Losing sleep
Alan turned over. Curled against his side and deeply asleep, Emma gave a little sigh, then curled closer to him, her snore sounding more like the purr of a kitten. It still woke him up. He twisted again, putting an arm around her and trying to find a comfortable position, but a return to sleep didn’t come. She turned over without waking and her abundant curly hair tickled his nose. He turned again. The bed seemed too narrow. He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling.
He wasn’t sure when he finally dropped off to sleep again, but he felt Emma sit up and slip out of bed. He rolled over on to her pillow and as soon as he heard the door open as she left for the gym, he dropped into a deeper dreamless sleep. The alarm came as an unwelcome surprise and a groggy way to start his morning… again.
Shower and shave and he was ready to head for breakfast. He stifled a yawn as he walked into the cafeteria, dark thoughts moving around his head. He caught Helena’s eye at a table across the room and smiled. John and Emma weren’t here yet. He loaded his tray quickly and joined her.
“You’re up early.”
“Early call. Bob was thrilled to have me back and have a chance to get a full night’s sleep again. So I’m on call all week.”
Emma and John walked in and Alan leaned forward quickly. “I need to talk to you. Can you think up a reason for giving me a checkup without alarming…” He nodded his head slightly in the direction of father and daughter.
“Oh, I can come up with something,” Helena smiled. Alan was a horrible liar. If he started trying to build a smoke screen, John and Emma would both figure it out in a heartbeat. Alan left it to Helena and dug in to his breakfast.
John nodded to Alan, he was trying hard to keep family matters private, and not make any public statement on his feelings about Alan and Emma’s newfound love, but the relationship was obviously strained. They’d been joining each other for breakfast like this for years now, whenever they were all on Alpha, so changing their habits would be even more fodder for the gossip mill.
Near the end of breakfast, Helena casually looked over at Alan and said. “You seemed to be favoring your knee a bit this morning. Want me to have a look at it?”
“What’s wrong with your knee?” Emma asked, immediately concerned.
His knee had been a source of pain since his twenties. He never even added it in to the equation. It always hurt. “Nothing really. Well, nothing new. It’s an old football injury.” Alan decided it sounded phony, even to him, even though it was the truth.
“Please, no Australian Football stories this early in the morning,” John said, having heard the story many times in the past. “They’re too bloody to go with breakfast.” It was a joke, the first time John had teased him in a month. Alan had to smile. Maybe things could be normal between them again.
“Well, at least we don’t get all poofed up with pads and helmets and everything. Footie is more a man’s game.”
John rolled his eyes.
Helena finished the last sip of her coffee. “I’m not listening to the comparison of American and Australian rules football one more time. Come on, Alan. Let me look at that knee.” She turned to Emma. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing serious. I’ll send him along to work in a little while.”
Emma gave a small smile. Helena gave her a kiss on the cheek and Alan kissed her other cheek before sliding out of his chair. “I’ll take care of the dishes. You two go on,” she offered. Helena patted her shoulder, turned to give John a smile and headed for Medical Center.
They walked the hallways companionably, talking of her recent return from C2, how Richie was doing with his internship, gossip from the small settlement. She knew Alan wouldn’t bring up what he really wanted to talk about until they were in the privacy of her office.
She checked the waiting area of Medical Center with a quick eye. No one was waiting; it was still early. Instead of her office, with its plate glass window onto the rest of medical center, she ushered him into a nearby exam room. Telling him to remove his shoe and roll up his pant leg so she could see the knee, she pulled up a stool, sat back and waited for him to tell her what was really on his mind.
Alan rolled up the wide pants leg and leaned back in the exam chair. “I’m having a hard time sleeping.”
“Since when?” Helena took a small light from the rack and looked in his eyes before concentrating on his knee.
“Since… well…”
“Since Em moved in?”
“Yeah.”
“When was the last time you shared a bed with someone? With Claire?”
“Longer than that. I never really stayed over at Claire’s.”
“You two were never right for each other. Every time I saw you together, I just wanted to scream that. And I wanted to scream at Annie for setting you two up.”
“It wasn’t Annie’s fault. You’re right. We were more like mates, really.”
Helena raised an eloquent eyebrow.
“All right. And there was the sex. That was pretty good.” Alan didn’t try to sugar-coat anything with Helena. They’d been friends too long.
“And it had been a while since Sandra.”
“A while!” Alan huffed. “It’s not like there are any singles bars around here or anything.”
Helena busied herself with her instruments.
“Sandra’s pissed at me.” Alan said.
“She loves you, Alan. She has for years.”
“This is an old conversation too. I’m more than fond of her. But it always felt like… kissing my sister. Not like with Em. Helena, I love Em. I really want this to work.”
“But you can’t sleep,” Helena smiled.
“I can’t sleep. And I can’t tell her. To be honest, Helena, I’ve never cared for sharing a bed. I mean, for sleeping.”
Helena laughed. “Hold still while I take a couple of pictures.” She was still concentrating on his knee. She moved a wand over it and watched the screen on the scanner. “and you’ve always been a light sleeper. Any time we’re on an Eagle, I know you have a hard time sleeping.”
“Yeah, well, I’m too much of a back seat driver, I guess. I don’t mind if I’m flying with John or Bill, but I can’t say there are many others I really trust. Em, maybe.”
Helena turned and used the com panel to call a nurse. She gave a bunch of instructions that Alan didn’t understand, asking for something to be brought to her. “Emma snores.”
“Oh, not that bad,” Alan stated loyally.
“Please, Alan, I could hear her from my bedroom all the time she was growing up. I know she snores.”
“Well, maybe some.”
“Just like her father.”
“How do you stand it?”
“Usually I’m too tired to notice. Every once in a while, if I’m distracted by something I lie there and listen to him.”
“So maybe I should get more exercise?”
“You do fine. As the condition of that knee shows, it’s not too stiff is it?”
“I really don’t think about it much. But no, it’s not stiff.”
“You stay active, you get plenty of exercise. Many people would be incapacitated by it by now. It’s never slowed you down. I doubt Emma even knows it’s ever bothered you.”
“I don’t ever talk about it.”
A knock at the door, and it opened. Laurie entered with a tray then turned to the scanner. Helena thanked her and turned back to Alan. “Lie back and don’t look.”
“What the hell is that? Looks big enough to poke an elephant.”
Laurie smiled and put a hand on his shoulder, easing him back in the chair. “Not quite that big. Shall I position the scanner, Doctor?”
Helena nodded, taking the glass vial and huge needle, readying the shot. “This should help a bit with the pain. Just hold still.”
Alan did as he was told and soon Laurie was leaving with the empty syringe.
“Sit up and move the knee,” Helena ordered.
Alan did so. “What the…? Damn! What was in that?”
“Oh, a cocktail of steroids that should make things better.”
She sat on the stool again and watched him as he moved the knee in amazement.
“Now, here’s my prescription.”
Alan met her eyes and noticed a good deal of amusement in them.
“I want you to go to your quarters and get about eight hours of sleep. Right now. I’ll call Em and tell her you’re not coming to work and she’s not to disturb you. She’ll bring you dinner when she goes off duty.”
“Okay.” He could tell there was more.
“And this part I’m telling only you. Find another position.”
Alan frowned. “Position?”
“Alan, your sex life is more active in the last month than it’s been in years. You’re putting too much stress on that knee. Find another position. She’s young and limber, and I’m sure the two of you are creative enough to figure something out.”
Alan could feel himself blushing.
“It’s the knee that’s waking you up, not Em. But you’re so used to living with the pain you’re missing the signals. With just a bit of change, you should have no problem sharing a bed. You might also suggest a larger bed. By the time you have a little one climbing up between you, you’ll need it.”
“You really think…” he grinned.
“I’m sure. You and Em were made for each other. It’s going to take some adjustment, but you’ll be fine. And don’t hesitate to tell me when the knee hurts too bad.”
Alan stood. “Thanks Helena. You’re the best.”
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