Page 6 of Possessed By Shadows
I didn’t remember it at all. Not being here, or Micah visiting, or any of it. Though I knew saying those things out loud would be a one-way ticket to a long-term confinement. It was good to know Micah hadn’t abandoned me.
I followed Daniel to the seating area, and heard the nurse behind us quietly talking into the phone.
“He’s talking. Acting normal. Said his name. Chatting like nothing happened.”
How out of it had I been? I took a seat and so did Daniel. Another orderly appeared, coming around the corner, as he had likely been on the fifteen-minute room check. He sent a questioning look Daniel’s way. Daniel waved him off.
“Did I do something?” I asked, worried that I’d been some sort of monster attacking people or something.
“Exactly the opposite,” Daniel admitted. “You’ve been little more than a zombie since arrival.”
I thought about that. It certainly explained why my muscles felt so weak. How long had I been here? If Micah was here every day, that meant he was probably keeping my beard trimmed and hair braided. “How long have I been here?”
“A few days.”
That should have been comforting, but I knew as part of the staff, his job was to keep me calm, so it could have been a lie. “I didn’t hurt anyone?” I clarified.
“No,” Daniel agreed.
My stomach growled loudly. “Sorry,” I said.
“How about I grab you something to eat? We have a stock of fruit and some cereal on hand,” Daniel offered.
“That would be great. Bananas if you have them. Cereal is okay too, though I’ve sort of lost the taste for cow milk, so dry unless you have a non-dairy option.” I put up a hand. “I mean, don’t go to special trouble for me.”
Daniel gave me a kind smile. The other orderly, a good size black man, lingered nearby. “Is it okay if Mike sits with you while I get your stuff?”
“Sure. If it’s not taking him away from other people.”
“Nah, that’s what we’re here for. You just relax. Let me get you something to eat. Maybe some orange juice? You could probably use the vitamin C. No food allergies, right?”
“No food allergies,” I agreed.
Daniel got up, moving toward the nurse station and Mike sat down. “You’re Alex, yeah?” He said in a thick accent.
“Yeah. You from Ghana?” I asked, recognizing the accent.
“You’ve met a lot of people from Ghana?”
I nodded. “In hospitals, mostly. Lots of nurses. Would like to go someday.”
“It’s busy.”
“Yeah, but like this isn’t?” I motioned around us like we were in the center of New Orleans or something. “Saw a lot of amazing places when I was overseas serving.” I paused, then added, “Some not so amazing too, but you take the good with the bad, right?”
He nodded.
“I’ve been here a few days?”
“What’s the last day you remember?”
“Friday night.”
“Did you take anything Friday night?”
I didn’t like the way he wasn’t affirming or denying anything. Yeah, it was a tactic to keep patients calm, but it ratcheted up my anxiety. “Allergy to medications. I take nothing.” I held up the wrist with the bracelet on it and the tattoo beneath. “What day is it?”
“Wednesday morning.”
That was more than a few days. I sighed. Hoping it wasn’t like a month or something later. I’d feel really bad for flaking on Micah that long. Yeah, he had help in the shop, but we’d become a partnership in a dozen ways.
Daniel returned with food, a couple bananas that were barely ripe and a container of plain Cheerios. Didn’t matter, I’d eat it ‘cause I was starving. He took Mike’s place, keeping me company while I ate. When Mike returned to his rounds, I felt him watching, like he was waiting for me to do something. I really hoped I hadn’t gone all sumo wrestler on anyone.