To Sleep

Derek drove home at the slowest pace ever. And even then, every once in a while, he stopped. Normally, when he rolled the windows down, it was so that the cool night air would keep him awake. But this time, the open windows brought with them a new temptation.

He had gone to a lot of trouble to get the sleeping pills. But now that he had them, he did not want them. Having them in his pocket felt like carrying a bright red piece of coal with his bare hands. And every time he looked out the window, he wanted nothing more than to throw them out into the night.

But then he remembered getting angry at Emily for something that had been partly his fault too, and his pride took a knock. He could not go on that way.

Just a little while. He just had to use them for a little while, endure all of the ill effects for that period and then he could stop. Hopefully by then, he would be doing much better.

His internal pep talk strengthened his resolve. But just to be safe, he rolled the windows back up. There was only a short way to go before he got home, he did not think he was in danger of falling asleep at the wheel before then. 

By the time he got home, the manor was quiet, and he took it to mean that everyone had retired for the night. Which was odd seeing as it was not even past eight yet. But he shrugged off the strangeness of it and made his way to the kitchen, expecting to find his food in the oven.

He did find his evening meal there. But he also found something else…his mother. She was not dressed to the nines like she usually was, instead, she wore jeans and a shirt, a simple black apron thrown over them.

"Hey there, darling, have your meal while keeping me company," She said in greeting, twirling gracefully as she grabbed a mixing bowl off the counter.

"Is there a reason for this sudden baking frenzy?" He asked as he dug into his meal. She shrugged, giving a look over her shoulder.

"Tomorrow, I am going to be visiting the local fire station. I figured the firefighters would appreciate my efforts," She told him, and Derek nodded, the hidden meaning behind her actions coming to him easily enough.

"I take it your candidate for fire chief has been chosen," Now that she was no longer focusing solely on Haven Group, his mother was literally running the city from the shadows.

If she was at a gala, a fundraiser, even a walk, it was not just to enjoy the atmosphere. She was there to work her magic, and more often than not, she came away with what she had set out to get in the first place. The appointment of the latest fire chief, a deserving woman who would have never even been considered if his mother had not been subtly backing her.

"Now, now Derek, Miranda earned that position on her own,"

His mother would never admit it to pulling any strings. It was a little game they often played. She made a seemingly innocent comment and Derek had to guess the reason behind it. A game they had played since Derek's childhood. It was part of the reason why he was so good at deciphering situations at a glance.

Done with his meal, Derek washed off the plate and then went to help her. His help though, was more for himself, since he immediately started helping himself to the cooling chocolate chip cookies, dodging her spatula with an ease that came from years of practice.

In the end she stopped trying to block him, instead she pulled out a plate as set aside a few, the two of them enjoying the cookies with some milk.

They were almost done when his mother spoke up.

"Are you having trouble sleeping again?" The uncharacteristic straightforward question took Derek so off-guard, he actually choked. Once he got his coughing under control, he turned to his mother and gave her a watery smile.

"If I were having trouble sleeping. I would throw wild parties every night to keep you up with me. Who knows, the party animal lifestyle might agree with you," It was not a lie, but it was not the truth either. But his mother was too busy laughing to notice. And when the timer went off for the last batch of cookies seconds later. Derek took the opportunity to escape before she noticed his evasion.

That night, there was no secret swim with the rest of the house fast asleep. There was only him and two tiny pills in the palm of his hand. He swallowed them down without complaint, and settled down to let them do their work.

One blink, two blinks, three blinks, four blinks… he fell asleep somewhere between the fifth and sixth blink.