Poppy murmured in her sleep. It sounded like she might have said his name, but it was hard to be sure. She frowned, and turned her head into the pillow. "No," she mumbled. "No, wait. Stop. Stop it."
He went over to her, putting his hand on her shoulder gently, sitting on the edge of her bed. "Poppy, wake up."
Her eyes opened immediately, and she stiffened, for a moment forgetting where she was. She turned her head to look at him, sat up, and slid her arms under his to embrace him, her chin resting on his shoulder.
"What happened?" he asked, looking at her curiously. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
She frowned, her eyes looking down at the bedsheets thoughtfully. "It was like those fear things again," she said. "You know. The tests." She shuddered and shook her head.
He took her hands between his, kissing her forehead. "It's okay. We're safe now," he said softly. "What did you see in those tests, if you don't mind me asking?"
She closed her eyes against the images that flowed through her brain and took a deep breath. "Fire," she said. "Deep water. My family dying." She opened her eyes and glanced up at him. "You were killed every time."
He watched her lovingly, though his eyes hinted to his worry. "You were killed in mine, too. At one point I knew it wasn't real, but it still got to me." He shook his head. "The first time was terrible."
She looked up into his warm brown eyes, and her fingers traced his features. "I don't know what I'd do without you," she said quietly, following his cheekbone. "You kept me sane in there, you know."
He leaned into her hand, closing his eyes for a moment. "You did the same for me. If I was by myself... I probably would have let them shoot me."
He kissed her back immediately, but pulled away after a moment. "I should probably get back into bed. That nurse kinda scares me."
She humphed good naturedly and shooed him away. "Go," she said. "Wouldn't want you to get in trouble."
He gave her one quick kiss before going back to his bed. He decided not to tell her about Evan being in here.
