Maggie Foster stepped into the room. She was dressed in a pair of khaki pants and a blouse with flowers on it. Over it was a pink cardigan.
“Hi, Amnesia,” she said, smiling. Am smiled back. I knew she liked Maggie a lot. “I was wondering if perhaps you’d like to come and stay with me?”
“With you?” Am said, surprised. “But why?”
“I think we’ve become friends over the last couple weeks. I’ve enjoy playing cards with you. You don’t have anywhere to go, and I’m in a position to help. It’s what the people here at Lake Loch do.”
“That’s a very generous offer, but me living with you is a lot different than playing cards.”
“I live alone, with plenty of room in my house. Besides, Elmo would like the company. He’s bored of me.”
Elmo was Maggie’s beloved Shih Tzu.
Am looked up at me, her eyes asking me what she should do. I loved the feeling, the weight of her eyes, the way she looked to me for an opinion.
Personally, I wanted her at my place. To have her around every day. That was what was best for me, though, not her.
“Maggie is a really good cook,” I admitted, then grinned. “She’s pretty good company, too.”
Maggie chuckled.
Am debated, glancing around the room. Everyone watched her, waiting to see what she would do. Dr. Kline nodded, as if encouraging her.
“Thank you, Maggie. If you’re sure it will be okay…”
Maggie smiled wildly and nodded. “Of course! I’m thrilled to have you.”
All the doctors in the room appeared very relieved. “Wonderful,” Dr. Beck concluded, glancing down at his clipboard. “I will have all your discharge papers ready for the morning.”
“Outpatient care will continue with me,” Dr. Kline said. “I will print out all your upcoming appointments, but if anything happens, such as a memory resurfacing or anything at all, please come to my office immediately.”
Am hesitated, then said, “Okay.”
Dr. Kline was very perceptive. “Amnesia? Is there something you haven’t told me? Have you remembered something?”
“No. I haven’t had any memories.” She hedged. I knew she was thinking about what just happened outside and how she was convinced someone wanted to finish what they’d started.
“Then something else?”
I looked at her, her eyes meeting mine then skirting away.
“No, nothing,” she said finally, pasting on a smile. “I’m just nervous about leaving.”
“Leaving the hospital can be very scary.” The doctor empathized. “This has been your safe place since you woke. But moving forward will help you feel stronger. Building some kind of life after the one you lost is crucial to your healing.”
“What about my memories?” Am worried.
“Perhaps leaving will help bring some forward. I really can’t say. I don’t know if you will get them back.” After gazing at Am a few silent moments, she seemed to feel bad, as if she wanted to make her feel more secure. “I do know this town is very safe and supportive. You couldn’t ask for a better place to recover.”
The doctors, nurses, and even the police officer all took their leave. Maggie and Amnesia made some plans for the morning, but I butted in and volunteered to drive Am over to her new place.
Once everyone was gone, she looked at me, her eyes unsettled. “How safe is Lake Loch really, Eddie?”
I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t give her the answer she needed, and I couldn’t bring myself to voice what I knew she was already thinking.
I also knew, even better than her, that Lake Loch had some mysteries in its depths.
Nothing can stay paused forever. Eventually, you have to hit play. Sometimes the only way to take a step is if someone pushes you forward. The hospital was definitely pushing me forward—more like shoving—but hey, it was basically the same thing.
Maybe not. But the result was still the same.
No more hospital. No more crappy sheets, crappy food, and doctors writing down every move I made. I kind of liked the idea really.
But it was also very scary.
I didn’t know what awaited me outside the hospital walls. The farthest I’d ventured so far was the garden just steps from the building. And the last time I was out there, well, that hadn’t gone so well.
Eddie almost kissed you… Hmm, now that was an enticing thought. Maybe if I broke out of here, I’d get one of his kisses after all. That alone was enough to get me looking forward to stepping out into the unknown just a little bit more.
Kisses aside, I didn’t know what I was going to do. No one, not one person had come forward to say they knew me. How could someone live as long as I had (seriously… how old was I?) and know no one. It was impossible. Actually impossible.
Knowing that only brought me back to my previous thoughts. Someone knew who I was. Out there was someone who knew exactly where I came from. The fact no one spoke up led me to believe maybe I didn’t want to know them.
Well, that and the fact someone tried to strangle me in this room and was just recently lurking around outside like a ninja spy about to pull out some Kung-Fu moves on me.
Ninja spy? Kung-Fu moves? Where the hell do I come up with this stuff?
I had to move on. I couldn’t stay in this limbo anymore. What happened if I never figured out my past? I couldn’t spend all my present waiting. I had to build a new life so I could have a future.
I had no idea where to begin. It was all so very overwhelming.
A brisk knock on the door before it opened was my only warning of a visitor. Dr. Beck strolled in with the clipboard I was beginning to think he never put down. “Do you sleep with that thing?” I asked, only half joking.
“There you go again with your sense of humor,” he mused.
Seriously, though.
“I have all your discharge papers here. You will just need to sign them.” He went on. “We have your billing address down as Maggie’s house for right now. If you end up moving, then please don’t forget to let us know your forwarding address.”
My billing address. I wondered just how much this long-term stay at the hospital was going to cost and where I was going to get the money. I didn’t have a job. Or even a bank account…
“One thing at a time,” Dr. Beck said, as if he knew where my thoughts travelled. “The hospital is well aware of your situation. A payment plan can be arranged, but nothing is due until you get some sort of, ah, arrangements made.”
“You mean until I get a job.”
“Take it slow.” He cautioned. “Too much too soon will only cause harm.”
“Right,” I said. It seemed kind of stupid to tell me to take it slow after the meeting yesterday, when they basically said it was time to start a life.
After I signed the papers, Dr. Beck went over a few medical instructions with me and checked my vitals for the millionth time since I woke.
“There is one more thing.” He began, almost as if he didn’t want to bring it up.
“Yes?” I said, leaning back against the bed.
“When you arrived here, we did a full workup on you. X-rays, MRI, etc.”
“Yes, that’s what you said.”
He nodded once. “And I told you about the signs of abuse and the fact that some of your old injuries were still evident.”