She hadn’t had a restful night for a long time, way before Gray’s death. Didn’t think it could worsen. Now that her best friend was gone, she realized that she’d been wrong. It could get worse, far worse. No matter how long she’d lie in bed, she couldn’t fall asleep. When she finally did, the night terror came. It came much more frequently these days, haunting her, jolting her awake after only a few hours of sleep. She no longer screamed or cried out. Learned not to. But it didn’t stop her from waking up drenched in sweat and her heart pounding loudly in her ears.
She chose not to sleep that evening. It wouldn’t be worth it. She was waiting for Babs anyway. Knowing that she was back had lifted her spirit in a way that she didn’t think was possible since she’d buried Gray. It made her feel less alone.
Silly, she knew that. But Babs was one of the last close ties she had. She had lost far too many brother and sister-in-arms. She didn’t want to lose another. She probably wouldn’t be able to fall asleep even if she wanted to because she was worried. Babs wasn’t going to arrive in Austin until dawn and she couldn’t open the doors to the library for her until 8:30 AM sharp. She had to follow her own rules no matter what.
By the time the clock struck half past eight, Jadyn was already waiting by the entrance to the shelter. She heard the knock and immediately opened the double doors. At the sight of Babs, a warm smile fell in place and she reached out to pull her into a hug. “You look like shit, Greenling,” she said with a bit of a laugh, “Welcome back. I’ve missed you.” Her eyes dropped down to Kaleo before she quickly added, “And you too, handsome.”