Oh, the sheet. There was a questionnaire on it regarding mental status, but he wasn't sure if the other would want to do it. "There's three sheets, four categories. Sleep, hygiene, ethics and morals, and social. Which do you want to start?"
Spins went closer, looking around for a second before sighing. "I guess start from the top and work from there, but I was hoping for a desk I could sit at…"
"Oh," Shadow stood and picked up his chair, heavy as each was weighted so the client could never lift them, and set it next to the bed. "Makeshift. Once you can get to my office, there'll be a desk there."
"...right." He sat on the bed again, face heating up with how close Shadow was. Sure, he was about three feet away from the bed, but he was still close. "Fire away."
"On a scale of 1 to 12, how many hours do you usually sleep at night?"
He paused, thinking for a second, then shrugging. "It's really scattered, I don't specifically sleep at night, just… on and off whenever I feel tired." he admitted, and Shadow wrote something he couldn't see. He was tempted to get up and look.
"I wrote that your sleep was periodic." he tilted his head. "Are you usually able to reach REM sleep each time you are sleeping?"
"The fuck is REM?"
"Basically when you dream. Rapid Eye Movement."
An awkward pause, and Spins gave a shy expression. "Do… nightmares count?"
Shadow gave no reaction. "A dream is a dream, no matter the context. Would you say you dream Very Often, Often, Sometimes, Rarely, or Never?"
"Very often." He rolled his eyes. He couldn't remember the last time he woke up from a nap without having screamed his throat raw and sweat through his bedsheets. "Next."
"Are you usually able to remember your dreams? This one's still Very Often to Never." He looked over the rest of the questions slightly wary, but didn't let the other know.
"Uh, often? I remember my last few dreams, not all of them."
"Oh? Can you tell me what the last one was?"
Spins' expression turned serious, and he glared. "No."
Unphased still, Shadow nodded. "Okay, you don't have to tell me. Next que--"
"Do you remember your last dream?" the question came suddenly and Shadow looked up, slightly surprised to hear the other curious about him.
"Yes, I do."
"What was it?"
A fond smile played at his lips, and Spins watched quietly as Shadow took on a much friendlier aura. For some reason, he wanted to hug him, but the memory of what happened earlier stopped him. He didn't want Shadow to touch him.
"I was with my grandfather and sister again, and I was playing with her in the garden. My grandfather called us inside and showed-- showed…" Shadow realized that if he continued the dream that way, it would sound pretty odd. He sighed. "He showed me that I had a brother on the way, and I was so happy that I started crying. Then I woke up."
"...Sounds nice. I never really had a family, none that I could remember. They either died when I was really young or gave me up. I spent most of my childhood wandering the streets, begging for scraps until I could make use for myself… and even then, the people that adopted me were never home. I only remeber their names from the lunch tickets I'd steal to get free food." Spins looked away, body sagging into the covers. "How are they?"
"Dead."
The one word came as a shock to the other for two reasons. One because he somehow suspected them to both be alive, and two, Shadow said that with such a lack of emotion he couldn't tell if that was what he meant to say at first.
"...d-dead?"
"Yes, they're dead. Maria was shot in the chest by a stray bullet meant for me, and my grandfather committed suicide in jail. Both happened long ago, so it's… not exactly bothering me anymore, sorry if I sound dull about it." Shadow shrugged, looking back at the sheet before the other could say anything else.
"Do you suffer from one or more of the following sleep related issues: Insomnia, Night Terrors, Sleep Walking, Sleep Paralysis, or None of the Above?"
"I don't know what half of those are."
Shadow hummed and sat back, thinking of a good way to explain them. "Insomnia is being unable to sleep followed by random instances of passing out from exhaustion. Night Terrors are essentially 'nightmares before you sleep' and those who suffer from them usually scream in terror seconds before falling asleep, or sometimes wake up in the middle of sleeping to scream." He frowned, remembering the few times that happened to him. "Sleepwalking is obvious, and Sleep paralysis is being unable to move while still sleeping. Your eyes will open, but your brain still believes you are asleep and won't let you move and will continue to dream."
Spins looked confused for a second, then groaned. "I guess insomnia? And Night Terrors, but that only happens sometimes."
Shadow started writing, then stood from the chair and went to his bag sitting against the wall.
"What's up?"
"Pen's out of ink." he answered smoothly, bending down to rifle through his bag. "Sorry, will be with you in a second."
"...I'm sorry about what I did earlier."
That was a first. Shadow folded his ear back to listen. "Are you, now?"
"Yeah, I am. Surprisingly. I got really angry and I shouldn't have taken it out on you, it's not your fault I'm here."
Shadow pulled his pack of pens from his bag and went back to his chair, sitting down and scribbling on the corner of his sheet with a new pen. He didn't say anything at first.
"It's fine, that wasn't the worst thing that's happened here. So, I accept your apology, and I offer one of my own for restraining you. But, back to the sheet. You have four more questions about sleep."
Spins gave a quiet nod toward the apology but didn't outwardly accept it. "If I answer those dumb questions, will you answer some of mine?"
"As long as they don't get too personal, yes. It's usual I try to bond with my client, at least…" Shadow stared at the sheet to distract himself. "When was the last time you got a full night of sleep?"
Spins sagged in his seat. Well, he supposed a while ago, he'd been in the hospital for a while and hadn't slept a full night ever since. "I guess the last night before I found my friend? The dead body. I don't remember what date that was." Shadow wrote something. He was quick with his pen. "And my question, what was the worst thing that happened to you here?"
"Somehow, I knew you were going to ask that. But, as I said, I would not answer questions too personal. All I can say that it was inexcusable what happened, and I never saw the client again." he smirked at the other's disappointment, then went back to a neutral look. "Eh… the last three are the same, essentially… I'll skip to Hygiene."
"Can I ask three questions then since you skipped them?" The other grinned, the expression honestly terrifying, but the doctor nodded quietly. He might as well, something to pass the time. He didn't exactly like being in this room.
"So… not personal… did anything happen this week that made your dull mood better at least a little?" the hedgehog settled, and the other looked a bit surprised at the question but shrugged and answered anyway.
"Nothing too special? I hung out with some friends, went to my second job, and went home and studied. If anything I was excited that I was able to work with my friends there."
"You have friends? Do they work here?"
"Yes, and too personal." Shadow's eyes glinted. "And with that, you've asked three questions."
"No fair! You counted that as two, it was just one! And you didn't really answer it!" Spins stood, playfully annoyed at this point. He felt weird, somehow enjoying being friendly with this dull hedgehog. Well, maybe not that dull.
"Fine, fine, I'll answer properly, but that's still three questions. I have three close friends that work with me at my second job, and only one also works with me here."
The blue hedgehog's face lit up in curiousity and he looked away, turning to sit on the bed and wriggle until he was laying on his back. "I see..."
"Something wrong?" Shadow almost whispered, but Spins just shook his head.
"No, nothing wrong…" he sucked in air. "Just… can we save the questions for later? I'm really tired now."
The doctor stood and dragged his chair back to the corner, back to the door as he watched Spins laid in bed. "Okay. See you tomorrow, I suppose."
"Tomorrow? Nah, I only meant for about an hour?"
"No, I'm off the clock. Actually, I went into overtime today, so I have to come in late tomorrow and leave early to get back on time." Shadow stood at the door, seconds away from leaving. "I can come early and leave early, or come late and leave late, but either way the time is going to be off. Goodnight, Sonic."
With that, Spins sat up with a glare of pure hatred. The other had left before he even managed to do so, but the anger was still there.
xox
i didnt make a note here last time but w/e there's more to this story but y'all good.
