THE PATIENT

            Terri awoke to stabbing pain behind her right eye. She raised her hand to her temple, felt a slight tug, and blinked at the IV needle in her wrist. Fighting to focus her heavy-lidded eyes, she could see the double layers of clear tape that held it neatly in place. What? Where am I?

            “Where am I?” she croaked, the sound barely audible through her dry, irritated throat. Her parched lips stuck to her teeth. She raised her head a few inches and looked around, seeing no one. Bright light glared in the small cubicle where she lay on a gurney surrounded by beige curtains.

            She could see that she was in a hospital. The fog in her brain, sore throat, and pain told her something had happened. Something bad. She fumbled around the edge of the bed for a call button, but found nothing.

“Hello? Nurse? Anybody!” The fog was moving back in, and she fought to stay awake. What’s going on? What happened? The light grew dimmer and she slipped into the dark.

She awoke again, slowly willing herself alert like climbing out of a deep dark hole. Still alone, she fought back the beginning of panic. She wiggled her toes, feet, ankles, and legs. Stiff, but working. She did the same with her fingers, hands and arms. Other than the IV, she found nothing out of the ordinary there. A fierce headache and difficulty swallowing were her worst problems.

The darkness enveloped her, and she slept again.

When she awoke, her confusion grew as she looked around the empty room.

“Hello? Is anyone here? Someone help me!” Her voice rose in volume as she called out, echoing among the empty halls    

The only sound to break the silence was the drip of her IV. Terri looked around the small room, recognizing nothing. She was definitely in a hospital, but something didn't seem right. Then it hit her. When have you ever known a hospital to be this quiet?

Darkness started to overtake her again. No. I’ve got to stay awake. She looked from the IV bag with its constant drip to the needle in the back of her hand. No wonder she couldn’t stay awake more than a few minutes. She was continually being re-sedated.

Terri gripped the connection on the tubing and tried to unhook it. But with only one hand she couldn’t press it and turn it the right way to disconnect. She felt her head begin to swim. She had to stop the IV if she was ever going to figure out what was happening to her. Frantic, she picked at the strips of clear tape until she could grasp them and yank. She grabbed the plastic base of the IV needle and ripped it out of her hand, slinging it to the floor.

Sobbing, she flopped back onto the pillow, exhausted and frightened. Where am I? What’s happening to me?

            She forced herself to calm down. She slowly pulled herself around until she was sitting on the edge of the gurney with both feet on the floor. She stood and wrapped the thin blanket around her shoulders, covering the thin backless hospital gown she wore. She took a few hesitant steps, then clutched the doorway to establish her balance. After a few deep breaths, she felt steady enough to continue. I’m going to find someone and figure out what the heck is going on!

            Leaving the curtains that surrounded her gurney, she saw several more of the small rooms, their curtains pulled open, their gurneys empty. She followed the hallway to a wide area she assumed was the nurse’s station. She hobbled past dark computer screens, cleared desks, empty chairs. A sign pointed left to Surgery and right to Waiting Room.

            She chose left, pushing open the double doors to reveal a darkened room. Looming shadows and heavy silence caused her to back away. Turning, she trudged back past the empty nurse’s station and through another set of doors to another hallway. More doors opened onto a room of chairs, tables with magazines, a dark TV screen.

A giant window formed one wall, reflecting the empty waiting room. She quickened her pace, approaching the glass. In the darkness outside she could make out the hulking shape of a distant mountain. The window overlooked a dumpster and a deserted parking lot.

She let out the breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. Not one car. Not one person. That was impossible.

Another hallway stretched in the opposite direction. Pressing a hand to her abdomen, she leaned against the wall to gather her strength and her thoughts.

She shuffled along the deserted concourse, past curtained windows and closed doors. She reached out and tried a door marked “Outpatient Services.” The door swung open, revealing nothing but a dark, empty room. When she finally reached the other end of the building, another wall of windows greeted her, overlooking another empty expanse of asphalt.

She pushed open the door to the stairs, unsure where she was heading or why. Her labored breathing echoed in the stairwell. She slowly climbed, counting each step as her bare feet hit the cold concrete floor. Fifteen steps to the first landing. The light seemed dimmer here. Thirteen steps to the next, and it was definitely darker here. The stairs ended at a large metal door. The sign identified it as “Third Floor, Patient Rooms.” She pushed at the locked door, but it didn’t budge. With nowhere else to go, she started back down.

When she reached the landing where she’d started, she rested a few minutes, then descended the stairs to the first-floor. Again it grew dimmer the farther she went. Finally, she reached the bottom landing, “Cafeteria, Emergency,” according to the plaque.

She pounded on the locked metal door. When has an Emergency Room ever been empty or closed?

She sank to the floor, hurting, exhausted, and frightened.

“She’s down here!” a male voice shouted.

Terri jerked her head up. The sound of hurrying footsteps echoed in the stairwell. Two men dressed in white scrubs descended the stairs and stood over her. Terri scooted back against the heavy door, drawing her feet in and wrapping her arms around her knees. She snapped her glance from one to the other. “Who are you? What do you want?”

“You’ve got to stop wandering off, little lady. We like to have never found you this time.” The largest of the men reached down and lifted her by the shoulders as if she weighed no more than a child.

The second man gently re-wrapped the sliding blanket, handing her the edges. “Here, ma’am. Can you walk?”

Terri pulled the blanket tighter and nodded slowly. If she didn’t walk, the big guy would probably just carry her like a sack of potatoes. She didn’t have the strength to resist.

They slowly climbed the stairs, the big man leading the way. The smaller man walked beside her, holding her arm and matching her slow footsteps. When the door opened onto the concourse, Terri blinked at the bright fluorescent lights and hum of business. She looked around in awe.  I was just here! Where did all these people come from?

People were everywhere, seated in the waiting areas, standing at the desks talking to receptionists, walking in and out of hallways. This same area had been dark and empty just moments before. That was just a few minutes ago, wasn’t it?

Her escorts led her to the elevator. “Let’s get you back upstairs to your room. If you keep wandering off, they’ll have to restrain you,” the big man said as they entered the elevator.

“And if you run off again, try to remember your shoes,” the second man chuckled, patting her shoulder and looking down at her dirty bare feet.

The elevator doors slid closed, and the man reached over and pressed the top button, marked “Psychiatric Ward.”