The New Me

Someone New

“Mom, is she going to wake up?” a small boy cries, holding on to his mother’s navy blue sleeve.

“I hope so, Luke. I hope so.” she replies, tears fresh in her eyes. She sighs, hoping if her daughter wakes up that Samantha can tell them what happened to her.  They are sitting in a hospital emergency room looking at a bed with the pale girl.

“But, Mom! It’s been a week! She should be awake by now!” He yells, angry. He has no idea what happened to his sister. “Sam shouldn’t be lying in a bed, there’s nothing wrong with her!” There’s bruises on her cheek and other places and a long shallow cut or two on the outside of her arms, but that’s not what he means. He means she’s not sick like him.

She takes a breath, but neither of them notice, even though they’ve become silent.

Suddenly, she gasps and her eyes flutter open.

“Who the hell are you?” She sits bolt upright in her white sheeted bed.

Two young nurses and a ancient looking doctor rush in and tell the mother and son that they have to leave now, while the dark raven haired boy screams, about how his own sister doesn’t recognise him. Who? I glance around quickly. There’s nobody else who could be his sister other than me. He must be mistaken, because I don’t recall having a brother. I don’t remember much of anything, actually. In other words, nothing.

The nurse holds up a card with a bicycle on it up to me. “Do you know what this is?” She asks.

“Yes,” I answer.

“Well, what is it?” The doctor asks impatiently, rubbing his wrinkled forehead.

“Why should I tell you? Don’t you know?” I glare at him. “It’s a bicycle. I have no idea how you passed preschool without knowing that, much less became a doctor.”

He raises his thick grey eyebrows, surprised. “Samantha, they told me you were a perfect student, never made any trouble.”

“Who’s Samantha?” I ask bluntly, “Me?” Never making trouble sound boring.

“Yes,” says the nurse that hasn’t spoken yet. Both nurses haven’t stopped smiling yet, and I wonder if that’s why they hired them, because they would cheer the patients up, or something?

The first nurse, the one with the platinum blond curls, purses her shiny pink lips and hold up another card. “What’s this?” She asks, batting her mascara tinted eyelashes.

“A ice cream cone. Can I have some ice cream, please?” I ask, suddenly craving sweet food.

“Sure!” says Blondie, and I expect her to wave a magic wand and make ice cream appear, but she doesn’t. She rushes out of the room, and I still hear wailing coming from that boy who called me his sister.

This time, the doctor picks up another card, “This?”

“Five plus Five equals Ten, stupid.” I roll my eyes at him. Nurse Number Two giggles shrilly, and twirls her wavy caramel hair I would die for with her manicured fingers. Her sparkly sky blue eyes stare at me as she giggles.

“Eight times nine?” The doctor asks me out loud.

“Seventy-two. Can I get out of this boring hospital?” I ask, and the brown haired nurse shakes her head sadly at me.

“I wish I could, too.” She says, pouting.

The doctor glares her way, “Nyssa, remember, this is your job!”

“Yes, Dr. Fullman.” She replies, but looks at me like, ‘he’s a jerk!’

I snort out loud, but he doesn’t seem to notice. He continues interrogating me about what I do and don’t remember. I remember everything except anyone Dr.Fullman asks me about and any memories he asks me about.