Lona moaned slightly as she awoke, the throbbing pain in her neck
from the position that she had been laying in along with an ache in her
cheek from where it has pressed against the edge of the keyboard finally
being enough to disturb her sleep.
"Elmer, why in the world did you let me do that?" Lona muttered under her breath although she knew full well that Elmer was fast asleep himself and couldn't have very well done anything to prevent her now aching neck and cheek. She stood, stretching a bit to try to ease the pain in her neck anyway. She couldn't believe that she had just dropped off to sleep like that. She never did that. After all, she was the one who was supposed to be studying what happened when people slept, not taking naps herself.
With a soft sigh, she headed for the lab area to check on Elmer and make sure that he hadn't gotten himself into any trouble while she was sleeping herself.
"Elmer?" she softly called as she stepped in, not wanting to wake him if he was sleeping. A moment later, she stopped in surprise when she saw the empty bed and disconnected wires. "Elmer?" She called louder now as she hurried towards the bed, picking up the wires that had been removed and starting to check them as she felt annoyance beginning to build. If he had damaged those things because he had gotten bored and decided to wonder off on her....
"Elmer, now where are you?" She muttered under her breath when she had reassured herself that her equipment was fine. Honestly, this was just like Elmer, not being where he was supposed to be, not doing anything he was told to do. Really, how HARD was it to lay there and sleep?! Couldn't he do one simple little thing right?
Just then she saw something that made her stop her mental rant about Elmer's childishness. She reached out, picking up the clothing that he had changed out of before laying down. What were Elmer's clothes doing here when Elmer was gone? She looked from the pile of clothes to the bed,
puzzlement starting to replace annoyance. If Elmer had gotten bored and decided to go home, wouldn't he have put on his clothes first? And his shoes? He could be a bit childish and silly, but not so silly that Lona thought he would try driving home in a hospital gown. That was a sure fire way to get drug back to the hospital in a little white jacket.
"Elmer?" She called his name again as she headed towards the bathroom. Maybe he was just in there and she had been getting all worked up for nothing. She knocked on the door before pushing it open. No, no Elmer.
"Elmer?" Was he playing some sort of joke on her, something like that thing he did with the head? Lona felt annoyance starting to return as she thought of that. If Elmer thought that he was going to have some fun and scare her....
"Elmer, if this is a joke, it isn't funny! Get back in here now!"
She yelled as she looked around the lab once more. A joke, it had to be a joke but her eyes kept being drawn back to that pile of clothing. She didn't know why but something about his clothes being there bothered her no matter how hard she tried to force the concern down.
"Elmer?" She shook her head as she headed for her computer. If Elmer was trying to play a trick on her, then she would just turn the tables on him. He forgot that he had been connected to the monitors and they would show rather nicely what he was up to. She punched in the codes to pull up the records of the last few minutes of that night's session.
Honestly, if Elmer thought he was going to trick her.... That's what this was, another stupid prank. Why did she keep looking at that pile of clothing though? Why did something just feel wrong about it being here?
Lona expected the record to show some sign of Elmer waking up but her eyes widened as she looked at the data, having to go back and check it once more to take it in properly. The brain wave activity was much higher than it would be for normal sleep but it wasn't like Elmer was waking, more like he was dreaming and....
Lona smacked a hand against her forehead as it suddenly hit her what must have happened. Elmer was sleepwalking! That was the only thing that made sense. He wouldn't have just wondered out of here without his clothes, even for a joke. And now that she thought of it, she doubted that he would have left her to sleep like she was and wake up sore. He would have at least tried to get her into one of the beds.
She stood and headed towards the door, peering up and down the hallway, searching for any sign of Elmer. How long had he been gone? The record had stopped almost twenty minutes before but had he left the lab then or.... Fear was rapidly replacing any annoyance with Elmer now, along with a growing annoyance with herself for falling asleep even though there was no way she could have known that Elmer would chose that night to decide to have a sleepwalking episode. Where could he be?
Lona moved back towards the lab, picking up the phone and dialing the number for Otto's desk as she tried to gain control of her fears. How far could Elmer have gotten, anyway? They were in a hospital, after all.
Surely someone would have found him and brought him back here if.... She couldn't shake the fear though, the rapidly growing sense that something was wrong, that she needed to find Elmer right away.
"Otto, have you seen Elmer anywhere in the last twenty minutes?"
Lona asked, shaking her head slightly when Otto answered in the negative.
That ought to be good news, shouldn't it? Elmer hadn't wondered out into the parking lot or something, anyway. For some reason it did nothing to comfort her, though.
"Listen, Otto, if you see Elmer anywhere, page me, okay? And don't let him leave the hospital, for goodness sakes!" Lona said before hanging up the phone and heading out the door of the lab. She was sure that she was being ridiculous and she kept trying to tell herself that she was getting worked up over nothing very serious at all but the fear was almost overwhelming now. She had to find Elmer quickly and she was going to need help to do it.
"Elmer, why in the world did you let me do that?" Lona muttered under her breath although she knew full well that Elmer was fast asleep himself and couldn't have very well done anything to prevent her now aching neck and cheek. She stood, stretching a bit to try to ease the pain in her neck anyway. She couldn't believe that she had just dropped off to sleep like that. She never did that. After all, she was the one who was supposed to be studying what happened when people slept, not taking naps herself.
With a soft sigh, she headed for the lab area to check on Elmer and make sure that he hadn't gotten himself into any trouble while she was sleeping herself.
"Elmer?" she softly called as she stepped in, not wanting to wake him if he was sleeping. A moment later, she stopped in surprise when she saw the empty bed and disconnected wires. "Elmer?" She called louder now as she hurried towards the bed, picking up the wires that had been removed and starting to check them as she felt annoyance beginning to build. If he had damaged those things because he had gotten bored and decided to wonder off on her....
"Elmer, now where are you?" She muttered under her breath when she had reassured herself that her equipment was fine. Honestly, this was just like Elmer, not being where he was supposed to be, not doing anything he was told to do. Really, how HARD was it to lay there and sleep?! Couldn't he do one simple little thing right?
Just then she saw something that made her stop her mental rant about Elmer's childishness. She reached out, picking up the clothing that he had changed out of before laying down. What were Elmer's clothes doing here when Elmer was gone? She looked from the pile of clothes to the bed,
puzzlement starting to replace annoyance. If Elmer had gotten bored and decided to go home, wouldn't he have put on his clothes first? And his shoes? He could be a bit childish and silly, but not so silly that Lona thought he would try driving home in a hospital gown. That was a sure fire way to get drug back to the hospital in a little white jacket.
"Elmer?" She called his name again as she headed towards the bathroom. Maybe he was just in there and she had been getting all worked up for nothing. She knocked on the door before pushing it open. No, no Elmer.
"Elmer?" Was he playing some sort of joke on her, something like that thing he did with the head? Lona felt annoyance starting to return as she thought of that. If Elmer thought that he was going to have some fun and scare her....
"Elmer, if this is a joke, it isn't funny! Get back in here now!"
She yelled as she looked around the lab once more. A joke, it had to be a joke but her eyes kept being drawn back to that pile of clothing. She didn't know why but something about his clothes being there bothered her no matter how hard she tried to force the concern down.
"Elmer?" She shook her head as she headed for her computer. If Elmer was trying to play a trick on her, then she would just turn the tables on him. He forgot that he had been connected to the monitors and they would show rather nicely what he was up to. She punched in the codes to pull up the records of the last few minutes of that night's session.
Honestly, if Elmer thought he was going to trick her.... That's what this was, another stupid prank. Why did she keep looking at that pile of clothing though? Why did something just feel wrong about it being here?
Lona expected the record to show some sign of Elmer waking up but her eyes widened as she looked at the data, having to go back and check it once more to take it in properly. The brain wave activity was much higher than it would be for normal sleep but it wasn't like Elmer was waking, more like he was dreaming and....
Lona smacked a hand against her forehead as it suddenly hit her what must have happened. Elmer was sleepwalking! That was the only thing that made sense. He wouldn't have just wondered out of here without his clothes, even for a joke. And now that she thought of it, she doubted that he would have left her to sleep like she was and wake up sore. He would have at least tried to get her into one of the beds.
She stood and headed towards the door, peering up and down the hallway, searching for any sign of Elmer. How long had he been gone? The record had stopped almost twenty minutes before but had he left the lab then or.... Fear was rapidly replacing any annoyance with Elmer now, along with a growing annoyance with herself for falling asleep even though there was no way she could have known that Elmer would chose that night to decide to have a sleepwalking episode. Where could he be?
Lona moved back towards the lab, picking up the phone and dialing the number for Otto's desk as she tried to gain control of her fears. How far could Elmer have gotten, anyway? They were in a hospital, after all.
Surely someone would have found him and brought him back here if.... She couldn't shake the fear though, the rapidly growing sense that something was wrong, that she needed to find Elmer right away.
"Otto, have you seen Elmer anywhere in the last twenty minutes?"
Lona asked, shaking her head slightly when Otto answered in the negative.
That ought to be good news, shouldn't it? Elmer hadn't wondered out into the parking lot or something, anyway. For some reason it did nothing to comfort her, though.
"Listen, Otto, if you see Elmer anywhere, page me, okay? And don't let him leave the hospital, for goodness sakes!" Lona said before hanging up the phone and heading out the door of the lab. She was sure that she was being ridiculous and she kept trying to tell herself that she was getting worked up over nothing very serious at all but the fear was almost overwhelming now. She had to find Elmer quickly and she was going to need help to do it.