Cuts P.O.V

I gasp awake in a cold sweat. I run my hand over neck as I try to catch my breath. My throat feels dry and my entire body is trembling and aching with fear.

I put my head between my knees and rock gently. Never before have I had such a vivid and terrifying nightmare. All the pain felt so real. I thought I had actually gotten stabbed. The gunshot sounded real. The argument was clear. It felt too real to be a dream.

Now I realize that it was, in fact, a dream. The apartment is clean with no signs of entry. Horn is asleep right next to me. I'm completely fine. None of it was real. It was all just a figment of my paranoid imagination.

I continue to rock myself gently. Being stressed is not good for me right now. Unfortunately, after a nightmare like that, it's hard not to be stressed.

I sob softly and lock my fingers into my hair, tugging softly. That nightmare was probably the worst I've ever had. Horn was almost killed, I was almost raped, and I was most certainly killed. That's far worse than my nightmares of being trapped in the hospital with no way out.

Horn stirs and sits up, running his fingers through his hair. It's clear that he's still half asleep.

"Cuts, Baby, what's wrong?" he asks while turning on the lamp that's on his side of the bed.

"I had a nightmare," I whisper through my tears.

Horn pulls me close, running his fingers through my hair. I let out a shaky sigh and tightly wrap my arms around him.

"Was it the hospital one again?" he asks, knowing that it's my most common nightmare.

I shake my head no. Horn continues to play with my hair to soothe me.

"What was it about?" he asks softly in a calm tone.

Horn knows how to calm me down after my nightmares. He's done it many times before. He's pretty good at it. This time, however, he's dealing with something completely different.

This dream was so gruesome that I'm not even sure that I can bring myself to tell him. Not only is it gruesome, but it's completely possible. It isn't too far-fetched that this could happen. That's what terrifies me the most.

Horn has said several times that he left the drug scene. Then, a few months later he slips up and reveals that he's been dealing to earn a bit of extra money.

I've begged him to stop several times. After this nightmare, I don't want him to have anything to do with drugs. I admit that my paranoia makes me seem a bit extreme, but I don't want anything bad to happen to us because of the irrational actions other people will take.

"Cuts, Honey, please?" Horn asks again.

I take a deep breath. "I dreamt we were coming home from the doctor's office." I hug him a bit tighter. "You said you saw someone in the apartment and said you would handle it." The shakiness of my voice only worsens. "I stayed in the hall and listened. It was someone you had been dealing drugs to. They were angry because you said that you wouldn't give them what they wanted anymore." Horn's face shows worry as I go on. "They shot through the door and almost hit me. I got in the elevator to go to the lobby but there was someone in there." I cry. "He kept trying to touch me and I kept struggling. He threatened to slit my throat unless I stopped struggling. And then he stabbed me," I sob out.

"It's okay, it's okay. It was just a dream. That didn't happen. You're okay," he says softly while gently wiping away my tears.

"You're," I pause, "you're not dealing again, right?" I ask softly.

"No, of course not," Horn answers.

"Promise?"

"I promise," he says while kissing the top of my head.

I sigh softly and nod. I'm shaken up and I know that I won't be going back to sleep tonight. By glancing at the clock, I learn that it's four in the morning.

"How about I make you a cup of tea and we stay up and watch some Disney movies? Would that make you feel better?" Horn suggests.

"That sounds nice," I reply.

Horn picks me up and carries me to the couch before heading to the kitchen to make the tea. He knows that tea and happy stories help me relax after nights like these.

I use the television remote to find the on-demand channels and stop when I find the Disney category. It has a lot of the classics and some of the newer ones as well.

I go ahead and start Dumbo. It's an old movie with a lot of inappropriate and racial stereotypes, but it's still a good movie. Those types of things were acceptable when the film first came out.

Horn walks over to the couch and hands me a cup of tea before settling down next to me.

"Thank you," I say softly before taking a sip.

The hot liquid warms my dry throat and relaxes my body. Horn and I watch the cute cartoon and hum along to the catchy tunes. By the time Dumbo ends I'm already feeling much better. 

Horn picks out the next movie, The Little Mermaid. Most people enjoy this one as well, even when it doesn't send the best message to kids. It basically says you must change who you are to be with someone you love, which isn't true. Although, it is just a cartoon.

We continue to watch movies for the rest of the night. By the fourth movie, we're both falling asleep on the couch. It's early morning and the sunlight is starting to shine in through the window. Unfortunately, we're both too tired to care and we sleep through the blazing sunlight.

I'm lucky to have someone like Horn. I love him very much. I don't know what I'd ever do without him.