Read Online Don't Wake Me if I'm Dreaming by J. E. Chaney - Free Book Online

expected a Geisha woman to appear from behind the front desk when I hit the small gong with a mallet. To my surprise, she wasn’t, nor could she be any less pleased about the misuse of the décor.
    “That’s for decorative purposes.” She pointed to the gong with sharp brow.
    “I suppose it’s placed there to tease clients. I’ll remember that next time.” I mirrored her expression. “What exactly is this place, anyway?” I glanced around, uncertain if I entered the right location.
    “Your physician didn’t explain why she referred you here?” Her tone softened.
    “I know why I’m here. I’m just not sure what here is. I expected a sleep study clinic, not Gandhi’s Temple,” I muttered with a short laugh.
    “Yes, well, the doctor will decide your treatment plan. Sleep studies are typically conducted at the hospital. This clinic is used for consultations and other therapies. Please take a seat and fill out this form.” She handed me a clipboard and pen. “The doctor will be with you shortly,” she said, walking away from the desk toward a hallway.
    After filling out the paperwork, I sat fidgeting with a Zen garden on the coffee table a few minutes before the receptionist called me back to the clinic room. “The doctor will see you now.”
    I took a seat on a long, narrow, red fainting sofa, and took in my surroundings. Between a much larger tabletop Zen garden and a Pendulum of swinging balls, I found no need for the magazines on the end table. The ambiance of the clinic made sense when the doctor entered the room. She was tiny, cute, and definitely Japanese. Doctor Chiaki stood maybe four foot eleven, her jet-black hair in a slight A-line bob, with rounded bangs framing her round face. She wore little makeup, with scarlet lipstick that matched her blouse and pretty much the entire room.
    “I’m Doctor Mei Chiaki. Are you Miss O’Callaghan?” she spoke soft and sweetly.
    “Yes, I’m Sasha O’Callaghan, nice to meet you.”
    “Okay, nice to meet you.” As she approached me, she extended her hand offering a small teacup. “Drink, it will relax you. It’s herbal tea with honey.”
    “Thank you.” I accepted the cup and watched as she made herself comfortable on the tall red velvet chair across from me.
    “I read the information faxed from your doctor. I think you’ve come to the right place. Tell me about yourself.”
    “Okay, what specifically would you like to know?”
    “How about your family history,” she suggested.
    “Okay. There’s just me, I’m twenty-four, and my brother Sam, and our dad, Doug. My mom passed away when I was nine, but I remember her well. Umm, Sam is married to Erica, and they have two children, but I don’t see them very often. He lives in Washington D.C. and works all the time. My parents were both only children so no other family there. My mom and her aunt were close and I grew up with her around, but she also passed away. So now it’s just my brother’s family and dad and me, and here in North Carolina, just me. My dad lives in Alaska and works on the shipyards as a welder. I normally see him once a year. I’m not a fan of flying.” I stared into the teacup trying to think of what else to say, realizing how small my family was. “I see my brother maybe twice a year over a long weekend, that’s it.”
    “No grandparent?”
    “Not for a few years.”
    “Tell me a little bit about your life other than family. Who is Sasha?” She smiled.
    I spent a few minutes giving her a short synopsis of my life leading up to the most recent dreams. She asked about my career, my social habits, personal relations, and how I spent my free time. I sensed her expression meant she felt sorry for me to have so little family and neglected social life.
    The doctor asked about my mom with a gentle nature in her tone, wanting me to recall my best memories of her and how she had passed.
    “She was a pianist and sang like a beautiful bird. She was gentle, soft-spoken,