Night Sweats in a Hospital Room

I opened my eyes and squinted to see the large clock in my hospital room. 4 AM. Did I get any sleep?. I ran my fingers through my hair. I was sweating from my scalp. My pillow was wet as if I were crying through my hair. Wild dreams released demons from my mind. I rolled to my left side to stare at the IV that pumped a controlled dose of painkiller into my veins. Oh what a night!

The nurse entered my room staring at her clipboard. She inspected the machine that monitored my vitals and asked me how was I doing.

“OK I guess. Is it normal to sweat like this at night?” I asked.

“Some of my patients notice night sweats with this medication.” She replied as if regurgitating text from a nursing journal.

I sipped water through a bent straw then rolled over on my back to stare at the ceiling. Maybe I can catch another nap before my roommate wakes up and turns on the TV.