Insomnia (Mass Effect)

Chapter 3

Thane has to remain in the Normandy's med-bay for a while, and Shepard has Joker, reluctantly dock the smooth ship at the Citadel's already crowded docks. Thane drifts in and out of sleep, which is understandable, he tries to keep up minor, short conversations with Shepard whilst he's awake and she replies with nods, solemnly with words.

According to the doctor he should be able to get up and move within the next few days, and Shepard silently hopes that Kolyat, Thane's only son, will show up. She had made sure to send him a message and give him clearance to her ship. Time would only tell if he loved and cared for his father enough to show up.

Shepard's brown hair falls into her face as her head bobs forward, a symptom of her -continuously growing- exhaustion. She can't fall asleep, not until she knows for certain that Thane is okay. She tries to keep her tiredness covert so Chakwas doesn't go and make her sleep.

"Commander?'' The doctor asks, looking up from her terminal, a pen in her hand.

Shepard's head shoots up and she readies herself to argue with the doctor, thinking that she wants her to go up to her cabin to sleep. Shepard knew that sleep wouldn't come. Not until Thane was with her again.

''If you would like to sleep on one of the med-bay beds, then you're welcome too,'' Chakwas motions to the very bed Shepard was sitting on at that moment.

She is relived, and instead of fighting the doctor, she decides that it might not be such a bad idea. She would be here, close to Thane, and be able to wake up if something bad were to happen, but she also could sleep, and be -somewhat- worry free. It was a fair compromise.

Shepard gives a quick nod and Dr.Chakwas stands up to get her a blanket and pillow.

''This would also be fairly good,'' Chakwas pauses as she reaches up on her tippy toes to get a decent, sterile, blanket. ''For me to examine your sleeping patterns.'' Shepards not sure if the doctor had finished her thought so she continues to listen as Chakwas grabs a pillow from one of the lowest shelfs. ''I'm worried about you, Shepard,'' Chakwas says honestly, making eye contact. ''So, that's why I need to somehow try to get inside your head.'' Chakwas hands her the kelly green blanket and the white pillow.

She quietly sets up her bed and gets settled. She rotates her body so she can see the Drell in his bed. He looks peaceful and Shepard enjoys that. A small smile spreads on her lips and the beds are so close together that she gets up on one elbow and kisses his forehead. She lays back down, exhausted. Her arms lay at her side and she's a straight as a plank. She really can't think of any other comfortable pose to be in.

Chakwas shuts off the lights before returning to the Crew's Quarters where she spends her nights. She instructs Shepard to keep and eye on Thane and alert her if anything should happen. Shepard obliges, as well as the Normandy's AI, EDI.

In the midst of the darkness Shepard thinks. She finds herself doing this a lot nowadays. With all of this stressful situations and her own self depression she has seemed to manage the almost impossible task of forgetting about the war. The Reaper War. How did she do that?

As fast as all of the Thane stress left her system all the Reaper War stress comes right in to replace it. She feels her stomach churn and she longs for Thane to be awake and comfort her, but that seems impossible for the moment. She looks back at him, her eyes straining to see through the dark room. She sees the outline of his body and she extends her hand to grab his.

Shepard falls asleep peacefully, Thane's hand in hers.

***

When Shepard awakes Thane is sitting up in his bed and looking around like a lost puppy.