Chapter 44 - Monsters Don't Sleep
Cat and Trey showered quickly and went to bed when they got to the pool house. It had been a few weeks since Caleb kidnapped her, but she still wasn't ready to shower or have sex with Trey. She needed him and Atlas when she slept, but other than kissing and hugging, she couldn't tolerate much more touching.
Trey took his cues from Cat, never wanting to touch her wrong accidentally. The last thing he wanted was for her to take two steps back when she had come so far. When they were in bed, he laid on his back while Cat laid her head on his chest so she could hear Atlas purring.
They had only been asleep for a couple hours when Trey woke up to Cat pounding on his chest and screaming. He gently took her hands and rolled her on her side so he could spoon her. Atlas purred loudly to make Trey's chest rumble and vibrate. He had found this technique worked best to help her go back to sleep.
After she calmed down, Trey stroked her hair and kissed the back of her head. He hated that Caleb awoke the nightmares in her again. She had been having them less and less until he kidnapped her. Now she had them every night, sometimes several times a night. Trey cuddled with her in his arms and thought he better get some sleep because the monsters in her nightmares didn't stay away for long.
Cat woke up when the sun was barely showing in the sky. She was surprised that she didn't wake up screaming. She felt Trey behind her, and she snuggled closer to him. He was still sleeping, and she could feel Atlas' soft rumble against her back. She loved how they took care of her.
As she was lying there thinking about her future with Trey, her phone on the nightstand began ringing. She wondered who would be calling her this early. Trey woke up as Cat moved away to get her phone. She looked at the screen but didn't recognize the number.
"Hello." Cat heard someone sobbing loudly on the other end.
"Cat, it's Kayla." She immediately sat up and leaned against Trey again, needing to feel his warmth.
"Kayla, what's the matter?" She felt Trey begin to stroke her hair.
"I had a bad dream, and it felt like Bob was hurting me. Now I feel like I hurt all over again, and I want to go to sleep and never wake up." Kayla sounded hysterical. Cat knew she needed to see her in person to console her.
"Trey and I are leaving now, so we can come and see you, okay?" Cat jumped out of bed, and Trey did the same.
"Please hurry." Kayla cried into the phone before hanging up.
"Kayla had a bad nightmare and sounds like she's in bad shape. We have to go see her right away." They were both quickly putting their clothes on, and Cat ran a brush through her hair. As she grabbed her purse and was about to go out the door, Trey stopped her.
"Look at me." He had seen how wild her eyes were and knew he needed to calm her down before she saw Kayla. Trey leaned down and gave her a soft, gentle kiss that made Cat melt.
"What was that for?" She asked, a little breathless but more relaxed.
"I could see how wired up you were, and I wanted to calm you down before we got to Kayla." Trey smiled as they walked out the door holding hands.
"Thank you for always knowing exactly what I need, even before I do. Oh, I should tell you that you may hear Kayla refer to you as the monster catcher. When I talked with her last night, I wanted her to feel comfortable with you coming into the room to ask about her parents. So, I told her you were my boyfriend, a detective who caught monsters." She smiled up at him as he looked at her in surprise.
"You told her I was your boyfriend? I feel like you're way more than that to me." Cat shook her head; of course, that's what he focused on.
"I thought she would understand, boyfriend, rather than saying you were my reason for living." She saw the grin spread across his face.
"That sounds better. Okay, I'll be the monster catcher for anyone who needs me to be." Trey liked being the monster catcher. Atlas also voiced his approval, saying any monster he comes into contact with would be ripped to pieces.
When they arrived at the hospital, Cat and Trey ran into the ED. Diane was still there and waved them to come to the back.
"I'm glad you're here. Kayla woke up screaming a little while ago. She wouldn't let anyone near her." Diane looked like she was close to tears.
"She called me, so she knows we're coming. Is she still in the same room?" Cat was almost running. She needed to be with Kayla.
"Yes, please go on and see her. Let me know if you need anything. I'll be here for about another hour." Diane watched as Trey and Cat ran down to Kayla's room. She thought to herself, what an amazing young couple they were.
Cat could hear Kayla crying the closer she got to her door. She didn't bother knocking as she opened the door and walked in. The sight that greeted her eyes broke her heart. Kayla was lying in a ball in the middle of the bed, looking toward the door and crying. Her parents were sitting in chairs next to the bed, with tears running down their faces.
As soon as Kayla saw her, she jumped off the bed and ran to her open arms. She flung herself against Cat so hard she almost knocked her down. Trey pulled a chair up and eased Cat into it so she could hold Kayla on her lap.
Maggie and Chuck watched the scene in surprise. They had tried to calm their daughter for over an hour, but she refused their touch and wouldn't speak to them. She kept saying she needed Cat. As they watched Cat calm her down, they knew they would be forever grateful for this woman and how she was helping Kayla.
"Tell me about your nightmare. Let's talk through it so I can help you." Cat was whispering softly as Kayla wept in her arms. She saw Trey pull a chair next to Maggie and Chuck.
"He was doing all the bad things to me that he did when I lived with him. I could feel it like it was real. Why Cat? Why does he have to hurt me even in my sleep?" Kayla started sobbing again while Cat gently rocked her.
"You were with him for a long time. Everything he did to you is still fresh in your mind, and when you're sleeping, those things come to the surface. I still have nightmares but have learned to overcome them by not letting the monsters win. You'll eventually do that too. It will take some time, but remember, we're stronger than any of those monsters because we survived. They still try to get in our heads when we're sleeping because they know we'll fight them during the day. Monsters don't sleep, but we won't let them win."
Kayla calmed down as she listened to Cat talking to her softly. She hoped that Kayla understood what she was saying. She had said we when she was talking, so Kayla knew she wasn't alone.
"Why can't I let anyone touch me? I want to hug my mom and dad, but I'm scared." Kayla glanced at her parents, who watched her while they talked with Trey.
"You haven't had anyone touch you in a nice way for over three years. It takes time to realize that everyone doesn't want to hurt you. I still don't like people to touch me, either. Remember, no one will rush you into anything. No one will touch you who you don't want. You aren't going to be better overnight, but I'll help you get to a point where you're not as scared anymore." Cat knew that she was going to have to help Kayla long-term. She was too invested in seeing her succeed.
"You'll help me even after I leave the hospital? Don't you have other stuff to do?" Kayla looked up at her hopefully, and Cat smiled.
"Do you remember what I told you yesterday? I said I will help you as long as you needed me to. I'll be there if you still need me ten years from now." Cat brushed Kayla's hair away from her wide eyes.
"Cat, you're my best friend. I'm glad you brought the monster catcher with you. Does he help you with your monsters too?" Kayla glanced shyly over at Trey.
"Yes, he does. He has helped me like I'm helping you. It's too hard to do this on our own. That's why we need others to help us. Their love and support pull us from the darkness. I want you to always see the light, never the darkness." Kayla wrapped her arms around Cat and hugged her tight.
"Thank you. Do you think you can help me hug my mom? I don't want her to be upset if I can't do it." Kayla looked at her mom, who was still weeping.
"Yes, I'll help you, but you won't upset her. She understands that you're still hurting right now. If we get over there and you can't hug her, it'll be alright." Kayla nodded at her with a tiny smile.
She slowly got off Cat's lap and took her hand. Once Cat stood up, they walked over to where her parents were sitting. Kayla was taking deep breaths as she moved toward Maggie a few inches at a time.
When she was right in front of her, Kayla walked into her mother's arms and let go of Cat's hand. She wrapped her arms around Maggie while they both cried. Cat cried with them, knowing what a big step this was for Kayla.
Trey walked over to Cat and wrapped his arms around her. He knew she was crying for Kayla but also thinking about her mother. He swore he would find a picture for her and hopefully get some answers about her family.
