The Nightmare

Every time Charlotte closed her eyes, she saw Amy, lying in a pool of blood. It left her feeling unsafe herself. She had a foreboding feeling that something wasn't right.

Pregnancy had given her vivid dreams. The incident at the mall had given her nightmares. Many nights since then she screamed in her sleep.

The first time it happened it had frightened Gordon terribly. He'd immediately sat up in bed ready to do battle, until he realized that the source of her screams was haunting her in her dreams. How many nights had he held her when she began screaming?

She was haggard in the daytime because she wasn't sleeping well. She was also irritable, which was unlike her normally sunny disposition. He wasn't sure if it was pregnancy hormones causing her to be upset or if the lack of sleep caused it. Maybe it was both. Gordon decided she needed to see a doctor

"Good news! Baby is healthy and growing on target. Did you want to know what you're having?" The doctor asked.

They both agreed that they'd like to know.

"It's a girl!" The doctor told them. Gordon and Charlotte smiled.

"A little princess to love and spoil like her mother! I'm the happiest man in the world!" Gordon exclaimed. Though some traditional families still hoped for sons instead of daughters, Gordon was not so. He knew this little girl would be like a cotton padded jacket to him.

"Mrs. Zhou, you have experienced an emotionally draining experience recently. Though your baby is well, it would do you good to rest some for your own sake. I can prescribe some calming herbs you can use to help encourage relaxation." The doctor added.

"Thank you." Charlotte said softly.

After they left the maternity ward Charlotte asked if they might visit Amy. They made their way to the VIP ward.

Amy was recovering quickly. The doctor said it was due to her good health and quick intervention of those on the ambulance that made it possible for her to even be alive once she reached the hospital.

When Gordon and Charlotte arrived they noticed Amy sitting up in bed watching a television program while Calvin sat beside her working on his laptop.

Calvin set aside his laptop when they entered and gestured for them to be seated.

"We won't stay long. I had a visit in the maternity ward and wanted to stop by before we went back." Charlotte explained.

"How is the baby?" Amy asked.

"She's good!" Gordon said with excitement.

"It's a girl?" Amy asked with anticipation. Calvin was smiling.

"Yes, it's a girl." Charlotte confirmed.

"Congratulations!" Calvin said to them both.

"What is the doctor saying about you, Amy?" Charlotte asked.

"I may be discharged by the end of the week!" She was excited.

"I wouldn't mind if she'd rest here longer." Calvin said protectively.

Charlotte and Amy exchanged smiles.

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Sara was confused. She had been ever since the day Amy was shot. All of their friend group had waited at the operating room for word on Amy's condition when her new boss, Edward, had arrived with the other men. He had wordlessly grabbed her in his arms and hugged her as though she were in a vice.

No one, Absolutely no one, had hugged her like that since James. She barely knew anything about Edward but yet he'd held her as though she was a priceless treasure. Why?!

She might would have asked him about the incident but the next day at work he was so cold to her. He wouldn't look in her eyes when he spoke and when he did speak it was said in as few words as possible.

She was confused, and deep down, she was hurt. His tenderness at the hospital stirred something that she thought had been long dead. He not only hugged her, but he'd stayed there close beside her at the hospital, holding her hand. He'd even held her hand when she was asked to give a statement to the police.

Then the very next day, it was as though they'd never met. Even before the shooting they'd been able to be around one another and work comfortably. Their conversations had flowed easily before. Now being around him felt very awkward.

On top of that, she was experiencing some unwanted attention from a man in the IT department at work. On her second day he'd fixed a problem with her computer. After that it seemed like he constantly showed up for something or other. Today was no different.

"Hi, Sara." He said, surprising her, as she'd been engrossed in her work.

"Hi, Nathan." She answered politely.

"I was wondering if you were free for dinner tonight?" He asked hopefully.

"I'm sorry, Nathan. I'm very busy in the evenings. I'm not free to date then." She said, hoping that would end it.

"What about lunch? Do you have plans?" He asked.

Before she could answer Edward came out of his office, slamming his door behind him.

"This isn't a matchmaking service. This is a workplace. Get back to your department immediately. And no, she is not free for lunch today, or any other day." Edward scolded.

"And you," He turned to Sara, "this isn't like working at a bar where you can flirt all day! Act professional!" Edward shouted.

Her face blanched white and she stared at him, horrified, hurt and confused. What had she done to deserve that?

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Edward stormed into his office and slammed the door. He told himself to get a grip on himself quickly. As soon as he opened his mouth he knew he shouldn't say those words to Sara, but it was like watching a train wreck in slow motion that you can't stop.

Nothing had been right since the afternoon of the mall shooting. He remembered being in an important meeting when his phone vibrated with a message from Gordon stating there had been a shooting at the mall and Sara was involved.

The panic had poured over him. He ran out of his meeting without a word to anyone and personally drove to the hospital at dangerous speeds. He ran towards the operating room, and when he saw Sara standing with the others, safe and alive, he crushed her in a hug without stopping to think it through. He hadn't left her side all day but that night, when he home by himself he was troubled by his thoughts.

He barely knew Sara. He could not feel this way about someone that fast. That was terrifying. He had been unfaithful to Mia's memory by showing affection to Sara. But what truly scared him, was the thought that she could be gone from his world as quickly as Mia was. That was why he'd left everything to get to the hospital; he couldn't stand the idea that she had been hurt or killed. He couldn't let himself love like that again because he never wanted to hurt like that again.

So after the day at the hospital he decided he would distance himself from Sara. He kept himself cold and impersonal when he interacted with her. Even though it was killing him. When those beautiful eyes of hers looked at him with a mixture of confusion and hurt every time he he spoke to her indifferently he felt like a jerk.

Adding to his conflicted thoughts about her was the fact that men he employed stared at her constantly. The guy from IT kept hovering around her and finding excuses to visit her. No, that wasn't happening. She deserved better. He protected what was his.

But....she wasn't his. And therein lied the problem.