Zzzzzzzzzzzz
Work, life, motherhood, everything is getting on top of Connie and she's struggling to sleep.
Connie sat in her sumptuous king size bed, relishing the space that she nearly always had to herself, well, unless she had company. It was 4 o clock in the morning, and the past 3 hours had been spent in this very position, lying in between the sheets and staring at the ceiling, studying the variances in the pattern and pondering the possibilities of ever drifting off.
She'd never been one for sleeping for too long, the recommended 8 hours sleep a night as a bare minimum was idiocy to her. Ever since she was a student, she only ever needed 4 or 5; in fact the longest sleep she'd ever had was only 7 hours. Sleep was overrated, it had a biological function yes, but there was always so much to do that sleep was a luxury she couldn't afford.
Yawning before groaning slightly at the fact that she had to be up in 2 hours for work, Connie willed herself to sleep. Sleep deprivation would only make her grumpier, and she didn't want to be treading on Hanssen's toes once more. Self-preservation rather than courtesy made her do this; although she complained, she did love her job and wanted to keep it very much.
Her eyelids got heavier as she immersed herself in the darkness of her bedroom, drifting, drifting….
'Mummy, Mummy!' whispered Grace, shaking her mother gently.
'Huh?' asked Connie, snapping out of slumber, her eyes open and shrouded in dark circles.
'Mummy, I had a bad dream,' hiccoughed Grace, clutching her teddy bear close and whimpering slightly.
'Oh sweetheart,' said Connie. 'The same nightmare?'
Grace nodded in reply. 'Can I get in your bed?'
'Sure baby,' said Connie, moving over and opening the covers so Grace could get in.
Grace had been having the same nightmare for over a week about monsters hiding in her bedroom, and it had been keeping Connie up. Every night, around 4am, Grace would come into her bedroom, get into bed with her, and fidget constantly in slumber until the alarm went off at 6.
Well, thought Connie to herself. At least at first I was getting 3 hours of sleep in.
She'd tried going to bed earlier, but there were so many things on her mind that she just laid there, in thought, worrying, thinking, plotting, panicking and organising herself. It always seemed like she'd just nodded off before the alarm sang it's chorus every morning. And every night it got worse.
'Love you Mummy, night night,' said Grace.
'I love you too Gracie, sleep now,' replied Connie, trying to close her eyes.
Connie found herself in a peaceful slumber once more, but alas, it was half an hour before Grace began to fidget, bringing Connie back down to the land of the awake with a bang.
Sighing, she contemplated getting out of bed, but knew that it would wake Grace up and have an effect worse than Mount Etna exploding. For her sanity, it was simpler to stay in bed beside her.
6am
'Beep, beep, beep,' said the alarm in its continual chorus, making Connie spring out of bed as if she was about to be attacked or had developed into a ninja overnight.
Connie groaned as she hit the snooze, silencing the alarm. Laying back into her pillow, she sighed and set about motivating herself for the day.
Getting out of bed, she looked at Grace, peacefully sleeping and drooling on her pillow. She'd have to leave a note for Annie to let her know that Grace was in her bed; there was no point in waking her up for no reason, especially with the influx of bad dreams over the past week.
Connie sluggishly made her way to her ensuite bathroom leading off from her bedroom, losing her dressing gown and standing under the warm spray of the shower, as if trying to extract some of its energy and make it her own. To no avail.
Wrapping a towel around herself, she set about making an extra strong espresso, desperate for the boost of energy they usually provided. Zilch.
She made some toast, looking for that carbohydrate fix to keep her awake. If only.
'For God's sake!' roared Connie to herself.
7:30am
'Annie, Grace is in my bedroom by the way,' said Connie as the nanny came in through the door.
'Okay Mrs Beauchamp,' she replied. 'Was it the nightmares again?'
'Yeah,' replied Connie. 'They're getting out of control.'
'I'm sure it will sort itself out eventually,' said the bubbly brunette with optimism.
'Here's hoping,' replied Connie, walking out of the door.
Getting into her car, she could safely say that she had never felt so tired in all of her life. It was just too much for her, juggling all that she had to juggle, this sleep deprivation and the everyday stress of work, plus the added stress of Hanssen. There had to be a point where she stopped, slowed herself down and thought about herself over others for a change.
She started the engine, feeling her eyelids drooping. What was she doing? This was dangerous! She could kill someone on the road, she herself could die.
Stepping out of the car, she took out her phone and said, 'Uhh yeah, Connie Beauchamp, 3 Maynards Park to City Hospital, ASAP please. Thanks.'
Putting down the phone, she sat on the bench outside her home to wait for the taxi.
As she entered the hospital reception, she made a quick stop at the coffee shop, knocking back 5 double espressos and feeling slightly more awake from it, definitely better prepared to start her day and carry it through. Although, no doubt more coffee would be required.
Entering Darwin, she said, with a spring in her step, 'Right, ward rounds anyone?'
11am
'Connie,' said Elliot warningly in theatre. 'You look exhausted, trouble sleeping?'
'Grace has been having nightmares, and I've had a lot on my mind,' said Connie, deflecting slightly.
'I see,' said Elliot. 'Was your extremely, bouncy, ummm energetic mood down to one to many double espressos?'
'Five of them to be precise, excluding the ones I had before I left,' said Connie, finishing off a suture.
'Did you drive here?' asked Elliot, peering into the wound tract to assess the damage.
'No, I'm not stupid Elliot, I took a taxi, just to be safe,' she snapped.
'And that would be coffee o clock,' remarked Elliot. 'I think your fix is running out.'
'To be honest, I'm surprised it lasted this long,' said Connie. 'Can you close?'
'Sure,' replied Elliot as she took off her gloves.
'If anyone needs me,' she replied. 'I'll be in my office, doing paperwork
Noon
Walking into Connie's office without knocking, Greg Douglas said, 'Connie, I was just coming to say…..'
What he saw before him was something he thought he'd only ever see once in his lifetime.
Connie Beauchamp asleep in her office.
He smiled at how innocent she looked whilst sleeping, as if sleeping Connie and awake Connie were two separate people.
Covering her with a blanket, he left the room and put up an 'Important Meeting, Do Not Disturb' sign on the door, hoping that would put Hanssen at bay.
Thinking it over a little bit, he came back and took out his phone, snapping a quick picture of her sleeping form, knowing she'd kill him for it later, but it could make useful blackmail.