Dr. Carlton nods in sympathy as the itch grows stronger.
"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll get to the bottom of what's troubling her. In the meantime, I would like you to help her with a dream journal. Donna should write down as much as she can remember of her dreams and how they make her feel. She should do this for all of her dreams, not just the nightmares."
Dr. Carlton had a few cases like this one, back in San Francisco. Children experiencing horrible nightmares with no discernable causes. Traditional analysis and drug therapies had little to no effect. Modern medicine was powerless to help these cases. Doctor Jack knews how to deal with them, but he had not yet found a safe place to enter dreams. Forced to abandon his Hollow when he moved to Sacramento, he had not had the time to search for a new one in this Freehold. Of course, if he were completely honest with himself, Jack would admit that he hadn't made the time because the Hedge scared him. Focusing back on the concerned mother in front of him, he asks the usual questions, even though he suspects he already knows the answers.
"Have you noticed signs of any other sleep disorders? Has she been grinding her teeth, sleepwalking, or wetting her bed?"