Dream a Little Dream of Me

She woke in the middle of the night with the sense that she was being watched. She tried so hard to maintain the breathing pattern of the sleeping but sensed that he wouldn't be fooled for long. She knew he must have dreamed that dream again and she braced herself for what would follow.
Yawning, she turned over and smiled at the stony face watching her. His steely grey eyes, colder than ever before, narrowed and he spoke in a slow and quiet voice. 'You'.
The first blow took her by surprise even though she thought she was expecting it and as she felt the warm blood leaking from her nose she lowered her head as if breaking eye contact would somehow break the spell. It didn't and she instinctively covered her head with her hands. Blows reigned down, each one sending her further inside herself. Feet and fists and fury flying, not crying, silently she held herself as if by wrapping her arms around herself she would hold all her parts together.
He slowed and tired and eventually she was aware of nothingness.
She cradled his sobbing head in her lap as she felt her bruised eyes already closing. She knew it would be another week of sunglasses whatever the weather. She stroked his arms with her swelling fingers and rocked him as though he were a baby. 'I'm sorry' she whispered and even as she was saying it she wondered what her dreamself had done this time.