A Jane Doe with no identification is brought into the ER after being found in a pool of her own blood. She can't remember anything or even who she is. After random spurts of memories are discovered, her amnesia fades away. And she is faced with the...
The hospital's nutritional services brought me a gigantic spread of food. Endless plates of things to sample. My eyes scan each item, from one plate to another. Some things looked physically appetizing, but I wouldn't know for sure until I tried them.
I reach my hand out towards the cart of food beside my bed and grab a plate with a turkey sandwich on it. I lift it up, the bread is soft and cold. Like it was kept in a refrigerator. I move it to my lips and take a bite. As I chew it, I enjoy it thoroughly. I smile to myself as I finish chewing. I decide to grab for another plate, it was a steaming bowl of macaroni and cheese.
The smell was intoxicating, and it caused my stomach to rumble as a reaction. I hurriedly grab a fork and scoop up a bite and shove it into my mouth. I smile widely, I loved it. The smooth cheesiness was an amazing texture on my tongue.
I continued this dance of Russian roulette with food. It turns out that I liked just about everything that I sampled. The chicken meatballs, mashed potatoes, green beans, mac and cheese, sandwiches, chips, grapes, ham and stuffing. Hoseok ordered so much food. I couldn't finish all of it.
Lastly, I tried a piece of chocolate cake and rolled my eyes in pleasure. It was delectable. Definitely my favorite thing that I tried. I must have a sweet tooth. I quickly inhaled the cake and soon after a female nurse enters my room but not before knocking briefly.
"You all finished? We gotta get you a bath." I put my empty cake plate back on the cart. Only a few fluffy crumbs remain. "Yes, I'm finished." I say with a sweet smile. She helps me out of my bed, and she walks me carefully towards the bathroom in my room.
The faucet in the bathtub is turned on and the gushing warm water fills the tub slowly. "Get undressed, I'll help you in the tub."
I hear her but I've stopped dead in my tracks in front of the mirror in the bathroom. My eyes take in my face. What an odd experience I'm having. I'm looking into my own eyes but it's like the first time I've seen myself. My eyes travel to my head and I see the thick gauze wrapped around my head. I had brown hair and long eyelashes. My lips were full and pouty. I had smaller eyes that were hooded. A smallish nose in the middle of my face.
This is who I am. This is me. But who am I? I'm staring at the person in the mirror and she's a complete mystery. She blinks when I blink, her head moves when I move mine. But who is she?
The nurse grabs my shoulder and gently guides me to the tub. "Okay, it's ready for you." I grab onto my gown and look at her shyly. The nurse giggles and shrugs at me. "Okay, I'll look away." I nod and as she stares at the ceiling, I remove my hospital gown and slowly, easily step into the tub. The warm water engulfs my foot and it's comforting.
I sit down and cover myself up. The nurse turns around and laughs. She didn't feel awkward about the situation, she does this for a living. But for me, I felt so bare and exposed. She hands me everything I need to bathe.
The female nurse points to her shoulder. "I like your tattoo." My head jerks upward quickly and I lock eyes with her. "What tattoo?" She smiles and leans to get a better look at my back. "The mask tattoo on the back of your shoulder. The script says, 'I don't wear a mask, that's my motto.'" She grins again. "I like that. Be true to who you are." I nod awkwardly to her. I had no idea I had a tattoo.
Once the nurse leaves, I scan my body quickly. On my right upper arm, I discovered another tattoo of an hourglass that was running. Inside the top part of the hourglass, the image was filled with piano keys. My eyebrows crinkle. Did I play piano? The piano keys turned into sand and filled the bottom half of the hourglass. Underneath was a date. October 20th, 2018. Is that a birthday? Is the year currently 2018? I had endless questions.
I didn't find any other tattoos, that I could see. So, I begin to take my bath and finish it quickly. The nurse knocks on the door as I'm stepping out of the bathtub, and I quickly grab a towel to pull around myself before she barges in. "Feel better?" She smiles and I nod.
"We will wash your hair once your staples and stitches have more time to heal." My eyes flash to hers. "Stitches and staples?" She looks at me apologetically. "Yes hon, you have ten stitches in your scalp and a few staples. Whoever attacked you, did a number on you." She frowns. I reach my hand up and touch around on my head trying to pinpoint the location.
Why did someone attack me so violently? If I was just robbed, then why did they try to kill me? If the robber just wanted the contents in my purse, then why not just yank it from my hands and run away? My whole life revolved around endless questions. It was becoming exhausting.
After I'm dressed back into my gown, the lady nurse helps me back to my bed and as soon as my body lays against the bed, my eyelids shut. I was fatigued from such a menial task. I just needed to rest. The nurse reattaches the necessary IV's and wires and I'm fast asleep before she even leaves the room.
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