Sleep Disorders

Chapter 16

I cringed as I imagined what Dr Hector was explaining.

"If the brain aneurysm ruptures blood will be realised into the skull which will cause a stroke and, in many cases, death."

My mother let out a gasp.

"However that can be prevented," Dr Hector continued, "We would like to operate on Grace as soon as possible. I must warn you though, there is a chance this operation could fail, causing Grace to..."

He didn't need to complete his sentence. So my chances of dying before I became an adult were strong. I might die before Bella who died at 18. I was only 17.

---

An aneurysm.

A weak, bulging area in the wall of an artery that supplies blood.

As we drove home I wondered over who was the person who had discovered and named "aneurysm". Why was it called an aneurysm? Why was anything called what it were?

For example who discovered trivial things such as toilet paper, cupboards, paint and pillows? Why are those people not as famous as the person who created cars and the person who discovered the telephone?

I allowed those thoughts to wander around my mind so that I didn't focus on the pending operation. My mother was quiet during the entire car ride and for once I was glad for her silence. I watched the cars and buildings streak past my window as we drove by. All those normal people doing normal people things. But what exactly is normal? I had no idea. The only thing I was certain of was that my brain was one of the farthest things from normal. Why did it have to be so complicated? First hypersomnia and now an aneurysm? Next I'll probably have brain cancer - if I even live so long.

Dr Hector's words spinned around in my head, "I must warn you though, there is a chance this operation could fail. I must warn you though, there is a chance this operation could fail. I must warn you though, there is a chance this operation could fail." over and over as if I was going mad. A hard and dry laugh escaped my mouth and my mother looked at me with the strangest expression I had ever seen.

"What's so funny?"

"I am mad!"

"Don't speak such nonsense!"

"But it's true! Hypersomnia is a mental disorder, which means I'm mental. And now I have an aneurysm? Just another sign that my head is not normal and I am quite surprised that you and dad didn't book me into a mental institution yet because even before the accident I was far from normal..."

I was rambling on and on about how mad I truly was from the backseat of the car and I only stopped when I realised that my mom was not saying a word.

"Mom?"

Tears were streaming down her cheeks and it was a good thing we had just pulled into our driveway because with her blurry eyes my mother was in no state to drive.

"Mom, what's wrong?"

"I can't lose you too," she said, her voice muffled by her sobs.

I had only ever seen my mother like this once before and that was the day of Bella's funeral. Seeing her in this sodden state formed a lump in my throat.

My dad came out of the house all smiles. He hadn't heard the "brilliant" news about my aneurysm and upcoming operation yet. His face fell when his eyes landed on my mom who was attempting to dry her eyes but only managing to smudge her eyeliner and make her look worse than before. "Oh dear. What happened?" my dad asked, his face crestfallen.

Once we were inside and my mother had stopped crying I heard her talking to my father in hushed tones. They probably didn't want me to hear what they were talking about but their attempts were futile as I was crouched at the edge of the stairs and overheared their entire conversation.