Trouble sleeping

Jared often found that he had trouble sleeping at night. It took him long stretches of time simply staring at the ceiling before he could drift into unconsciousness, but he could never stay that way for long. He found himself waking frequently throughout the night, and he never felt particularly rested come morning. He spent most of his days exhausted, attempting to keep himself active through use of caffeine by various means, but it was never quite enough to compensate for such little sleep that he received.

He was eating lunch by himself one day, half awake as usual, when an unfamiliar voice asked if they could join him. He looked up from his meal to find a woman standing above him. He nodded his approval and, with a smile, she sat across from him.

"You looked lonely," she said, "and I wanted to remedy that. My name's Rebecca."

"Jared."

Rebecca smiled warmly and prepared her food. She made light conversation attempts, but Jared was too tired to fully comprehend what it was she was saying to him. Suddenly her words broke through as she asked, "Are you ok, Jared? You look very tired."

He chuckled at that. "I tend to, yes," he answered. "I chronically sleep poorly." He downed the last of his coffee and rubbed his eyes. "I'm sorry if it seems I'm not paying attention. I just have trouble focusing. Too tired."

Rebecca nodded and put her hand on top of his own, much to his surprise. "I suppose you've tried medication and the like, and it doesn't help?" Jared nodded. "I'm sorry," she said. "You shouldn't have to deal with that.

Jared chuckled again and shook his head. "You don't have to apologize to me. It's not your fault. It's just something I have to deal with."

Rebecca nodded and sat back. In silence the two finished their meals. As Rebecca stood up, she said, "Thank you for letting me join you for lunch, Jared. If you ever want to try something different to help with your sleeping problem..." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a business card, placing it before him. "Try giving that number a call." She smiled and walked away as Jared picked up the card. All that was on it was a phone number. No name, no explanation, just the number.

It was a couple months before Jared gave in and called. It was late at night, and he simply could not fall asleep. He didn't expect an answer, given the time, but he thought perhaps he could leave a message, and the next morning have a response that could help that night. Much to his surprise, however, the phone only rang twice before there was an answer.

"Hello?" The voice on the other end was a woman, and it sounded oddly familiar, though Jared couldn't quite think of why.

"Hi, I was told I should call this number for assistance with a sleeping problem?"

The woman on the other end began to giggle for a moment, leaving Jared very confused. What number had Rebecca given him? "If you would give me your address, your assistance will be delivered momentarily."

In less than half an hour, there was a knock on Jared's door, and he was surprised to find Rebecca herself on the other side. "Rebecca?" he asked.

She giggled, and immediately he recognized it as the same laugh that had come from the other end of the phone line. "Surprise," she said, stepping inside. Jared couldn't argue, and simply closed the door behind her. She was dressed in pajamas, and without a word made her way to his bedroom, with Jared close behind.

She laid on his bed and patted the space beside her without a word. Jared was too tired to argue, and lay beside her. Rebecca wrapped an arm around him and pulled him close to her, cradling him against her body. Jared opened his mouth to question what she was doing, and she simply smiled and put a finger to his lips. "Sleep now," she said.

Jared rolled his eyes in protest, but found that his eyes were growing heavy. The last thought that crossed his mind before he passed out was that she was surprisingly comfortable.