Welcome aboard. I'm Grumpy- the other dwarves will introduce themselves later. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I think most people here are probably going to agree with Chris on this one. A medium frame revolver is about as idiot proof as you can get, and used ones are inexpensive enough. A good, used Smith, Colt or Taurus with a 3-4" barrel shouldn't put you back more than $200 dollars, and that is on the high side. For a gun that isn't going to be a field gun terrifically often, I'm not sure if I'd put too much emphasis on getting stainless steel. Just remember to clean it.

I would also suggest some things to go with:
At least one speedloader (a gadget that holds a cylinder's worth of ammunition that has a push button release)- that way you can store it unloaded and still load it in a few seconds. (Enough time to wake up.) It isn't that much, may 20 bucks if you buy pricy ones, but you want one that will release the rounds easily. Try it in the shop before you buy.

Try to get tritium or fiberoptic inserts on the sights- you can't see your sights in the dark if they are plain steel. That's a gunsmith job for most folks, but worth every penny becuase you can now use your sights in darkness (or near darkness with the fiber optics- it's suprising how much light they can grab).

A BRIGHT light, like a Surefire G2 or a Streamlight Scorpion. You won't use it all the time, but flash it. These things will get your attention, and at point blank range into dark adapted eyes, it's almost a physical force.

A second revolver, built on the same size frame as the .38, but in .22 Long Rifle. You can buy a "brick" of 500 rounds of .22 for less than 50 rounds of normal .38 or twelve rounds of Glasers or Mag-Safes (extremely effective AND they are probably the safest pistol rounds for indoors). Try to shoot with the .22 at least once a week until you can cover the group you make in paper at a distance similiar to, say, the distance between the far side of your bed and the door to your bedroom. And even then, weekly or at least monthly practice is recommended, so you can keep your skills sharp.

Some cheap practice ammo for the .38. The .22 is a good trainer, but the .38 will kick more and bark louder, so you'll have to be familiar with that. Even though you might be doing the bulk of your range time with the .22 becuase of expense, the .38 is what you'll be counting on. Just remember to keep the practice stuff and the defensive stuff seperated.

Crimson Trace grips aren't terrifically expensive, and I would consider them a worthwhile option for a lot of reasons. They are replacement grips that contain a laser sight, which has psychological and tactical advantages for you (people know the little red dot is NOT thier friend- again, if you can get out of it with shooting someone, great). However, you need to learn to shoot without the projected aiming point (batteries die at the darnedest times), which is what the .22 and cheap .38 ammo is for.