his embrace once again, they were now in a more comfortable position. His arms were still hugging her from behind, but this time, her body leaned entirely on his chest. He realized he had forgotten to drag the blankets when he moved her body just now.

Wanting to facepalm himself for his carelessness, a thought emerged from the jumble of his mind. He wiggled his toes to stretch them out before using his big toe to drag the blanket towards his direction. Once the blanket was brought close enough for his hands to reach, he released it.

"Phew." He blew a puff of breath as he leaned forward slightly to pull the blanket over them. After making sure the blanket covered up to her shoulders, he placed his arms around hers. Her cries had stopped and body also started calming down from quivers. Still, a few sniffles could be heard escaping her mouth once in a while.

He rubbed the back of her hands gently as his cheeks rest against the side of her head. "It's alright. You had a nightmare. I'm right here with you." He comforted and rocked their bodies sideways slowly.

"Mm.." She felt tired from shedding tears and holding onto his arms.

Reaching out to the table on the right, he retrieved the glass of water he had previously poured for her. He knew she would need more fluids after crying and sweating. Therefore, everything was already prepared for her. If one glass wasn't enough, he had two more filled glasses waiting in line.

"Here, drink some water." He placed the glass in her hands and sat up to support her body. After she finished the water, he put the empty glass back on the table. "Are you feeling better now?" She nodded in response to his question, "Better. Thank you."

"You must be tired. Sleep or take a nap. I'll stay with you like this until you fall asleep." He said as he leaned back again and tucked her arms under the blanket. Under the blanket, his hands continued patting hers to give her a sense of security.

After a while of quietness, she parted her lips and said, "I can't sleep. Can we have a talk?" "Of course." He smiled softly.

"If you're tired, you can rest. I just want to get this out of my mind." She sounded fatigue, but restless from anxiety.

"I'm listening."

Taking a deep breath, she felt heat rushing to her eyes. "Just now, I dreamt of being in an extremely dark place. It was freezing and I was alone. Then, a loud shattering sound pierced my ears and glass shards dropped all around me. I was barefooted and bleeding from cuts. I heard many voices telling me I was unwanted. I was abandoned. Nobody loved me." Her voice shook as she reminisced about her nightmare.

"A few people with blades walked out of the dark. One by one, they stabbed me on the spot nonstop. Even when I screamed in agony and pleaded, they didn't stop. I couldn't see their faces, but my chest ached. As I bled to death, these voices continued chattering to my ears."

"I was so scared of it being real. I couldn't run away nor hide from them. They were incredibly cruel like monsters with claws or beasts with meat grinding teeth. And then...I felt your warmth and woke up. I called your name and you brought me back to reality. Back to safety." She bit her lips and closed her eyes as she kept the tears from flowing.

She tilted her head until her ear was close enough to hear his soothing heart beats. Lowering his gaze, he saw how relaxed she looked in this position. He brushed strands of loose hair away from her face. "From now on, nobody can hurt you as long as I'm alive. You can depend on me. Whether if it's these nightmares or actual pests; I'll always be on your side."

"You shouldn't be so nice to me." She replied.

"If I'm not nice to you, then who would I be nice towards? All you need to focus on right now is recovery. I'll handle everything for you." He let out a soft chuckle, leaving tingles in her ear.

"We're just friends, so I don't want to bother you. If you're too nice to me, I'll rely on you too much." She sounded as if she could already see herself getting spoiled.

"We're friends right now. But who says you'll still be my friend in the future? Also, I earn money and save my time to spend it. I'm glad I could be someone you can rely on. You're never a bother to me. Even if you're a bother, you've already started bothering me so might as well continue. If you must use that term, then take it as I like being bothered by exclusively you. Don't think too much and go to sleep. You still have body examinations to do tomorrow."

"Jason.." She mumbled. "Hmm?"

"Thank you."

"Silly girl. Go back to sleep. It's past bedtime already."

"Pfft, am I a kid to you?"

"No. But I can tell you who I think of you as. I think of you as my~" He purposely teased.

"I'm suddenly super tired. Shh, you go sleep too." Snuggling closer to him, she smiled and slowly drifted to slumber again. He waited until she was asleep before shutting his heavy eyelids. His voice repeated inwardly, 'Even if the world is against you and nobody loves you, I will stay beside you. I'll give you everything I have and cherish you.'

After a chaotic night, the two of them slept until morning.