The Wolf In sheeps clothing

Sleep? What's That?

"It's looking good, really good. I can't wait for you to come over and see it for yourself.......Ok, Ma, love you too" Niall ended his phone call and continued to wander about his newly renovated home. It was perfect, just enough room to accommodate guests but not so large he'd be rattling around it when he was alone. Time to start unpacking some of the numerous boxes that were scattered about the place and make this truly look like home. He got stuck into the unpacking, singing along to the music he had playing.

Niall tossed and turned all night, unable to get his body into a comfortable position. He was exhausted, beyond exhausted, but every night was the same, he just could not sleep .Giving up, Niall pulled off his duvet and got out of bed, heading downstairs. His Ma used to swear by hot milk with honey to help someone sleep and he'd drunk it many a time as a small boy when sleep had eluded him. Niall warmed the milk and stirred in a generous spoonful of honey, taking the finished drink into the den where he curled up on the couch, putting the TV on some random station. He watched it mindlessly as he sipped his drink until he finally felt his eyelids drooping. Niall slowly headed to bed and lay back down, only to have his eyes wide open once more. Maybe he should go see a doctor and get some sleeping tablets, just for a few days, just to break the cycle. Finally, as dawn was just about to break, Niall fell into a shallow sleep.

"Mr Horan?" the nurse stood in the door way looking at him, a pleasant smile on her face. "If you'd like to follow me, please?" Niall stood and followed her back to a comfortable but functional  looking examination room. "I just need to do a few things before you see the doctor". She quickly weighed Niall, measured his height and took his blood pressure before leaving, telling him the doctor would be with him shortly. Niall sat down and waited, eyes closed in tiredness.

"Niall?" Doctor Ward gave his shoulder a gentle shake and Niall's blue eyes flew open.

"Sorry, I nodded off there for a minute" Niall grinned sheepishly.

"So I see. I've not seen you since you fractured your foot last year. How are you?" Doctor Ward asked as he sat facing Niall, noting the dark shadows under his eyes.

"Ok, a bit tired.The band is having a break now so we're all getting some rest" Niall replied and the doctor frowned.

"For someone taking a rest, you look pretty exhausted. Been burning the candle at both ends?"

"Well, I've been busy but not really. I'm having a problem sleeping lately. I either can't get to sleep or I don't stay asleep. It's probably because I don't have a set schedule anymore. I was wondering if you'd just give me something to help me sleep for a bit?"

"Sleeping pills are not something I like to prescribe, Niall. It covers the problem, it doesn't sort it out. I think the best solution is to check you over and see if we can't find the cause" He stood and handed Niall a gown "I'll just step out and let you change into this, just open the door when you are ready". Niall groaned inwardly, he hated the stupid gowns and he didn't really like doctors. He just wanted to get something to help him sleep. Niall undressed quickly then called the doctor back in.

"Hop up on the couch, Niall" the doctor pulled out his stethoscope and started listening to Niall's chest, asking him to cough from time to time. Niall quietly endured being poked ,prodded   and answering  what seemed like random questions until the doctor stood back and invited him to dress again. Niall did so quickly, just wanting to get out of the place.

"Everything seems fine, Niall. I'll get some blood from you, run a few tests but nothing drastic seems to be apparent. You've not told me anything that indicates a cause for the sleep problems so it must be  something minor. If you are iron deficient, it would cause some of the things that are troubling you but we'll know for certain when the blood work is done. I'll just hand you over to the nurse so she can do that for you. I'm willing to give you one weeks supply of medication so you can get some rest but that will be it. I'll see you for a follow up appointment in two weeks time and we'll see how things stand then. " He shook hands with Niall then left as the nurse came in with a covered tray. Niall gulped, he was never a fan of needles.

The pills helped with his sleeping but Niall still woke up every morning, feeling drained. His body seemed to ache more and more , almost like he had flu.  Perhaps he should have mentioned the aches and pains to his doctor but  he didn't think it was important. He'd been doing a lot of exercise one way and another. He  forced himself to work though  it ,and day by day , his new house looked more and more like a home. He'd just finished hanging all his guitars on the wall when he realised he'd not played for a few weeks. He took down his favourite and strummed his fingers lightly over the chords  before starting to tune each string carefully. His fingers felt stiff and awkward making his playing clumsy. He frowned as he looked down at his right hand then stretched it out in front of him, spreading his fingers as wide as they would go. His knuckles looked red and swollen . He did the same with his left hand which looked the same. What was going on? He put the guitar down and went to the bathroom where he filled the sink with cold water. Once the basin was full, he plunged his hands into the water hoping that his fingers would start to look more normal again. The heat and the redness faded but they still looked distorted. Something else he supposed he'd need to mention to Doctor Ward at his follow up appointment.

Niall flopped onto the floor having emptied the last of the boxes. He felt a bit sick and dizzy and his heart seemed to be beating at an irregular rate, his chest painful. He was beginning to wonder if he was having a heart attack but dismissed that as silly. He was a 22 year old man, he was fit. He'd probably pulled a few muscles heaving heavy boxes by himself. He took deep breaths and allowed himself to calm down and gradually his heart rate returned to normal, the pain in his chest eased. Niall stood up and went to the kitchen to grab himself a cool drink.The outside looked inviting so he wandered out into the garden and sat by the pool, relaxing in the sun, eyes closed and mind drifting peacefully.

Niall was bit goggly when he opened his eyes. A brief glance showed him that he just had time to tidy himself up before he left for LAX to collect his Ma and his stepfather, Chris, who were coming for a short visit. He quickly entered his house, heading straight to his bathroom to wash and shave away the small amount of scruff on his chin. He studied his reflection in the mirror and shook his head at the redness on his face.Too much sun , he grumbled, as he competed getting ready.He changed his clothes quickly then scooped up his keys and wallet and headed out.

Niall pulled his hoodie over his head, a trick Harry often successfully used to avoid attention. It seemed to work quite well as he passed unnoticed as he waited for his Ma and Chris to come through to arrivals. His Ma saw him first and hurried over to hug her youngest son, Chris trailing behind. Maura stood back and scrutinised Niall's face, a look of concern washing over her features.

"Ma, it's great to have you here. You too, Chris. Come on, the car is this way" Niall led them out of the airport and to his waiting Range Rover, got them settled in and pulled away for the journey to his home. After showing them over his new home, they settled down to catch up with family news and Maura could contain her worries no longer.

"Niall, sweetheart, you don't look well. And you have a rash, too. What's wrong?"

"M'fine, Ma. A little tired but fine. And it's not a rash, I slept out in the sun this afternoon" Niall reassured her.

"Mmmmmh, OK" Maura said,her mother's intuition disagreeing with her son's casual words. "But you'll see a doctor, won't you, if it doesn't go?"

"Ma, stop fussing.You don't see a doctor for mild sunburn" Niall sounded vaguely irritated. He hoped his Ma wasn't going to be fussing over him every five minutes. It would be a long few weeks if she did! "Come on, let's get you settled for the night" and he showed them to the guest room, kissed his Ma then gave Chris a brief hug before leaving them to rest. He collapsed on his own bed falling instantly asleep only to waken again a few hours later to a pounding heart and skin that felt hot and prickly. He rolled off the bed and headed into his bathroom hoping a cool shower would help. He felt vile!