Stranger From Within

Out of all my senses sight was the last one to come back to me; I could hear a murmur of voices, feet shuffling and doors opening and closing. It smelt like bleach…pine? No…lemon…I inhaled again definitely lemon, there was a metallic tang…and stale food. I licked my bottom lip, it was dry and cracked, I could taste coffee and…chicken? My stomach growled; I went to clutch it when a sharp pain zipped up my left arm; I grabbed it with my right hand. There was a tube on my arm I traced it up with my fingers and frowned…it was in the nook of my arm…a needle…my eyes shot open wide and I blinked a few times before looking down at my arm, then to the bag hanging off the stand. I frowned as I scanned the hospital room…there was nothing in the room except a tv, chair, side table, a window, a couple of machines I was attached too a door to the bathroom and the bed I laid on. I stared at the machines, watching the lines go up and down as my heartbeat…I tried to remember what happened last night, but nothing. I looked at my arms not a mark on them, I pulled the blankets back and looked at my legs…again nothing. My body felt stiff like I had not moved for a week; I threw my legs over the side of the bed and grabbed the IV stand before making may way to the bathroom. I glanced around looking for personal affects, I went back into the room and went to the side table…nothing but a bible. I frowned as I sat on the edge of the bed, glancing around the room again. I reached and grabbed the chart at the end of the bed, glanced at my wrist and turned the hospital bracelet…all it had on it was Jane Doe. I looked at the chart, again it had Jane Doe where my name was supposed to be; no date of birth, no next of kin, no previous medical history at all. There was a time and date of when I was admitted, it read 11:24PM 08/04/2018. I read it again and frowned, did I go to a party last night? Did I get alcohol poisoning? Was I drugged? Where were my parents? Was I robbed? Is that why I do not have anything with me? I put the chart back and headed back to the bathroom for a shower.

I sat on the ground as the warm water hit my body, I had scars on my torso, upper arms and thighs. They were all sizes and shapes although they looked old and faded and smooth to touch, I could not help but think was I in an abusive home? Is that why no one was here when I woke up? Did I have friends at least, if so, where are they? Is seemed to be more questions than answers for me, I let out a heavy sigh as I rested my head against the shower wall. I couldn’t be a ‘Jane Doe’ someone had to know me, someone had to be missing me. I closed my eyes and tired to remember my mother, my father, a sibling…anybody…anything before waking up, nothing. I want to know who I am, why I woke up is this hospital, what happened to me. I took a deep breath and got my feet underneath me to stand, turned the shower off and grabbed the white towel to wrap around myself. I looked at the oversized hospital gown on the floor and frowned, instead I pushed the nurse assistance button on the bathroom wall. Roughly five minutes later the bathroom door opened and a lady nurse smiled at me, she looked to be in her early 30’s, she was a curvy lady with tanned skin which made her emerald green eyes stand out and her jet black hair was pulled up in a tight clean bun.

Turns out I was in hospital for a week before I woke up; I was left at the entrance unconscious with multiple injuries. The doctor treating me – Dr. Maloney- said it was like I had been left for dead. Which raised a million questions in my mind and probably everyone else in the room. There were two police officers one was 6’5 with light brown hair cut close to his head, brown eyes with thick black eyelashes; he had a square type face with an athletic build he looked early 20’s the badge on his uniform read W. Staed. His partner was an older gentleman his black hair was going grey, he was the same height as his partner, he had blue eyes, an oval face and an athletic build; his badge said P. McDonald. Two nurses, the one that came when I called the nurse assistance button her name was Kadeesha, she was from a village in south Africa and the other one looked too be in her early 20’s and didn’t seem like she wanted to be here, she had blonde hair, green eyes and very thick make up for a nurse. I glanced at Dr Maloney he looked tired and worn then again I guessed him to be in his late 60’s at least his hair was completely grey, and his skin sagged under his eyes as well as his neck. The six of us exchanged glances as Dr Maloney done a quick check up and gave the officers all clear to question me about the night I was attacked. I wasn’t much help considering I couldn’t remember anything before waking up here in this room, Dr Maloney said its possible that it’ll may come back after a short while or I may never remember my life prior to waking up today. Knots formed in my stomach what if I never remember anything, never see my family before although no one has reported me missing so Officer Staed said. I was more than disappointed, maybe no one loved me enough to care. With no family or even friends to come looking for me meant I’d go into the foster system with other kids that weren’t loved… at least I’d fit in I guess.