dreaming

i dream of terrible things and wake up feeling as though i'll never sleep again, and i read for hours and then finally get out of bed because there is nothing else to do and all of the dogs follow me downstairs and they abandon him in the bed, alone and cold because he has no fat, just skin and the barest hint of lean muscle.
he sweats in his sleep and then he shivers and aches from the cold, and it's as though his body is trying its damndest to defeat him. his jaw works slowly, grinding his teeth against each other until i press lightly next to his ears and his face relaxes again, for a while. usually i am asleep before he is but when i am not his sleeping keeps me awake, fearful that someday he won't make it through the night.