Sleep

(Day 29: Sunday Night)

"Now that I think about it, you weren't feeling very well last week either, were you?"

"Uh. No," Ben answers as he and Mal sit with his parents. "I wasn't."

Mal smiles, "I'm kind of surprised I didn't get sick too." before she pokes her fork into the dark turkey.

"Yes," Ben swiftly replies, as he glances at his mother, "It is a little contradictory." He turns back to his girlfriend. "But I haven't done a lot of coughing or sneezing, so it's not that surprising."

She looks at him oddly, "Yes." and then laughs. "I guess."

Adam interrupts, "You know, Son, I was actually meaning to ask."

Ben looks at him, "Yes, Dad?"

He points to his hand, "What happened there?"

"Oh. That," Ben starts.

His mother laughs as she reaches for her husband's arm, "He fell on a wall."

"Oh." He returns his attention to Ben, "Did he?"

"Yes. Well," Ben explains, "between all of the stressful rumors going around school and my sleep not being very great… I think it may have caused my emotional control to become a little lax." He peers back up to find his parents giving each other concerned looks. "What?"

"You've been having trouble sleeping?" his mother inquires.

Ben shifts his eyes down, "It's not a big deal."

"If it affects your thoughts and behaviors," his mother stresses, "then it is a big deal." He lifts his head back up. "How much sleep have you been managing? I mean, is it just that you have trouble getting to or staying asleep, and then only end up having gotten a few hours?" Ben opens his mouth to speak, but then he shuts it, unwilling to make his mom feel any more worried. "A couple days without sleep?" his mother questions again, and he swears there's a glimmer of hope in her voice.

"Yes," Ben submits. "It's more of the second one."

His mother nods, "Good. That's good."

Mal interrupts, "Excuse me, but how is that good?"

She watches as Belle turns to her husband, "Do you have an extra bottle lying around?"

Adam nods, "Yes." before he stands. "I will be but a minute."

Ben's mother looks back at him seriously, "Honey. I need to listen closely. Okay?"

"Okay," Ben repeats.

"For now on, an hour before you go to sleep I want you to expose yourself to as little light as possible. That means no TV, no phone, and no computer. Instead, I'd like you to spend that time just relaxing and reading something."

He stares at her for a second, "I fail to see how that's supposed to help me."

"The studies say it helps, and at the very least it should help wind you down." Ben opens his mouth to question, but then his father sits back down and he watches at his mother takes the bottle from him. She shows the pills to Ben, "This is melatonin. It's used to help regulate sleep-wake cycles. An hour before you go to sleep, I need you to take two of these." She hands the bottle to him, and he examines the label. "It should make you tired enough to sleep."

Ben nods, "Okay."

Mal observes each of them with her mouth slightly agape, before she complains, "Am I not going to get an explanation here?"

Ben turns to her, "They're helping me with my sleep issue. What's there to explain?"

"How about how she just so happened to have the information and everything all set and ready." She gestures to the bottle, "Or how about why when you tell her you've gone days without sleeping that the first thing she does is throw pills at you."

"She's just trying to help," he reasons, but then he sees Mal's crossed arms. "They're my parents. They know what's best for me."

Mal huffs, "Funny. You didn't seem to hold that same philosophy when it came to me and my mother."

"That's different," he insists.

"How?" Mal uncrosses her arms. "Just tell me. How?"

He looks into her eyes and takes a calming breath, before he slowly answers, "Because they haven't been wrong yet."

When Mal merely frowns quietly in response Belle comments, "I realize this is all very new and confusing for you." and Mal looks at her. "But sooner or later this will all start to make sense." Belle glances down for a moment, "I already had the research prepared, because Adam has had his own trouble with sleep in the past. If the supplement works for Adam, then there's no reason why it shouldn't work for Ben."

Mal recognizes the sincerity in her eyes. It's the same sincerity Ben's always had. "I understand."

"Good," Belle nods, and when she sees her son's expression she reaches for his hand. "Just remember what I said and follow what I recommended, and it will all be okay."

"Yes," Ben softly replies, before he takes his hand from hers and picks up his fork. He can't help but stay silent and think, even though he can feel them all staring at him. He lied. He told them it had only been a couple days, simply because that was the only choice he'd been given; however, he wonders what they would have recommended had he said he's been staying up for more than just a couple days at a time. Would they have had him seek professional help? No. Of course, not. He's stupid for even thinking such things. Perhaps telling them what they wanted to hear really was for the best.

"Aren't you only supposed to take one of those?" Doug questions.

"My parents told me to take two," Ben informs after swallowing them, "so that's what I'm doing."

Doug watches him stare at the open bottle for a minute, "What is it?"

Ben looks up suddenly, as if he had not remembered Doug to have been there, "Oh. Nothing." before he eyes the bottle again. "I'm just wondering if I should take another."

"Why?"

Ben hears the angry confusion in his voice, "I wasn't completely honest with my parents. I was given two options to explain how my sleep has been, and full-blown insomnia was not one of the options." He shakes his head, "If I was told to take two, then maybe I should really be taking three."

"You want to know what I think?" Doug questions, and Ben looks up at him. "I think that if your parents told you to take two, then you should take two." He glances at the small bottle, "It's your first time taking the stuff. You shouldn't be starting out at such a high dose."

"What if I try it and it doesn't work?" Ben worries.

Doug gives him a look, "Then adjust it from there— or better yet, tell your parents the truth and see what they say."

Ben shakes his head, "No. I don't want to worry them."

"Ben," Doug starts.

"No," he interrupts with a glare. "They can't find out. If push comes to shove, then I'll just take care of the situation myself."

Doug lets out an uneasy breath, "All of this medication can't be good for you."

"Unfortunately, I don't have the luxury to think about that." A silence grows between the two of them, and Ben looks away. "I heal well. There shouldn't be any issues."

"With all of this stuff you're taking," Doug slowly responds. "I know I can't tell you to stop taking it, but I'd like you to at least be careful."

Ben peers back up at him, "I am careful."

"Really?" Doug questions. "Because I don't think you are." He sees Ben open his mouth to speak, but he doesn't let him, "Just don't take any more than is necessary. Start out small, find what works, but don't exceed beyond that. You may heal well, whatever that means, but that doesn't make you indestructible. I've looked this stuff up. If you take too much of it, it can give you stomach ulcers and cause internal bleeding."

It takes a minute for Ben to respond, "I know."

Doug almost laughs, "Well, so long as you know, I guess." before he looks down and shakes his head. "Never mind. Just at least try to sleep."

- The stomach ulcers and internal bleeding are references to the ibuprofen and liquid cold/flu medicine, not the melatonin, for those of you who may have been confused by that statement.