I sighed heavily and tried to sit up a little, but I was still feeling weak, and Daniel was sort of in my face, blocking me from moving too far. “Yes, it’s possible I have narcolepsy. Grandpa got diagnosed when he was in the Coast Guard, but only after he fell asleep piloting a boat and screwed up his leg. Before that, he just sort of managed it on its own.” I shrugged and stretched my neck, trying to revive my muscles. “One doctor thought he had epilepsy and another thought it was insomnia. I guess it’s easy to misdiagnose.”
“Is it serious?”
“More like seriously annoying. I’ve only had a few cataplexy episodes—that’s what just happened. Sometimes I zone out when people are talking and miss a few words of a sentence. Grandpa calls that blanking out, but I think of them as mini naps. They only last a couple of seconds. Not even long enough for me to put my head down.”
“That’s not what was happening when you fell asleep in the lobby.”
“No. That was pure exhaustion. Sometimes I get so tired out of the blue that I know I’ve got to sit down somewhere and take a nap. And sometimes I hallucinate a little when I’m falling asleep, and it feels like I’m still awake, so I get confused.”
He blinked several times. “The finger-counting trick.”
“Ye-a-a-ah,” I drawl. “But that’s all.”
“That’s all? Oh shit! When you were telling me about that nightmare you had about the demon sitting on your chest—like the famous painting.”
“That’s only happened to me that one time.”
“But you haven’t seen a doctor about all of this?”
“There’s not a cure. What’s the point?”
“Don’t be stupid. You need to see a doctor.”
“Paging Doctor Danny,” I called out.
“Jesus Christ,” he murmured. “You’re stoned out of your goddamned mind.”
“I feelreallygood,” I said, unable to stop smiling.
“I can tell.”
“Well, pat yourself on the back for being right about the candy,” I said. “It’s totally fine.”
“Why haven’t you told me about your narcolepsy?”
“Honestly?”
“Honestly.”
“I’m sort of embarrassed about it,” I admitted. “I’ve talked with people online who have it, and they all say not to tell anyone because, you know, if your boss finds out, they can fire you. And people will start looking at you like you’re a leper.”
“Melinda wouldn’t fire you for that, and you’re not a leper.”
“Thanks.” Right now he was kind of lying on top of me, and it feltreallygood. “Hey,” I said. “Want to have sex?”
“Oh my God.”
“Well, well, well. Who’s the prude now?” I laughed. Really hard. “See? I didn’t go boneless that time. Where are you going? Come back!”
He sat up to grab his phone. “I’ve got to look up narcolepsy and weed before I go crazy worrying about you. Hold on.”
“Holding,” I said, and looked up at the ceiling. It was green too. These nutty people were committed to the color green, and I had to admire that. Actually, this whole crazy house looked...
“Birdie!”
“What?” I said, jerking my head up. “I’m awake!”
“You sure?”
