Disclaimer: If I was JP, would I be here? No… duh

As I walked out of my apartment at six o'clock the next morning, Fang cornered me. "Max," he started, grabbing my arm, "I think you need some help." He looked at me, with his eyes dark as night. We had talk about this so many times before: a sleep study, or whatever you call those things. Some doctors would watch me sleep for a night or two inside a special room, like THAT doesn't sound creepy.

"Fang, why does it matter so much to you?" I asked, pulling away and walking to the lift. He followed me like does every day, both of us going to work: me to a café and him to the guitar store down the street.

"Why can't you just try it?" He responded, once we were in the lift. "Just for one night, it might help. You never know." And then ladies and gentlemen, he gave me the puppy eyes... so I just had to say yes. I mean, who can't say yes when confronted with the puppy eyes? I rolled my eyes in defeat.

"Fine," I sighed and he grinned, "but, on one condition." His smile faded, trying to guess at that I was planning. I laughed. "No worries! It's not too bad. I just want you to be there with me, behind the glass or something. So I know have nothing to worry about." I blushed furiously, and the lift was thankfully at the bottom of the apartment building. He just laughed and gave me a hug.

"Of course, " he said, squeezing me tight, "Not a problem. See you for lunch?" I nodded a yes and we both went our separate ways, down either side of the sidewalk. As I walked down to Buenos Dias Cafe, aka my work, I thought about this thing I was agreeing to. What if something went wrong, what if I had a lesion in my brain or something, why was this happening to me?

"Good morning every one!" I yelled as I entered the cafe. James and Monique popped up from behind the back counter and rushed to give me a good morning hug. James ended up tripping over a stool and landing face first on the floor, which sent both Monique and I into a fit of giggles.

"Oh ya, laugh at the guy who makes your breakfast in the morning," he said, getting up off the floor and dusting himself off, "how does pancakes a la spit sound?" Ya, we let a guy cook, sue me.

"Oh, Ig you would never," Monique said with a smile. We call James by his middle name Iggy. Long story short, his parents where hippies and he liked fire. "But in other news," she turned to me, "what up with you?" My friends were all connected in this weird circle, we all went to college and were now taking a break before hitting, as Iggy calls it, the "Big League". We knew nearly everything about one another.

"Well," I started moving my way into the back to start prepping, "Fang got me to agree to that sleep-trial-thing." I shuttered as flashbacks from last night went through my head.

"It happened again, didn't it? The nightmares are back, aren't they?" Monique came closer and started to rub my back. "Oh, Max. It's going to be okay."

"You don't know that Nudge…" I well, nudged her, out of the way and set up the fresh scones and muffins in the case. And just in case you were wondering Nudge is called Nudge because you can't shut her up any other way. "But, anyways, I'm going call to get an appointment to get this thing checked out. I don't want to have to worry about this every day of my life."

"Well I can take the first couple minutes of your shift so you can call the Doc. Okay?"

As the café started to fill up, I went to the back and called the Sleep Clinic. I eventually got through and scheduled an appointment for tonight, it was just my luck that they had had a last minute cancelation. I wanted to get to the bottom of this- whatever it was- as soon as physically possible. My shift went by quickly with no problems. I served coffee and got tips, pretty routine stuff. Then when lunch rolled around, Fang came strolling in with a Mickey D's bag and two cups.

"Hey, I thought this was my day." I joked as I finished wiping up the last of my tables. Fang slid on to one of the stools lining the counter and pulled out my lunch from the bag. "Oh, and I called the sleep clinic. I got an appointment for tonight, is that okay with you?"

"It's perfectly fine with me," he said, biting into his hamburger. "Angela is at her Mom's house and I can get time off from work. Thanks for doing this." We ate in near silence, with the occasional interruption of Iggy or Nudge. My lunch hour and my next shift flew by as I waited for my appointment at the sleep clinic.

LATER: At the Sleep Clinic

After waiting for freaking-ever in the waiting room, they took me to a light blue room with a bed and a much of machines. Then I sat on the bed with Fang and waited another for freaking-ever long time. Then the Doc. Came in.

"Hi, Max. I'm Doctor Cabell and I'll be supervising your test tonight," the Doc said coming into the room. The Doc was a he and ,I got to admit, he was actually pretty cute. And if he was by chance like 20-ish instead of 30-ish I would totally date him. Well, anyways, he explained the procedures- which really, I don't have to worry about- and gave me a minute to change into my pajamas in another room. When I can back into the room, he hooked a bunch of wires to my forehead and my chest. They were to measure the basics- brain activity and hear rate and stuff like that.

"Fang, can I talk to you?" I asked as the Doc finished with the machines. He nodded and stayed behind as the Doc went into the viewing room.

"What is it Max?" He asked, as he sat down on the bed, "Anything I can do?"

"Just make sure everything goes okay, alright?"

"Anything for you, if it helps with whatever this is." With that he kissed my wire-covered forehead and left to go sit in the viewing room with the Doc. Now just to get to sleep, like that was easy…

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Out- MaxWriter452