Just Sleep

He could feel the springs of the mattress pressing into his back, each one creating an indent in his thin, fragile skin. His eyes were wide, fixed on the ceiling above him that was slightly out of focus. He could hear talking outside of his room, figures creating shadows that danced along his floor. He wanted to squeeze his eyes shut, block them all out, but they stayed fixed above him, counting the cracks that were blurring together in the darkness.

There was a soft knock on the door and a smiling face made its through the darkness, softening their steps to prevent him from waking. His eyes followed them through the shadows, his fingers running themselves along his hand, short nails picking at the bits of tape that latched onto his skin. He could see the vial, bright and shining through the darkness and he felt his throat tighten, pangs of anxiety flooding through him.

He watched as she took the syringe, slowly sticking it in the top of the bottle, sucking in everything that was inside. He felt her fingers grip the tube that was wedged into his hand, an open invitation for the medication he desperately wanted to refuse but couldn’t find the words. His eyes grew wider, fixed on her hands, and he could feel the ball of emotion building from the pit of his stomach. Her soft smile felt like a knife, dragging itself along his skin, and could feel his eyes now growing dry, too scared to even blink.

“You should be feeling better soon,” her quiet voice broke through the darkness like a bright light and he shook his head, feeling himself curl into a ball. He felt it take over, forcing his eyes to close, giving in to the dreams.

If she only knew.