Nightmares & Dreamscapes
(Sequel to Visions)
by Shelly

Jeff was running through an overgrown forest. He didn't know where or why he was running, but he knew something horrible was about to happen. He just had that sick feeling. Unruly branches whipped into his face and arms, tearing the flesh as he pushed his way through them. Suddenly the forest cleared and he saw an old house. It's windows were boarded up and it was infested with weeds and cobwebs.


He ran up the steps and into a bedroom. Just as he had dreaded there on the old bed was a bundle in blood soaked sheets.

"No! Adrienne! Bella! No!" He went to the bedside and pulled the blood soaked blankets away from the body. To his horror there lay Bella, her porcelain skin was now the lightest shade of blue and her cherry lips were purple. On the bed beside her lay the lifeless body of baby girl, her skin was the same as her mother's and her emerald green eyes were staring blankly up at Jeff. "NO! Adrienne! NO!"

With a scream Jeff sat up in bed causing Bella to bolt up out of a sound sleep. His ragged breathing was the only sound in the room as Bella's tiny hands rubbed his bare, sweat-streaked back. He looked at her and sighed in relief. It was all just a dream. A horrible, vividly real dream.

"Jeff," Bella said softly. "What's happening?"

"Nothing," he replied shaking her off of him as he got out of bed. "Go back to sleep love. You're sleeping for two now." With that he went downstairs to the kitchen in search of some form of alcohol. He needed to steady his nerves. He finally located a lone bottle of Corona in the back of the fridge and carried it into the living room. He opened it and drained half as he stared out the window at the lake rippling in the moonlight. "Why Bella? Why our little Adrienne?" He couldn't answer those questions and neither could the full moon that was glinting off the rippling lake.

The dream had been so vivid. He could feel the dirt of the forest under his bare feet and smell the sap of the trees and the blood...there was just so much blood all over the bed. The memory of the smell of death in the room made him almost retch.

Draining the rest of his beer he laid down on the couch and closed his eyes trying desperately to push the horrible image of his beloved and their child aside. Within moments he was asleep again, this time a dreamless sleep.

~*~*~*~

"You ok," Amy asked as she cradled her newborn son and made him a bottle. She noticed that the younger woman looked like she hadn't slept well in a long time.

"Jeff's been having nightmares," Bella said with a sigh as she absentmindedly stroked her very swollen belly. "It's happened every night since he's been home. He won't tell me what they're about."

"Why not just read his emotions," Amy suggested, sitting down on the couch next to Bella to feed her son.

"He's blocking me," Bella replied frowning. "According to Shane and Shannon he spent a lot of time with Glen and Mark on the road. They must have shown him some things."

"Shane and Shannon actually told you something helpful," Amy asked with a smirk. "What'd that cost ya?"

"I had to promise to name my first born son after the both of them," Bella replied rolling her eyes. Amy chuckled. "He's blocking me and I can't do anything about it," Bella pouted.

"But why would he block you," Amy asked. "It doesn't make sense. You guys have never had secrets before."

"He doesn't want to upset me," Bella replied, rubbing her belly as she felt the baby moving. "He doesn't want to be the cause of anything happening to the baby."

"What," Amy asked.

"Remember a couple of months ago when I had to be rushed to the hospital? That upset Jeff deeply. He thought he was going to lose both of us," Bella said.

"I remember that," Amy replied. "But I also remember that it was a false alarm." She remembered the night very vividly

It was around Bella's sixth month and Amy's ninth. Amy had been having small contractions all night, but when she and Matt got a frantic call from Jeff they rushed to the emergency room. Jeff had told them that Bella had started bleeding and having really bad back pains. He was practically in tears as he waited for news on his wife and unborn daughter. An hour later the doctor told Jeff that it was a false alarm, but Bella was to stay off her feet for the remainder of her pregnancy just to be safe.

"Amy," Bella said sadly, snapping the older woman out of her memory. "It's killing me that Jeff won't tell me what's going on. He's always told me everything, but he just won't open up about his nightmares."

"He will soon," Amy said placing a hand over Bella's. "I know he will."

~*~*~*~

"You're sure it's Bella in the dream," Mark asked for the millionth time. Jeff had called him up and Mark had called Glen on three way. He had never heard the youngest Hardy sound so worried before and he needed help to calm the young man down.

"I'm sure I know my own wife," Jeff snapped.

"No need to get testy," Glen said before Mark could unleash his temper on Jeff.

"Sorry," Jeff mumbled. "What I don't understand is why this is happening and why now of all times. Why when the baby is just weeks away from being born?"

"In my opinion," Glen began. "When someone with these gifts gives themselves completely to a mate...there's some sort of exchange that happens."

"You're saying that I have visions now," Jeff asked in disbelief. "That's not making me feel any better."

"Jeff," Mark interjected. "Bella's visions are emotional in nature. That means that your fears and her fears are mingling and creating this horrible nightmare you live out night after night."

"You really think so," Jeff asked sounding somewhat relieved.

"I think that's it," Glen replied. "It's natural that you both would be nervous about the baby's arrival. You're first time parents after all. These dreams are nothing more than your fears manifesting themselves when you're in a highly susceptible state, a dream state."

"Thanks guys," Jeff replied smiling for the first time in weeks. He hung up the phone and feeling much better.

"You really think that's what's going on here," Mark asked Glen once he heard the click on Jeff's end.

"I hope so," Glen said frowning. "I really hope so for both of their sakes. Those nightmares seemed a little too vivid for my liking."

~*~*~*~

Upon his arrival home, Jeff found Bella on a stepstool straining for a box of pasta in the cabinet over the stove. "You are supposed to be off your feet," Jeff said with a smirk causing her to start and lose her balance. Jeff scrambled over and caught her just before she fell. He carried her over to the couch and set her down carefully. "And that's why you're supposed to be in bed."

"You weren't home and I was hungry," she pouted at him.

"Well, then let me make you my specialty," he said kissing the tip of her nose.

"I don't want scrambled eggs," she pouted even more. "I want pasta."

"Baby you know I can't cook pasta," Jeff replied gently.

"Fine," she relented. He smiled and set to making them both eggs. "Jeff?" She heard a muffled response from the kitchen. "What have you been dreaming about?" She heard a loud sigh come from the kitchen and moments later Jeff appeared with two plates of eggs.

"Don't worry about that," he said forcing a smile. "Nothing I can't handle."

"Jeffery Nero Hardy you tell me right now," she demanded. "Damn it! I want to know what's been keeping you up the past week."

"The past month," Jeff corrected and sighed as he set the plates down on the coffee table. "I haven't wanted to tell you because I don't want to upset you." He sat down next to her and rubbed her belly. "I don't want anything to happen to little Adrienne."

"Jeff I'm ready to pop here. I don't think little Adrienne has anything to worry about. She's going to be just fine. Please tell me." His shoulders slumped in defeat and he sighed and nodded.

"The setting is always different, but they all end the same. You and Adrienne are wrapped up in blood soaked sheets. I don't know what they mean, but they terrify me," he said not meeting her gaze. "I spoke to Glen and Mark about them. They think that a part of your gift has been passed to me. They think that I'm reading your fears and they're mixing with mine and manifesting in my dreams."

"Are they responsible for you blocking me from reading your emotions too," she asked with a scowl.

"I did it for you and the baby," he admitted. "I'd die if anything ever happened to you or little Adrienne. I lost my love and my child once before and I'm willing to do anything not to let that happen again." Bella's scowl softened when she saw tears in Jeff's eyes. "Please tell me you understand."

"I understand why you did it Jeff," she said softly, wiping a lone tear that had streaked down his cheek away. "I just don't like you keeping secrets." With that she got up and went to their bedroom. Jeff hung his head and sighed. His head snapped up moments later when he heard Bella cry out from the bedroom.

In a moment he was on his feet and in the bedroom. When he got there he saw Bella leaning over the bench at the foot of their bed. She was panting and holding her stomach. He could see a bright red bloodstain slowly spreading on her pale pink nightgown. "Bella," Jeff cried and ran to her side.

"I think the baby is coming," she ground out as another pain ripped through her tiny frame. "Jeff...it hurts...so bad..." Without a second thought he scooped her up and rushed out to his car. Once she was safely inside he sped off to the hospital.

~*~*~*~

"Hello," Matt said sleepily. Since the baby came along he and Amy had limited sleep and he was taking advantage of the quiet in the house by taking a nap. "Wait Jeff slow down...what? All right. I'll let Aims know and get there as soon as I can." Matt hung up the phone and ran a hand over his face to clear away any sleep residue. He made his way up to their bedroom and found Amy sleeping with Anthony curled up next to her. He smiled and prayed that Jeff got to experience the same feeling of extreme joy.

Amy's eyes fluttered open and she smiled and sat up gently so as not to wake up little Anthony. When she saw the frown he wore she got worried. "What is it," she asked softly noticing the worry in his eyes.

"Jeff just called. He's taking Bella to the hospital. Something might be wrong with the baby," Matt said. "I told him we'd be there." Amy nodded and as quickly as possible dressed the baby.

*~*~*~*

"All right Bella," Dr Green said calmly to the worried young woman. "Let's see how dialated you are." He took his place and lifted the hospital sheet. The look on his face made Jeff's heart jump into his throat. "All right," he said once again and began to exam her. He turned to the nurse after a while and as low as he could said, "There shouldn't be this much blood yet. I want a fetal monitor on her now. She's not even remotely ready to deliver just yet." The nurse nodded and left to get the monitor."

Dr Green turned back to Jeff who was trying to calm a sobbing Bella down. "Mr Hardy can I speak to you outside for moment." Jeff nodded and told Bella he'd be back before he followed the doctor into the hall. "Mr Hardy," he began. "I'm not going to sugar coat this for you. Your wife is loosing a lot of blood and she is only dialated one centimeter. There could be a chance that either the baby or your wife won't survive this birth." Jeff's world seemed to be crumbling around him. "We're going to monitor the baby until delivery, which I believe will be sometime tonight or early tomorrow. With every contraction she seems to bleed more and more. I'm sorry to worry you. I wish there was something I could do to make this all better, but we have to just wait and see." Jeff stood stunned as the nurse came to get the doctor. She needed help with the fetal monitor.

~*~*~*~

"Jeff," Matt called when he saw his baby brother pacing in the hall. "What's going on?" Jeff looked at Matt, his eyes were filled with tears and he seemed to be at a loss for words.

"Jeff honey," Amy said handing Anthony to Matt. "How are Bella and the baby?"

"She's bleeding so much," Jeff mumbled. "It's just like my nightmare." Amy and Matt exchanged worried looks. "She's dying," he said and looked up at them with saucer-like scared eyes. "I know it. It's just like my nightmare."

"Why aren't you with Bella now," Matt asked gently.

"The doctor needed to examine her and he said I was making her too upset."

"Why don't you block her like you did before," Amy asked.

"Can't," he replied staring straight ahead. "I'm so afraid of losing her and little Adrienne. I can't think straight."

"Mr Hardy," the nurse called to Jeff. "You can come back in." Jeff nodded and gave Matt and Amy a weak smile before he went back into the room to be with Bella.

*~*~*~*

"Hello love," Jeff said faking a smile as best he could. He took a seat by her bed and took her hand. She frowned and looked up at him.

"It's bad isn't it," she asked.

"No," he lied.

"Don't lie to me," she said softly. "I read you. I know the truth. You wouldn't be this scared if I was going to be fine." Before Jeff could reply a sharp pain shot from her back around to her abdomen. Her face paled and her grip on Jeff's hand. The fetal monitor began to go nuts.

The doctor walked in the room to see what was going on and saw a patch of bright red blood spreading on the bed linens. He rushed to her bedside and began to examine her. "I can't believe it," he said in amazement. "She's fully dialated already." Bella let out a moan as another pain ripped through her. "There's no time to get to the delivery room. This baby is coming fast. I'll have to deliver the baby here." He went to wash his hands at the sink and called for a nurse. "All right Bella," Dr Green said. "I want you to push when you feel a contraction." Bella nodded weakly as the nurse helped her into position. Jeff took a deep breath and prepared to witness the possible birth and/or death of his daughter or the death of his wife.

~*~*~*~

"You're doing great," Dr Green said encouragingly to Bella. "A few more minutes and you'll have a baby." He looked up and flashed Jeff a sympathetic smile, knowing the inner turmoil that the young man was going through. This could be the happiest and saddest day of his life all rolled into one.

Looking at his young bride, Jeff became increasingly frightened of losing Bella. Over the course of a couple of hours she had grown more and more pale from the blood loss. She let out a weak cry as she pushed for the last time and fell back to the bed weakly. The room fell completely silent as they waited for the sounds of a baby crying.

"Why isn't she crying," Jeff asked anxiously. "Why won't she cry?"

"Get some oxygen for the baby," Dr Green said to the nurse who nodded and ran out of the room. He turned to Jeff and said, "She just needs some oxygen Mr Hardy." He rubbed the baby and she began to move. Within a few seconds a weak cry emitted from her little mouth and Jeff closed his eyes and sighed in relief. The nurse returned with another nurse and the oxygen for the baby. They took the baby and began to clean her.

"Nurse," Dr Green called. "I need you over here! She's bleeding out."

Jeff's eyes snapped open and he looked at Bella. She was watching the nurse cleaning the baby and smiling weakly. He went to her side and saw all the blood still soaking the linens. He gripped her hand and kissed the back. "Don't you dare leave me and Adrienne," he mumbled to her.

"She's so beautiful," Bella mumbled and closed her eyes.

"Bella! BELLA," Jeff yelled.

"Get him out of here," Dr Green yelled and the nurse escorted him out of the room and closed the door behind her. Jeff pressed his face to the cold glass window in the door and watched as the doctor and nurse worked on Bella.

"Jeff what's going on," Amy asked worriedly seeing him watching through Bella's door.

"There's so much blood," he said turning away from the door and looking at her. Tears streamed down his face. "She's not going to make it. I just know it." Amy hugged him tightly. "Adrienne is so beautiful. She just needed some oxygen. I think she's going to be healthy, but..." He broke down at the thought of losing his soulmate. Amy walked him over to where Matt sat with Anthony sleeping in his arms. He looked up at his wife and his baby brother and knew instantly that things were very bad. Amy sat Jeff down next to Matt and took Anthony, allowing Matt to hold his baby brother and try to console him.

~*~*~*~

What seemed like decades passed before Dr Green came out to talk to Jeff. "Mr Hardy," he said grimly. "Bella has lost a lot of blood."

"Is she going to be all right," Jeff asked impatiently.

"Time will tell," Dr Green said. "She's unconscious right now from the blood loss. We had to get her a transfusion."

"Can I see her," Jeff asked.

"Yes," Dr Green said. "She's being cleaned and taken to a new room. She's a fighter Mr Hardy. I can tell you that. She was out of it most of the time I was attending to her, but she did come to a couple of times and asked for you and asked for little Adrienne. I'll have the nurse let you know what room she's been moved to."

"Thank you doctor," Jeff said softly. He turned back to Amy and Matt and the three of them embraced and cried relieved and worried tears for Bella. A few moments later a nurse told Jeff what room Bella was in. He left Matt and Amy and went to see his wife.

As he entered the room his eyes clouded over with tears. Bella look just as she had in his nightmares, minus the blood soaked sheets. She was just so pale. He sat down next to her and took her hand. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked up at him through groggy eyes. "Is she all right," she asked weakly.

"She's beautiful," Jeff said stroking her cheek. "She's just beautiful, just like her mother."

"I love you Jeff," Bella said softly closing her eyes and falling into a deep slumber.

"I love you too," he replied softly and watched her sleeping until he himself fell asleep too.

Jeff sat up and relaized that he was no longer in the hospital with Bella. Looking around he saw his house by the lake. He was sitting on the grass by the shore of the lake. Hearing a giggle he turned around and saw Bella sitting in the grass with Adrienne in her arms. She was tickling the infant's nose with a dandelion and the little one was cooing up at her mother.

Jeff woke up with a start and realized that Bella's hand was no longer in his. He glanced at the bed and saw that Matt was sitting on it and smiling at him.

"Where's..."

"She had to go for some tests," Matt replied. "I sent Amy home with Anthony a couple of hours ago. I've been debating whether I should wake you up or not. You seemed to be having a good dream."

"I was," Jeff said wiping the sleep out of his eyes. "Bella and the baby were home and we were all sitting in the grass by the lake."

"Sounds just lovely," Matt said getting up. "Adrienne is just beautiful Jeff. Have you seen her yet?"

"Only for a second," Jeff admitted. The night before he had been so afraid of losing Bella.

"Come on," Matt said pulling him up. "There's nothing like seeing your child for the first time. Trust me on that one." Matt led him to the nursery window and pointed to the baby in the middle of the front row.

Jeff gazed at his newborn daughter in awe. She was so tiny. A tear trickled down his cheek as he watched her sleeping in her crib.

"Mr Hardy," the nurse said poking her head out of the nursery. "Would you like to hold your daughter?"

Jeff glanced at Matt nervously. "Go on," Matt said smiling. "You can do it. I know she seems tiny, but you can do it bro." Jeff nodded and followed the nurse into the nursery. She sat him down in a rocking chair and placed the baby in his arms.

He gazed down into her sleeping face and realized what Matt was talking about. There really was nothing like seeing your child for the first time. He bent down and kissed her softly on the forehead. Some of his hair came loose from his ponytail and Adrienne clasped her tiny fist around it. Jeff laughed and called to the nurse for help. "Thank you," he said handing the newborn back to the nurse.

"Will your wife be breastfeeding her," the nurse asked as he stood up.

"I'm not sure," Jeff replied. "I'm not sure how she's doing."

"She just went for a pelvic exam and some other tests," the nurse replied smiling. "She's going to be just fine. She's probably back in her room now."

Jeff thanked her and went to see if Bella was back yet. When he got to her room he saw that she was sitting up in bed and that almost all her color had returned. He ran to her and gave her the most passionate kiss. "I was so afraid I'd lose you," he said once he had broken the kiss.

"You can never lose me," she said smiling. "I'm looking forward to making that dream come true." His jaw dropped at her words and she winked at him.

~*~*~*~

Two months later Jeff sat on the grass by the lake watching Bella tickle Adrienne's nose with a dandelion. He was so grateful that Bella and Adrienne both lived through the horrible nightmare.

"Is this a private party," they both heard Mark's deep voice call and saw both him and Glen walking towards them.

"Hi," Bella chirped happily as they both sat down next to the couple.

"So this is the little princess huh," Glen asked. Bella nodded and turned Adrienne so they both could see her.

"She's just as beautful as her mother," Mark said smiling and caressed her face with his finger. Adrienne turned her face towards his touch and began to suck on his finger. Mark chuckled and Bella passed the baby over to him so that he wasn't in an awkward position.

"We figured out why you were having those nightmares,"Glen said.

"Thanks guys," Jeff replied. "But Bella and Adrienne are fine and that's all that matters to me now."

"Well, we figured it was some kind of warning," Glen said ignoring Jeff's reply.

"Kind of like something telling you to watch out except this one was telling you that something bad was going to happen.."

"We figured that you never let the dreams play out fully so you never got the message that something wonderful would come from the something bad," Glen finished for Mark.

"So someone was trying to tell me that this was going to happen, but not to worry?"

"Not really someone," Mark replied. "We think it might have been your subconscious mind sending these messages."

"Well, whatever it is I'm just glad it's over," Jeff said pulling Bella into his arms.

"We all are," Glen and Mark said in unison. Bella and Jeff had a good chuckle as Mark and Glen cooed and spoke baby talk to Adrienne.