The woman twisted and turned in her bed, trying to fall asleep. She was completely exhausted but her mind refused to cooperate. Sitting up she picked up the bottle of Nyquil placed on her bedside shelf. Disregarding the dosage instructions, she tossed it back like it was alcohol. She had already drained half of its contents four hours ago with the hopes of slipping into a coma, but like every other stupid remedy, it failed to deliver.
She needed more.
A lot more.
She was tempted to mix Nyquil with some crushed sleeping pills and a tall glass of alcohol just to see if she could finally knock off for at least eight hours. It was bound to work!
But it may put her into a sleep she would never wake up from. A sleep which she would have already pushed herself into if not for the agony it would inflicted upon her loved ones.
Thus, she resolved to keep struggling to find a cure.
Simone Goyette was a 22 year old college dropout who suffered from severe insomnia. Though she had tried to ignore it for years chalking it up to stress and telling herself it wasn't a big deal, over the past 6 months it had gotten significantly worse. She had terrible headaches and on those especially bad days she had struggled with basic motor skills.
On one occasion she had even hallucinated.
Drinking the bottled water to wash away the sickly, sweet taste of Nyquil, Simone picked up her Tylenol container and popped two tablets into her mouth. Finishing the rest of the water, she tossed the bottle away in frustration and flopped back on the bed.
I don't want to have to see my fucking doctor again! I don't want to have to go back to being on meds! They barely worked as it is. Fucking hell, it's called sleep! It's a natural and instinctual human function! It's basic as fuck! Why do I have to suffer like this?
She massaged her temples, feeling another migraine encroaching. Or worse a cluster headache. She had only experienced that once in her life and she had legit thought she was going to die.
That was a key turning point in her life. After that, she had cut down on her activities and dedicated more time towards self-care.
Or so she had intended.
That was what she'd told everyone else.
None of her loved ones knew she was failing this hard. She always responded with brightness when asked about her condition.
For Simone, it was a matter of pride. She would never allow herself to showcase her pathetic state to anyone.
Not anymore.
I'm gonna beat this! It's my fucking brain! There's no reason I shouldn't be able to shut it down to sleep when I want to!
Her eyes stung from the lack of rest. She placed the back of her hand on top of them.
I can't afford to slip up tomorrow. Just tomorrow. Please just let me get through tomorrow with my brain functioning at an average capacity. I don't need perfection. I just need to be rested enough to act normal.
I can't let them see.
I can't let that little girl see.
I especially can't let HIM see me in this state! And I know that asshole is gonna be there too!