This choice: I wake up a few hours later. Nurse Childs comes back, but is much different. • Go Back... When I woke up again, the window drapes on the wall to the left of my bed had been pulled open again, and afternoon sunlight was now streaming into the room. I rubbed my eyes, sitting back up. The headache I had earlier seemed to have gone away, for now at least, and I didn't feel anywhere near as woozy.
"Oh, Erik, thank God you're okay!"
I looked forward and noticed a middle-aged woman with medium-length blonde hair sitting on the chair at the opposite wall from my bed. I instantly recognized this woman as my mother. Not only was I feeling better, but my memory and my recollection must have been getting better as well.
"Hi, Mom," I said gingerly. She stood up and came over to my side.
"How are you doing?" she asked, a heavy sense of concern evident on her face. "The doctors said you've been in and out of consciousness for the last several days, and that your memory has been pretty hazy."
I tilted my neck back and forth, my muscles and bones not nearly as sore as before. "I think I'm doing okay," I said. "My memory seems to be a lot more solid now, and I'm not in as much pain as before."
She placed her hand on mine and squeezed it tight. "I'm so glad, honey. When I first saw you here in this bed a few weeks ago, I was so afraid that we might lose you. But it looks like you're gonna be okay. The doctors even say that you should make a full recovery."
I breathed in deeply and nodded, leaning my head against my mom's chest and hugging her tight, which she returned warmly. My relationship with my mother had never been exceptionally close, but I loved her, and she loved me. What more could a son really ask for, right?
We broke from our embrace when we heard the sound of the door opening, and a tall, dark-skinned man walked in. He looked to be a few years younger than my mom, and was slightly overweight, but seemed very friendly and upbeat. By the look of his clothes, I guessed he was a nurse, except I didn't remember seeing any male nurses yet in this hospital.
"So Erik," he said, grinning from ear to ear, "how was your nap?"
"I'm doing okay, sir." I answered. And it was the truth; I was much better than before. I wasn't ready to run a marathon yet or anything, but I could tell that I was gonna be out of the hospital within a few days.
"'Sir'?" The nurse laughed. "Hey, I thought we were friends, Erik! Don't you remember me? We've talked every day since you've been in here!" He looked a little offended, but was still smiling, not seeming to have lost his energy.
I racked my brain for a name, but I couldn't come up with one. "I-I'm sorry, I don't remember…"
"That's okay, buddy," he said. "It's not like you haven't forgotten my name before. I'm Nurse Childs, and I've been taking good care of you during your stay here."
Hmm, that was odd. "Nurse Childs?" I asked. "Wait, are you related to the other Nurse Childs that was here this morning?"
"Other Nurse Childs?" He scrunched up his nose, seemingly confused. "I don't know who you're talking about. I'm the only person on staff named Childs."
"But," I responded, shifting in my bed slightly, "this woman this morning said that she was Nurse Childs. She was an older black woman, maybe ten or twenty years older than you, and really nice and friendly. She called me 'hon' a lot."
Nurse Childs shook his head. "Son, we don't have any nurse on staff that's like that. There's only two other black nurses in this wing, and they're both in their twenties."
That didn't make any sense. How could I remember the other Nurse Childs so clearly, when apparently she didn't exist? Was someone playing a prank on me?
I shrugged it off and turned back to my mom as the nurse began checking on my vitals again. "How have things been going at home while I've been out of commission?" I asked her. "Aaron been too much of a hassle for you?"
"No, not really," she answered, chuckling a little. "He can't wait until you get home, though."
I looked around slightly. "Where is he?"
"He had camp this week, remember?" I shrugged, trying to still put back all the pieces in my memory. "Well, anyways, he'll be back on Friday. Perhaps you'll be ready to come back home then too!"
"Perhaps I will," I said, smiling. Nurse Childs gave me a thumbs up and left the room, and I leaned back against my pillow and sighed, content in seemingly, finally being on the mend.  indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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