W is for Whispers

Source: Kim Young Photography

"Will...?  Will, wake up," she whispered, nudging him gently as she crawled over to his side of the bed.

She could hear his breath- deep and even- warning her of his continued slumber.   She reached her arm across his chest and gently set it down, then settled her head on his shoulder.

"Will," she whispered more intently, giving him a push with her knee.

"Wha?" he mumbled, then took a sharp intake of breath as his hand grasped hers.  "What happened?  You ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, I'm fine," she said softly, rubbing his chest to soothe him.  "I just had a nightmare."

"Oh, no- no nightmares," he said, pushing his arm behind her and pulling her in for an embrace.

She wrapped herself around him and breathed in his scent.  His warmth on her cheek and his body under hers was reassuring and she felt more real from it.  He let his head rest on hers as he held her.

"What happened?" he sighed.

"Well, it was weird.  You were there but... you weren't really you, you know?  I mean, you were my husband, but you weren't you, if that makes any sense."

"Sure," he said, still groggy.

"And you were... you were mad at me for some reason."  She tried to remember the details of the dream but the past few minutes in the comfort of her own bedroom had chased the tenuous images away and now the harder she tried to concentrate on them the more vague and amorphous they became.

"I was mad at you?" he asked, snuggling in further as he fully awakened.

"Yeah, but I... I can't remember.  I just- I didn't like that you were mad at me.  Don't be mad at me," she said, and buried her face in his chest.

"No, sweetie- no.  I'm not mad at you," he rubbed her back as he held her and whispered "It's ok."

She wanted to explain to him how disturbing it had been but the dream had evaporated into the ether and left only the residue of strong emotion without origin.  She settled into him and let the emotion fade away.  As they lay there she sank into him and let her eyes close again.

"It's ok, sweetie, it's ok," he whispered. 

She mumbled something into his shirt about him being the best pillow and before long they both began to drift back to sleep.