The Man Who Never Sleeps and The Girl Who Never Wakes Up

When I opened my eyes, all I could see are white.

Then I shifted my gaze sideward.

Dextrose...

That's when I realized I'm in a hospital bed.

The nurse in the room noticed I was awake and her eyes widened out of shock. Then I heard a doctor and few nurses loudly padding inside the room, checking my vitals and everything, asking me a lot of questions, like they couldn't believe I'm awake.

"W-where's d-dad?" I stammered because of the lack of bodily strength and energy.

No one answered me. It's like they're purposely ignoring the question I posed.

My body feels weak so I couldn't stay awake longer and went back to sleep again. When I woke up again, I am feeling much better than earlier.

"Where's my dad?" I asked the nurse who was changing my dextrose.

She gave me a very kind smile. "He went somewhere," she ambiguously answered.

Where is that somewhere?

Even though I wanted to stay awake and wait for my dad to come, I couldn't. I feel sleepy all the time. And every time I would wake up, I'd ask for him. But no one gave me a clear answer.

I found out, as the nurses had told me, I was comatose for three months. And they said it's heaven's miracle that I managed to gain my consciousness back.

So where's my dad?

As days pass, I got better and better. But my dad is still nowhere to be seen. Where could he be that he didn't even bother visiting me?

"Nurse, where's my dad?" I asked again for the nth time.

And this time, I'm hoping for a clear answer.

"Uh? He had some business to do," he just said and immediately left.

I started to get annoyed with all of them. Why can't they give me a proper answer?

One afternoon, a lady nurse in her 40's visited my room to check on me.

With an evident irritation laced in my voice, I asked her. "Just where on earth did my dad go?"

She paused for a moment like she's calculating if she should tell me or not.

"My dad. Where is he." I demanded with impatience.

She stared at me and then sat on my bed.

"Let me tell you a story. It's about the man who never sleeps and a girl who never wakes up."

I gulped absentmindedly.

I don't know why but I kinda got scared of what she's going to tell me.

"There is this girl who's always sleeping. She doesn't wake up. She's asleep day and night. So the man did everything to wake her up. Everything. He never sleeps. He just works and works and works to buy the medicine that could make the girl wake up."

Why is she telling me this? I don't care about her storytelling! I want my dad!

"Did you know what happened to them?"

I was struck when I saw her tears streaming down her face.

Why is she crying?

"A miracle happened. That girl who never wakes up finally woke up."

I don't know why but I also cried. Maybe it's because she's crying. Or maybe because there's that contagious sadness in her eyes. Or maybe, because of the realization I suddenly had.

"Am I the girl in the story?" I asked.

With tears in her eyes, she nodded her head to me as an answer.

"Then what happened to the man who never sleeps?"

She held my hand and slightly squeezed it. "He finally slept."

"Really--"

"Forever."

I froze.

Forever?

Does that mean--

"What?" I managed to mutter before my voice cracked.

"The girl who never wakes up already woke up. And the man who never sleeps is now sleeping. And he will never wake up again."