Danâs eyes shot open, the man sitting up in a panic. His chest rose and fell rapidly, eyes darting around the room as his throughly scrambled brain attempted to make sense of his surroundings.
Home. He was home. Why wouldnât he be?
Standing, he stretched. It was still the head of night, the light rain gently hitting his window becoming audible as he passed by.
Stepping into the hall, he carefully shut his bedroom door behind him. He headed towards the bathroom, hoping that a quick start to his day would flush the vivid remains of his odd nightmare out of the forefront of his mind.
He slipped into the bathroom, making sure the door was shut before he flicked on the light switch. The bulb flickered occasionally as he brushed his teeth, the man shooting it a glare as if his steeled gaze alone would force it to work right.
Splashing his face with cool water, Danâs gaze finally met the gaze of his reflection.
His shaken, unshaven, bloodshot-eyed reflection. It opened its jaw, and a single question came spilling out.
Danâs eyes shot open, the man sitting up in a panic.
âSorry!â Jake whispered âI was just coming to check in, I didnât mean to wake you.â
âJake?â Dan asked, scratching his head as he attempted to blink the bleariness out of his eyes.
âYes?â He replied, expression shifting to concern â..Is something wrong?â
âNo, no! I just.. had a bad dream. What time is it?â
At that, Dan sprung out of bed, eyes wide.
âNoon?!â He echoed, Jakeâs own eyes widening.
âYes, itâs noon.â He repeated, watching Dan pull the blinds open to examine the clear sunny sky âItâs okay if you wanted to sleep in this time, I donât mind.â
â..Heh.â Dan turned back towards Jake, laughing nervously âGuess my dream threw off my sense of time.â
Jake entered the room, gently nudging the door closed with the heel of his foot as he walked over. He sat on the edge of the bed, patting the space beside him.
âWanna talk about it?â He offered.
Dan sighed, taking a seat beside Jake as he attempted to recall the vivid bits.
âIt was the middle of the night, it was raining..â He began âI was asleep inside of a dream and then I woke up into that dream? It was like.. a dream russian nesting doll, if that make sense.â
âWell.. how do you know this isnât a dream?â Jake asked, Dan giving him a faintly strained smile.
âCâmon Jake, donât mess with me right now.â He laughed, his complainâs expression hardening.
âIâm serious, Daniel.â He replied, frowning.
Danâs eyes shot open, the man sitting up in a panic.
âDad!!!â Milo exclaimed, throwing his arms around the man and sobbing.
âWoah, woah.â Dan began, pulling away and looking at him âWhatâs going on, baby shark?â
âIâm scared..â The boy mumbled, curling in on himself as he tugged the hood of his beloved shark hoodie over his head âI donât want to go to school today..â
âIs something going on?â He asked, tone turning serious as he scooped the boy up in his arms and sat him on the bed.
âNo, I just..â Milo scooted closed to the man, now tugging on his hoodie strings as he looked up at him âI donât want to leave you and Jake... I wanna stay home today..â
âWhy do you wanna stay home, baby?â Dan asked, ruffling the boyâs hair through the hoodie.
âI feel like something bad is gonna happen if I go..â he mumbled âI-I had a nightmare last night.. it scared me.â
âDonât worry, nothings gonna happen to us.â Dan assured him, planting a kiss on his forehead before standing âTheyâll have to get through your shark army first.â
âDad, Iâm being serious.â Milo whined âMy dumb toys arenât gonna be able to protect you if something really bad happens!â
âOkay, okay.â Dan replied, turning back towards the boy âWhat do you think is gonna happen?â
âWh..What if someone kidnaps Jake? What if I get taken by government people before I can get home from school?â He began, tugging on his hair as he went through the scenarios âWhat if Jake dies and his ghost wanders the earth? What if-?â
âHoney, thatâs a lot of âwhat ifsââ Dan began, Miloâs gaze suddenly locking on him.
âWhat if you donât wake up?â He asked.
âWh..What did you say?â Dan replied. Milo climbed off of the bed, his blank expression sending chills up Danâs spine as he spoke.
Danâs eyes shot open, the man sitting up in a panic.
âMr. Fuller, please calm down.â A woman requested, she was scribbling away at a clipboard.
â..Wh..Where am I?â He asked, the beeping of the heart rate monitor unusually frequent.
âYouâre in the ICU.â She explained âWe got a call that there was a workplace injury on site. One ambulance ride and several hours later, here you are.â
âI was.. injured?â He replied, the woman nodding.
âHead injury.â She explained, not looking up from her clipboard as she wrote âA pretty serve one too.â
âAnd my boys? Are my boys okay, do they know where I am?â
âMr. Pierly and your son are both accounted for and informed.â She assured him âIâm just here to ask you a few questions then you can get back to healing.â
âA-Alright, I can do that.â He replied, resting back against the hospital bed.
âAre you experiencing any pain?â She began, pausing in her scribbling as she awaited his answer.
âUm... No.â He replied after a slight pause âI feel fine.â
âAre you able to recall any events before or after the injury?â She continued.
âNot really?â He said, glancing around âWeird dreams but nothing real.â
âAlright, one final question and Iâll be on my way Mr. Fuller.â She replied, scribbling a few notes down.
âOkay, let me hear it.â He prompted, sighing.
The woman looked up at him, removing her glasses. Her green eyes flashed unnaturally as she stared him down.