Super | Dreamnotfound

Heartbeat

Chapter 30

George didn't get any sleep over the weekend. Which isn't unusual, but he hated his thoughts so much he almost considered actually taking the insomnia pills so he could go a night without overthinking everything.

His mother checked on him a few times each night, to make sure he wasn't sleepwalking, but George would fake being asleep so she wouldn't suspect anything.

He wasn't functioning very well come Monday morning. But whether seen as a blessing or curse, he had an appointment with Dr Puffy.

"So, George. How has your sleep been? Did you see a Doctor?" She asked. George nodded.

"I have chronic insomnia. They gave me pills." He said simply.

"That's great news, George. Now you might be able to get good sleep. How has it been?" She asked, typing on her tablet.

George hesitated. "Um. Yeah, it's alright. The first night I was scared so only had half a dose, but it made me sleepwalk. But I haven't sleepwalked since." He said. Puffy looked at him carefully.

"Since you've been having the full dose?" She asked.

"Yep." George lied. Puffy looked at him for a few more seconds, but looked back down at her notes.

"It can be quite nerve-racking starting prescription medicine. About how it will affect you. Did you have much anxieties about it when you started?" She asked.

George was looking at the toys on the table, remembering how Clay got to take one home. He looked back up.

"Hm? Oh. Um, I guess I was a little worried about being knocked out the entire night. Like, what if there is an emergency but I sleep through it." He said. Puffy nodded, writing.

"That's a very valid worry. Something that even people without insomnia medication worry about. Are you still worried about it?"

George nodded.

"It's ok to be anxious about that. And it's even ok to be so anxious you may avoid a dose for a night, especially if you are stressed about other things. This is all a new thing for you, no one is expecting you to magically be ok with any changes. You're allowed to be hesitant and nervous. Don't keep it to yourself." Puffy said.

George sat there, very still. Can she read through him?

"Have you skipped any nights because of how worried you were?" She asked with a kind smile. George paused, unsure of how to answer. "I won't tell your parents." She added.

"Yeah." He said softly. Puffy nodded.

"And that's ok. It'll take some getting used to, this whole situation. How many times have you missed taking them?" She said. George shrugged.

"A couple." He said, and Puffy gave him a look.

"Only a couple?"

"Maybe a bit more than a couple." George said, looking away. He felt guilty, just wasting the pills. But Puffy had a weird way to get him to open up.

"Have you ever had the full dose?" She asked carefully. George hesitated for several seconds, before sighing and covering his face.

"No." He mumbled.

"That's ok, George. Why haven't you told your parents?"

"I don't want to disappoint them. They've been so supportive of me and everything I have messed up. I don't want to make them more upset."

"Ok. It's ok. How about we try something, if you're willing. So what if you take the full dose on a night of your choosing. Just for this week. Just one night, so you can learn that it is good for your body to get good, uninterrupted rest. The rest of the nights, you can take half a dose or no dose. But maybe just try it once. Just to see how your body reacts to it. If it's not the right medication for you, you can go get a different, more lighter. But maybe you should learn that your anxiousness is for nothing." She said.