Chapter 574: Nightmares
Autumn stared at Gabe as he played with Arabelle, helping her tie up her hair and sighed. Who would have thought that the man who was always so calm and smiling would be in so much pain. He seemed unaware of what had transpired last night and she was thankful for that... maybe. She didn’t think he would want her to know his pain or his weakness. However, this made her heart ache even more...
She’d woken up due to pain. With a frown of fear, as old memories threatened, her eyes snapped open and she realized that this was different. The only pain she had was centred on her hand. As she looked down, she realized that Gabe’s hand had inadverently tightened its hold on her. He was holding her as if afraid that she would be gone.
She tried to disentangle her hand from him, but his grip tightened further, as he called out an anguished," No..."
She reached out tentatively, her fingertips grazing his cheek, covered with slight stubble, hoping to soothe him somehow... Unexpectedly, his other hand caught hers, and he pushed his cheek further into her hand... his breathy voice calling out something she didn’t understand.
Feeling his distress, Autumn hesitated for a moment before gently withdrawing her hand from his grasp. She knew she shouldn’t wake him, that disrupting his sleep might only worsen his turmoil. With a sigh, she carefully slid out of bed, silently padding around to his side.
As she approached him, she could see the tension etched on his face, his brow furrowed with worry even in sleep. She reached out to brush his hair back from his forehead, before hesitating. His forehead was soaked.
Fetching a tissue from the bedside table, she dampened it with water and gently dabbed at his forehead, wiping away the sweat that had gathered there. He stirred slightly at her touch, but didn’t wake, still lost in the depths of his dreams, murmuring something unintelligible.
His features were drawn tight with tension, his brow furrowed as if battling unseen demons. And she wondered what demons he was fighting. Was it something related to his late wife? She could understand some broken words, as she continued to wipe his forehead," Ari.. don’t...let go."
His plea tugged at her heartstrings, and she leaned in closer, her voice soft and soothing as she whispered close to his ear, "I’m here, Gabe. I won’t let go."
His grip on her hand tightened suddenlu and he tugged at her causing her to lose her balance until she fell against his chest. And then he caught her, enveloping her in a tight embrace, his arms holding her as if afraid she would slip away. Autumn’s breath caught in her throat at the unexpected intimacy. She could feel his heartbeat under her ear...
She licked her lips and tried to pat his arm, her hand grazing against his chest. She felt him rub his nose against her hair and sigh, the rise and fall of his chest, moving her with him. Finally a few moments later, he sighed heavily, his body relaxing against hers as he probably found a measure of peace. His breathing slowed, his features softening into a more tranquil expression. For a while, they remained like that, wrapped in each other’s arms and Autumn felt at peace. She hoped that she would be able to bring him peace as well some day.