Kate leaned against the kitchen sink and looked over at Mariah who was sitting on the counter. "Why are you still up?" It was three o'clock in the morning, and the rest of the house was asleep.
"Can't sleep." Mariah shrugged. "Why are you awake."
"Smoke craving."
"Kate smokes a lot, and somehow we got into a conversation about it. She told me she'd been smoking since she was 9." - Mariah
"I don't know why she cares, but I guess she does." - Kate
"So would you quit smoking if I made a deal with you?"
Kate raised an eyebrow. "What kind of a deal?"
"You give up smoking, and I'll give up an addiction to mine."
"You're not addicted to anything. What are you gonna do? Give up your blow dryer?"
Mariah sighed and gave her a dirty look. "That's not even funny. How do you know that I don't have an addiction just as bad as yours, maybe even worse."
"Sorry."
"I'll give up sleeping pills, if you stop smoking."
Kate looked over at her, surprised at what she had just said. "You take sleeping pills?"
"My mom used to give them to me when I was little because I would never sleep. Then I started taking them on my own in middle school. Now I'm up to 5 a night. I'm to the point where if I don't take something to sleep, I sit up all night, shaking and sweating. It's because I have too much energy."
"I agreed to the deal, only because I was so impressed that Mariah could actually have some kind of flaw in her. Plus, I've heard of people being addicted to sleeping pills, and it can get really dangerous. I don't want her to get sick or die, even if we don't get along that great. She's still a person, you know?" - Kate
"I decided to see a doctor, because I know I can't beat this thing on my own. I'm not a very strong person." - Mariah
"I went with Mariah because I was proud of her, and I felt sorry for her. She's a pretty sweet girl, and I never really thought of her hyperactivity as being dangerous." - Victor
"How long have you had problems sleeping?" Mariah was surprised at how sympathetic the doctor was. He was an addiction medicine specialist and seemed to really care about what he was doing.
"I'm not really sure. My mom started giving me sleeping pills when I was 5. But it was only like, half a pill at night."
"How many do you take now?"
"5 a night."
The doctor nodded. "What happens when you take the pills?"
"I sleep for about three hours."
"What happens when you don't take them?"
"I haven't taken any for 2 days now. I just stay awake and if I'm not running, walking, or doing something, I'll just start to shake. I have to be doing something all the time."
The doctor turned to Victor. "Can you describe her behavior so I can see it from another person's view?"
Victor nodded. "Like, from the minute she shook my hand, she was bouncing off the walls. I know she didn't sleep much because she was always awake at about 3am when I would get up to go to the bathroom. She cleans alot, and I don't think I've ever seen her sitting still. I didn't know it was a problem though."
"Were you ever diagnosed with ADHD?" The doctor asked, writing something down on his paper.
"Yeah. But It's more than that."
"Of course it is. You have ADHD and a serious sleep disorder. And an addiction to sleeping pills. That's a nasty combination."
"I used to drink Nyquil alot because I would get so excited to finally feel tired. I never feel that without drugs."
"It's rare." The doctor nodded and put his papers down. He looked sysmpathetically at Mariah. "Is there anyway that you can get out of the situation you're in right now?"
Mariah shook her head. "It's not an option."
"Ok then. Would you be able to fit in some time with a psychologist?"
Mariah nodded.
"Normally I would suggest you take melatonin. It's a natural herb that sometimes your body lacks. But I really don't want you dependant on anything for a while. I can refer you to a relaxation specialist. Massages might help, relaxation tapes. I have a feeling you're willing to try anything. Do you have a support group of any kind?"
Victor spoke up for Mariah and put his arm around her shoulder. "She has 6 people living with her that care about her."
Mariah smiled up at him. "Thank you, Vic. And I have a .... friend who's giving up smoking. That way we can kind of support eachother."
The doctor smiled. "That's a very good idea."
"I'm so proud of Mariah. It's hard to get the help you need. And it's even harder to admit that you need help." - Victor.
"Do I think Mariah is going to stick with it? *thinks* "Not really. It's really hard not being able to sleep. But I'm rooting for her." - Lori
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