Sometimes Kate struggles with nightmares.
She's someone that has gone through so much shit and seen so many things that it's only natural that she has lots of trauma to deal with. Some nights it takes hold of her and doesn't let her go.
You can usually tell if the night is going to be long. When she comes to bed with you she's as stiff as a board, shoulders tight and movements so slow it looks like it hurts her to even move an inch. Other times she's overly quiet, responding with soft and short answers. Something that is out of the normal because she enjoys talking to you and it helps her wind down after a long day.
First start the small twitches. Her whole body, from her shoulders, arms, legs, they all twitch like she wants to wake up from her own mind. It's what wakes you up most of the time. Then come the soft grumbles. They come every now and then but what really breaks your heart is the way her eyebrows furrow almost in pain. Then the head shakes. Like she's trying to get rid of her thoughts.
Your touch usually helps her. You try to be as soft as possible, talking low in hopes of waking her up as softly as possible. Other times you pet her head or just her stomach so she feels you, wherever her mind takes her.
Then other times she just wakes up with a gasp, scrambling to find you next to her and looking around to make sure she's safe. After some particularly rough dreams she'll melt into your side when you hug her, where she's killed back to sleep to a kinder place.
What she needs you to do is just to hold her, maybe wipe her tears, kiss the side of her mouth and tell her everything is alright. That usually calms her down. And if it doesn't you always walk her to the living room, wrap her in the fluffiest things around and put in a lighthearted show you know she likes as you start your morning at whatever hour it is.









