this was too short to post on AO3 so I'm putting it on here - i gave halt a panic attack
Halt woke from the nightmare breathing heavily. He tried unsuccessfully to stand, collapsing noisily next to the bed that he and Pauline shared. His breaths were coming too fast. Too rapid. He couldn't catch his breath. His hands raised to his throat, scratching for air. Coughing he tried to calm down, it still felt as though water was creeping into his lungs.
“Halt?” Pauline whispered. She had been woken by Halt falling to the ground. Worried, she reached for her husband.
Feeling a hand touch his shoulder Halt started, thinking at first it was his brother's oar to push him under again. He calmed slightly when he realized it was Pauline, but his breaths were still coming much too quick.
Pauline lit the lamp on the small table next to their bed. Halt pulled himself, shaking, onto the bed and Pauline sat next to him. She let her hand trace circles on his back, trying to calm him down.
“Are you alright Darling?”
“Níl,” Halt gasped, he still hadn't gotten his breathing under control, “Plúchadh, nightmare, níl ceann chomh dona leis seo faighte agam le tamall, tá an-bhrón orm, sorry, sorry.”
With his accent so thick and mixed in with Hibernian and apologies Pauline almost missed the word “nightmare”.
“No need to apologize Darling, you did nothing wrong.”
Pauline pulled Halt into a hug, wrapping her arms tight around him to help him calm down. Halt could feel his breaths slowing back to normal as he let himself fall against Pauline. They sat like that for over an hour as Halts breathing slowed back to normal and he slowly fell asleep in her arms.
