*Dust*
I am awakened by River whimpering, and it is clear he has a nightmare, so I shake his shoulder slightly. “River? River, wake up.”
His body gives a jerk and he sits up, “what? Where?”
“It was just a dream, I tell him as he fall back against the pillow. I lean over him, checking that there is no bleeding through of the bandage. “Are you okay?”
He pulls me into him, holding me as if I’m his lifeline. I stroke his hair and back gently, trying to offer him some comfort. “Being here with you helps,” he murmurs, his voice muffled against my skin.
We stay like this for a while, wrapped in each other’s arms, finding solace in our shared silence. Then he looks at me. “Give me a smile; I need some of that magic to cheer me up and make me forget the nightmare,”
I give him a smile. And I n
