Frank shot up in bed, gasping for breath. It had been months since he had a nightmare about pulling Greg off the mountain in 2011, and it never ended well. He sucked air as arms went around him, holding him tight. For a moment he didn’t know where he was until finally he came to himself and saw Sarah’s dark shape sitting beside him. Her startled voice called his name in the moonlit room.
“Sorry, bad dream. Didn’t mean to scare you.”
“It’s okay, Frank. It’s okay.” She rubbed his back.
For a moment he relaxed in her comforting strokes until he felt a powerful urge to cough. He pulled away abruptly. “I need to find the toilet.” He rushed out into the cold in his bare feet, hurried to the outhouse under the stars. Shutting the door, he bent over with hands on knees and coughed until he thou
