Not many people have good memories of hospitals, which is probably why everyone hates the thought of visiting them so much, myself included. Tonight, though, it was a sanctuary.
I was taken in through the ambulance entrance, although I couldn’t remember the sound of any sirens. Maybe I did bang my head in the crash, I thought. My brain seemed to be working slower than usual, and the florescent lights hurt my eyes as they wheeled me into a room to be assessed. The doctor checked me over, and thankfully my injuries weren’t serious. Just a mild concussion and a bruised leg.
“Take these and give them to the X-ray department,” the nurse told me as she signed some forms. I passed up the offer to wait for someone to take me there in a wheelchair. That could take all night, and my leg was already feeling better. “In that case, it’s down the corridor and to the left. Take the lift to the third floor and follow the signs.” She handed me the folder and was onto her next patient.
I wandered out of A and E, trying to remember the directions the nurse had given me. All the corridors looked the same in this labyrinth. My head hurt, and I was exhausted. I still hadn’t had time to process what had happened. Barnaby ran me off the road. Had he been trying to kill me, or scare the crap out of me? After last night there was no more pretending. I needed to figure out what to do next. I needed to tell Jack what happened, but I didn’t have my phone.
I found myself at the end of a quiet corridor facing a large set of double doors. I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere. This was long-term care, not X-ray.
I went through the doors and glanced through the window of the first room, hoping to find a nurse or someone I could ask. No one. I kept going down the corridor. There had to be someone here somewhere, but the department seemed deserted. I decided to check one more room, then make my way back and retrace my steps.
I peeked inside. The small room had a single patient in a bed: a girl breathing through an oxygen tube, surrounded by equipment and bleeping machines.
Ice flooded my veins at the sight before me.
No, it couldn’t be. It was impossible.
The girl was me.
Her hair was longer and darker. The hospital bed swamped her slender frame, thinner than mine. Yet when I looked at her, I knew she was me.
My gaze darted around the room for something to identify her. The whiteboard above her head had her doctor’s name and some medical stats, but nothing about her. My hand closed around the door handle, and I slipped inside. With trembling fingers, I pulled out the chart and flipped through the pages. I scanned the handwritten notes, trying to make sense of the scrawl.
The file was marked in red: Unidentified Patient. I brushed my hand over the name at the top. ALPHA, Bravo, DOB 01/01/1800.
On shaky legs, I walked back over to the bed.
The faint blue hue of her veins was visible under her pale skin. She was me.
Instead of touching her face like I wanted to, I closed my fingers around her hand. I half expected to get a vision or for her eyes to flicker and open, but nothing happened.
“What’s wrong with you?” I whispered. The steady bleeps continued as her chest rose and fell, like she was asleep.
I sat there staring at her, letting it sink in, trying to understand what this meant. Had I taken her place? Was I living her life? How was that possible?
The door opened, giving me a fright. The nurse who entered nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw me.
“What are you doing in here?”
I dropped Eliza’s hand and stood up.
“Ah.” Her eyes widened, and she looked from me to the girl and back again. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realise. Do you know her name?”
“Oh no, I-I don’t know her,” I stammered, heading for the door. The nurse stepped in front of me, blocking my way.
“You look just like her.”
“It’s a coincidence.”
The nurse frowned and stepped to the side. “Sorry. I just thought… it’s been so long.” Her shoulders dropped.
“I… how long has she been here?”
“Since October.”
I stepped backward. October was when I woke up in Riverdell.
“What’s wrong with her?”
“We don’t know. One of the nurses found her unconscious at a bus stop, and she’s remained that way ever since. All the tests came back negative. We can’t find any reason for her condition. She had nothing on her, so we’ve been unable to identify her, inform her family, or get her medical history. No one seems to be looking for her. You are the first person who has shown an interest. Are you sure you can’t tell me something? You might be able to help her.”
No one was looking for her because they didn’t know she was missing. I was here, living her life. I stumbled forward. “I’m sorry. I can’t help. It was a mistake. I don’t know her.”
“But the similarity…”
“I’m sorry, I have to go.”
“Please, wait!”
I bolted from the room and ran down the corridor, still clutching my hospital folder, blindly following the signs for the exits.
Outside the sky had turned gloomy, and it had started to drizzle.
Was it safe to go home? The hospital knew who I was. They had my details. How long would it take them to track me down? And what about Barnaby? I leaned against the wall and drew in a couple of long breaths of fresh night air.
Calm down and think. No one is chasing you.
How on Earth had I ended up in that bed? I had nothing.
“Hello, Eliza.” I froze at the familiar posh accent.
Barnaby grabbed my arm, and I screamed trying to yank myself free from his tight grip.
“No, no!” I yelled. This was a public place. He couldn’t just take me here in front of everyone. “Help!” I called to a man smoking a cigarette by the door.
Barnaby gave the man a sympathetic smile. “I’m sorry. She has some… problems. That’s why she’s here. We’re getting her help.”
He turned back to me and brushed my hair back with his hand. He pinned me with his gaze. “Come here, sweetheart. Let’s get you home,” he said soothingly, keeping up the pretence as his eyes glowed deep red.
“No!” Still struggling, I squeezed my eyes shut, but it was too late. A strange numb sensation spread through my body. When I tried to scream for help, no sound came out.
“There, there, darling,” Barnaby whispered as he wrapped his arms around my now limp body. He scooped me up, and my eyelids drooped closed. As hard as I tried to fight it, the darkness overwhelmed me. The last thing I heard before I slipped into oblivion was Barnaby saying, “Everything is going to be okay.”