A Very Odd Couple 13
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Dave was attacked on his way home from work.
Recovering in the hospital, he started suffering from nightmares.
A visit to Nina Pomerantz seemed to help, but Dave's sister,
Chris wasn't so sure, so she asked Luka to speak to him. Luka
explained to Dave that he too had suffered from nightmares after
an incident in Croatia, and tried to help Dave realize that he
was not to blame for the assault.
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"Would you stay with me a little while?" asked Dave,
"I... I don't want to go to sleep just yet."
"I will stay as long as you need me," promised Luka.
"We will get you through this, I promise."
Dave smiled, suddenly feeling better than he had for days.
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"And the strange thing was," said Luka, "No one
found so much as a feather afterwards."
Dave laughed at the tale. The laughter turned into a yawn, as he
struggled to keep his eyes open. "Sorry," he said,
yawning again. "Not bored, just tired."
"Do not fight it, Dave," said Luka softly. "Let
yourself sleep. You need your rest."
"I... I don't want to dream," said Dave hesitantly.
"Can't you give me something to make me sleep without
dreaming?"
"Even if I could, I would not," replied Luka. "Running
away from your fears will only make them stronger. But I will
stay with you."
"Yeah?"
Luka nodded. "Sleep, and remember that I am here. Say to
yourself as you close your eyes, 'I am not alone'."
Dave nodded tiredly. Curling up in the bed, he pulled the
bedclothes around him. "I am not alone," he whispered
to himself, as he closed his eyes.
"Ja chu zashtititi te kapuljachan kandzhe, ja chu drzhati
vampir tvoje vrate," said Luka softly. It was what his
father used to say to him after putting him to bed, and Luka had
said it over the sleeping forms of his children on many occasions.
"What?" said Dave, sleepily.
"Shh, sleep," ordered Luka. He waited until he was sure
that Dave was asleep, and then got a blanket and pillow from the
nurse on duty. Turning off the lights, he settled himself more
comfortably in the chair. True it was not the most comfortable
way to spend the night, but it was certainly no worse than many
places where he had slept in Croatia during the war.
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A few hours later, Dave moaned softly in his sleep. The sound was
enough to wake Luka. Untangling himself from his blanket, he
moved over to the bed, ready to wake Dave if he seemed too
distressed. As Luka watched, Dave lashed out weakly at an unseen
attacker.
"Easy Dave," murmured Luka, putting his hand on Dave's
shoulder to calm him. "It is all right."
Dave jerked at the touch on his shoulder, but didn't wake. Beads
of sweat coated his forehead and his whole body was trembling.
"It is all right," said Luka soothingly, taking Dave's
hand and squeezing it gently. "Do not be afraid, I am here."
He wasn't sure if Dave could hear him and he was afraid that
waking him suddenly might do him more harm than good. He
remembered being told in his Paedes rotation that the best
treatment for nightmares was comfort and reassurance. Hopefully
the same thing would work for Dave.
Whether it was the sound of Luka's voice or whether the dream had
run its course, Luka didn't know, but Dave gradually stopped
moaning and shaking. When it seemed that Dave was at ease again,
Luka let go of his hand, and carefully rearranged the bedclothes
that had been disarrayed by Dave's tossing and turning.
Settling back in the chair, Luka resolved to stay awake in case
Dave had another nightmare.
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"Yo, Kovac. Wake up."
Luka heard Dave's voice calling him. Opening his eyes, he
squinted against the bright sunlight that was streaming in
through the window. "Good morning," he said to Dave,
who was sitting up in the bed.
Dave grinned at Luka. "Was gonna let you sleep for another
bit, but I got bored. You know that once word gets around that
you spent the night here, the rumors are gonna start flying."
"And I am sure that you will do nothing to dispel these
rumors?" said Luka as he stood up and stretched, grimacing
slightly as his muscles protested.
"You sleep okay?"
"Well enough," replied Luka, "and what about you?
How did <you> sleep?"
Dave shrugged, "Pretty okay, I guess. I mean I didn't wake
up screaming, so I guess that's good..."
"And did you dream?" asked Luka.
Dave nodded. "It...it was the same dream again...but it was
sort of different...I mean, I was there, but it was like I was
watching it happen to someone else. You know, like it wasn't me
on the ground being kicked."
"I think that the more you talk to people about both the
dream, <and> the attack, the less power it will have to
frighten you. I know that it is not easy, but I promise that I
will be here to listen whenever you want to talk."
"Thank you Luka," said Dave softly.
"So," said Luka, after a few minutes silence. "What
time will Dr Corday be discharging you?"
"Well, I've got another appointment with Nina this morning,
so I guess sometime in the afternoon," replied Dave.
Luka nodded, "In that case, I will go home and get the house
ready. Do you wish me to bring you some clothes to wear?"
Dave shook his head, "Nah, I'll get some more scrubs.
They'll do me for today."
"Very well then. I will see you in a few hours. And Dave?"
"Yeah?"
"You will talk to Nina? I mean, really talk to her. After
all, she is there to help you, not to judge you."
"I'll talk to her," promised Dave.
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Dave's second session with Nina proved to be a lot more
constructive than the first. He kept his promise and told her in
detail about the attack and the nightmares.
"How do you feel now?" asked Nina, gently as she handed
him a glass of water.
Dave shrugged, "A bit better. Guess Luka was right. It does
help to talk about it." His throat ached from talking for so
long, and he sipped the water gratefully.
"Dave, just because you've been able to open up to a few
people, doesn't mean that the nightmares will stop overnight."
"I know that," said Dave quietly. "But they will
stop...won't they?"
"I hope so. I wish I could tell you for sure, but Psychiatry
isn't an exact science. Only time will tell."
Dave sighed heavily, looking away from Nina.
"Dave?" He looked up at her again. "You will get
through this."
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Dave had just been wheeled back to his room, when Elizabeth
arrived on her rounds. She gave him her usual thorough
examination.
Dave watched apprehensively as she wrote detailed notes on his
chart. "So," he said, finally. "Do I get out of
here today or what?"
"What? Oh, yes. Yes you do. I expect you'll be glad to be
going home?"
"You bet," said Dave, with feeling.
"Well, I hope you're going to be sensible about your
convalescence. You're to have plenty of rest."
"I'll be good, I promise," said Dave. "I'll lie on
the couch and watch TV all day. It'll be hard, but I guess I'll
just have to live with it." He grinned at Elizabeth.
"Hmm, well I'm sure Luka will make you rest." Elizabeth
finished with the chart and stood up. "I'll just sign your
discharge orders and you'll be free to go. Just remember, rest,
rest and more rest. The next time I see you in here, I want you
to be a doctor, not a patient."
"I'll behave," said Dave, as Elizabeth left the room.
Alone at last, he lay back on the bed. A part of him was eager to
be finally going home, but another part of him was uneasy at
leaving the safety and security of the hospital. "Everything's
gonna be all right," he told himself. "I'm going home,
that's all that matters."
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to be continued
Authors note
Luka's words to Dave are
'I'll protect you from the hooded claw.
I'll keep the vampires from your door'
(The Power of Love - Frankie Goes to Hollywood ~1994)