Joe sighed loudly. "That was the best thing I ever bought for forty bucks." He rose to look at me.
"Why, thank ya, Joe," I said and cuddled up to him on the bed. We lay there quietly, our legs rubbing against each other. It was comfortable, the bed had a lot of sheets on it, much more than a top and bottom sheet. Blankets were half falling off the sides, some were at the top of the bed. Many pillows with mismatched pillow cases, various sizes... it was a bed that beckoned you to just relax.
And laying there, without speaking, we somehow drifted off to sleep.
I awoke from a dream, and Joe seemed to be having a bad one. It was his yell that awoke me, along with the movements of his legs. Was he running in his dream?
"Egg, you've got to GO FASTER!"
'Egg?' I thought to myself... maybe a nickname?
"NO!" Joe said as his face contorted and he went into a fetal position and covered his head with his arms and hands. Then, just soft crying. Not knowing what exactly to do, I just lay near him and got as close to him as I could, just to be there for him, my arm around his shoulder and upper arm.
He awoke a few minutes later. Reaching inside the bedside end-table, he took out a small vial of medication, popped one in his mouth, tooks a sip of a ginger-ale that must have tasted room temperature, and as he lay back down on the pillow near me, he saw my open eyes. "Sorry about that, I have nightmares sometimes. Nothing to worry about."
I touched his forehead, it was covered in sweat. "It's ok, Joe. I have bad dreams sometimes, too. But yours must be very scary. I'm so sorry."
"I'm ok. Hey, do you want to go home? Or do you want to just sleep here for the night? I can drive you home if you want to go, I really won't mind at all if you'd feel more comfortable in your own bed," he asked politely.
"I'm very comfortable here, Joe. I'll stay if you don't mind a hooker sleeping in your bed with you," I replied.
He smiled. We hugged and fell back asleep.