Chapter 8

The sun shining through a window woke me from sleep. I felt like I had just been lost in a desert for a long time. My body hurt and my throat was parched. This obviously was not the after life.

A cheery voice confirmed that fact. "Oh good, you're awake! Your landlady Mrs. O'Grady will be so relieved. You know she has been in here every day. I spoke with her, and she didn't know what you were doing in that abandoned old house. Are you thirsty, let me give you some water. Drink it slowly so you don't choke."

The nurse, yes it was the same brunette babe from the last time I was here, gave me sips from a paper cup, slowly almost teasing me. I was so thirsty that I wanted to grab the cup out of her hand. That's when I noticed that my arms were restrained. I tried to pull against the restraints, but my arms were too weak.

She noticed that I tried to move my arms and scolded me. "Don't pull against the restraints, you will only injure yourself. Your wrists have been severely burned. How did you get those circular burns around your wrists anyway?

I did not satisfy her curiosity. I did not need the nurses bumping gums with my story all over the hospital. I had a sudden thought about Miss Goldman. Was she alive? If so, was she badly burned? I decided to ask without giving anything away. "Was there anyone else in the house when it burned down? I mean, were there any other survivors?"

"In an abandoned house? Why would someone be in an abandoned house? Only a bum would be in an abandoned house. No, you were the only one in the house. Speaking of which, why were you in that house?

I just closed my eyes and pretended to sleep, but my mind was racing! What happened to the scantily clad beauty I was chained next to? Did she live? Why was I alive? What happened to Marks? I was full of questions without any answers. I don't now if I then fell asleep or passed out. Either way I was not awake and aware.

I was trapped in the burning basement! I could not move my arms and the bracelets were burning my wrists! I looked up above me; the floor there was burning and started to fall! I was about to be buried in flaming wood! My yell echoed through the hospital room. My eyes popped open as the nurse rushed into the room. She came up to my bed and took my pulse, which was racing.

"I had a nightmare. I was trapped in the basement of a burning building and I couldn't move. The floor above was on fire and it collapsed on me. That is when I woke up and yelled. Did the firemen find me in a basement? I could swear I was in a basement.

The nurse leaned close to me, putting her hand on my forehead. Her hand was cool on my fevered brow. "You were found on the ground in front of the burning house by the firemen. You had strange circular burn marks around your wrists. You breathed in some smoke, which is to be expected in a fire. You are restrained to protect the burns on your wrists, which will heal, but you will always have scars. Now rest, you need lots of sleep to heal."

Who had pulled me from the burning building? What happened to the girl? I was driving myself nutty with these questions. I let myself fall asleep again.

The first day back at the office was not real for me. The payphone was still in the hall, the 'office' was still dusty. Everything was still the same, but I could only think of one thing. A dame that I had kissed once, that I had never even really met, whose first name was not known to me, was always in my thoughts. While still in the hospital, I had found out from the firemen that the rain that had fallen for days and days, that was causing flooding of the Ohio river, had kept the house from burning faster which allowed me to get out. I had agreed with the man and told him that I didn't remember what had happened. I noticed that no coppers came to grill me. I was sure that the G-men would want to find out what I knew, but they never showed.