It had been a long, tiring day for Lucy but sleeplessness was just part of the job. On Lucy's first night shift she had already been awake the entire day with her young children. On a good night she could snatch a few hours of shut-eye but often there were the new admissions to deal with: the interviews and the paperwork. Other times a patient would scream all night and wake the entire ward making it a see of zombified patients all still dosed on their night medications. After more than twenty-four hours awake her body demanded sleep but once she opened the front door her husband would kiss her and leave for his work in the city. There were breakfasts to be made, lunches too, the kids to dress and take to nursery. By nine am she would be back, putting in laundry, making beds and planning dinner. By ten am she was too tired to think and sank fully clothed into bed. Thirty minutes later a door slammed. Twenty minutes latter a man hollered on the street. Ten minutes later the phone rang - her mother - feeling lonely...
