Chapter 4

Bob regained consciousness with a groan. Once again, his whole body hurt; his eyes were still painful from the bright flash of the explosion and he had a splitting headache. He was weak as a kitten as well and it seemed as if he’d lost a lot of weight. He had no idea where (or when, for that matter) the hell he was, but he knew where he was. He laughed quietly to himself when he thought that. He could tell he was in a hospital ... WAIT! A hospital? The last thing he remembered he was setting a charge in his mine. How could he be in a modern hospital with beeping machines, an IV and florescent lights?

FUCK. Where the hell was he, no, WHEN the hell was he? He threw the covers off and tried to stand. This set off the machines and the beeping became a loud scream. He was struggling, trying to just sit on the edge of the bed when a nurse came almost running into the room. She saw him sitting on the bedside and said, “OH, Shit!”

The nurse rushed over to Bob and grabbed him as he tried to stand. She said, “Sergeant, stop. Please, lay back down. You’re too weak to stand. Please just lay back down and let me look you over. Everything’s ok here.”

Even if he’d wanted to fight her Bob had no strength. He allowed her to guide him back down onto the bed. She covered him once again and checked the machines and tubes then took a cell phone from her pocket. She punched a speed dial number and said, “Find Doctor Khan stat. Sergeant Throckmorton is awake and trying to get out of bed.”

It seemed as if she hadn’t even disconnected the phone when an asian doctor and two orderlies as well as another nurse came bustling into the room. The doctor began an exam immediately and asked Bob questions such as who he was, what he remembered, how he felt, next of kin and on and on. It seemed he was testing his memory with every question. Bob was unsure how to answer the questions. Where was he? What was the correct answer? Was it Tara, his first wife, Rose, his sister, or someone else?

Finally, Bob decided to try and answer truthfully but obscurely in the hopes he wouldn’t mess up. He said, “My sister is Rose, her husband is Doug. They’re my closest blood relatives. The last thing I remember I was in Afghanistan and we hit an IED. The Hummer rolled and my legs caught on fire I think...”

“Well, Sergeant, from your records that is indeed what occurred. Now, if you’ll just relax and let us do some tests we’ll get you built up and start some physical therapy.”

“Yeah, fine doctor. Uh, what day is it? How long have I been here?”

The doctor looked worried. He finally sighed and said, “It’s April 24, 2023. You’ve been here in the VA Long Term Care Facility now for almost three years. Now, please rest and let us get you better here. We’ll let your sister know you’ve awakened. Is there anyone else you want us to notify or anything you feel you need right now?”

Bob thought about Tara but then wondered if this was her timeline or some other one. Finally, he said, “Uh, no, not right now. Just my sister. She can get in touch with anyone else that needs to know. I could sure use a hamburger and malt though.”

The Doctor laughed and said, “I’m afraid we can’t do that right now. You probably noticed you have a tube in your abdomen. We had to put a feeding tube in. It will have to be taken out and we’ll have to slowly get you back to a solid diet then you can have that hamburger. I’m afraid you have several days before you can eat the foods I’m sure you want.”

They took Bob’s feeding tube out the next day and the day after, his sister Rose came rushing into the room crying and threw herself onto his prone body. She could hardly be understood as she said, “Oh Bob, we’d given up. I’m so sorry I wasn’t here. With Mom and Dad gone and you in that coma I thought I would be all alone for the rest of my life, except for Doug and the kids.

“Oh, how do you feel? Are you going to be ok now? When can you come home?”

Bob laughed quietly, weakly, and said, “I’m weak but they tell me I should be fine now. I have a lot of physical therapy to do so I can regain my strength and regain what use I can of my burned legs. They say I have heavy scarring over about half my legs and the left one is pretty damaged. I forget how much muscle mass they said I lost in it.”

As he was talking to Rose, Bob held his hand out for Doug to shake. They spent most of the afternoon catching up and planning for when he could come home. While they were talking, he noticed Rose was using her mind to caress his. He could feel her gentle touch and her caring. He even saw her use telekinesis to move a few things on his bedside table and to get a handkerchief from her purse.

After Rose and Doug left, Bob drifted off to sleep because the visit had tired him out. He was awakened after a few minutes to eat his supper which consisted of clear soup. After that, he was allowed to use a wheelchair and go out into the other parts of the building. What he saw surprised him greatly. It seemed many, if not all, of the mentally competent people were apparently using mental powers to move items, even themselves, from place to place.

After six weeks of physical therapy, Bob was allowed to return home. When he got to his sister’s home in Demming, he’d seen enough he was pretty sure he was back in his original time stream. He found he still owned his grandfather’s old place in Strickland. After another week in Demming, he thought he was strong enough to go see it so borrowed his sister’s car and drove down.

He felt a great wave of nostalgia when he drove into the driveway and saw the old place. It was in much worse shape than it had been the first time he “returned” from the war but he still thought he could clean it up, repair it and live there. If he couldn’t, he decided he’d just build a small home on the place to replace it. After his years of wandering and the loss of so many wives and children he needed the solitude. He didn’t have any financial worries because he was receiving disability retirement from the Army and a VA Compensation. He also had the funds he’d been stashing before his injury.

Bob did just as he had before and spent some time walking the place, making notes and planning out repairs and the supplies needed. This time through he intended to do the work himself. It would be slower but cheaper. He’d fix up the kitchen and living room first so he could move in, then work on the downstairs turning the den into a Master Bedroom and the maids quarters next to it into the Master Bath. He’d turn the Butler’s pantry between the kitchen and dining room into his small office.

As before, he intended to restore his grandfather’s old truck and drive it as his primary vehicle. He enjoyed driving the classic truck, even considering the poor fuel economy and he especially enjoyed talking with people about it.

This time, he could use his mental powers to do much of the heavy lifting and holding he hired Adam to do before. The way mental abilities seemed to flourish here and now, he still wasn’t sure this was his original timeline but it felt and seemed more real than any of the others had been although he still found many glaring differences in history. For example, slavery never seemed to take hold this time around and there wasn’t a Civil War. There were never the bad Indian uprisings, although there had been strife as the European settlers learned to live among them and accept their ways. There were no reservations now and the races were mixed, living side by side in harmony.

Bob had completed renovation of his kitchen and was working on his bedroom by late fall. One day, he felt particularly melancholy and found himself sitting outside enjoying the sunshine drinking beer while he reminisced. He looked around at the place, remembering Tara and Slim and how they loved the place. He missed her more than any of his other women and wondered if she had a counterpart in the here and now.