The rustling in the room is getting louder.

“Where are you? Daddy, don’t leave.” Her voice is muffled through the door, but I’m sure those are the words I heard. “I can’t find you.” There is the noise of drawers opening and closing.

Her voice is louder this time. “Daddy, please come back.” Shit, now I can hear her crying too.

Is she having a nightmare?

I open the door quietly, just a small amount, so I can try to see what she is doing.

She is standing there in her little sleep shorts and top. The bedside lamp is on and giving soft light through the room. She then walks to the window and pulls the curtain to the side and stares outside.

“Daddy, don’t go.” She then turns and starts toward the door where I am standing, so I push it open so she can see me and I don’t startle her. But it’s like she is looking straight through me.

“Harper.” I call to her softly, but it’s like she doesn’t even hear me then turns back to the window.

Shit, she’s sleepwalking while in the middle of a nightmare about her father. I don’t know everything that happened back then, just the basics, and I’m sure there is so much more to her memories of that time. A pain that I’m sure is hard to ever get over.

They say don’t wake sleepwalkers, but what the hell do I do? Harper is distressed and obviously going through something traumatic.

Maybe I can guide her back to bed, and she might fall back into a calmer sleep.

“Daddy,” she cries out louder this time and drops to her knees at the window, her hands on the glass of the floor-to-ceiling windows. Her crying is becoming an uncontrollable sob, and I can’t stand here any longer.

It might be the wrong thing to do, but I’ll deal with the fallout later. I can’t stand to see her hurting like this.

Coming up beside her, I kneel down on one leg so I’m level with her.

“Harper,” I whisper as I gently place my arm around her shoulder. And although she flinches just a little, she then starts relaxing into my body.

“He never came back, why didn’t he come back?” Burying her head in my shoulder, I make the decision to get her up off the floor, and wrapping her in my arms, I stand and carry her to the bed, feeling her body shaking with every sob.

“I’ve got you, Harper. You’re okay, it’s over.” I place her down softly on the bed, knowing that she probably won’t remember this in the morning.

But as my fingers start to leave her body, she grabs my wrist hard.