Day 026: Insomnia and Nightmares
Summary: Ariadne falls asleep, but is awakened by another nightmare.
Date: 20/06/2016
Related: none
Ariadne Stone Shi 

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Day 026 — Drop ship


The artificial lighting in the medical wing of the ark dims slightly before coming back on at full power. Ariadne is seated in a chair with her legs curled up underneath her. She’s starting to doze when she hears Tomas’ raspy voice and her eyes pop open instantly. She moves to his side with a warm smile, and she takes his hand. “You’re awake, sleepyhead.”

Tomas gives a little groan and just looks at her. There’s a question that’s in his eyes, and he doesn’t need to say the words. She can hear them echoing in her head. He’s asked the question dozens of times. She shakes her head at him, a scold in her eyes that says, “Don’t ask again, Tomas.”

He doesn’t ask. He says, “Get out. Don’t visit me again.” Tears instantly flood Ariadne’s chocolate brown eyes and she murmurs quietly, “Don’t say that, Tomas.” He turns his back to her and leaves her sobbing. She turns to leave his room, and the sound echoing in her ears is the wail of pain that escapes from his lips as he lays in the bed.

Leaving a trail of salty tears on the metallic silver floor Ariadne makes her way to the lockbox that contains the controlled medications. The sound of sobs would have been heard, but it was late and the nurses on the unit were in with patients. Even if they had seen her, they likely wouldn’t have questioned her movements.

As she reenters his room she doesn’t return to her chair, she moves toward the small cabinet of supplies. Syringes, alcohol wipes, tourniquet. She’s grabbing blindly for supplies as she stumbles back toward him. He hears her sobs, but it’s not until he hears her rifling through the supply cabinet that he turns back to see her. He watches her from his bed, and as she approaches he reaches for her hand.

“You’re going to do it?” He asks, his voice hoarse from coughing. Barely able to speak through her sobs, Ariadne just nods. His voice is even weaker as he says, “My mom and Shi, keep an eye on them, will ya?” She nods again. He pulls her arm to force her to look at him. There’s anger in her eyes and that makes him wince. “Sorry…” is all he can say.

“Shut up.” Ariadne says, and shakes her head. “I love you. If this is what you want, I’ll do it.” She fills the syringe with morphine before placing it on the small bedside table. She ties the tourniquet and begins to search for a vein, tapping his arm a few times to force one to bounce back. She turns her eyes to him and says through a sob. “I love you. Please don’t make me do this… “

“Do it.” Is his response, and she tears open an alcohol wipe to cleanse the injection site. She inserts the needle and looks at him pleadingly, but he just nods. She begins to push the plunger. As the last of the morphine empties into his vein she collapses on his chest and sobs.

Her head lifts and some prickle of consciousness teases at her brain. She opens her eyes and through her tears she sees not Tomas’ body on the table, but Shi’s. Violet eyes are open – cold and unseeing. Ariadne’s breathing quickens and she says out loud. “No, that’s not how this goes.” She rises to standing and throws the syringe onto the floor, backing away from Shi’s body.

The door opens and Stone walks in. She says out loud to him, “No, this isn’t how this is supposed to go. You shouldn’t be here.” She’s backing into a corner now, her eyes darting around like a cat that’s been cornered. “This is not how it goes.” She’s relived this dream time and time again. She’s aware that something’s wrong, and she wills herself to wake up.

Stone speaks up, though the voice is not Stone’s – it’s Tomas’. The voice is cold and cruel and when he does speak up he says, “There’s no room for you here anymore. She doesn’t love you. Nobody does. Nobody could. Not after what you did.” He lunges for her, his hands closing around her neck.

There’s a scream that echoes through the drop ship, though it’s short and strangled and it’s stifled by the hand that clamps over her mouth. Her eyes dart nervously around the medical bay of the drop ship. They stop on Hanne for a moment and then her head falls into her hands. Her cheeks are wet with the tears that have fallen in her sleep. Her breathing slows as she reasons with herself. When she looks up she whispers to Hanne, lying unconscious nearby. “It was only a dream.”

She whispers again, into the night. “It was only a dream. If only this whole situation were a dream, huh Hanne? I don’t think I’d mind that right about now.” She stands up and walks closer to the sleeping girl. She turns her head and looks down at her. Her voice is quiet as she says to the unconscious girl, “I love her though. Maybe I wish I didn’t, but… it is what it is.” She leans in closer, her voice just above a whisper, “I like him. It’s not love, but that kiss… “ Ariadne stands back up and lays a hand on Hanne’s shoulder as she says, “Yeah, thanks for listening.” She returns to the spot where she was sitting and sinks once more onto the floor, her long lanky legs folding underneath and in front of her. Her head falls back against the wall and her eyes close. Sleep likely will not come again tonight.

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