Chapter Four: Sleepless
Jacob
I poured a second cup of coffee, drinking it strong and black. I didn't used to be much of a coffee drinker — take it or leave it — but the past few weeks I'd found it necessary.
And Nessie looked worse than I felt. She was leaning on her hand across the table from me, looking as if she could go to sleep any minute.
"Ness, you ought to have some coffee," I told her, pushing the pot in her direction.
She shook her head, the disgust evident on her face. I sighed, not having the heart to force her. Bella hadn't liked coffee even as a human; Nessie's dislike of it might be due to more than just the fact that it wasn't blood. I found myself wondering how much coffee I would have to drink to get enough caffeine into my bloodstream to do Nessie any good. Caffeinated blood. Now, there was a new one.
I rose reluctantly; I had to leave for my job at the garage, but I hated to leave Nessie alone like this. "Lie down and take a nap for a while," I told her softly.
She shook her head mutely, and I didn't even need her hand on my face to know why. She was afraid to go to sleep without me there to wake her up.
A week after the accident, Doc had driven Nessie and me to our new home. Nessie had been adamant about not flying, and it really didn't matter to me one way or the other. But that had been three weeks ago now, and I could see that the problem was more serious than driving or taking trains everywhere.
When my lunch hour came, I headed into the little stand of trees behind the garage, sitting on a large rock. But for once I didn't immediately open my lunchbox, instead pulling my phone out of my pocket and quickly selecting one of the numbers.
"Jacob?"
"Yeah…hi, Edward." It still felt strange to be on good terms with him. "Look, I'm calling about Nessie…"
"Is she all right?" The worry was sharp in his voice.
"She's been better," I admitted. "It's the plane crash; she hasn't gotten over it."
"I thought you didn't care whether she was afraid of flying?"
"I don't," I said instantly. "If she decided she never wanted to ride in any kind of vehicle, I don't care; we could just run everywhere."
"Then what's the problem?"
I sighed. "She still has nightmares, Edward. Every night. Don't tell me you couldn't hear when we were there…"
"I try not to listen at night," he said frankly. "Not much chance for privacy around our house, but Alice and I do try."
"Yeah, well, it wasn't as bad then, anyway; I think Jasper was helping. Every night I have to wake her up; she cries in my arms for an hour sometimes. Sometimes it's more than once a night. The lack of sleep is starting to show." Of course, I was feeling the lack of sleep myself, but I wouldn't mention that. Didn't want him thinking I cared more about myself when really all I cared about was Nessie. "I was hoping you'd have some suggestions."
"When you fall off a horse, they say you're supposed to get right back on," Edward said slowly. "Maybe she needs to fly again."
"I'm willing to try almost anything. If things don't improve soon, I'm gonna hafta call Doc and have him prescribe a sleep aid or an antidepressant or something."
"It's that bad?"
"Yeah. It's that bad."
"All right. I'll talk to Alice about when a cloudy day will be and make arrangements to come down. In the meantime, Jake, don't try cold medicine or over-the-counter sleep aids. People still dream on those — crazier stuff than normal, sometimes — and you don't want to make it any harder to wake her."
I sighed. "Right. Thanks, Edward."
I glared up at the cloudless sky and hoped the weather would change soon.
Next chapter coming next week!
I proofread all my stories at least once before posting, but if you see any mistakes I might have missed, please let me know!
Please note that I have internet access only once a week, and may not have time to respond to all reviews/messages. If you have questions regarding my Twilight alternate history, check my profile first to see if they're answered there. Thanks for your understanding! Barbie