Author's Note: This is basically a distraction from writing an article for my school newspaper. Plus I have a little writer's block on my other story, so this is also an attempt to get over that. Be kind. Happy new year!
Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing.
Mark Cohen has not slept for the past week.
Actually that's a lie. He has slept, just not nearly enough. It seems that whenever he is able to finally get comfortable enough to sleep, someone needs something. And whenever he finally lies down and closes his eyes and is just about to reach REM state, some part of his brain decides to wake him up.
Mark has very dark circles under his eyes. He is exhausted. He is ready to kill the next person that makes any noise in the apartment. All he wants is one night of real sleep.
He hasn't picked up his camera in six days.
Both Roger and Collins have poison ivy from a hike in Central Park. Both were taken to a doctor four days ago, and were given medicine. Both are expected to be itch free by next week.
Until then, unfortunately for Mark, they are both staying in the apartment with him. He has taken on the task of making sure they don't scratch their rashes, fixing meals for both of them, and dealing out medication.
Mark knows that the doctor wasn't lying when he said this wasn't life-threatening for Roger or Collins. He knows that they will get over this quickly, and will be out of his hair soon.
Mark is still worried about them.
He is still worried, even though they never let him have any time to himself. He is still worried, even though they are constantly screaming for water and more blankets and more calamine lotion. Even though they have kicked him out of his own bed and made him sleep on the couch.
Even despite the fact that they have done nothing but complain, Mark is still worried.
All this worrying is going to kill him.
Roger and Collins aren't the only problem though. There is another. It lives in the apartment below them.
Although most of the noise keeping Mark awake has been requests from the next room, the rest of it comes from Mimi Marquez.
Mimi comes home from the Cat Scratch Club every night singing. It is very loud singing. On any normal day it is beautiful singing. On any normal day Mark loves to hear her voice.
It has not been a normal day for the past six days. The last normal day was the last time Mark picked up his camera.
It seems that Mimi's work schedule and Mark's sleep schedule have a common time. Mimi comes home from work at the very moment Mark is finally able to close his eyes. Mark is forced to open his eyes again when she comes home. He can hear her through the floor boards. He cannot sleep through her voice.
The first night, Mark simply shoved the pillows into his ears and rolled over, thinking this would be the end of his problem.
Mark has a tendency to underestimate things.
Not only did Mimi continue to sing extremely loudly, but she also came up the fire escape to visit Roger. The pillows in Mark's ears had little effect after the window was opened. Mark got no sleep that night.
The next night Mark locked the window, hoping that this would defer Mimi from coming in.
When she found the window to be locked, she started pounding on it. She knocked and pounded and screamed until Mark was forced to either unlock the window or kill himself.
Mark got no sleep that night either.
Mark is now lying on the couch, a pillow placed over his face to shield the light.
It is ten thirty-seven in the morning. Roger and Collins have been calling for breakfast for the past fifteen minutes. Mark hears them, but he can't seem to work up the energy to move.
He is thinking about how all anyone has done for him in the past six days is to yell for him to bring something else. He has worked and worried twenty-four hours a day for nearly a week.
He is tired of this.
He pushes himself off the couch and picks up his blanket and pillows. He walks to his bedroom door and slams it open. He grabs Collins by his neck and shoves him out of the room. He locks the door. He arranges his blanket and pillows around him and lies down.
After six terrible days, Mark Cohen is finally able to sleep.