I woke up when a punch hit my face. The area near my eye is throbbing. When I could sit up and roll off the bed, trying to see where the attack came from in the darkness. From my vantage at the side of the bed, I scanned the bedroom but only saw movement from the bed.
My wife is thrashing.
My wife - I just shook my head, thinking that Samantha is an active sleeper. I was about to go back and lie down when she turned to me and threw a punch and a kick at the same time.
"What the -" I quickly caught her hands but was not able to prevent the kick near my gut. I'm going to be bruised all over if this wife of mine doesn't wake up.
"Samantha! Sam!" I shook her arms as I held on to her wrist. "Come on, honey, wake up!"
But she is just biting her lips, with blood flowing at the side of her lips and tears running at the right side of her eyes.
"Sam!" My shout boomed in the silent darkness. "Wake up!"
A nightmare. Was it from the time she was kidnapped?
I wrapped my arms around her, making sure that I pinned her arms to her side, pulled her up, and walked towards the lamp to turn on the light.
Her face is wet with tears, and her lips with blood.
"Sam." This time, I whispered in her ear, "Samantha." I used one arm to clutch her firmly to my body and the other to rub her head and back.
"Sam, you're safe. It's me, Micheal." I whispered. I could feel her gradually easing her struggle, "That's it, honey, relax." I kissed the side of her ear, "You're safe." I placed a soft kiss on her neck.
She is still biting her lips. So I used my lips and tongue for her to open it, making sure that she didn't bite me.
"Open your eyes, honey."
When she opens them, the fright in their depths is real. There was no calling or yelling out for help. As if she is trapped inside herself.
"Sam, it's me." I pulled her a little away so that she could look into my eyes and face. "It's Micheal."
"Micheal?" Her voice croaked
"Yes, honey." I tried to smile, "You're safe."
"Micheal?" She pulled one of her arms away from my tight embrace and placed it at the side of my face. "Micheal?"
She slowly traced my cheeks and, as if in a trance, my lips, then my nose.
"Micheal?"
"Yes, Sam."
"Micheal?" She was still in a trance, not fully aware of her surroundings, as she moved her fingers all over my face and my jaw. When she slowly caressed behind my ear, I felt a jolt.
"Sam, I need you to wake up now." I held her wandering hand in mine, "or I'm going to ravish you."
"Micheal?" She moved closer towards me, moving up on my lap.
"Sam, I really hope you're awake now." I tried to pull her away, but she wrapped her arms around me. Her shirt moved up, showing her shorts. Why does she look sexy in the Rocker shirt that Tim gifted me as a prank? "Samantha Smith, wake up!"
"I'm awake." She whispered, "Just for a minute." Her breath caressed my neck as she moved up my lap and tightened her embrace. "One minute."
Then she started trembling.
"Sorry, Micheal." Her embrace felt desperate and tighter, "Just one minute."
I sighed and wrapped my arms around her as we waited out her shivers. And I tried to soothe her by running my fingers through her hair. And these are not good shivers. Her body feels clammy. I moved her shirt down and wrapped the blanket around her.
After more than a minute, I felt her relax, her soft breath steady against my neck.
"Sam?" I tried to move back to look at her face, but she snuggled deeper. "Sam?"
Did she fall asleep in my arms?
I woke up feeling a cramp in my neck, but I couldn't move my head. There was something heavy pressing against me. When I opened my eyes, I saw the wall and sofa in front of me instead of the ceiling. As I tried to rub my neck, I realized the warm weight pressing against me was moving. My shirt is bunched up, showing my abdomen.
Ah. I fell asleep, leaning against the headboard.
"Samantha?"
"Hmmm," she snuggled against my chest. If she moved a little to the side, she would...when she did, she suddenly pushed off my chest and stared at my face.
"What?" I smiled, "It's natural." I grinned teasingly, "Want to help me with it?"
Her laughter echoed in the room as she teasingly moved her hand towards the bump under my shorts.
I almost forgot that she is a doctor-to-be. And human anatomy is familiar to her.
"Does nothing frazzle you?" I moved my hand towards the waistband of the shorts and tried to lower it.
She immediately scrambled away from me and blushed.
What a contradicting person.
I smirked, got out of bed, and walked towards the bathroom. I watched as she quickly adjusted her shirt, which had ridden up, revealing the underside of her breast.
"Since we both have a free schedule today, what do you want to do?" I asked as I grabbed the robe on top of the dresser.
"Can we just stay inside?" She finally looked up and met my gaze.
"Sure."
I could smell the delicious scent of cooking when I walked towards the kitchen and found Samantha in her shorts and shirt with her hair pulled up in a bun.
"Smells good," I whispered as I walked beside her, gently nuzzling my nose behind her ear and pressing my lips against it.
"What was that for?" she asked, looking bewildered. But she didn't look annoyed. I smiled.
"What?" I grabbed two glasses from the cupboard.
"The kiss, Mr. Smith." I turned off the stove and placed what she had cooked on the two plates she had set on the island.
"A thank-you for cooking breakfast."
"And you think a kiss is enough payment?"
"What do you want then?"I walked beside her as she carried the plates towards the table out on the balcony, while I carried the pitcher of juice and a bottle of milk.
"You wash the dishes." she murmured
Does she think that I don't know how? That I would find that difficult? I think she does from the condescending way she looks at me.
She looked surprised when she came back to the kitchen after her bath and saw the kitchen spic and span.
"My, would you look at that?" She's wearing blue jeans and a plain white shirt that hangs loosely on her body.
"Impressed?" I lifted my brow and crossed my arms.
"Show off."
We spent the day talking about nothing and playing board games that I never knew were in one of the cabinets in the guest bedroom.
"I can't believe that you left me bankrupt." She whined as she threw the money towards me. "I'm your wife, for Christ-sake."
"Don't worry, what's mine is yours."
"No way." She stood up and started to clean the table area. "What do you want for lunch?"
"Pasta." I glanced at the wall clock to discover it was past lunchtime. "Let me do the cooking this time."
"You cook?" What's with her opinion of me? Does she think I am a pampered guy who doesn't lift a finger in his life? I spent time in the wilderness during my academy training and had to do everything to survive. Doesn't she recall that I saved her during that time?
"Yes, duchess. Your husband knows how to cook a meal." I walked towards the pantry and grabbed the ingredients I needed.
"Hey." She leaned her shoulder against the doorframe leading to the panty, watching me. "I didn't mean anything by it."
I turned towards her and lifted my brow.
"Alright, I did." She slowly approached me, like she was afraid that I might now welcome her invading my personal space. "But I was just teasing you."
I was surprised when she placed her hand on the side of my jaw and rubbed her thumb along it. And even more when she moved closer and wrapped her arms around me.
"Still annoyed?"
"Irritated." I teasingly replied, which she seemed to get when I felt her smile against my chest.
"Let me help." she offered as she grabbed the box of pasta from my hand.
"No way. You're just trying to get out of washing the dishes" I tried to grab the pasta back, but she hid it behind her. "Are we really going to do this, Sam?"
I tried to be intimidating as I walked towards her. But she simply smiled.
"I'm going to kiss you if you don't give that back."
"Hah" she snide "as if that's a threat."
I laughed when I remembered her surprised look and the moment she dropped the box on the floor after I ravished her lips. She kicked my shin when she walked out of the pantry.
She grumbled and murmured in annoyance while doing the dishes.
She looked up from the book she was reading when I got out of the bathroom and patted the place beside her that night.
"Let me dry your hair." She coaxed. Surprisingly, I walked towards her and sat on the space she made near the edge.
"You do know that we have a hair blower in the bathroom, right." She took the towel from my hand.
"Yeesss."
"And why don't you use it?" She gently pressed the hair strands between the towel and ran her fingers through my hair. "Unless it's for the women you invite over."
It feels relaxing.
"I don't invite women in this place." I saw her smile at the corner of my eyes. "You don't believe me? I only use the blower when I go out."
"I didn't say anything."
"Now I'm really curious of what your image of me is." I turned to her, "Care to enlighten me?"
"And miss out on being surprised all the time, no way." She did a final run of her fingers all over my head and declared the task done.
-----------------
I sprung off the bed and reached under my pillow when I heard the shrill shout echoing in the darkness, only to remember that I no longer kept my gun there. I tried to calm my breathing and listened carefully to figure out where the scream was coming from. Then it hit me that I should have grabbed Samantha and shielded her behind me.
I was about to slowly reach for her when I heard the shout again. And it is from her.
Another nightmare.
I grabbed her shoulder and shook her.
"Sam, wake up!"
There is no struggle this time, just loud yelling.
"No! Stop!"
And she can't move her body. It's like she's frozen, her arms tightly aligned on her sides and her legs pressed together.
"Samantha."
I wrapped my arms around her and tried the gentle approach from last night.
"Honey, It's me. Micheal." I whispered, "Wake up. You're safe."
I repeated the chant five more times before her body relaxed, but she remained asleep.
I laid back down with her wrapped in my embrace.
I need to know what is happening and if she won't talk about it. I'll do the digging myself. I hate feeling helpless.
"Micheal, wake up." I heard someone whisper.
"Micheal, wake up." I slowly opened my eyes and looked at the woman in my embrace.
"Ummm...can you loosen your embrace so I can stand up and use the bathroom?"
I move one of my hands and run my thumb along her jaw.
"No more nightmares?"
Her forehead wrinkled as she looked confused. I continued running my thumb along her jaw and wrapped my other arm around her waist.
I moved her up my body and kissed her forehead before completely letting her go as she scrambled towards the bathroom.
I grabbed my phone. When the person finally answered, it was with a grumble that it was too early for a call, then an alertness, asking what was wrong.
"We need to meet."