Wednesday, May 16, 2012

sleepless nights



Life with Jonah was different. Gilly, suspected the flat was a little cramp. But there was space for Tristan to have his own room. It was an old apartment, and Gilly intended on staying with Tristan because after all, it was a two bedroom which was gold to find in these parts. Thank heavens, Jonah's mother knew people everywhere. It wasn't that it was posh, but it wasn't a dump, either. Pleasant, conservative. A spacious pantry. Even a washer and dryer in the kitchen. All the comforts you'd ever need.

Gilly suspected he owed Jonah's mother plenty, but it was she who was always sending them things. A gift card here and there. Gilly worked and Tristan stayed in the daycare where he'd gotten on in computer security. Of course, he was still learning, but it wasn't so far to get to. Jonah wasn't too far from his work, either.

Although, he knew Jonah wasn't much of an apartment dweller. He wasn't used to the noise.

"Well, I don't know what you're hearing at night." Gilly was caught between a rock and hard place. There was Tristan to tend to and Jonah in the next room wanting all three of them to be together. Naturally, Gilly laid down the law that he would not sleep with an infant. "What if I roll over on him? Or even you? It could happen. He needs his crib."

Sure enough, the crib got moved into Jonah's room. Of course, Jonah spent a good portion of the night watching Tristan sleep.

"Aren't you tired, yet?" Gill kept asking, thinking now he could sleep most anywhere.

"What if its a ghost? Or a vampire?" Jonah was all nervous.

"Please?" Gill wanted him to knock it off. "You're watching way to much BEING HUMAN. Is that it?"

So the little discussions started. Gill looked through all of Jonah's meds. He couldn't tell if the anti-depressants kept him up or what.

"How long have you had these?" Gilly thought it was an awful lot to be on.

"Dunno." Jonah was being aloof as if he didn't really want to discuss it with him.

"Its not like I'm telling you to get off of them. Just be reevaluated." Gill sighed.

"But I'm fine." Jonah looked at him puzzled.

"Oh, really?" Gilly looked at him as if someone was living in another world, and it obviously wasn't this one. "None of us, get any sleep. You want us with you, but you don't really want us. Now do you?" Gilly felt for sure he might get more rest on a street corner than having to be  there to answer every little noise that Jonah might hear.

"No. I promise. I'll fix it. I will. Just tell me what to do?" Jonah hadn't planned it this way, either. "You think I'm weird."

"Not anymore weird than me." Gilly thought this might be the night to get it right. It was Friday night and they'd be home to recover the weekend. "Do you even know how to sleep?"

"What do you mean?" Jonah nursed his bottom lip, sitting all nervous.

"Did you feel safe at home?" Gilly asked.

"Well, of course." He said ever so nervously. "Why wouldn't I?"

"You, tell me?" Gilly wanted to know. He told him then about being in foster care. Some places were better than others. "Me, mum was in lots of recovery back then. I didn't always feel safe with her, either. A lot of times, I ended up taking care of her. But she got on with life, and things got better."

"We were very rich, when I was growing up." Jonah finally sighed. "But, I really don't remember my mother much. She was busy. She traveled, a great deal. But I had a nanny."

"And where's she now?" Gilly wished he could call her and ask about his habits back then.

"Dunno." Jonah was even more nervous when he mentioned her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to bring up anything-"

"Its all right. She loved Willow. She adored her. Me, not so much." He shook his head.

"Well, you don't need to think about her, right now." Gilly looked at Jonah blankly, thinking his questions were possibly a bad idea. "Look, when you..you..you know..get re-evaluated, would you mind talking to the doctor about, you know, the nanny. Maybe, that would help."

Jonah only grimaced and hugged himself tightly as if it were a bad memory that still haunted him.

Gilly, hadn't meant to make things worse. He grabbed something from the shelf then. "Book? It always makes me sleepy, if I read a few pages." It wasn't a comic book, either. Just Harry Potter. Maybe Jonah could see himself in the story.

4 comments:

  1. Gilly is a good friend. I'm sure he wishes he'd asked these questions way before now.

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  2. I hope they can get him to sleep, he needs his rest!

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