“Thank you, Rita. For everything.”
“My pleasure, Miss Hughes. Thea.” She leaned over and gave my hand a squeeze. “I’m so happy for you. And if it’s not too much for me to say, I think your mom and dad are happy for you too.”
Tears stung my eyes. “I think so too.”
Dr. Chen and Dr. Milton, along with their mini-army of interns, crowded into my room for the morning grilling. They took my blood pressure, checked my breathing and asked a bunch of questions about what I could and couldn’t remember.
“Memories from before the accident feel normal,” I said. “Everything after is still kind of hazy. Dreamlike.”
“In what way?” Dr. Milton asked. The interns’ pens readied.
The itchy feeling came back. I suddenly wanted to run a marathon or paint a hundred paintings. I could breathe again. I was getting my true self back.
And my true self decided the doctors all looked far too serious.
I squinted my eyes. “I’m seeing something. A vision…”
Chen and Milton exchanged glances. The interns scribbled furiously.
“A vision?”
“Yes, it’s… It’s coming…”
“What’s coming?”
“Winter.” I rolled my eyes up in my head, showing the whites. “Winter is coming…”
Rita snorted laughter which made me laugh and break character. The doctors stared at me and the young interns looked around, in need of guidance.
“Get it?” I said. “Bran Stark? You guys don’t watch Game of Thrones? Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.” Then my eyes widened as I realized I’d missed two years of the show. “Oh my God, do not spoiler me or I’ll go Arya Stark on y’all.”
Dr. Milton chuckled while Dr. Chen rolled her eyes with a bemused smile.
“If we could please get back to our questions?” she said.
“Sure. Sorry. Go ahead. I’ll behave.”
They asked questions, and I answered honestly and without fucking with them, though it was tempting.
When they finished their interrogation, Dr. Milton and Dr. Chen conferred for a moment.
“What’s the verdict?” I asked.
“So far, everything you’re experiencing is consistent with what the Sydney team is reporting with their first group of patients,” Dr. Milton said. “In fact, you’re doing so well, I feel confident I can leave you in Dr. Chen’s capable hands.”
“You’re leaving her?” Delia was at the door, staring daggers at Dr. Milton. “She’s only been out of the hospital three days.”
“Ah, Ms. Hughes,” Dr. Milton said, shooting me a wink. “We weren’t expecting you until this afternoon.”
Delia stood beside me. “When you would’ve been long gone, sneaking out without talking to me?”
“I had every intention of discussing Thea’s case with you,” he said patiently. “I’m not leaving like a thief in the night. Perhaps in the next few days, if she continues to do so well. We’re pleased with her progress.”
“Hear that, Deel?” I said. “I’m doing great, so chill the hell out.”
“How about some breakfast?” Rita said.
“Go. Enjoy,” Dr. Chen said. “We’ll check back with you after lunch.”
Delia, Rita, and I headed down to the dining room. Margery, behind the counter, gave me a tray of oatmeal, toast, fruit, and orange juice.
“Coffee too, please,” I said.
Margery glanced at Rita who glanced at Delia.
“You’re kidding,” I said to my sister. “You didn’t let me have coffee? And I thought the wardrobe was the torture.”
“It’s not good for you,” Delia said. “Juice is better.”
“To be fair,” Rita said, “we didn’t want the caffeine to interfere with your sleep patterns.”
“Decaf doesn’t exist in this part of Virginia?” I said with a laugh. I stopped. “Wait. We are still in Virginia, right?”
Delia rolled her eyes. “Always, with the dumb jokes.”
“Damn skippy,” I said, turning to Margery. “Coffee, please. A big one.”
“You got it, sweetheart.”
She passed me a steaming mug and I took a sip.
“God, even no cream or sugar and it’s heaven. But I’m going to need cream and sugar, please, Marge. And lots of it.”
We took our trays to a table near the window. Other residents were having their breakfast with the aid of their assistants.
I put cinnamon on my oatmeal and took a bite. Warm and sweet and perfect.
“I haven’t had oatmeal in two years,” I said, taking another heaping spoonful.
“Don’t be silly, of course, you have,” Delia said, forking a piece of strawberry from her fruit bowl. “Nearly every morning.”
“But I couldn’t remember eating it or what it tasted like.” My eyes widened, and I glanced back to the counter. “Do they have bacon? Oh my God, I must have bacon.”
“Not on Wednesdays,” Rita said.
“So let’s go out. What are the good breakfast places around here?”
Delia and Rita exchanged looks.
“It’s a little soon, don’t you think?” Delia said. “You had surgery less than a week ago.”
I glanced a table over, at Mr. Webb and his dented head. Then at Ms. Willis who had a hard time holding her utensils. She looked up and gave me a faltering smile. I smiled back though I suddenly felt like crying.
Delia’s cell phone rang in her purse and she rose to answer it.
“How are we doing?” Rita asked. She glanced at my tray. “Not hungry all of a sudden?”
“I feel all over the place,” I said. “I want to head for the front door and keep running. That’s the grief, partly. Like I could escape it if I just went somewhere else.”
Rita nodded, listening intently.
“But also, and this is going to sound horrible…” I lowered my voice. “I’m better.”
Rita glanced around just as Ms. Willis dropped her spoon for the fifth time.
“Not better like superior,” I said quickly. “Literally better. I’m not sick. I don’t belong here anymore.”
“I understand, hon, but it’s only been a few days. Dr. Milton’s procedure is brand new. Not just for you but the entire medical community. The long-term results aren’t yet known.”
“All the more reason for me to get the hell out of here.”
“And do what? Where would you like to go?”
“New York City.”
“That’s a little too much to ask for right now. We need to keep you close. In the event of complications.”
I pursed my lips and buried my disappointment. Rita was a sweet woman and a friend, but she was a medical professional, first.
“Can I at least go shopping for some new clothes?” I indicated the drab outfit. “I mean… Loafers? Really?”
“You can’t leave the premises, honey.”
“Why not? I want to go shopping. Not leave the country. I’ve lost two years. I don’t want to waste one more second.”
She bit her lip, thinking. “Maybe I can get Dr. Chen to allow a short trip if I go with you.”