Chapter 2

Beep ... Beep ... Beep ... Beep...

When I opened my eyes I recognized nothing except for that blasted beeping machine. I fantasized finding the person that invented it and doing to them all the things that had been done to me since my odyssey began.

I Recognized Nothing...

Not a thing...

Not Even Me...

So thrilled to wake up, it took me a little time to realize how unfamiliar everything was, then like a bolt of electricity, it hit me. I had no idea about anything.

Where was I?

What happened to bring me here?

Who was I? Seriously. WHO WAS I? What body was I in, and who was this person that would have to be me, now?

When I tried to turn my head to look around, I discovered I could. No bandages, no neck collar, no hindrances. That surprised me, because a serious head injury usually means a neck collar, at least I thought so.

The hospital room was definitely a hospital room. White walls, gleaming clean tile floors, antiseptic smell, and florescent lighting. My bed was clean, freshly changed by the look of it, and starched. I could feel the roughness of starched sheets beneath me.

Who starches hospital sheets?

When I raised my arms, they came up on their own, with no trouble at all. I was expecting IV's, arm restraints, maybe a board to keep my arm from pinching the IV tubes, but found nothing of the sort. My arm looked bigger than it should have, and as I looked at my body more closely, I saw other things out of place.

I had some hair on my chest. Not a lot, but a lot more than the NONE I was used to. Maybe I had hair on my head, too. It would pay to find out.

My eyesight was very, very good. I could see details that I would have squinted at before.

Hmmmm ... What body was I in? Who was I, this time?

Completely disoriented, and totally confused, I laid still and listened. There was some activity around my bed, but not enough to tip me off as to where or who I was. The last thing I remembered was ... nothing, really. Some bits and pieces of memory floated around inside my skull, but nothing that made sense.

A chair leg scraped next to the bed, and I heard the soft rustle of fabric against nylon. Wherever I was, and whoever I was, there was a woman wearing a skirt or dress beside me. Out of the corner of my eye, I could just see the bottom half of a women's skirt, and neutral hose, with a pair of white, soft, shoes capping it all off. Fearful of what I might discover, I spent some time checking out my body.

I could feel my legs. That was a good sign. Arms, hands, and feet? Check. When I went to sit up to look around better, the woman sitting next to the bed sprang into action. I could hear her throw down whatever she had in her hands and run out of the room. The sounds she made were a welcome respite from the beeping machine.

It wasn't long until several people hurried in. I could place three separate people by the sound of the footfalls before a man spoke. "Welcome back. You've been asleep for over twenty-four hours, since your ... incident. Don't try to exert yourself. You're too weak for that. Your body needs to adjust before you sit up and start to move.

"I'm Doctor Benson. You are in our care at Florida Hospital in Deland. As soon as your friend here told us you were awake, we called your mother and expect her to come flying through that door any second. I have warned my staff to stay clear of the door to avoid any unnecessary injuries.

"Your mother is certainly ... an experience, David. My partner, Dr. Adamson, referred to her recently as a 'force of nature.' Not to worry. We are pleased when parents love their children enough to care for them through tough times, and you certainly had a tough time, my boy. I guess I shouldn't be referring to you as a boy, since you passed your sixteenth birthday while in our care. Congratulations." As the doctor jotted down some notes and gave a few instructions to the nurse, I tried not to fall apart in front of them.

I was crushed. My life as Brian was gone. I must have died ... again. Hazy memories drifted through my head, including a really weird dream, but nothing was concrete. I couldn't pull it together enough to remember anything that gave me clarity.

When the doctor left, a woman took the seat to my left and resumed reading her magazine, and I turned my head enough to see her.

She was pretty in a chunky sort of way. The extra thirty pounds enhanced her curves, without making her look obese. She caught me looking at her and smiled. "Hey," she said. She had a piercing voice, which cut through the clutter of hospital noise. "You've been out since I got here. I'm glad to know there's a person in there.

"I'm Christine. Your mom hired me to stay with you so she could go home and take care of your sisters. I can't say that your sisters look like they need much in the way of care, but mothers worry about those things. It got me this job for a few days, so that's just fine with me.

"Are you in any pain? The doctor left instructions for that, if you are. I can ring the nurses' station, and they'll bring you the prescription he ordered. Just let me know, and I'll see to it.

"Maybe you need a drink, huh?"

Without pausing for my reaction, she grabbed the water jug, pointed the straw at my face and offered it to me. The instant my mouth tasted the cold water, it was like a gate opened, and I tried to chug the whole quart. My companion pulled it back before I could, saying, "You don't want to drink too much, too soon. It will make you barf, and I'm not in the mood to spend the rest of the day in clothes that smell like I just up chucked last night's dinner."

After sitting by the bed of an unconscious teenager for a while, she probably was starved for conversation. However, this was a little over the top, so I allowed my eyes to drift closed and fell asleep.