the insomnia meme

[sockerballs]

the i n s o m n i a meme

It happens to everyone - sometimes, you have nights where you just can't fall asleep, no matter what you do. It could be for a number of reasons, or no reason at all. And this is what's happened now: you've been laying in bed for what feels like hours, just tossing and turning, and nothing seems to help. So what's left to do? Get out of bed and go wake someone else up, of course. If you're not getting any sleep, then why should they? i n s t r u c t i o n s • Post with your character (note the name and fandom in the subject). • Other people reply to you by generating a number from 1 to 10. • Have fun! o p t i o n s 01 • FEAR. Maybe you're hearing strange, indeterminable noises; maybe there's a severe storm happening outside; maybe you watched a scary movie before bed? Whatever the reason, you're terrified and it's keeping you awake. You just want to wake someone else up so they can protect you from the monster in your closet. 02 • HUNGER. Your stomach is growling and it just won't stop. Or perhaps your throat is so dry you could cough up a tumbleweed? Well, you've gone to the kitchen to remedy this and hey, that was a pan that just dropped on the floor. It was loud enough to wake the dead! Oops. 03 • PAIN. Your body is completely worn out, be it from exercise, battle, sickness, or what have you. Either way you're in enough pain to keep you from sleeping, so maybe someone else has a home remedy or something, or can at least help you take your mind off of it. 04 • SOLITUDE. For some reason, your bed just feels so empty at the moment. You're feeling terribly lonely and really just want someone to keep you company for a while. Maybe it'd be easier to fall asleep if you're with them... 05 • DISCOMFORT. Your room is an oven. Either that or a freezer. Or maybe this bed is just really uncomfortable? Who knows why you can't get to sleep, it feels like it could be anything. Why even bother trying? Maybe someone else can preoccupy you until you feel tired enough to ignore your discomfort. 06 • PENSIVE. Something's on your mind, and no matter how hard you try to focus elsewhere, it's just not going to work. Your body may be tired, but your mind is incredibly busy and it's virtually impossible to get to sleep. Surely, talking it out with someone else will help? 07 • SADNESS. Something terrible has happened that day, perhaps; or you could just be severely depressed. Either way you're trying your hardest not to cry yourself to sleep, and it's not working at all. Better find a way to get it out of your system somehow; you need a shoulder to cry on. 08 • ANGER. You are just... fuming. Who knows why - that annoying dog is barking again, or maybe the people next door are getting busy and keeping you awake. Whatever the reason for your ire is, you'd better put an end to it so you can get some damn rest already! Go wake up a friend so you can complain to them. 09 • RESTLESS. You're far too energetic to sleep right now. Maybe you're just trying to do so out of necessity - you have to be up early tomorrow! But you just don't think you'll be able to fall asleep for a while now, so why waste the time trying to sleep when you could be doing something else? Namely bothering someone else - you're totally jealous because they're getting more sleep than you. 10 • WILDCARD. Choose one of the options above, or make up your own scenario.

Comments

[hikaru_sulu]

Sulu honestly doesn't expect Dr. McCoy to answer his comm; it's late, 0400, and they both have to be on shift in four hours. But it's been weeks since Sulu last had a full night's sleep, and as much as he hates to admit he needs help, he's worried it's going to start affecting his ability to perform at his post.

He could go to the medbay (and he will, if Dr. McCoy doesn't answer), but he's not sure the attending physician of gamma shift won't just take him off duty because of his troubles, and Sulu has a bad feeling that would only end up making things worse. So he takes a chance and calls Leonard, his friend, hoping at the very least he won't wake the man up.

[notanoptimist]

Early in his career, before Starfleet and before even the divorce, McCoy had learned to snap nearly fully awake at the buzz of a comm. He always takes a couple seconds to answer, just to clear whatever sleep might still fog his voice. If he's learned anything, it's the patients are less likely to tell him anything if they think they've interrupted something important. (Never mind that he'll grouse and grump over being interrupted while doing trivial things. That's different.)

"McCoy," he answers. "What's wrong, Lieutenant?" Because calling at 0400 usually means something's wrong.

[hikaru_sulu]

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Doctor," Sulu answers, polite to a fault even though McCoy sounds lucid enough that, if he had been asleep, he's fully alert now.

"I've been having a hard time sleeping lately, and tonight has been particularly bad. I wondered if you had any suggestions of what I might be able to do for it," he explains, and saying it aloud he feels even more embarrassed than he thought he would. Still, he's struggling, and he won't be able to report to his post if he doesn't get some rest. He'll need a medical recommendation to take his shift off anyway, if it comes down to it, so contacting McCoy is the right call, even as pathetic as it makes Sulu feel.

[notanoptimist]

McCoy sits up, rubbing his face in a vain attempt to at least look less like he's just crawled out of bed. Although, unless he changes clothes too, that's not going to work, what with the loose pants and old t-shirt he's wearing. There are two things he wants to avoid right now: a trip to the medical bay at 0400 and turning Sulu away when he needs a helping hand. "Come by my quarters, Sulu. I have a few things here that might help."

He's a firm believer in always being prepared -- and he's also a part-time insomniac with a few tried and true methods and medications stashed away in his quarters.

[hikaru_sulu]

Sulu hesitates, but only because the years his mother spent teaching him about manners and respect made it difficult for him to accept those sorts of offers out of hand. The idea of disturbing a doctor in his quarters at his hour wouldn't even begin to cross his mother's mind.

"Thank you, Doctor," he says, pushing those thoughts away. "I'm on my way."

He doesn't bother changing into his uniform (he's not sure what McCoy is going to give him, but he's hoping whatever it is won't take long enough to knock him out that he'll have the opportunity to change back into his sleeping clothes), just puts on a pair of comfortable slip-on shoes and tugs a sweater over his lightweight sleep shirt (a sleeveless top that matches his loose-fitting sleep pants). It's far enough to the next shift change that he doesn't encounter anyone in the corridors and only a moment later he's standing outside McCoy's door, reaching up to trigger the chime to let the doctor know he's arrived.