AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I don’t know how to ask the questions I want to ask, but I start with, “Do any of you know how I got here?” and embarrassingly, “Do I know you?”
They give me a short rundown of the day before, about my head injury and embarrassingly erratic behavior. They’ve all apparently been here with me through the night, watching over me until I woke up. I’m grateful and very comforted by their presence, but I wonder why strangers feel so familiar.
When the doctor comes in, he introduces himself as Dr. Franks, the surgeon for the brain surgery I just had. That explains the headache. He then performs all of the same little light tricks and silly questions and also checks the bandages around my head. Moving to the end of the bed, the guys all close ranks around me, looking at him expectantly. He looks around at them and then back at me, but I say nothing.
“Would you like some privacy to discuss your medical findings and treatment?” He asks, bravely I think, because all of these guys are much larger than him and he looks so uncomfortable with their attention bearing down on him. I do my best to keep a straight face, assuring him I would be the most comfortable if they would allow these men to stay. It’s the truth, although I’m not sure why.
“Well, okay. If at any time you need me to slow down, repeat myself, or if you change your mind and feel uncomfortable talking about delicate subjects in front of an audience, feel free to stop me. Is that okay with you?”
I nod my consent, and he starts at the beginning, describing my surgery and other medical findings.
“Aside from your obvious head injury, you were brought in with a significant amount of bodily trauma as well. From what we can tell, some of these wounds were older and some, specifically some defensive wounds, were fresh. Some of these injuries suggest you might have been sexually assaulted. We did perform a basic trauma exam, however, now that you are conscious you might want to consider a more thorough sexual assault exam.” He pauses for me to process his words while I look down at the bandages covering my arms and hands.
“Oh. Okay.” I tell him in a small voice. I don’t make eye contact with anyone.
“Now, I understand you are having some trouble with your memories. This could be temporary, or it could be permanent. Since we don’t quite know the nature of your brain injury, there is no telling how long your amnesia will last.
“That being said, wherever you were before, it looks as though you’ve led a very rough life. You were severely dehydrated when you came in, and overall you are incredibly malnourished and have multiple old injuries. Your arms show evidence of needle marks, which would normally suggest heavy drug use, but your toxicology report showed no signs of drugs in your system. Despite your emaciated state, your heart looks healthy, and we are working on getting your blood iron and vitamin levels up.”
He looks at me with sympathy in his eyes and takes a breath. “It is my professional opinion that you might have escaped from an incredibly abusive or otherwise neglectful situation. As you arrived with no identification or any personal effects, we have no clues to your past other than your current condition.”
Dr. Franks moves his gaze to Bennet.
“If I am correct, the patient was worried about someone chasing or coming after her when she was found, yes?” When Bennet nods affirmatively, he directs his attention back to me. “If there was indeed someone after you, and that someone is responsible for the trauma your body has been through, you may want to put an alert on your records to make sure no one releases any information regarding your treatment here. Would you know, Mr. Adley, if there is some way to seal the records and make sure an outsider would not be able to locate her here? If someone called under the pretense of looking for a missing family member, they could legally be told a Jane Doe was brought in through the ER.”
Bennet is already holding his phone to his ear and stepping outside the door. When he steps back in, he lets us know he is going to the administrative offices and will return as quickly as possible.
Dr. Franks asks me if I have any further questions and suggests that the trauma nurse come do their examination within the next twelve hours. Until then, he orders what he says is a normal workup for any potential assault victim, including a course of antibiotics, anti-virals, and the morning after pill.
“Better safe than sorry,” he says, and I agree with him. I thank him profusely, with tears in my eyes, and each of the guys shakes his hand and thanks him on his way out. He promises to come check in on me before the end of his shift, and tells me to get some rest until the nurse arrives later this morning. After that information and emotional overload, my head is aching worse than before, the exhaustion taking over my limbs.
The nurse comes in to check my vitals once more and administers some medications, including some pain medication that has me sinking into my pillow. The four men surrounding me settle back into their chairs, pulling them closer and each laying a hand on me, making me feel secure.
Luis leans over and puts his mouth close to my ear and whispers to me, “Sleep, pretty girl. We’ll all watch over you. You’re safe with us.”
And so I close my eyes and let sleep take me.
Lukas
The beeping of the heart monitor increases rapidly. Her body is jerking slightly, her eyebrows pulled together, and she’s making frightened moaning sounds. Micah and Luis are standing beside the bed, looking worried. My first thought is whether she might be having another seizure, but as I cross into the room and stand next to her bedside, I realize what’s happening.
“She’s having a nightmare,” I whisper.
Not thinking, I place a hand gingerly on her arm. She calms slightly. Each of the others places a hand on her body. The monitor slows, and she seems to sleep peacefully again.
For a while, we just stand there, each with a physical connection to the enigma laying before us. Her brow is still slightly furrowed, her eyes moving rapidly under her heavy lids. The silence extends as we each take the time to examine the situation.
“So this is…. totally normal.”
There’s a softness behind my words betraying the depth of my feelings. I feel bewildered. And confused. And overwhelmed. And… like I am exactly where I belong. I’ve never felt so sure of anything, and I’m ashamed to say it terrifies the hell out of me.
Being connected to a strange girl with no name and no past is more than my anxiety wants to take on. I don’t like the uncertainty, and my intuition tells me I’m getting myself into a dangerous situation. Whatever the case, I don’t think I can walk away.
Micah is finally truly acknowledging me, watching me with searching amber eyes. I’d like to tell myself he’s the real reason I’m staying, but that’s not all true. He is certainly part of it, but so is this mystery girl, with light grey eyes that bore into my soul the moment she looked my way.
“It could be PTSD.” Luis interrupts my thoughts with his low, quiet voice. “We’ve been here since she woke up, and she’s been through a lot of trauma, it makes sense that she would respond to the only comforting presence around her.”
We all nod in agreement. That makes sense.
