Rachel
Beep, beep, beep. The sound was familiar. Rachel had heard this sound before. She just can't recall when or where. The sheet under her body felt cold. Her surrounding was cold. There was a fearful chill in the atmosphere. Her feet were freezing and her hands were losing their sensations. The room was quiet and dull. She could feel it without opening her eyes. She tried to shift her body to sit up, but she failed. The gap between her eyelids was growing wider. Where am I? This isn't my room. The padded ceiling was gone. The padded walls were gone. She could see that from the edge of her eyes. She couldn't move her head.
A mixture of electrical noises was filling the room. The chill in the room was much worse than she had been accustomed to the past few days. She was restrained and couldn't move a muscle. Her heart raced and her breathing deepened. There were two men wearing white coats talking in the background. One had a notepad in his left arm and a pen in his right. He was jotting down whatever the elder amongst them was saying. The room was filled with different machines operated by medical practitioners. She couldn't move her head to further observe her surrounding. She was restrained from head to toe. She felt numb.
"Help, somebody help!" she cried out hoping her voice would be heard. She twisted in the bed trying to free herself, but the restrains were very well fixed. She squeezed her hands through the leathery cuffs that pinned her down on the bed and wiggled her legs wanting to free them. She wanted to run, to scream, to get as far away as possible from where she was. Heavy footsteps approached the bed.
"Good morning Rachel," said doctor Steven coldly.
"Where am I?"
Doctor Steven asked the men to leave. "Relax Rachel. We are just carrying out normal routine checks on you."
"Let me out of here," she said ignoring him.
"I am afraid I can't do that. Not yet."
Doctor Steven loaded a syringe with some liquid from a small bottle. The writing was too small to make up the name of the drug he was about to inject in the serum that was linked to her arm.
"Maria said you had an episode yesterday."
"Episode?"
"Yes another one where you started screaming asking for your daughter." He tilted his head sideways adjusting the liquid in the syringe.
"I did see my daughter. She was there. I know it."
"Of course she wasn't Rachel. You were imagining her. Another one of the many hallucinations you thought were real."
"It wasn't a hallucination"
"See Rachel, you have been seeing things and hearing things way before you were admitted to this institute. Let me put it this way. There are a lot of things that you think happened when they didn't, and many that didn't happen and you think they did. Do I make sense?"
"I am not crazy I told you that before."
He smiled pushing whatever extra air was trapped in the syringe.
"What is this? What are you injecting me with?"
"Something that will ease your tension. Something to relax you."
"Stop! Get away from me," she screamed at him.
"I am just trying to help you Rachel." He ignored her and injected all the fluid into the serum. She felt dizzy. Her heart raced at what felt like two hundred beats per minute. Her breathing rate increased. She felt like she was running a four-hundred-meter race, and was leading, winning the contest. She felt her soul soaring. Leaving her body and going somewhere else.
A heavy pull of gravity pulled her back into her body as she started to tremble. The chill in the room was falling below what her body could withstand. She was shaking. Her eyes felt heavy. She could see a faint doctor Steven watching her with a broad smile on his face. The shaking was getting worse. She was trembling on the bed like a dying fish. Fingers cringed. Toes stiffened. Her body went through a shock that she never experienced before. The shaking was like an earthquake. So powerful and sudden.
"Shhh, you are okay, shhhh" doctor Steven's words were as sharp as a shriek in her ears. His hand stroking her now wet hair. He took a tissue out of his pocket and used it to dry the saliva that oozed out of her mouth, down her lips, and onto her neck.
She let out a loud cry.
"You are going to be okay. Everything will feel different after a while."
"Please...take... me ... back ...home," she pleaded out as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Shhh, I will, I will." His comforting words sent her into a deep sleep.
The weather was so cold. The feel of winter was something else. She loved the rain and the cold season as much as she loved summer. The idea of wearing long coats and boots excited her like a little kid. Winter was all about getting cosy and enjoying the rain with a cup of tea or coffee. It was about watching the snow mask the dullness of the streets. About the Christmas spirit, the snow angels, reindeers, Santa clause, and the list goes on. Nothing felt better than the holiday spirit. Kelly was having a break from school, Rachel's parents were visiting to spend Christmas with her. She loved setting up the Christmas tree. Kelly loved decorating the house with shimmering lights. Windows were covered with snow spray because it made Kelly happy. The ceiling high Christmas tree needed a lot of energy to decorate, but none of them complained. It was the result they were all looking forward to.
"Honey were is the decoration box?" Asked a frustrated Kevin. "I searched all the house for it. I can't find it."
"Did you check the attic?" She raised an eyebrow at Kevin. He flushed and sheepishly said "I am on it," indicating with his index finger that he had missed that.
"Mummy, can I help too? I want to decorate the Christmas tree with daddy."
Rachel knelt down next to Kelly and gave her a big hug. "Of course you can princess. Who else is going to make it look amazing? Only you can do that." She playfully pinched Kelly's little nose.
"Got it!" said Kevin triumphantly as if he won the championship.
"Where did you find it?"
"In the attic," he said rubbing one hand on the back of his head and supporting the box with the other.
Rachel smiled and looked lovingly at her husband and daughter as they decorated the tree. "Do you want some hot chocolate?"
"Yes mummy!" said Kelly enthusiastically. Anything simple made her super excited. The idea warmed Rachel's heart.
"Coffee?" She asked Kevin.
"Yes please babe."
The sound of the boiling kettle filled the air in the kitchen. Snowflakes were falling through the window. Rachel loved touching the flakes with her hands. They felt so smooth and tender. They were cold but soft. There was someone glaring at her. She could spot him from outside the window. He immediately disappeared behind the parked cars on the opposite side of the street as he saw her looking at him. She couldn't make up a lot of his features because the light around him was dim. She caught a glimpse of what looked like thick smoke from a cigar, a long creepy dark coat, and a dark hat.
"Mummy, mummy, come and see the tree. Daddy had placed the star on top of the tree." Kelly's little voice echoed through the living room and into the kitchen.
"In a minute honey," she replied preparing the drinks and looking out the window searching for the creepy man. He was no were to be seen. He must have gone. He might be just another stranger passing by and mistakenly looked her way, or he could be a stalker. She shook her head dismissing the latter. She shut the window and made sure it was locked.
"There you go honey."
"Mummy do you like it?"
"Wow! I love it."
The tree had been decorated similarly to the previous years, but with a few changes. The look of it was familiar, but she had to show enthusiasm in order not to disappoint Kelly.
Setting up the Christmas tree made Kelly very happy. She had anticipated this time of the year as early as summer.
Kevin shot Rachel a knowing smile as he took his coffee.
"Isn't it perfect?"
"Yes it is. I love it."
"Can we take a family picture with it now?" Kelly asked.
"With the tree?"
"Yes, it is family too." They all laughed at Kelly's comment.
"We sure can. This tree is part of our family now," Rachel joked pinching Kelly's puffy cheeks. Kevin prepared the auto shutter on his phone while they positioned themselves with a smile before the picture was taken.
"Say cheese," ordered Kelly.
"Cheese!" they said beaming happily at the camera. It was a perfect picture. One that still decorated a wall in the house.
"They are here," said Kevin as he peeped out the window at the car parking at the driveway. Rachel shot him an apologetic look.
"It is okay. I can handle her. I always do."
Kevin and Rachel's mother never got along so well. Natalie was a woman that said what was on her mind not caring about what others felt. In a way that was a good thing, but sometimes it went overboard. She visited every once in a while so that wasn't much of a problem for Kevin. When she was around, he had no choice but to cope.
"Mum, I missed you," said Rachel throwing her arms around her mother.
"I missed you too my darling."
"Dad, welcome," she kissed him on the cheeks.
"Hello Rachel."
"Grandma, grandpa!"
"Well hello my munchkin."
Kelly threw her arms around her grandparents giving them the hug of a lifetime.
"Look at you! You have grown so big!"
"Kevin."
"Natalie."
They both nodded at each other.
"Daniel, how have you been?"
"Good Kevin and you?"
Both men shook hands.
"Grandma come and see our Christmas tree. It is so huge," said Kelly.
"Oh my! What a beautiful tree. I am sure mum spent a lot of time trying to make it look that beautiful."
"Actually, it was dad who did."
"Instead of wasting time on the tree, your dad should find a better job to do."
"Mum please!"
"Rachel it's okay," said Kevin with a calm voice trying to play it cool.
"What? I am just saying the truth. Instead of him being a stay at home artist painting some portraits that are barely noticed by anyone, he should be out there seeking a proper job that can support his family."
"Mum we have already been through this before please let it rest."
"Honey I am only worried about you. I know we have a lot of money that can support you for a very long time, but that shouldn't hinder a man from pursuing a proper job to support his family."
Kevin stood in the corner of the room listening to what Natalie had to say. He didn't want to say anything unnecessary that could feed the flames.
"Kevin, have you watched the game from last night?" Asked Daniel trying to lighten up the mood and change the subject.
"Yes I did."
Daniel and Kevin sat in the living room chatting about football. In a few seconds the mood was restored and the men were doing what men do best, brag about sports.
"Honey how is work?"
"It is going well mum."
"You should reconsider your job now that our family business is all yours."
"Mum-"
Natalie raised her hand to stop Rachel from saying a word.
"Your father and I are old enough, and since you are our only child, it is only logical that you take over. Why be an employee when you can be the boss of your own work?"
"Mum I told you from the beginning that I wanted to make it on my own."
"And you did. Look at you with a spacious house and a comfortable living. This still shouldn't stop you from having what is yours by right. I will not discuss this matter with you anytime soon, but may it be known to you that all our properties have been descended down to you. All you have to do now is sign and you will own everything. I am not telling you to quit whatever it is that you do now, but at least let us die peacefully knowing that you are not short of anything. Promise me you will sign those papers soon. Your dad and I are planning a tour around the world. You wouldn't want to delay it any longer would you now?"
"No mum, I wouldn't. I will sign them."
"Good girl. Now I can relax."
Rachel threw her arms around her mum. "I love you."
"I love you more darling."
The holiday was as blessed as the previous one. Natalie and Kevin barely argued throughout their three-day stay. It was a perfect Christmas. One filled with lots of joy, laughter, and happiness.