Empty Beds

I have to admit...I hadn't really thought the night shift through.  I had this picture of him working for 4 days...sleeping through the day while I was at work or off doing errands, keeping the kid out of his hair.  And then would come his 3 day weekend and he would be back to sleeping in our bed...for at least a few hours, we'd be able to touch base.  And I'm not talking sex here...I'm talking "sleeping with my husband"...which is not happening...not even on those 3 days off.  Why?  Because, duh...he has to keep to the same schedule even on his days off.  Intellectually, I knew this...but it didn't sink in until he started the shift. 

We are now on week two and have not slept in the same bed for as long.  Without providing TMI...our intimate life isn't suffering...he comes home before I leave for work most mornings and "visits" before I go to sleep on his nights off.  But still...I miss sleeping with the man I married.

It's really quite medieval...he has his own room (completely blocked from all light) where he keeps all of his cop stuff and can just come home, drop it all on the floor, and crash...at any time of day or night.  It allows me to use our room/master bath when he's sleeping without disturbing him.

I really cannot wait until he is back on days...but that is a month and a half away.

I'm not sure how to deal with an empty bed half of the year.  His dept. has 4 shifts (two day and two night - different times)...so for at least 6 months he'll be on one or the other of the night shifts.

Unthrilled.  Very unthrilled.

This will get easier, right?

Or at least that is what I am telling myself.

Last night was "the man's" first night shift.  He's been preparing for it for the past few days.  And since he's working weekend nights, it means we really won't be seeing each other much.

He went to work at 6; I came home at 6.  We met in passing.

This morning, I woke up at 7...he came home at 7:30...he went to bed at 8:00.  I'll be leaving with the kid at 9 so it stays quiet enough for him to sleep.

We should get home around nap time, so I'll get to see him for a couple of hours before he leaves.

When you think about night shift work...or at least when I think about night shift work...it comes out sounding like this in my head:

"Okay...so you have 4 days (nights) of this.  That means I won't see you much on those 4 days.  But there are those other 3 days, right?"

But, no...there aren't.  Because he (duh) has to keep the same schedule on his days off so he's ready to go back on. 

I'm not a fan.  Thank god there is a shift rotation so I only have to put up with this for a few months.  I know that in some departments, the new guy gets the crappiest shift...the one no one else wants.  Luckily, in my husband's department, there are guys who actually prefer nights, so there is always the possibility for trading in for days.