The Hodgson Family ; Glimpses in their lives

Nightmares

Jack and Nikki were in a fitful sleep, both occupiing Nikki's half of the bed with Jack pressed up behind her, his arm around her waist and his light snores tickling her neck.

Nikki was used to his little snores and found it soothing , she couldn't imagine not sleeping without them.

They both shot up from their sleep as the sound of screams filled the still night air, they were getting louder and they could hear footsteps getting nearer.

Their bedroom door, that was open a crack was slammed wide as their daughter ran into their room crying hysterically with tears steaming down her face. "Mommy! Daddy!"

Both Nikki's and Jack's heart broke at the sight of their daughter standing in their doorway sobbing and crying out for them.

Nikki jumped out of bed and rushed to Kae to pick her up. Kae immediately wrapped her arms and legs around her mother and placed her head in the crook of her neck. "Oh sweetie, what's wrong? Another nightmare?" Nikki whispered in her hair. Jack moved his body to turn on the bedside table lamp.

The last few nights had seen the same pattern occuring and it broke them to see her their little girl like this.

This was the first time she had actually came running into their bedroom, the previous nights she had just woken them up with her screams and cries for them. Nikki had offered to go to her as Jack had been working late nights and had barely gotten to sleep before Kae's nightmares started.

Nikki had barely slept the last few nights as she tried her best to calm her little girl down but it had taken ages to get her back to sleep again.

Kae nodded and gripped Nikki's pyjama top with one hand holding it in a fist. "Make it stop please mommy."

Nikki looked at Jack and saw the same pain in his eyes as she felt. He moved himself a bit futher so he was now occupying a part of his side of the bed, moving the sheets he patted the space beside him. "C'mere cupcake."

Nikki carried Kae over to their bed and carefully sat them down. She handed Kae to Jack who sat up and hugged his daughter close to his chest, her little hand gripped his t shirt immediately and Jack could feel his shirt becoming wet with her tears.

Nikki couldn't stop the tears from forming in her eyes when she saw how scared her daughter was.

Jack looked at Nikki and his free hand wiped her tears from her cheek, stroking her hair soothingly before his hand found Kae's back and he slowly rocked her, hoping this would calm her down.

After a few minutes Kae's breathing slowed down and her cries faded, she held on to her dad's shirt but her grip had loosened.

"You okay, princess?" Jack whispered against her blonde curls.

Kae shook her head against his chest.

"Can you tell us what happend in your nightmare?"

Kae's head moved away from his chest and she looked between both parents, who were giving her their full attention.

She went to speak but nothing left her mouth, she looked at Nikki with pleading eyes as if to tell her Mom something.

Nikki knew immediately. "Did the werewolf come back?"

The nightmares were the same each night and Nikki had told Jack all about them. She had no clue how the werewolf had came up in her dreams, they had never mentioned one and had never watched scary movies on the television.

They considered that maybe one of the kids at pre school had talked about them.

Kae nodded. "He was in my room! He was scaring me!" She wiped her cheeks clean from the tears.