Southern Comfort (Southern 2)

Casey runs into the room, and he has me in his arms before I can take my next breath. I’m gasping for breath and trying to get my heart to slow, but all I can do is sob and cling to Casey while he holds me.

Chapter Eight

Casey

The sound of her screaming makes my blood run cold. Jumping off the couch, I run over to her room and find her thrashing in her bed. “It’s okay,” I say. Her eyes open with a wild look in them. “I got ya, darlin’.” I hold her in my arms as she sobs, clinging to me, then I climb into bed next to her when she finally calms down. “Do you want something to drink?” She just shakes her head but doesn’t move from my arms.

“Can we go lie on the couch?” she asks, her voice weak. Standing, I gather her in my arms and carry her to the couch. “Why is there a pillow and blankets already here?” she asks when I put her down so her head is on the pillow. Sitting next to her on the couch, I cover her with the same blanket I was using.

“Well, I was afraid I wouldn’t hear you if something happened,” I say as I push the hair away from her face. “I promised my mother that I would take care of you.” The lie comes out before I can stop it. My mother had no say in where I slept. She left the house as soon as she came out of the room. I just wanted her gone so I could be alone with Olivia. I listened at her door, and when I didn’t hear anything, I walked in and turned off the overhead light, then switched on the small lamp on the nightstand. Situating myself outside her room, I sat with my back to the wall, and waited until she came out and climbed into bed. Once I heard her soft snores, I went to my bathroom and took the fastest shower of my life. After I finished, I checked on her again, then decided to sleep on the couch since I’d have to set my phone alarm for two hours to remember to wake her. It rang quietly once, but my eyes were still open. I got up and walked over to her. Checking on her, I felt like a creep watching her, but I just stared at her, wondering what in the fuck was going on with me. Until I heard her yelling.

She swallows while she looks at me, and I walk to the fridge to get her a bottle of water.

“Here,” I tell her as I open, then hand her the bottle. I walk to sit down on the couch beside her feet. She swallows a couple of sips. “How is your head?”

Looking down at her hands, she says, “It almost feels like I have a little headache.” She takes another sip, and I wait a couple of minutes.

“You feeling any better?”

She nods. “Yeah, it was a nightmare.” When her head shakes, a tear escapes, but she wipes it away.

“It’s only normal, darlin’,” I tell her softly. “Yesterday was crazy.”

“It was a weird one,” she says, looking at me. “I was standing in my apartment, but it was trashed, and then suddenly, I was standing in this room. But it was trashed, too.” She leans over to set the water bottle on the coffee table. “It’s fine. It was just a dream.”

“It was,” I say softly, wanting to cup her cheeks with my hands. I want to sleep with her in my arms so she can feel protected and safe.

“Is it okay if I sleep here on the couch?”

I want to tell her that she should sleep in my bed, but I don’t want her to think that I want anything. So instead, I just nod. “Sure, darlin’.” She turns to her side and closes her eyes.

“Thank you, Casey,” she says softly, and I don’t answer her because I don’t trust the words that would come out of my mouth. Instead, I get up and walk back to my bedroom to grab another pillow. When I walk back out, she’s already snoring softly.

When I decided to build this house, I knew my vision. I built it from the ground up with my own hands. I did have help, but I poured my blood, sweat, and tears into this house to make it exactly like I wanted. It was the same as my parents’ but with a modern touch. The family room, unlike my parents’ house, has high ceilings, and when you turn, you can see the railing to the second floor. The couch we are sitting on was custom made. I wanted a huge U-shaped one with huge pillows to face the fireplace with a big-screen television over it. Even though I barely watch television, I bought a ninety inch.