Secrets Left Neglected

Chapter 42

Tadhg

When I open my eyes, they feel crusted. I must've been out for a while. I've been waking up on and off for days now. Some of the time, I'm awake for an hour or two. Other days, I swim in and out of consciousness never really feeling coherent.

I'm not sure what's going on, but at some point I think I heard the doctor and nurse speaking about seizures. I try to make a mental note to ask about them, though admittedly, I feel fuzzy in my head.

I rub my right eye with my hand. The sheets feel scratchy beneath my leg and I can smell the bleach they used to wash them. A thin green blanket is draped across my body.

I look around the room and see an American flag hanging from the ceiling in front of me. There are other soldiers in beds next to me on my right.

I smell piss and copper.

The man to my right is missing the lower half of his arm. Realizing this, panic overtakes me as I look down to see my own limbs. I let out a sigh of relief when I recognize my own arm and leg still intact. Thank goodness.

I close my eyes and yawn. Shit. There was something I meant to remember. What the hell was I just thinking about? Damn it, I can't remember. It was important, though, I need to remember.

I look around and see a window at the far end of the room. My concern about remembering something important floats away. I would love to get up and go look out that window. I wonder if-

When a nurse asks me how I feel I jump. Where the hell is her voice coming from?

I look around again, but I still don't see her. Alarmingly, she continues speaking to me. "Do you know your name? Can you tell me what year it is?"

What is going on?

All of a sudden, the nurse appears in front of me. "Mr. MacCrithein, can you hear me?" She asks.

"Why were you hiding from me?" I ask her. "What happened? Where am I?"

"Take it easy. You're in the hospital," she starts to explain. "What do you remember? Can you tell me your name?"

"Tadhg. My name is Tadhg," I reply, trying to understand what's going on.

"I don't know. I don't remember anything after breakfast. I was eating with my cousin, Walker, in the mess. After that, I can't remember. What's going on?"

I start to sit up and feel a presence on the side of my body. "Shit! What's that? Who's touching me?" I yell, sitting up awkwardly.

I try to look around and see who it is, but don't see anyone.

"There's no one there, Mr. MacCrithein. It's just us-"

"No, you're lying," I tell her, shaking my head. "I can feel him. He's here."

"What're you talking about?" she says, walking out of my line of sight.

"Where did you go? Nurse? Come back!" I holler, trying to get her to return. I do my best to sit up straight, to see if I can find her, when I feel a presence on my body again.

"Get off me! Let go!" I holler. "Who's there?"

The nurse runs back into my sight. "Mr. MacCrithein, I'm right here."

"Why did you leave? Can't you see what's going on?" I ask, pissed off that she disappeared on me, and then worse, snuck up on me again. What's wrong with this nurse?

"Mr. MacCrithein," she says, trying to calm me. "Give me a minute. I'm going to go get Dr. Smithers. Hold on. I'll be right back."

Before I can protest, she takes off down the hall. A few minutes later a marine wearing glasses and a white jacket, sporting jet black hair cut close to the skin, comes over to me. "Ok, let's see what's going on, Sir. Give me a minute to look over your notes."