Chapter 2: Who Are You?

Monday, May 17, 1971

“He’s waking up!” squealed a young girls’ voice.

Throwing my right arm over my eyes to block out the bright light, I felt the weight of the plaster cast against my left ear.

“What’s with these casts?” I wondered.

“Good. You’re back with us,” said a voice I quickly recognized as Nurse Sydney’s. “I’m going to turn the lights down some. I’m sure your eyes are still a little sensitive after all this time.”

The nurse fiddled with something on the panel over my head then asked me, “How’s that?”

I eased my arm away, blinking my eyes as they adjusted to the light.

“Better,” I croaked.

“Would you like some more ice?” Sydney asked.

“Please,” I replied breathing a sigh of relief. At least I woke up in the same place I had dozed off in.

As she fed me the ice, I noticed a man in green scrubs and a white lab coat reading through the paperwork that Sydney had been so busy with earlier. He looked up and said, “Michael, I’m Doctor Bales. I need to take a quick look at you.”

With that, he proceeded to shine a light in each eye, each ear, and finally he asked me to open my mouth as wide as possible. Next, he put his stethoscope to my chest. As he moved it around, he asked me to breathe normally. While he was doing this, I was able to glance around the room. There were two other people in the shadows at the end of the bed. One was about my age; the other one was much younger. A teenager, I guessed.

As the doctor removed his stethoscope, Nurse Sydney put the thermometer under my tongue again and reached for my neck. Even though I saw it coming, and even though I tried to steel myself, it was still a little overwhelming. I flinched as both Sydney’s thoughts and feelings flooded over me.

Doctor Bales noticed me flinch and quickly reached to touch my neck in the same place, asking, “Does it hurt here, Michael?”

“No,” I replied as I shook my head slightly. I let him probe for a few moments before he was finally convinced there was no damage.

“That’s funny,” I thought to myself. “I didn’t feel anything when he touched me.”

On impulse, I reached out to Nurse Sydney, lightly touching the fingertips of my right hand to her left arm.

“I can feel her,” I thought as I pulled my hand away gently.

To touch Doctor Bales, all I had to do was raise my left fingers, grazing them against his left elbow.

“Nothing. And he didn’t even notice,” I thought.

My mental experiment was interrupted when Doctor Bales asked me a question.

“Sorry. What did you say?” I asked.

“I asked if you were feeling any pain,” he repeated.

I pointed to my throat as I told him, “My throat’s sore.” Then, pointing at my groin, I said, “And my dick hurts!”

I heard a giggle from the younger one and a sharp “Michael Gregory!” from the older one. I hadn’t seen their features yet, but I liked the sound of the younger one’s laughter.

I heard Doctor Bales say something in hospital code involving the word ‘catheter’ to Nurse Sydney. I don’t speak any foreign languages, so I don’t really know what he said. I hoped he was telling her she could remove it.

“Do you have any other pain?” the doctor asked me.

“No, sir.”

“Any ringing in your ears? Headache? Tender spots?”

“None.”

“Is the light still hurting your eyes?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “It’s okay right now. You can turn it up if you want.”

“That’s all right. It will be bright in here soon enough.”

“Well...?” this from the older female at the foot of the bed.

Doctor Bales’ tone became very formal.

“Mrs. Wagner, there doesn’t seem to be anything physically wrong with Michael, outside of his broken wrists. We’ll get him up to Xray and see if they can’t come off. However, we still need to run a full battery of tests tomorrow, er ... I mean today. After breakfast,” Dr. Bales replied, looking at her over the tops of his glasses. “He’s also very weak from lying here for almost six weeks. As soon as he has some mobility and gains some strength, he should be able to go home. However, Michael also needs to undergo some psychological testing as well. I am sure this has been very traumatic for him.”

He paused and looked at me.

“Of course, there are also the police to deal with. They have been waiting for him to come out of the coma, and they will have to be notified that he is awake.”

“The police?” I thought. “What have I fallen into? Does this kid have a rap sheet?”

“There’s no way around that, I suppose,” said the older woman. Then she turned to face me.

“Michael, do you remember what happened?”

“Now how am I gonna answer that one?” I asked myself. I couldn’t just tell them I had recently committed suicide. In 2011. I’d never see the light of day again.

Finally, I decided to tell the truth. At least some of it. I guess I paused a little longer than I thought. Doctor Bales asked, “Are you alright? Do you remember what happened?”

“I’m fine and no, sir. I do not remember what happened.”

“Nothing? The wreck? What happened? Nothing?” the older woman asked.

“No, ma’am.”

“What’s the last thing that you do remember?” Doctor Bales asked.

“Ha! I sure can’t answer that one!” I chuckled to myself. So, I fudged a little.

“The man in the suit calling me ‘Michael’ earlier this morning.”

The older woman stepped out of the shadows towards the head of the bed.

“Michael, do you remember who I am?” she asked me.

I took a deep breath, quickly surmising two things. One, this lady must be someone important in my new life. And two, there was NO WAY I could fake this!

“No ma’am,” I replied honestly. Then quickly added, “I’m sorry.”

Doctor Bales studied me closely. The older lady, the one the doctor referred to as Mrs. Wagner, seemed close to tears.

“Is she my mother?” I wondered. “She seems a little old for having a teenage son, but who knows.”

“Mom?” I ventured.

She coiled back as if I had struck her.

“Uh-oh! I think I just stepped in it!” I decided. So, once more, I quickly added, “I’m sorry!”

Both the older woman and the younger girl gasped as they rushed to the side of my bed. The younger one was crying as she said my name over and over. Through her tears, she grabbed my fingertips and held on for dear life. The older one touched my face softly with her fingers.

“Dang!” I hissed under my breath, stunned! Then, as an after-thought, “And I thought the nurse’s touch was something!”

The older lady, Mrs. Wagner, gave me a funny look. But I didn’t pay too much attention as I was being flooded with the emotions of two people at once.

“This is incredible! It’s at least ten times more ... whatever!” I thought as I was flooded again.